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The New New Touhou Character Alternate Interpretation Compendium

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Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#2976: Nov 10th 2015 at 8:40:58 AM

The fandom instantly turns any undefined character with an association to another into a loyal puppy for that more established character.

It helps with shipping and/or people like puppies.

Koakuma, Daiyousei, Momiji, probably Kisume to some extent.

edited 10th Nov '15 8:41:22 AM by Bocaj

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
DragonGeyser The Chew Toy of Gaming from a computer, DUH. Since: Dec, 2010
The Chew Toy of Gaming
#2977: Nov 11th 2015 at 10:33:51 AM

Didn't she get popular as the loyal servant type before ZUN ever said anything about her true personality?

Anyway, she probably does act as the loyal servant while Remilia and/or Sakuya are around, but I'd expect that front to drop if only Patchy, Meiling and/or Flandre are around. Heck, Meiling is probably Koa's most frequent pranking victim after Patchouli herself.

Lampshade Hanging: It's a lifestyle.
Clarste One Winged Egret Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
One Winged Egret
#2978: Nov 11th 2015 at 10:45:06 AM

What Bocaj said. Touhou in general lacks the sort of friendly/innocent/devoted type of character, so whenever anyone is even slightly fit for that role the fandom immediately shoves them into it. Even Tewi was treated like that for a very brief period.

Durazno Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#2979: Nov 11th 2015 at 11:41:49 AM

Kyouko and Wakasagihime are probably the closest, and even they have spiky elements.

GM_3826 Since: May, 2014 Relationship Status: In Spades with myself
#2980: Nov 11th 2015 at 12:38:12 PM

What about Youmu? Is there something I'm missing here?

Clarste One Winged Egret Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
One Winged Egret
#2981: Nov 11th 2015 at 12:46:25 PM

Youmu less puppy and more guard dog. There's a nuance there.

GAP Formerly G.G. from Who Knows? Since: May, 2011 Relationship Status: In love with love
Formerly G.G.
#2982: Nov 11th 2015 at 1:00:12 PM

Koa is just a little devil trickster thing but in fanon she is a loyal servant.

"Fan, a Mega Man character."
Tacitus Since: Jan, 2001
#2983: Nov 12th 2015 at 5:59:57 PM

Maybe they're not mutually-exclusive characterizations. Maybe Koakuma is pretty obedient and responsive when under direct supervision, but the more Patchy is distracted by other things, the more mischief the little devil gets into. Kind of like a well-trained dog that follows commands when issued, but will tear off after a squirrel if you turn your back on it. But she still likes Patchouli all the same, it's just a devil's nature to cause a bit of devilry, you see.

Or perhaps that sounds more demonic than devilish. So how about this - go with the "magical contract" angle, and have Koakuma perform flawlessly when given a good command, but less so if the order is sloppy. "Get me my copy of the Clavicula Salomonis Regis, quickly" would have Koakuma return with the tome as fast as her little wings could take her, while "go get me that book" would have her come back an hour later with a Far Side collection.

edited 12th Nov '15 6:00:22 PM by Tacitus

Durazno Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#2984: Nov 12th 2015 at 6:16:09 PM

More demonic than devilish? Well, now. We don't know that she follows the D&D order of things, or which "akuma" would refer to, right?

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#2985: Nov 12th 2015 at 6:47:25 PM

Its hard to be mad at someone who brings you a Far Side collection.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
Tacitus Since: Jan, 2001
#2986: Nov 14th 2015 at 4:23:24 PM

[up][up] We don't, but I think the D&D devil-demon divide is a useful shorthand for different kinds of evil, assuming the person I'm trying to communicate with knows the difference.

Probably overdue, but any last thoughts on Koakuma before we have a close encounter with Nue tomorrow?

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#2987: Nov 14th 2015 at 4:31:02 PM

In the case of a water landing, Koakuma can be used as a flotation device.

Please secure your little devil before helping anyone else with theirs.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
Tacitus Since: Jan, 2001
#2988: Nov 15th 2015 at 1:43:35 PM

Alrighty then, some quiet applause as Koakuma returns to her mistress (that's where she's off to, right?). Coming up will be Yuugi, the Youkai Mountain, and... well that's appropriate, it's Mamizou Futatsuiwa! But first,






The Unidentified Fantastic Flying Girl
Nue Houjuu

Appearance:

Stages:

Unidentified Flying Fantastic Object ~ The Night Sky
BGM: "UFO Romance in the Night Sky"note 
Theme: "Heian Alien"note 

Raise the Flag of Rebellion! ~ Myouren Temple
After Miko's revival, the power of the saint has grown too strong!
Now is the time to commence the youkai rebellion!
BGM: "Youkai Back Shrine Road"note 

Spellcard Motif: The Terror of the Unknown. Also, Flying Saucers
Sample Spellcards: UFO, DS, TD
Ominous Clouds "Heian Dark Clouds," Nue Sign "Danmaku Chimera," Unidentified "Rainbow UFO Invasion of Terror," "Nightmare of Heiankyou," Unidentified "Hanako-san in the Toilet," Unknown "Will-o'-wisps in Unidentified Orbit"

Write-up:
A nue, and perhaps the nue. This youkai has been around since the Heian period about a thousand years ago, but has never been consistently described thanks to her power to obscure her true form. In fact, she can make anything unidentifiable, so that each viewer will decide what they're looking at differently.

Like many youkai, Nue enjoys terrorizing humans, and though she's been defeated multiple times over her existence, she's always come back. She spent a period underground - her profile implies it was voluntary, while her dialogue indicates that she was sealed there - but when Byakuren Hijiri's youkai followers were released following the events of Subterranean Animism, Nue decided to tail them to the surface and mess with whatever they were trying to accomplish. When Nue heard about the type of person they were trying to rescue, she regretted her actions. Since then she's been seen hanging out on the periphery of the Myouren Temple, and even summoned reinforcements when an old enemy of the temple resurfaced, but Nue is for the most part an unrepentant youkai who still enjoys spooking folks.

Or maybe that's just one way of looking at her.

Relations

  • Byakuren Hijiri and the Myouren Temple Crew (neighbors)
  • Mamizou Futatsuiwa (go way back)

See also the first two compendiums.

edited 15th Nov '15 1:58:09 PM by Tacitus

Diamite Rainy Echoes Since: Jul, 2013
Rainy Echoes
#2989: Nov 16th 2015 at 6:16:35 PM

Nue Houjuu:

An ancient youkai with a powerful illusion based-ability. Very mischievous.

Is the girl we're always looking at Nue's true form, or is it just another powerful illusion based on hypnotic suggestion? Like, is the girl the form people are made to see because that's what they want to perceive the most? Are there people who see Nue as a raven, monster and other stuff because seeing her in those forms comes from the depths of the heart? Perhaps Nue's powers work by manipulating the wants and fears of the heart. Such a terrifying command of the living psyche. Perhaps that's why she was underground; folks and fair folks couldn't bear to stomach the thought of being unconsciously coerced into seeing something that may or may not exist.

Despite being mischievous, she knows where to draw the line. She felt bad about pranking the Myouren gang, after all. Hanging around the temple is further proof of her penance. Or perhaps being trapped underground for so long made her yearn for a strong bond between people she would call "comrades"...

Hm, wonder if Mamizou grasps the true form. Seeing as she's just as much of a trickster as Nue. Perhaps she did, didn't like what she saw, and prefers the Nue we're all looking at?

Lightblade Since: Jan, 2001
#2990: Nov 16th 2015 at 6:32:50 PM

That form was exposed as the true one by Hatate's spirit photograph in this Kakashi Spirit News article in Symposium of Post-Mysticism.

I haven't played any of the games Nue's appeared in myself, but I do remember reading somewhere that she's in fact ashamed that it isn't very scary.

Tacitus Since: Jan, 2001
#2991: Nov 16th 2015 at 9:26:25 PM

She shouldn't be so hard on herself, the fear of the unknown will always be greater than something's known form, no matter how monstrous. Given just how much is known these days, it's amazing Nue's still EX-Boss material, what with the yamabiko's situation and everything.

Is the girl we're always looking at Nue's true form, or is it just another powerful illusion based on hypnotic suggestion? Like, is the girl the form people are made to see because that's what they want to perceive the most?

I like this idea, but as Lightblade points out it would seem that Hatate pretty much nailed down the true Nue. Unless... maybe Hatate expected Nue to be another cute monster girl, and that expectation combined with her spirit photography power is what determined Nue's "true" form. What's that? Reimu and co. saw Nue's true form before Hatate's debut? Well, obviously the tengu's power is so strong that it retroactively defined Nue's form.

Perhaps that's why she was underground; folks and fair folks couldn't bear to stomach the thought of being unconsciously coerced into seeing something that may or may not exist.

Alternatively, Nue's been "defeated" so many times that some hero decided to try something new and settled for dumping her somewhere for a few centuries.

Hm, wonder if Mamizou grasps the true form. Seeing as she's just as much of a trickster as Nue. Perhaps she did, didn't like what she saw, and prefers the Nue we're all looking at?

I guess Mamizou's power would trump Nue's, wouldn't it? Turn some indistinct blob into a frog or whatever the tanuki felt like. Nue works her magic and you see what you expect to see, Mamizou works her and you see what she wants you to see. Probably how the two became friends - Nue meets someone who can nullify her power, and Mamizou meets someone who she can at best project an image upon without ever being entirely sure what's underneath.

Tacitus Since: Jan, 2001
#2992: Nov 18th 2015 at 6:24:05 PM

I think she's a troll.

Nue's got a mischievous streak, likes to mess with people, and her power more or less grants her a form of anonymity. She gets to hide between an "avatar" constructed by her victim, and assuming she can slip away, adopt a new form to avoid reprisal. Small wonder then she reacts so strongly when the protagonist finally discerns her real form - it'd be like getting into a flame war only to be e-mailed a photograph of your house and today's newspaper.

It's tempting to then cast Nue as terribly shy and insecure now that she's been outed, someone who may have to check her abrasive tendencies now that her primary escape route is gone. On the other hand, she lives in a land where plenty of people can get away with pranks when everyone knows who they are, thanks to the non-lethal combat resolution method they've all agreed to.

Her relationship with the rest of the Myouren Temple is interesting - Nue doesn't show much interest in Byakuren's message, yet she doesn't bear the monk any malice and even tried to help out by summoning Mamizou. Has she finally found a purpose beyond messing with people, even if her cause is to play an aloof ally to a weird but well-meaning cult? Or has calling for backup put things square with Byakuren, leaving Nue free to go back to her old ways?

Clarste One Winged Egret Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
One Winged Egret
#2993: Nov 18th 2015 at 8:16:08 PM

Nue's still part of the Myouren temple, but she doesn't see any difference between faith and fear.

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#2994: Nov 19th 2015 at 9:46:30 AM

I don't think Suwako sees the difference either so she's in frog company.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
Tacitus Since: Jan, 2001
#2995: Nov 19th 2015 at 5:09:58 PM

[up][up] I think I get the "divine protection racket" logic, I just don't get how that leads Nue to associate with the temple. Is she wanting in on that action, hoping to attract some worshipers herself? Or does she recognize that Byakuren is able to command fear on a scale she can't, and so Nue accepts her as the pack alpha or something?

GAP Formerly G.G. from Who Knows? Since: May, 2011 Relationship Status: In love with love
Formerly G.G.
#2996: Nov 20th 2015 at 5:39:20 AM

[up] & [up][up] Maybe Nue is a sixth ranger for the Myouren Temple?

"Fan, a Mega Man character."
Clarste One Winged Egret Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
One Winged Egret
#2997: Nov 20th 2015 at 7:22:47 AM

[up][up]She wants to generate fear anyway, for her personal interest, and can rationalize that to herself as helping out at the temple.

Tacitus Since: Jan, 2001
#2998: Nov 20th 2015 at 6:29:18 PM

Ah, so she considers herself on the supply side of Byakuren's operation then. Spook the locals from time to time, encourage them to seek the solace of faith, everybody wins. Except the people who had to change underpants.

Nue may as well be an official part of the temple - she's involved due to her relationship with Byakuren rather than a commitment to the cause, she doesn't quite understand what the monk is trying to accomplish, and she hasn't overcome her youkai nature. A lot like the rest of Byakuren's disciples.

Anyway, artdump - disappointing. Too many pics of Nue's stockings, not enough interest in her face. A few good ones, though, as always.

If the colors were a little different, an Obama parody
Almost like she's pixel-censoring herself
Sassy
Unimpressed
Concerned
Exuberant
We may be in trouble
Does not want to share
Red-eyed weird waif
Realistic
Watercolor
Falling from the sky
Not entirely sure what she's doing in this one
The mysterious unknown idol singer
A subtly different style
Not a certified physician
Some steampunk AU
Crystals do something
Guess she's in Makai or something
Out of the ooze
Wing study
Wings of steel
Wings of bone
Wings of steel and bone
Wings of feathers
Wings of smoke
Wings of light
Wing study: WTF
Arrer girl
Colorful but creepy
Put some fear into those supposed know-it-alls
Someone's going to get poked and/or pinched
Nue and nue
Someone is missing her hat
Battle of biblical proportions
What?
I say again, what?
Get your ass off the back of her head
Like to like
Going straight to detention for this
Huggle
If you haven't yet, check out this artist, they do pretty solid stuff
This artist too
Just because you're a predator doesn't mean that you're the predator
Comfy Mamizou
No idea what's going on in this picture, but it looks awesome
Like any good sixth ranger she's getting top billing
In the spotlight
Skinny little thing
Not afraid to get her hands dirty
Kinda like when those Lovecraft characters manage to paint a picture of an ancient horror, except in this case the horror is a Touhou
Unidentified horror of the underground
I like the idea that she's so old and so rarely (clearly) seen, she's not quite as Cute as and a little more Monstrous than the other Cute Monster Girls
We are not safe
Hogging all the cute Nue-baby for herself
Well this happened
Eh, saw it comin'
Everything makes sense forever
UFO Was Her?

Tacitus Since: Jan, 2001
#2999: Nov 22nd 2015 at 8:31:05 PM

Sure hate to ask this with how little's been said, but there may not be much point in delaying further, so - any last (or first) thoughts on Nue before we move on to the Rumored Unnatural Phenomenon?


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