The New Touhou Character Alternate Interpretation Compendium!

Wriggle is the best bug youkai. Even if there were other bug youkai, she would still be the best.

Yamame isn't a bug, she is a spider.

Wriggle just goes with the flow. Conducting her fireflies along the way.

EDIT: Page topper? Umm...I might have a write up tomorrow? No promises, I don't have any ideas.

edited 24th Sep '11 8:08:27 PM by Otherarrow

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

It's kind of funny that the fandom tried to play Wriggle up as super-androgynous just because of her pants. I'm not complaining, though; it gave us some nice pictures.

Due to self-imposed picdump limits, I had to pass up quite a few (and maybe didn't make the best selections.) Anyway, for your delectation and amusement, here is a selection from the intersection of the "Wriggle_Nightbug" and "androgynous" tags. I apologize for any repeats.

(Creepy ads warning, as always.)

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Careful with this one, Wriggle.
Something odd about her shoulders?
With a teensy Yuuka.
Creepy cute!
Pokemon are like youkai, right?
Pretty watercolors.
How dashing!
In Soviet Russia, bug stomps you.
Prince and Princess?
That is one serious bug.
What do you need the net for?

A creature feature?

Forever liveblogging the Avengers

Therein lies the irony of the Wriggle Kick. As her boot smashes into your face, you can almost hear the myriad anty voices crying out for vengeance.

Heart of Stone

Wriggle: This for the ants you accidentally stepped on without any awareness of what you were doing yesterday! And the day before that, and the day before that, and the day before that, and the day before that, and the day before that, and the day before that, but not the day after that because you were flying instead of walking, but there's the day before that, and the day before that, and the day before that, and the day before that, and the day before that, and the day before that, and the day before that, and the day before that, and the day before tha- pichu~n!

edited 25th Sep '11 1:14:53 AM by raigakuren

That awkward moment where Kyoro is one of Satan's Generals.

Well, I'm not terribly proud of my previous writeup, so I'll be working on a new one for a bit.

I sure said that!

Wriggle is a character with great aesthetic appeal. She can be beautiful as an earthbound star illuminating the night.*

She can be cool as a commander of death-bringing locust armies. She can be cute and charming in many different ways as a boyish girl.

Unfortunately, what we know about her doesn't lend itself to many stories. She has nowhere to go, and even if she did, it's not certain that she'd want to go there at all. She is, after all, one of the most youkai-like of youkai, in a different sense from the overpowering forces that are Yuuka or Yukari. She is not a force of nature, but a part of it, like a carnivorous variety of fairy.

In other words, she's a character of style rather than a character of substance. Fated to remain in the background to set the mood for a world of fantasy, to have no set goal in life, to be uninvolved in the great happenings of her world. A satellite character, unless heavy artistic liberties are taken. But, just like being the queen of the fallen kingdom of insects, there is a certain honor in this existence. The background characters like her are what hold the fictional world together. Protagonists and antagonists cannot exist in a vacuum – they need substance to live in, a surrounding world to make themselves distinct from in order to exist as individuals.

It's a dirty and thankless job, but someone's gotta do it. And insects are, after all, known for living dirty and thankless lives, happy to remain unseen by the forces of destruction that surround them. There is a certain honor in this existence. Wriggle Nightbug, queen of insects, is content. She's no one of terrible importance in this world, and she will be quickly forgotten, the same way she will quickly forget about those she saw. But that's just the life she wants. If she's going to be a background character, she might as well make the most of it.

This was basically me discussing how there's not a lot to discuss about Wriggle.

Akyuu states in P Mi SS that Insect Youkai were originally among the ranks of the most powerful youkai such as Oni and Tengu.

That awkward moment where Kyoro is one of Satan's Generals.

I would imagine.

Insects used to be huge. Something about increased oxygen.

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

That's not what she says at all. Given the wiki's track record it might be unwise for me to trust it on this so implicity, but it claims that she says: "Long ago, bug youkai were equal to oni and tengu in terms of inspiring fear, but lately they've lost that prestige." That's a vastly, vastly different statement.

it occurs to me that i only really noticed Wriggle because of how much i have seen her function as a Morality Pet to Yuuka.

Just another passerby

You mean she acts as her Jiminy Cricket?

Because we all know Pinocchio was such a morally ambiguous character who needed a Morality Pet

And Wriggle is a firefly, not a cricket.

...Also, remember that write up I mentioned before? I got nothing. Sorry.

edited 25th Sep '11 1:52:04 PM by Otherarrow

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

Earthbound Star vs. Winter's Might

A quiet night in the Forest of the Lost. The stars gleamed softly overhead, their light incredibly bright during the night of the new moon. In the distance, the servants of the moon princess could be heard singing their work songs. Soft green lights, mimicking the stars overhead danced between the bamboo stems. However, the dance was not random, it was coordinated, the fireflies creating intricate patterns with their lights. The dance was being conducted by a dark figure, surrounded by swirling fireflies, working in complete silence. However...

'YOU! Firefly!'

The silence was broken by a strident voice. The figure descended to the ground, where standing there was a small figure in blue.

'I challenge you, insect! To a duel!'

The figure appraised her challenger.

'You? You're a fairy. You seriously want to challenge a youkai to a duel, little fairy?'

'I'm not any fairy, bug! I'm the most powerful fairy in the land! I fought three other fairies at the same time and won! I tamed the mighty Daidarabotchi! I even fought the black witch herself to a standstill!'

The firefly shrugged.

'She was probably going easy on you because you're a fairy. You may be the strongest, but you're still won. And...Daidarabotchi? There's nothing like that in Gensokyo. Hahahaha. Why do you want to challenge me?'

'I'm looking to fight a youkai. And you're an insect, one of the most feared youkai of all!'

'Yeah, maybe a hundred years ago...today, not so much. I think you're looking for a youkai and instead of fighting the vampire or the boundary witch, you went to pick on a small fry like me?'

'Yes! Wait...Nononononono! If I can beat you, insect, then perhaps people round here will respect me!'

'Then go fight the princess or her pet pharmacist. They live just through those trees.'

'Even the mightiest oak tree must start small, bug! Prepare yourself!'

'Oh very well...I'll go first, mmmkay?'

With that the firefly drew three cards from inside her shirt.

'Three spellcards each. Ready? Now then...Lamp Sign 'Firefly Phenomenon'!'

With that the firefly fired a barrage of pale green bullets at the fairy. The fairy eyed the bullets approaching her and slipped between them easily.

'Was that all you...OW!'

However, she had failed to notice the bugs that the firefly had directed at her as well, and now they divebombed straight at the fairy, knocking her to the forest floor. With a laugh, the firefly released another wave of bullets.

'RRRGH! I'll show you! Freeze Sign 'Perfect Freeze'!'

The fairy unleashed a wave of cold that froze the firefly's bullets solid. With a swift gesture she shattered them. Ice shards flew through the air and struck the firefly.

'Ugh...Ice fairy...figures. Alright, then...time for my next trick!'

And with that, the firefly vanished into the night. The fairy was unfazed.

'You think you can faze me with that trick? My night vision is perfect!'

The firefly's response was to laugh serenely. The fairy caught a glimpse of her silhouette, outlined in starlight. She was floating in a relaxed pose.

'Ahahaha...your night vision is perfect, is it? My dear sweet ice fairy, d'you know I was sort of counting on that? Hee hee hee...Don't blink now...Firefly Sign 'Fixed Star on Earth'!'

And with that, light, brilliant, bright light, the combined luminescence of thousands of fireflies, burst into being from the firefly's raised fingers. The fairy screamed and covered her eyes.

'Freeze Sign 'Perf—-'

Before she could finish, her spellcard was snatched from her fingers.

'Ah ah ah! No double ups, fairy. You already used Perfect Freeze, which I fancy was your strongest attack. Now, come on. Surprise me. Oh, but you'll have to do it fast!'

A ring of light burst from the firefly's hands and streaked towards the still-blinded fairy.

'A-ah! Uhh...F-Freeze Sign 'Minus K'!'

The fairy shot out several large lumps of ice, but not enough to block Fixed Star's expanding rings of light.

'Not enough, fairy. Nice knowing you.'

'Ha ha! See my power, insect!'

The ice bullets shattered into a spray of sleet that easily extinguished the light. The forest was once again plunged into darkness.

'How'd you like that, you vermin!'

'Hmmm...better then I thought...however, I'll bet that the sudden lack of light has left you night blind. Too bad, so sad. Ready for my last trick? Unseasonal Butterfly Storm!'

A whirl of colour lept from the firefly's outstreched arms and span furiously towards the fairy. She tried to dodge it, but was still partially blinded, and butterflies slammed into her body, draining her stamina away.

'No escape now, fairy! And your little shattering trick won't work this time, the bullet density is too high for any of your irritating little shards to even get near to me.'

'It's not my only trick, you bioluminescent bastard! Ice Sign 'Icicle Fall'!'

'Icicle Fall? What the hell?'

A huge spear of ice burst from the side of the whirlwind, avoiding the butterflies completely, and hurtled towards the firefly, who barely dodged it in time. Inside the storm, the fairy indiscriminately hurled her icicles, until the whirling butterflies slowed and finally stopped. The firefly was leaning against a bamboo stalk with a shard of ice in her shoulder.

'Looks like you win, fairy.'

She smirked at the fairy and floated into the air, stretched out in a reclining pose.

'Enjoying your victory?'

'Doesn't that hurt?'

'What, you mean the giant icicle sticking out of my shoulder? What on EARTH would make you think it hurts? So? You won! Be happy!'

'It's no fun winning if you're not sad you lost...there's no thrill in victory that way...'

'Why would I be sad? I lose a lot, y'know. This was just another fight. Come the morning, I'll probably not even remember. You're completely different to me, fairy. You're aiming high, aren't you? Heh. I'm happy with my current lot in life. I conduct my firefly dances, and as long as one person says 'My. That's pretty', I feel happy. No one bothers me except indignant priestesses and mad fairies. Why should I let one little loss bother me?'

'O-Oh. Ummm...sorry. Umm...you hold balls for your fireflies? C-could I see? My name's Cirno.'

'And I am Wriggle. And of course you may see. We perform for the benefit of travellers in the forest. The phoenix girl comes to watch sometimes, y'know? Although, I don't think I'll be able to do anything more spectacular then our little fight. Ha ha ha. Please, relax...and enjoy the show...'

edited 25th Sep '11 2:57:49 PM by asterism

Heart of Stone

Well, youkai are all about fear when they're not about surprise so its somewhat similar. Anyway, similar levels of fear would suggest a somewhat comparable power.

In the original story, Jiminy Cricket was the ghost of a cricket that Pinocchio smashed with a hammer on a whim. He did need a morality pet. The thing about him not being human and not being a real boy is that all those things we call "humanity" he didn't have. The Disney version toned it down ever so slightly.

I liked this. Its like if the Wriggle discussion as a whole had a baby.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers

Action scenes! My one weakness!

Please to put this on whilst you read for the ambience.

Heart of Stone

Think of it this way: you can crush a cockroach with one swing of a shoe, but people are still scared of cockroaches.

I make video games! Or plan to, anyway.

Maybe wusses are.

I could see someone being alarmed if one jumps out at you perhaps. Honestly scared the same way you'd be of a demon that wants to carry you off to wherever? Not so much.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers

Everyone knows bugs brings demons into your household, cursing your family and causing malaria or dysentery or whatever. It's common sense.

That sounds ridiculous and dumb. Everyone knows that disease is caused by miasma.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers

I thought disease was caused by spiders.

That awkward moment where Kyoro is one of Satan's Generals.

Maybe the spiders cause the miasma?

Forever liveblogging the Avengers

Spiasma.

Heart of Stone

You ever get that feeling that people are saying mean things about you behind your back?

I make video games! Or plan to, anyway.

Not really. It's a matter of exposure, I think. How many people in North America are scared of garter snakes? Now how many people in North America are afraid of hippopotami? A hippo is far more dangerous, but North Americaners have less occasion to think about them.

Also, it's possible that bug youkai were a greater threat to humans without being more powerful. You could always trick oni and reason with tengu, but what do you do about a 3-foot-long poisonous ladybug? Another analogy: who would win in a fight, a brown recluse or a tarantula? Now which one would be more able to kill a human?

edited 25th Sep '11 6:44:42 PM by Durazno