It's time... to STOP!
I shall leave my post unedited so that future readers may at least see may failure to identify numbers.
I have no horse, and I must ride. I accomplish unlockments.
The "currency" picture reminds me: I think in one of Sanae's endings, she goes to check some of her yen bills that are supposed to have the actual Miko guy on them, and I think she's the usual male self on them?
So either history distorted her story, or she was supposed to act like a man and went down in history as one, or she did indeed change genders (which would be silly).
It's time... to STOP!
Considering she was painted with a beard and mustache combo...
Wait, what did I just say!?
edited 8th Oct '11 11:49:11 AM by Horselesshorseman
I have no horse, and I must ride. I accomplish unlockments.
What did you just say?
It's time... to STOP!
Quite right.
It would appear the beard was naught but a simple shadow.
I have no horse, and I must ride. I accomplish unlockments.
I guess History looked at her title of Crown Prince, and assumed she was a man?
Heart of Stone
Funny but not helpful
History is so sexist.
Forever liveblogging the Avengers
It makes me wonder though. If history assumed she was male, there must have been no pictures of her.
'Majesty, we bring grave news. Your sister, the Crown Prince has died.'
'I see... I knew this was coming for a long time. Well, at least I have the portraits of her to remind me of the time we had together. Wait, ARE there any portraits of her?'
'No.'
'Well, I'm sure we can run something together.''
It's time... to STOP!
Miko was ever so brush-shy.
I have no horse, and I must ride. I accomplish unlockments.
And this is why you should have many pictures of yourself taken.
So people don't assume you're a man after you die.
Heart of Stone
Funny but not helpful
Maybe it was like the thing with Egyptian girl kings where they appeared in the official beard of state.
Forever liveblogging the Avengers
One Winged Egret
Well, it's not like they had the mass media back then. Most people wouldn't know what anyone looked like, no matter how famous, under normal circumstances.
Regarding her age though... 48 certainly isn't young, but it's not really that old either. The average lifespan has measurably gone up over the centuries, but the data is extraordinarily skewed by the rates of infant mortality. Anyone who got past the age of 5 was reasonably likely to live til 60 or 70, because that's simply how long humans tend to live. So she died somewhat before her time, even historically.
As for her total age, she's older than Yuyuko or Byakuren, and most of the youkai too. She's hardly "young for Gensokyo". Well, she spent most of the time immobile, but she seemed to be aware of what was going on around her, so I'd count that as part of her age.
I think agewise only Eirin, Kanako, Suwako, and possibly Kaguya and Yukari are older then her. Maybe Mokou. I forget how old Mokou is.
Heart of Stone
B Villain
It has only occured to me now that Miko is one of the few characters whose age is actually known.
That awkward moment where Kyoro is one of Satan's Generals.
One Winged Egret
Yup, she's 1437 years old.
Of the taoists, the only one we can't at least ballpark is Yoshika
Kurenai
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
Guardian of the Gate - Hong Meiling
-by asterism
Like No One Ever Was
-by Horselesshorseman
Chinese Girl
-by KHfujoshigirl98
Hong Meiling – Rainbow Ward
-by Kyler Thatch
Rainbow Gatekeeper of the Devil
-by Metaflare
A Mystery Wrapped in an Enigma. Wrapped in Green
-by Otherarrow
Nameless Gatekeeper ~/~ Parts Unknown
-by yarrunmace
A child's way of thinking?
-by Bocaj
The Small Vampire Noblewoman
-by Otherarrow
Scarlet Heart
-by Pulse
'Beware the Scarlet Devil'
-by raigakuren
The Compendium is once again fully updated!
I would like to once again remind people that there is a new section at the bottom of the OP for write-ups with an inner continuity! Since apparently a bunch of people are planning to write stories about every character ever, I'd particularly like you to consider this an incentive to strengthen your inner canon and build up towards an overarching story!
Faw, could you put my solo Prismriver writeups in the compilation section please?
Heart of Stone
You know, I really should've been able to think of that myself, haha.
You know what, if we're already looking back at everything so far...
I think everyone should put some thought and some effort into a write-up of Gensokyo itself. The setting.
Remember that this is the Alternate Character Interpretation Compendium! The purpose of write-ups is to convey our very own idea of these characters, and the setting itself should always be at the core of this network of ideas!
And so, I want to encourage everyone, again, to put some thought into what defines the setting for them. Its general mood, its general purpose, how it functions, how it lives, and how characters live within it. Everything about it! But put in a manner as succinct as possible. Try to narrow it down to what really defines it! Or if you're suddenly struck by inspiration for an entire epic, please go ahead and write that! But make sure it actually brings the idea across!
These Gensokyo write-ups should then be put as the very first item in any contributor's section in the OP, to show that it is the core of their whole body of work! Tangentially, even if you've already written one, go ahead and look through it again to see if any ideas have changed or if you think you can update it to better present your ideas.
Here's a list again of all Gensokyo write-ups that have been made so far, for the convenience of the people who wrote them and as possible inspiration for people who didn't.
Gensokyo, the land where you could ship an astronaut with a bunny girl and have it make some amount of sense.
-by Bocaj
Gensokyo is not a paradise because of youkai tea parties or magical fun, but because it allows humans to be humans and youkai to be youkai.
-by Clarste
Bringing the Strange Closer
-by Durazno
A land of otherworldly beauty and perfect strangeness. A land alive and evolving. Gensokyo, a land of dreams – good and bad.
-by Fawriel
Integrating the opposed
-by Hylarn
Gensokyo: like real life, only different
-by Kyler Thatch
Gensokyo ~ Fairy Tale World
-by Raz Fox
Eastern Wonderland
-by WORLD Tree
Where do you go when you've got no place to go?
-by Xion Ga Taosenai
The Fool
Land of Strange and Sudden Harmony
Gensokyo.
A realm of the Fantastic, closed off from the rest of the world by the Hakurei Border. It is a place where youkai and other, similar beings, can remain in a world that no longer fears or believes in them.
And yet progress occurs.
The Shrine Maiden of Paradise and the Youkai Sage of Boundaries created new combat laws that prevent the death of any involved.
Youkai are no longer deadly by default.
Gensokyo may well be a bubble, sealed away- and to- the rest of the world, but it is possible to move between the Realistic and the Fantastic through certain channels.
And some of these channels brought in bits and pieces of the outside world.
The Shrine with Two Gods moves Gensokyo forward in technology, strange and sudden it may be. But it is slow. The youkai are adapting to it in ways that they never could have in the old world Outside. The Night Sparrow sings not for the death and disappearance of travelers, but for customers at a food stand.
And she is but the first to change her purpose in life.
The Great Sealed Magician and her temple have been trying to bring youkai and humans into a strange relationship, each hunting the other, each leaving the other unharmed.
And so it goes.
This little nook of the world is taking a different path of progress from the rest, bringing the artificial, natural, and supernatural together into a realm of glorious nonsense.
I like a happier Gensokyo.
edited 9th Oct '11 12:10:18 PM by Pulse
I sure said that!
Sure, I'll take you up on that. Just going to do a couple more writeups first, probably. Gensokyo as a whole strikes me as rather difficult.
Rain. Again. Not that Alice would have minded in the slightest, had it not interrupted her routine trip to the village earlier in the day. Truth be told, she was rather fond of rain; the cold it brought, and the sound it made as it hit the roof. Slow, calming, the perfect sound for thought. And besides, she had never taken all that well to Gensokyo's weather, so a little cold was welcome; she might have even tried to keep Cirno around, if she was even remotely capable of tolerating the little fairy.
She walks over to one of the many shelves lining her house – a wall that could not be converted to storage was, in her eyes, a wasted one – and reaches for one of her books. Gone. She frowns slightly at first, but her expression soon turns neutral again. She had the tome's contents memorize in any case; its presence in the house hardly mattered.
“Marisa,” she explains after seating herself at the table. ”Must have taken it when she was here yesterday. No great loss, of course, but I do wish she had the courtesy to ask. Might as well ask her what she learned next time, I suppose; I can't imagine what she could possibly learn from a book on animatory magic.”
The seven-coloured puppeteer leaves her chair for a moment, returning, soon, with a large silver tray. She had no need for food or drink, certainly, but some habits had a way of sticking around. On the way, she very nearly drops the entire tray; Alice was quite skilled with her hands when working on dolls, certainly, but anything else was left to those very same dolls, and so she was rather rather out of practice.
”Well, that was dreadfully clumsy of me,” she remarks, setting the tray down with a slight smile. ”But never mind that. Coffee? Biscuits?” She pauses for a few moments after the offer, then takes a cup for herself. Pointless twice over for a magician who needed no sleep, certainly, but she had taken a liking to the drink. ”No? Well, just say the word if you change your mind, then.” Quiet, this one; still, some were simply that way by nature. As far as Alice was concerned, it did not make them any worse a choice for a conversation.
”I really don't know what to do with Marisa. She's always been a troublesome student. Not that she would ever think of herself as a student, of course, but it's true all the same. Oh, she has talent, certainly, and she's diligent enough, but someone needs to introduce her to the notion of subtlety before she gets herself killed. She's razed her house at least four times already, after all.”
She takes a small sip, inadvertently giving herself a slight burn, not that she would show it for a moment. "I suppose, in a word, she's dangerous; to herself, most of all. She needs a... guiding hand, for want of a better word. And if I can put a little class and civility in her head along the way," she concludes with a slight chuckle, "I'll consider that an added benefit."
The dollmaker sighs slightly, looking across the table. "She makes for good company in small doses, I'll give you that, but... well, I must admit that her progress worries me, at times. Marisa may not have a great deal of control, but it's hard to deny that in sheer talent, in magical power, she's overtaking me quite rapidly. That is, if she hasn't done so already. I can't remember the last time I won one of our little matches, and that's when..."
Her expression remains unchanged, but her grip on the coffee mug tightens, creating a hairline crack down its side. "When she's still human. I threw that away, and where did it bring me? I'm still no closer to making a living, thinking doll, after all this. She's the 'ordinary witch', as she keeps calling herself, and yet she leaves me far behind, for all her reckless actions. And she insists on staying human, too. Such a waste. Such a tragic, senseless waste." Alice shakes her head sadly. Humans were weak, humans were foolish - these things, she could abide. But worst of all, humans were never built to last.
She stares across the table, a strange look in her eyes, before adding "I... I'm sorry, but I'd rather not talk about this, if that's alright with you. Best not to think about some things." Silence is the only reply she receives - not a cold or awkward silence to her ears, but the warm, accepting silence of the perfect listener. "Thank you," she says eventually, the polite smile returning to her face.
She quickly steps over to the tools and half-finished doll on her workbench, scooping them up and returning them to her seat. It was, by now, mostly a matter of muscle memory, without any need to pay attention. Something, in other words, to keep her hands occupied while she talked. "I do wish the world would take after dolls a little more, in a way - they don't wither, they don't age, and best of all, they're never quite so... well, difficult. Dolls aren't perfect, no, but at least they're simpler."
The puppeteer chuckles slightly at her own words, giving a small shrug. "I can't imagine why I'm telling you this, really. You know it already, don't you?" Her fingers twitch ever so slightly, and the tiny motion sends dolls dancing and weaving throughout the house, spinning through the air in a perfectly coordinated circle. "It's a tempting thought, sometimes - the world on my strings, Gensokyo as my puppet. It would solve so many problems... but I'm much too weak for that." She pauses for a moment of contemplation, then adds "but then, I suppose that's the appeal, isn't it? Unpredictability. As irritating as life's little traps can be, I doubt I would have any patience for a perfect world."
She looks to the clock on the wall, then draws one hand to her mouth in a gesture of shock. "And there I go again, rambling for far too long. I suppose I'd best be sleeping; I do have a meeting with the kappas in the morning, after all. With luck, they'll have something for Shanghai. Do you mind if I put the lights out? No? I'll do that, then. Do try to be awake early tomorrow - I plan on taking you along."
As the lights flicker out, doused by four expertly controlled dolls, Alice looks to her wordless confidant with a smile, before retiring for the night.
"Good night, Hourai."
edited 9th Oct '11 8:05:51 AM by Cynicmuffin
I may have to pass on the Gensokyo write up. I can only do places if I'm trying to sell them.
Heart of Stone
SEVENTH century. Hem. I must concede this point.
Heart of Stone