The New Touhou Character Alternate Interpretation Compendium!

Not every youkai gets to have awesome symbols connected to their nature.

Kyouko just wants to look pretty :3

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

Echoes of a Distant Past

What is a Youkai?

A Youkai is more than a miserable pile of secrets. A Youkai is a supernatural creature. Something to explain the things we can't explain, or don't want to. They are any phenomena supernatural in origin. They can take many forms. A Yamabiko, for instance, is an echo. That is its name, and that is is purpose. It sits in the mountains and echoes what it hears.

What is a Youkai's purpose?

Each Youkai does something. That something can be negative, neutral, or positive towards humanity and other Youkai. The above mentioned example, the Yamabiko, has its purpose of echoing. It is a neutral Youkai, it gains and loses nothing. So long as it has a purpose, what reason is for there to doubt its existance. If something must be echoing you, why not a Yamabiko?

What happens when a Youkai loses its purpose?

Sadly, as science and technology progresses, new information is found on different topics. Sound creates waves. These waves reflect off surfaces, creating echoes. Theories are created. Processes tested. Reasons for why echoes are heard so clearly on mountaintop become as clear as day. Soon, not even other Youkai would have reason to believe in a Yamabiko. However, does the Yamabiko not still exist, in tales and in legend? What purpose does it serve now? If any.

Can a Youkai find a new purpose?

To this, I can only assume the answer is a resounding yes. A yes that is heard, and then echoed for some time. A yes that would echo from the highest mountaintops, and the most closed of spaces. A yes that would echo for many years without being silenced. For if a Youkai ever existed, why should it not exist anymore. If it does not echo the yells of those on a mountain, could it not echo the things that are not yelled? Could the sutras of a nearby Buddhist temple not be echoed for all to hear? Yes, a Youkai can find a new purpose, for life is short, even for those who live long lives. They cannot afford to lose a purpose, they must stay strong. Their tales must echo.

---

Well, I didn't know where I was going with this when I started, but I'm happy with where I ended up. I skipped out on write-ups for Akyuu and Remi, and my Mystia one was rather lackluster in my opinion. So, I went full creativity on this one. It was difficult to find something to say about a new character. To me, Kyouko is Kyouko. An adorable little new member of Myourenji, but that's no reason to not try to write something. It began to sound a little preachy(?) at the end, but I kind of liked it. It added a sort of power to the write-up, not my usual style.

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

Not bad. A nice look into the ways of youkai and how they react when faced with the advancement of SCIENCE*

, and how and why they can find new purpose in life afterwards.

I liked it. Yahoo!

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

It's not so much that they can find a new purpose, but rather that they have to. A youkai without purpose will cease to exist.

This sentence holds some potential because it shows a possibility for how Kyouko's echo nature connects to her new life as a Buddhist. Reciting sutras. Taking in the teachings and casting them outwards. She really will have to become the spokesperson of the temple, won't she.

@Kyouko's clothes: They do look kind of mountainy to me.

Hear ye, hear ye.

Thanks to a long-time lurker who goes by the name contentmint, who decided to help me out and compile all the links, the front page and all the profiles are now updated!

Unfortunately, uhm, there might have been some mistakes made in the process, so please go ahead and check any links that concern you, if you will. I will also scour the thread again later to see if any write-ups without bolded captions were missed.

On another note, given how my Underground write-ups appear to have a real overarching plot to them and all, I'm going to look into doing something to demonstrate this unity and make it easier to read them in the "proper" order. Likely a new category in the main post, though I'm not sure how to call it.

Of course, I'm not so selfish as to do something like that only for myself,*

so if anyone thinks that they have a couple write-ups that show some inner continuity, they can show them to me and I'll put them up there as well. I know I remember one case where I noticed some real continuity, but there might have been some cases I've missed. My memory isn't the best.

Even if no one else has anything to put up there, consider it as encouragement! After all, the original purpose of the thread (hear ye once more!) was not so much to come up with all sorts of theories, but to share exactly how one sees the characters, and consequently the entire setting. In other words, to compare how we would write these characters if we were writing a story about them. And of course, an inner continuity between write-ups shows that someone's "inner Gensokyo" is developing into something tangible rather than just a pile of theories.

So here's this!

I think you've forgotten to put Meiling on the front page.

Song of the Sirens

An easy mistake to make.

... sowwy.

Looks pretty good now. Links all worked for me.

I sure said that!

Sooo...

Does anyone feel like we should move on? Cause the discussion's kinda slowed down a lot.

Song of the Sirens

Dude, keep your shirt on. Lulls happen. We'll be moving on soon enough.

Sorry, just had to get that out of my system.

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

Updated front post! Good job!

As for continuity, I can't think of much besides your (Faw's) Underground write ups that really should be grouped together. (although my SDM-related write ups do all have little call backs/call fowards to each other, I don't think it's major enough to require them to be grouped together yet, but I do plan to make more "write up references" as we get to the other SDM members, so eh. Up to you?)

Some other user's write ups might have continuity, but I can't recall at the moment. Sorry.

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

I sometimes make allusions to previous write-ups, mine and others, but that's not really continuity.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers

Eh, my undergrounder writeups have some continuity, but I think they standup just fine on their own.

edited 20th Aug '11 8:56:45 AM by Pulse

I sure said that!

Hmmm. So no one's jumping at the opportunity yet. Well, just keep it in mind once I implement it.

skfsgzdkjuf

... well, unfortunately you are probably right. That nun's daily life conversation didn't last too long. Everyone else is hesitant to move on because it's been so short and we all love Kyouko so much,*

but... yeah. Can't think of anything more to say.

We haven't really gathered enough new discussions to artificially lengthen Kyouko's time in the limelight with a "refresher period", either, sooo. I guess if anyone objects to moving on, they'll have to object loud and clear.

edited 20th Aug '11 10:25:32 AM by Fawriel

Byakuren Byakuren Byakuren Byakuren Byakuren Byakuren Byakuren Byakuren Byakuren Byakuren Byakuren Byakuren Byakuren Byakuren

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

Considering she's a newish character, I think we got a lot of good discussion out of her.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers

True. We done good, and she got more stuff then Reimu did.

I vote for FAIRIES! Also Hatatatate and Luigi Sanae.

Also, Sanae's green hair. Kanako is bluehaired, Suwako is blonde. Now, what do you get when you mix blue and yellow.

That sound was your head exploding.

edited 20th Aug '11 11:11:33 AM by asterism

Song of the Sirens

Sanae! Byakuren! Moon Sisters!

If that's OK with you guys of course.

I still feel a bit bad for not having much to say on good little Kyouko. Maybe I'll have more to say when the Newer Touhou Character Alternate Interpretatation Compendium thread place name comes out?

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

Watatsuki, Keine, Eirin

Patchouli, Voile. Yes, I'm still keeping them separate.

I should finish my Kyouko writeup, shouldn't I?

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

I'm voting for Sanae, Koakuma, and Ichirin*

.

I sure said that!

Sanae. We might get some outside discussion in.

Ichirin and Unzan are a single unit. They fight together, they are grouped together, like the Prismrivers, but not like Seiga and Yoshika.

Song of the Sirens