The New Touhou Character Alternate Interpretation Compendium!

Suika ~ Diffusion, Collection, Self

Diffusion

Riddle you this.
I am everywhere.
I am welcomed by all, whether willing or not.
Where I go, there is feasting.
Where I go, people come together.
What am I but mirth and laughter?

Diffusion, symbolized by the circle, is Suika's base state. At the least, it's the state where we first see her. In the form of mist, she spreads throughout Gensokyo, creating parties wherever she goes. This is of no surprise. Suika's base nature is that of a partygoer: loud and energetic, young and fierce, always with a beer in her hand. By her natural energy, she turns mist (a dank, dreary weather that generally drains energy) into a kinetic energy generator, a conduit of good vibes

The circle of diffusion is also the circle of nothingness. Of course, this could refer to the intangible nature of mist, but I see something else. Suika's diffused form is insubstantial to everything else about her. Likewise, Suika's partygoing nature is only a thin shell over the rest of her. It's still a part of her, but it doesn't consume her. We must go deeper.

Collection

Riddle you this.
I am unmovable.
I rise over the trees.
The ground cracks
Beneath my feet.
I am Suika the Mighty!
...wait...
Darn, I screwed up...

The triangle of collection is chained to Suika's right hand, the dominant hand. Indeed, collection is Suika's dominant power. Out of her original spellcards, 4 of them are variations of collection. Again, this is somewhat appropriate. Behind her carefree nature, there lies great power compressed into a tiny body. Admittedly, her power doesn't part from her nature. Her drunkard's smile and rocking knees don't vanish when she fights. However, they are distinct from each other. Partying Suika is different than Powerful Suika. Two different aspects of the same girl working in tandem, in harmony.

But, there is still one more object. We must go deeper.

Self

Riddle you this!
I'm as old as the sun.
I'm the bane of humans.
I am vengeance!
I am the night!
...eh, I'm getting bored of this.
How about one more drink for the night?

When you have 60 faces to learn, 60 characters to know, it's easy to summarize. Sullen miko, cheeky witch. Spoiled vampire, cheerful ghost. Tricky goddess, drunken loli. These simple descriptions are simple. They serve their purpose. But, when focusing on one character, they're insufficient. One must go beyond the preconceptions and find their true nature. Square. Permanence. Self.

Suika is an oni. She is a drunkard and a powerhouse. Anyone can say that without difficulty. She is a thinker and an observer. She watches others while they party and discerns their true nature. Mention that. She is a lover of truth and a hater of lies. She cuts through any excuse that her opponents put up. Mention that.

....

It is no mistake that the square cannot be seen from the front.

This is terrible. High quality analysis, but nothing innovative. In the end, this is all a glorified summary.

I suppose it will have to do.

edited 1st Jul '11 3:32:18 PM by yarrunmace

I suddenly see her as a good opponent for Parsee.

Suika and Hina can team up to get rid of Parsee's jealousy

The hair-clone thing is almost certainly a reference to Sun Wukong who explicitly had that power. Given that Suika isn't a monkey or anything, she's just using her power to imitate the classic story.

Mythology is so delightfully weird sometimes.

It's not really mythology given that it was written in the 1590s. More like the original New Powers as the Plot Demands.

edited 1st Jul '11 4:06:52 PM by Clarste

At some point urban legends, folklore, and tall tales become mythology. Just don't know when that point is.

Yes, but does fiction ever become mythology? Will future archaeologists dig up the tvttropes forum archives and from the fractured text still left uncorrupted come to the conclusion that we're a Gensokyo-worshipping cult?

Most mythology is fiction. Stories that people told each other to pass the time and to explain natural phenomenon. So, maybe.

Gensokyo is the land of fantasy, makes sense there would be lots of mythology in it.

Wasn't the hakkero from Journey to the West? So I guess stuff from fiction can end up in Gensokyo.

"Hey Suika I'm reading this story and the main character has a power that's just like how you make mini clones."

"Wukong? Yeah he's a pretty cool guy."

"...Should've known."

Suika is a Wukong expy?

So that's why Suika is fooling around in heaven!

I like to think that Suika is good buds with all sorts of characters from myth and lore.

"Now lemme tell you a story about this guy I met once..."

"His name was Jesus!"

Agreed, this also reminded me of Morino Hon's 4koma where she mentions drinking with Odin.

Bonus points if she's too drunk to keep her story straight.

"He had a zappy boomerang hammer and was the god of the sun. Well one of them."

Suika wrote The Bible!

I really don't think she's that old. There's no indication that she's one of the Time Abysses of the series.

Well, how old is the story that the deva names come from?

Even if she wasn't present when it happened, she's probably the type to have a tall tale about it anyway. An oni doesn't lie, but misremembering doesn't really count.

"...and that's why Yuugi only has one horn."

"I ever tell you 'bout my buddy, Reimu? She went to graveyard once for a whole year. Wasn't a dare or nothin', she just got kicked out of her shrine. She said she never saw I single ghost, except this one time, when a ghost stabbed her from behind, and took all her donations. Might have been a fake, 'cause it had a robe on, with two eyes cut out on its face."

"I'm Reimu."

"Oh... us Oni never lie you know. It's prob'ly gonna' happen."