The New Touhou Character Alternate Interpretation Compendium!

Of course, now I see Akyuu as Crankey Kong in the inevitable Donkey Kong Country/Touhou mash up game.*

I hope you're happy.

edited 11th Aug '11 10:02:56 AM by Otherarrow

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I am happy about the silly mental image and incredibly aggrieved at the Marisa as main character thing.

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As am I, which is why I had to point it out. Why is it always Marisa? But I'm getting off topic.

Are Akyuu's parents physically related to her previous incarnations? Like, is one of the (many) things she has to do before she dies is have kids*

, or are the later incarnations born to cousins or are they just any human couple who have a kid at the time when she reincarnates, and she gets the "Hieda no" name from being the Child of Miare? Just an idle thought I had.

edited 11th Aug '11 10:11:24 AM by Otherarrow

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What were you hoping for? Donkey Hong?

Its a good idle thought but one I don't know the answer to. Considering that there's a hundred years or so between reincarnations, I'd say it probably doesn't have to be a direct descendant of hers so much as someone closely enough related. So probably born to the descendant of a sibling or cousin, I'd imagine.

I wonder if the family knows who she's going to be born to next. It could cause some strife and family politics if the Child or Miare is seen as something prestigious to have born to you. And if having the Child of Miare elevates you to head of the family.

If its not something prestigious, if the family just sees it as something that occasionally happens, the distant ancestor's legacy popping up, then it might just be a matter of slight interest.

"Okay, that concludes the discussion on getting a new thing that gets doink. Anybody have any new business?"
"The next Child of Miare was born to Bob and his wife last week."
"Alright, everyone give Bob and Mrs. Bob a round of applause. ... Alright. Well, then I guess this ends this family meeting. Remember to bring a dish for the potluck next time."

Now I am. HM, Hong MEIling! She's the leader of the gate, she knows it well! She's finally here to raise some hell!

edited 11th Aug '11 10:19:52 AM by Bocaj

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What you say there reminds me of the Fey clan.

edited 11th Aug '11 10:45:08 AM by asterism

Heart of Stone

Cool. Share with us your knowledge of these things so that we may be immersed in the world of your wisdom.

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That raises a good point. What do her parents feel about their child being the Child of Miare? Would it cause family politics, like you speculated? I wonder how it would be to raise the Child of Miare, or would s/he need raising at all? I would think not, she knows how to work due to her memories of past lives. As soon as she is able, she goes to work on gathering information for the Chronicle?

Of course, being the parent of the Child of Miare must also not be pleasant, as you are forced to watch as your child spends all of her life getting ready to write (rereading older editions, gathering data on the youkai and places of the era and so on), writing the Chronicle, getting ready for the reincarnation, and ultimately dying young, without having a chance to truly live. Must be heart rendering.

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It's from the Ace Attorney series. To explain would be both spoilery and long.

Information here. Well, sort of. Spoiler alert, obviously.

edited 11th Aug '11 10:33:37 AM by asterism

Heart of Stone

"Oh good, grandma came back. Took long enough."

Stop making me laugh, damnit.

You too.

edited 11th Aug '11 10:37:16 AM by Bocaj

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'Grandma's a boy now!'

Oh, the fun you can have with reincarnation. 'What have I told you about staying out late and drinking at that sleazy jazz bar?' 'You can't lecture me, young lady! I am your grandmother! I toilet trained you!'

edited 11th Aug '11 10:37:04 AM by asterism

Heart of Stone

Child of Miare

Hieda no Akyuu (1)

• Occupation: Writer of the Gensokyo Chronicles
• Ability: Ability to remember everything she sees. Able to remember past reincarnaions.
• Residence: Human Village

The ninth Child of Miare. Hieda no Akyuu is the writer of the Gensokyo Chronicles. Though she is young, her memory is a vast sea of knowledge, in which she uses to write her compendium.

Personality

Though her appearance depicts a child, her mannerisms seem to indicate that she's three times her age. That is the knowledge of the other Miares leaving their mark on her mind.

Though she spends most of her time writing the Chronicles, if you do happen to meet her outside her home, her humor and wit sill surely surprise you (2).

Ability

Though she can remember anything she sees, that is an ability shared by all the past Children of Miare. She can also recall any memory from said Children at will, dating back to almost 1200 years (3).

Unfortunately, with each reincarnation, the Child's lifespan gets shorter ad shorter. Though faced with this bleak future, Akyuu is determined to make her Gensokyo Chronicle the best one yet.

Gensokyo Chronicles

A recording of every being of importance in Gesokyo, and also various threats and how to avoid them. Though just a simple book, it has saved countless lives with its tips and tricks to besting harmful youkai (4).

Each generation of Miare adds more and more to the Chronicles (5), making sure it is never out of date.

• 1: It feels odd, writing an article about myself.
• 2: If I do say so myself.
• 3: This does not come without its drawbacks.
• 4: Or so I'd like to believe
• 5: I think it's safe to say I've added more to the Chronicles than any of my past reincarnations.

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

What I really like about Akyuu is her humble nature.

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Once you give a fancy title to a child, humility pretty much goes out the window.

I sure said that!

I liked that write up. Short, but humourous and got the job done. I also liked how Akyuu tried to toot her own horn, but was kind enough to, for the most part, keep it in the footnotes. (although she wasn't able to be completely impartial in the main text of course)

Of course, now you took my idea for a Akyuu write up. Now I have to have an actual original thought! Curses.

edited 11th Aug '11 11:05:01 AM by Otherarrow

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I wonder if she's visited all the places she mentions. Some of them are, after all, pretty dangerous, like Muenzuka or Medicine's hill.

Have Hatatatatatatatatatatatatate write an article on her. Since Ayayay-no hasn't either, why not use her instead. OR BOTH! JOURNALIST WAR! AND THE TARGET IS THE CHILD OF MIARE!

I think I'll just call them as Hatate and Aya from now on. Or Himekaidou and Shameimaru.

edited 11th Aug '11 11:12:44 AM by asterism

Heart of Stone

I think not, although I wouldn't be surprised if she had someone, like a friend or a family member, go out for her and take notes. Like I said, I expect her to play it safe so that the ongoing reincarnation deal doesn't just go up in smoke because a wandering youkai though that kid would taste delicious.

Then again, she apparently went to the bamboo forest to meet Mokou? Or maybe she caught Mokou when she was in the human village for whatever reason?

Maybe she has someone who can fight off youkai escort her to these places?

EDIT:Technically Aya has written an article on Akyuu, but it was more of a notice that she was born. I was considering a return of "Hatate's Investigative Reports (which are no way ripping off Aya's thing, don't be silly and don't send the lawyers)", but I'm not sure how I'd go about that. (Akyuu doesn't really have as a big circle of friends I feel)

Although now that I have reread that article, I know that, yes, Hieda no X is born to at least members of her own family, although it doesn't say if it is her own direct decedents or anything. (I would also note that in her comments at the end, Akyuu notes a bit of "Aya Journalism" and toots her own horn a little bit)

edited 11th Aug '11 11:17:23 AM by Otherarrow

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Maybe the Child of Miare is sacrosanct. After all, s/he works for Shikieiki during the time between incarnations.

Or, yes, she just pays Reimu to take her around.

edited 11th Aug '11 11:15:40 AM by asterism

Heart of Stone

You asked when I sleep. The answer was three pages ago. I need to overview.

Of Note

Akyuu has the ability to remember anything she sees. However this is more of a technique passed down through the Hieda family for generations, as she needs to recite a mantra to help her remember. She can remember information from past lives, but only if it relates to the Gensokyian chronicles.

Akyuu is the ninth incarnation of Are no Hieda. Her name is a pun on the number 9, which in Japanese is read as "Kyuu." All of the incarnations are named around their number. Are herself was 0, "rei."

Akyuu wrote the Perfect Memento in universe. It contains information on all the known Youkai up to P o FV, but it contains information on types of Youkai yet to appear. Memorizable Gensokyo even contains a note by ZUN that says tsurube-otoshi still exist in Gensokyo, just another character telegraphed.

The first chronicle of Gensokyo was written by Aichi no Hieda, "ichi," for one, but Akyuu says that little of the information in the early chronicles is readable due to low literacy at the time.

Children of Miare rarely live above thirty, and she must prepare for reincarnation years before that. The entire purpose of her existance, not just as Akyuu, but as all her previous incarnations is to compile the history of Gensokyo.

Children of Miare can be, and have, been male

Music

Neither of Akyuu's themes have any profound effect on me. They are nice, but they are not my cup of figurative tea.

Overview

Akyuu is one of those characters who is interesting not because of the life they lead or their effect on a story, but just because of what they are. She's not really a Ensemble Darkhorse, but she is a widely known character in the Touhou fandom despite never even being mentioned in a game. The interesting thing about Akyuu to me is that she is the incarnation of Are that exists during the currently unnamed period of Gensokyian history that is currently taking place.

Despite the comments in the Mystia discussion about Akyuu being all old and grumpy, she really seems to have an open mind to all that's going on. She seems to love the fact that Gensokyo is becoming more technologically advanced and that Youkai are becoming less atypical. Despite the fact that most of her information is second-hand, she makes it clear she has no trouble talking to Youkai, and she did go to many of the places she writes on if not all, I can't remember.

Akyuu seems to have an identity crisis though, she often switches between talking as just another incarnation of Are, and her own person. She makes it clear that she has habits that the the other incarnation might not have. Talking with Youkai being one of them. She's an optimist, she can only she the bright future in the distance. Let us hope that she is correct.

EDIT: Metaflare took no time to steal my write-up idea. But I have a plan. It involves Comiket. I shall say no more. Except for this: METAFLARE WHY YOU STEAL MY IDEA!

edited 11th Aug '11 12:02:12 PM by Horselesshorseman

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

Akyuu's voice. Skip to 1:00.

Heart of Stone

That write up, Horselesshorseman I liked it. It touched on some points I missed, and in all, was very informative. Now here is something that probably isn't informative at all! I had an idea, so I shall do it. Unfortunately, it kinda is just recycling the idea of another write up, but I have inspiration so I shall do it anyway!

---

A Brief Distraction

Greetings, happy readers, to another edition of ''Hatate Himekaidou's Investigative Reports"! I try my best to bring completely original, entertaining, and maybe even accurate info on the various enigmas who live in this sleepy little world of ours. Today, I managed to get an interview with a small human girl who happens to have the memory of a thousand lifetimes!*

Don't worry your heads off. I got your reader mail, and I have taken those tips to heart and have perfected the art of the interview. Here we go!

---

"Greetings small human girl! I am Hatate Himekaidou, tengu journalist extraordinaire!"

"Oh, hello there. Must you be so loud and sudden? I was in the middle of my tea."

"I have come to interview you. So start by saying your name into the cell phone please."

"Very well? I am known as Hieda no Akyuu, the Ninth Child of Miare."

"Good, good, and what does a Child of Miare do?"

"My purpose is to write the latest edition of the Gensoukyou Chronicle."

"Uh huh. Speaking of which, I heard that you included an article on that stupidhead Aya, and not on me? Why not me?"

"You never asked. Do not worry, the current edition isn't absolute; I plan to add to it until the time where I must prepare for my reincarnation. May I continue, please? ...As I was saying, my purpose is to write the latest edition of the Gensoukyou Chronicle. To complete this task, I have been rereading the previous editions that I, or rather the previous Children of Miare, have written and have been gathering information on the various youkai types and notable persons since I was old enough to walk..."

"You saying I'm not notable?!"

"I didn't say that. May I continue? ...Once I am old enough to go outside the village, I have an escort, usually a hired youkai hunter, although this lifetime I have Miss Kamishirasawa, Keine Kamishirasawa, a fellow scholar of history..."

"I know who she is! Mostly!"

"...Anyway, I have Miss Kamishirasawa escort me to the various notable locations throughout Gensoukyou, so that I can gather information on these places and the youkai who live within, how they live, and the threat they may pose to any humans who would wander through. It may seem like an easy task to a tengu like you, but this process can take several months, on to a year if necessary, even with my ability to see anything I've seen, or Gumonji. After that, I begin seeking out information on any youkai, entity, or location that I was unable to gather information on..."

"Such as me."

"...Ahem. May I finish? Impatient bird... I seek out information on any youkai or place that I would not dare face firsthand. Fortuitously, with this most recent Chronicle, several youkai and humans of note have in fact visited me and allowed me to take notes on them and their strengths and weaknesses, although they do ask that I make them look better."

"OK. OK. So you are like, constantly writing new additions to the journal? Like, you die, then get reborn and the process starts over?"

"It isn't that simple. For reasons that are unknown even to me, I can only live so long. I estimate that this lifetime is to end at around 30 years of age. Before that day comes, I must prepare the ritual of reincarnation several years in advance..."

"Ritual of what now?"

"Ritual of Reincarnation. It involves me petitioning the Yama for forgiveness during my lifetime, as well as..."

"Oh. The Yama. Snoresville. Can we move on? I don't want to fall asleep."

"It's like you are trying to interrupt me as often as you can. Very well then, tengu. What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, ah...Do you have any friends?"

"Aside from Miss Kamishirasawa, I do have a few acquaintances, both youkai and human, a happy first I can say."

"First?"

"Much of my life is spend on the Chronicle. Until recently, I, or rather, my previous incarnations, have refused to make any permanent attachments to anyone, even our own birth family, due to the fact that when I reincarnate, all of these connections will be lost to time. However, in this new Gensoukyou, a human girl such as I can easily and safely speak to a youkai, such as we are doing now. When I reincarnate in about a hundred years, won't you still be flying around, taking pictures with that device?"

"Well yeah! So...what is that weird music you got playing? It sounds like something my cell phone would make."

"FM Synthesis Music. And please do not compare it to the noise that comes from your cell phone. It is much more pleasing to the ear that those beeps."

"Ooookay. Sheesh. Just wondering....So. Ah. yes. Do you worry about anything?"

"I worry about what to write about in this new Gensoukyou of course. I also..."

"Wait a minute, I just noticed something! Why aren't you writing the Chronicle now?"

"Goodness...As I said before, my life is short, and most of that time is spent working. Sometimes I, even if just for a moment, would like to enjoy a brief distraction. Would you allow me such selfishness? However, I've wasted enough time. I must go back to work."

"Speaking of your work, maybe you could add me in now? To make up for lost time? As I said before, my name is Hatate..."

"I'd rather you just leave for today. You are starting to try my patience."

---

And so you have it! Of course, I later would actually pick up a copy of the recent Gensoukyou Chronicle and realized that most of what I got out of her was bits she already wrote into the book! Geez! Nothing on her family or anything like that! Ah, well, I guess I just didn't ask? I had a good time, that's all that matters. Hatate Himekaidou, signing out!

---

And that was that write up. I had a good time writing it, although it was much more "info-y" than the Meiling Writeup. I admit, most of it was Akyuu telling us things we (mostly) already know and Hatate interrupting her, but I had fun even with that. I'll admit, this is probably the last Hatate thing I will write, since this is probably worse than the other one. It's not nearly as humor based, for one. Sorry if I wasted your time with another stupid write up of mine.

I noticed that I didn't include enough Akyuu tooting her own horn.

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Hatate brings shame to the profession of journalism. Aya's not much better, mind.

Heart of Stone

Do note that Hatate got wrong how long Akyuu has been alive, despite her mentioning that she is the Eighth Child of Miare twice and mentioning that she only lives to about 30. Yeah. Also note how she apparently "perfected" how to interview people by reading fan mail. And during the interview, she kept interrupting Akyuu for stupid reasons and didn't come up with any good questions. (the "out of universe" reason for the lack of good questions was basically I didn't want to make up too many things outside of the realm of canon)

I still argue that Aya would do worse somehow. Maybe tengu are naturally bad journalist in my head canon?

Also, I noticed when writing that, something that wasn't mentioned yet. That Akyuu's edition of the Gensoukyou Chronicle is technically not finished yet. She notes in P Mi SS that she will continue to add to it until she has to prepare for her reincarnation. I wouldn't be surprised if ZUN eventually released "updated" versions with info on the new characters someday, using that as an "in universe" excuse?

edited 11th Aug '11 1:35:08 PM by Otherarrow

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As a species, they seem to favor the yellow journalism.

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