The New Touhou Character Alternate Interpretation Compendium!

Rin Satsuki was Reimu and Marisa's friend and rival. Tragically, one day during a mock danmaku battle, a freak accident happened. Rin was so damaged that she could never participate in danmaku battles again. Reimu and Marisa were devastated upon hearing the news. They couldn't look at Rin and not feel responsible for robbing her of what she loved doing.

The thought of never fighting Reimu and Marisa again. The thought of friendships that will never be mended due to unending guilt. It's because of these things that Rin Satsuki decided to ask Keine to completely erase her out of the minds of all who knew her.

Now, she spends her days watching incidents come and go, feeling sad that she is incapable of having a fun crack at resolving them.

Kinda sucks that she asked to be forgotten about immediately before Reimu and Marisa discover various miracle medicines that can cure any injury.

Maybe Rin and Reimu (PC-98) were testing the spell card rules in a form that was more of a list of suggestions than what they are now but the former accidentally killed the latter and Yukari made her into the new Reimu as a punishment.

Clarste, your post got me thinking of a silver lining to her ordeal.

Now, she spends her days watching incidents come and go, feeling sad that she is incapable of having a fun crack at resolving them.

...Until the Eternal Night incident, in which she learned of The Brain of the Moon and her talent for creating medicines that cure everything. After visiting Eientei, Rin's regaining her danmaku prowess. One day, she will ask Keine to undo the memory loss, and she will show Reimu and Marisa that she's perfectly fine now, removing any lingering guilt.

Alternately, she caused an incident so severe she had to be killed/keined off.

Obviously, Darkerand Edgier wouldn't begin to describe it.

Maybe she's racist against European youkai. She learned that the Scarlets had moved in to Gensokyo and decided, "Welp, there goes the neighborhood."

That'd work better if the PC-98 cast didn't include angels and vampires

Depending on the canonicity of the PC 98 games, you have a point.

She came to what she believed was the most Oriental of Oriental lands to escape the White hegemony but upon the Scarlets' immigration she despaired and decided to disappear instead.

Maybe that's why she didn't appear in the early games either. And then just when it looks like all the foreign spooks are out and it's safe for wholesome East Asian youkai to play, here comes this bloodsucking brat.

Huh. How did we not come up with that sooner?

There were a couple times I was sure that the spacing of the paragraphs would give her away, but I guess I keep my screen a different width than everyone else.

Arts:

First cry of a stillborn child
First cry of a stillborn child * Second form
Cute version
Crying
Rin
With Marisa
Satsuki Rin
ZUN style
Extrapolated circle cut◊
Alphes style
Satsuki Rin
More Alphes style

...She has less art than most PC-98 characters

Ridin' on a dragon

At a wall

The journey continues...

HINA, YOU LITTLE

Let me play you the song of my people.

...What if Rin is the Hakurei shrine goddess?

It would explain why neither of them show up.

Rin can't be the Hakurei Shrine goddess because she'd be subject to the whims of her high priest, i.e. ZUN.

And that's surprising why? Given that she doesn't exist?

edited 22nd Oct '13 6:08:54 PM by Clarste

She beats out Shingyoku, Kikuri, and Ruukoto, and that's including all those group shots! Don't stop believing, Rin!

I guess the lesson here is that not existing can be a bigger hook than being a yin-yangy guardian of the Hakurei Shrine, hellish moon, or atomic cleaning robot.

I am a bit surprised she doesn't have more fanart. I thought fandom clung to these blank slate types, and mold them as they saw fit.

Well, Rin's kinda obscure, and a blank slate that doesn't quite exist. Daiyousei and Koakuma and Momiji and so on are blank slates that everyone knows about and most definitely exist. It's a bit of an advantage.

Alright, let's take the Astral Knight's Amulet to the shore of Misty Lake, where fairies lose their way. How different is this other world where Rin helped Marisa and Reimu resolve the Scarlet Mist Incident? How would she handle the Scarlet Team? Who would her partner have been in Imperishable Night? How would she have gotten along with Byakuren? Who would she have fought for during Hopeless Masquerade? Is Gensokyo markedly better for her presence, or have relations between youkai and humans spiraled out of control?

Assuming she really is a kirin nurse, the level of civilization is a bit higher, and human-youkai relations are markedly friendlier

She wins every fight she gets in as long as she's under the player's control

Someone created for that purpose in PCB. Probably a stage 4 boss that replaces the Prismrivers

Fine? Unless she has a reason to dislike Buddhism, I guess. Byakuren should be more relaxed in this world, too

Hm, would she even be in HM? It didn't have any side-heroines, but she'd be there from the start...

So, to answer your question, I don't know. Gensoukyou should be pretty different by that point, and HM would probably play out pretty differently

I'd expect less racism, but more factionalism to make up for it

I just want to say for the record that it's just not Tohuou without the racism. I sincerely hope people will quote this out of context.

It's not human without the racism. That tendency lies in all of us so some degree.

Hope that quote makes it into that tumblr.

Hmm, a Gensokyo without music... so what kind of partner would ZUN make for a kirin (because Rin's totally a kirin)? Unicorn, as a nod to those Chinese coins depicting the two together? Maybe a dragon cousin? Now, where might we find a dragon in Gensokyo?

I was wondering if a kirin would be touchier about Byakuren's adherence to her religion, is all. As for Byakuren herself, she might feel a bit redundant, y'know? Maybe have to work extra hard to stand out?

Unless Rin would've turned out like Shiki and all about enforcing the divinely-mandated relationship between youkai and humans. Then, delicious conflict.

Mmm-hmm. So HM might have been a turf war rather than a religious conflict? See representatives from Eientei and Youkai Mountain rather than the various faiths?

So, time for V3, then?

Rin Satsuki didn't last very long, did it?

Oh god, it really is over isn't it?

Uh. Uh. Last thoughts: ...Rin Satsuki sure doesn't exist. Crap, that's not going to revive discussion.

...Yeah, we should probably wrap this up now.

edited 26th Oct '13 4:19:30 AM by Otherarrow

I was also wondering how Rin would've fit in with other protagonists, personality-wise. Reimu and Marisa have a nice yin-yangy dynamic going on, brilliant but lazy vs hard-working, bluntly honest vs personable liar, etc. Would the addition of Rin create a Power Trio? How would she play off the other two?