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The New New Touhou Character Alternate Interpretation Compendium

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goki Since: Jan, 2016 Relationship Status: Only knew I loved her when I let her go
#3751: Jan 4th 2017 at 5:53:35 AM

I don't think that the book reading bird youkai is a toki. She doesn't look like one. A tokis body is mostly covered in white. The readers body is mostly covered in black. A toki has a red face with a prominent beak. The reader has a pale face and a button nose.

The bird that got cooked in Chapter 3 is a toki. Toki wound up in Gensokyo when people started beleiving that toki were extinct in Japan.

I'm sure that the reader is a shikigami user. A book on non_neumann machines is just the sort of thing you would study to learn to program shikigami. This explains how Reimu was being attacked from behind.

Tacitus Since: Jan, 2001
#3752: Jan 4th 2017 at 6:53:34 PM

Huh, that's a new one. Last time around there was speculation that ____ko was reading up on computeronomy in hopes of gaining a shikigami or perhaps becoming one herself, but yeah, the bit about Reimu getting attacked from behind while trying to bushwhack an innocent youkai might suggest that there was more than two people involved in that fight. Which raises the question of who the shiki was and where she ran off to while her master was getting Reimu'd.

And there's still the matter of what ____ko is, what abstract concept a three-winged horned humanoid with her particular color palette might represent, or what weird critter lived long enough to become a supernatural entity that happens to look like a young woman in a fancy dress. Maybe she's like Shou and represents an idea of what a crested ibis might be?

Tacitus Since: Jan, 2001
#3753: Jan 6th 2017 at 7:30:39 AM

Well, this may be as much as we can hope for such a one-shot character. Any final thoughts regarding... whoever this is, before we move on to the head honcho of the hares?

Tacitus Since: Jan, 2001
#3754: Jan 7th 2017 at 1:15:45 PM

Looks like that's a "no." Guess that's what happens when we know more about some PC-98 characters than this nameless bird-like book-loving youkai.

Moving along then. Coming up will the the Prismriver Sisters, followed by Kisume and someone trying to turn the status quo on its head. But first,




White Rabbit of Good Fortune
Tewi Inaba

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_tewiin12.png
Appearance:

Stage: A Pure Cage in the Filthy World
Why have you lingered so long in such a filthy place?
Then, all the locked doors opened, untouched...
BGM: "Cinderella Cage ~ Kagome-Kagome"

Theme: "White Flag of Usa Shrine"note 

Spellcard Motif: Tricksy Rabbits
Spellcards: IN, GoM, PoFV, StB
"Ancient Duper," Rabbit Sign "Great Fortune Crest," Rabbit Sign "Bare White Rabbit of Inaba," Runaway Rabbit "Fluster Escape," Owing Sign "Vulnerary of Ohnamuji-sama"

Write-up:
A youkai rabbit who lives in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, and is probably the oldest of her kind, since she's mentioned in the first volume of the Gensokyo Chronicle. Tewi/Tei is known to be mischievous and emotional as a fairy, but is also a bit cowardly and shifty. She's said to have the power to grant good fortune, but you'd have to be pretty lucky already to find her in her native habitat, so it might not be worth the effort.

She serves as the leader of Eientei's population of Earth rabbits, but seems subordinate to Reisen the lunar rabbit in that she's sometimes seen trying (unsuccessfully) to give Tewi orders. Why she and the masters of the mansion put up with Tewi's pranks and shenanigans is thus one of Gensokyo's mysteries.

Relationships:

  • Reisen Udongein Inaba ("boss")
  • Kaguya Houraisan, Eirin Yagokoro ("landlords")

See also the previous two compendiums.

edited 7th Jan '17 1:16:06 PM by Tacitus

GAP Formerly G.G. from Who Knows? Since: May, 2011 Relationship Status: In love with love
Formerly G.G.
#3755: Jan 7th 2017 at 2:24:44 PM

When I first got into the fandom, I thought Tewi was Eirin's minion but she is actually the landlord.

"Fan, a Mega Man character."
Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#3756: Jan 7th 2017 at 2:49:03 PM

I don't think Tewi is subordinate to Reisen. I think Reisen thinks Tewi should be subordinate to Reisen.

Tewi isn't the sort to correct misunderstandings that can be hilarious.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
Durazno Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#3757: Jan 7th 2017 at 7:25:04 PM

I think she's been correcting this one in her own way for a long time, though.

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#3758: Jan 7th 2017 at 7:56:20 PM

Actions speak louder and less clearly than words.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
Tacitus Since: Jan, 2001
#3759: Jan 7th 2017 at 8:42:37 PM

When I first got into the fandom, I thought Tewi was Eirin's minion but she is actually the landlord.

Makes me wish I was aware of Touhou back in the day, just to see the reaction in the fandom when the characterization they'd made for Tewi after IN smashed headfirst into the merry scam artist seen in PoFV. Guess it was the earlier fans' version of the disconnect that happened when we all learned that Nitori is actually a racist swindler and Momiji is not Aya's faithful fluffy puppy.

If you look back through the fanart and start with the oldest stuff, there's page after page of pics like this that suggest a Ran-Chen style relationship between Reisen and Tewi. It takes a while before you see anything like Reisen falling into a pit trap, or any suggestion of deviousness on Tewi's little face.

GAP Formerly G.G. from Who Knows? Since: May, 2011 Relationship Status: In love with love
Formerly G.G.
#3760: Jan 8th 2017 at 2:27:09 AM

Yeah, who knew Tewi was actually older than Reisen and she was notorious trickster.

"Fan, a Mega Man character."
Tacitus Since: Jan, 2001
#3761: Jan 10th 2017 at 6:52:39 PM

Well, we didn't, and now I'm wondering how many people in Gensokyo are aware that Tewi is more than a small-time scammer. Besides Eirin and the Yama, anyway. None of the characters she bumps into during PoFV seem to treat her any differently from the likes of Mystia, and even Aya only describes Tewi as "A rabbit who became youkai after living a long life," so it's possible she's gotten good at staying under the radar and hiding her power level.

I'm trying to remember one issue of the Touhou manga that explained the various youkai factions vying for influence over the Human Village, and whether the rabbits were one of them. If that was the case, then the leaders of the tengu and tanuki and whatnot ought to be at least aware that someone's ordering the bunnies around, if not necessarily which of the floppy-eared girls in pink dresses is the one calling the shots. But I also like the idea that Tewi has kept the rabbits beneath suspicion, allowing them to pursue their own agenda while everyone else squabbles.

rmctagg09 The Wanderer from Brooklyn, NY (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: I won't say I'm in love
The Wanderer
#3762: Jan 10th 2017 at 8:45:13 PM

It wouldn't surprise me if Tewi used Reisen as her decoy leader.

Hugging a Vanillite will give you frostbite.
Shiko Since: Mar, 2016 Relationship Status: Hiding
#3763: Jan 11th 2017 at 12:47:07 AM

[up][up]That was chapter 32 of FS, and the rabbits was mentioned as one of the factions. However, I don't think Aya is interpreting their actions correctly. Rather then trying to gain influence in the village, they're simply contributing the way they can by selling medicine. I think it was mentioned by either Eirin or Reisen somewhere that it's a way of avoiding isolating themselves again.

Of course, it's possible that Tewi is laying her own plans separately from Eientei. In which case, Reisen is certainly a good cover.

Clarste One Winged Egret Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
One Winged Egret
#3764: Jan 11th 2017 at 5:07:03 AM

Tewi explicitly has plans in WaHH chapter... 32? 33? Somewhere around there. She starts a pet rabbit fad in town so the chiddlins will get pampered with a life of luxury, knowing that they're likely to be eventually abandoned and rejoin the wild rabbits.

From another perspective though, it does seem like she's intentionally infiltrating the village. Also I doubt any of the rabbits care about medicine one way or another. Reisen is more connected to the Lunarian side of things than the rabbit side.

edited 11th Jan '17 5:07:21 AM by Clarste

Shiko Since: Mar, 2016 Relationship Status: Hiding
#3765: Jan 11th 2017 at 6:38:45 AM

That is kinda what I was trying to say. Tewi and the rabbits aren't really the same faction as Eientei. They're doing their own stuff, yet Aya seems to think of Reisen as part of that. It makes me think that the rabbits aren't very interested in the village, they are just being lumped in with Reisen.

Tewi would likely be more into caring for the rabbits in less inconspicuous ways. Then again, that rabbit boom was very noticable. The Kappa even joined in.

Btw, I just realized I can't remember any fanworks featuring Tewi and Nitori working together. You'd think that would be more common.

Tacitus Since: Jan, 2001
#3766: Jan 11th 2017 at 6:46:11 PM

It wouldn't surprise me if Tewi used Reisen as her decoy leader.

Well, a decoy leader. The one that would fool the saps, but anyone who studied the situation would pick up on the lack of control Reisen has over the rest of the bunnies, so Tewi would have to have a different patsy set up... unless she's arranged things so that an investigator would assume that Tewi was another decoy leader and look elsewhere for the "real" head of the rabbits...

Tewi explicitly has plans in WaHH chapter... 32? 33? Somewhere around there. She starts a pet rabbit fad in town so the chiddlins will get pampered with a life of luxury, knowing that they're likely to be eventually abandoned and rejoin the wild rabbits. From another perspective though, it does seem like she's intentionally infiltrating the village.

Yeah, she's sending long, fluffy ears into citizens' homes. Not sure if there's an endgame involved or if this is just routine rabbit intelligence-gathering, their way of competing with shapeshifting tanuki and kitsune, or tengu ninja.

Come to think of it, the rabbits ought to have a decent spy network. All those rabbits, always listening. When they aren't eating, or boinking, or running for their lives. Maybe I should say that the rabbits potentially have a large spy network.

Btw, I just realized I can't remember any fanworks featuring Tewi and Nitori working together. You'd think that would be more common.

I dunno, their scamming tendencies might make them competition rather than partners. Colliding Criminal Conspiracies and all that.

GAP Formerly G.G. from Who Knows? Since: May, 2011 Relationship Status: In love with love
Formerly G.G.
#3767: Jan 12th 2017 at 12:54:26 AM

Tewi is leading a faction that is trying to monitor the village from the shadows?

"Fan, a Mega Man character."
joergenjetsam from The city of constant rain Since: Dec, 2012 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
#3768: Jan 12th 2017 at 5:55:42 AM

Most of the youkai groups with a degree of clout monitor the human village.

edited 12th Jan '17 5:55:52 AM by joergenjetsam

Conception is sin Birth is pain Life is toil Death is inevitable
Diamite Rainy Echoes Since: Jul, 2013
Rainy Echoes
#3769: Jan 12th 2017 at 11:34:46 PM

Tewi Inaba:

Leader of the Earth Rabbits. A very sage individual, but prefers being a bit of a prankster.

Tewi's like the luckiest bunny in existence. Of course all that luck doesn't seem to faze Reimu. Her incredible luck negates Tewi's, or something.tongue

You know, I never considered that the bunny incident was a way for Tewi to keep tabs on the Human Village through those rabbits. Disguising her true intentions as charity seems like something she could muster, being a super old rabbit and all.

goki Since: Jan, 2016 Relationship Status: Only knew I loved her when I let her go
#3770: Jan 14th 2017 at 10:08:12 AM

Famous american cartoon character who best represents Tewi Inaba: Bugs Bunny. This cunning trickster with a heart of gold represents Tewi so well it makes me wonder how much time Zun spent watching american cartoons as a boy. It turns out that I'm not the first Touhou alternative interpreter to make the Bugs/Tewi comparison.

Is Tewi the White Hare of Inaba? There are hints a of this, starting with the name Inaba. But then, in Wild and Horned Hermit no. 31, Tewi explains how she and many other rabbits lived through Heaven and Hell to become Youkai. This happened much more recently than the stories of the Hare of Inaba.

Does this cancel the Tewi/Inaba connection? I don't think so. I imagine that the spirit of the Hare occupied the body of puny rabbit runt, but a clever one that had the power to bless the other rabbits with good luck. She became the leader while the other rabbits were gaining sentience. So the Hare keeps pranking Reisen, Tewi grants luck, and her cleverness is a combination of both.

Clarste One Winged Egret Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
One Winged Egret
#3771: Jan 14th 2017 at 10:15:42 AM

I think Tewi was just saying "we" as in "the rabbits" and not necessarily including herself specifically. Like, if you say "we put a man on the moon" that doesn't imply that the speaker was personally involved in the Apollo project in any sense, just that humankind has done this thing. It's a very tribal sense of the word "we", where you identify more with the team than as an individual.

Frankly, this overly literal reading of that chapter bugs the hell out of me, and I was considering actually changing it months later, but eventually decided that if people don't know how English works then it's their own fault.

goki Since: Jan, 2016 Relationship Status: Only knew I loved her when I let her go
#3772: Jan 14th 2017 at 12:52:20 PM

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png That's fine. I can revert back to my old interpretation of older Tewi, who might or might not be the Hare of Inaba.

Speaking of chapter 31, there's a regular rabbit with some pretty impressive tech embedded in its claw. The villagers can't match that tech. The Kappa could, but Nitori didn't seem to know about it. Eirin could, but would she bother? Maybe the Eintei rabbits themselves put it there. After all, they have youkai intelligence and a deal where the lunarians are supposed to teach them.

Tacitus Since: Jan, 2001
#3773: Jan 16th 2017 at 8:51:48 AM

Yeah, it's hard not to like the notion that little Tewi is one of the oldest (and most powerful?) beings in Gensokyo. Probably for the same reason why Suwako is popular, just the disconnect between appearance and reality.

Anyway, picdump time.

A face you can trust
Do not be distracted by the poof
Hop!
Probably a bad sign
Howzat?
A jukebox hero
Swag
Peace out
Such charisma
Usa, usa, usa, pyon
Parasol
Get some pants, girl
More realistic crying Tewi
Tanabata bunnies
Trying to do the lunatic eyes thing?
Bunny with a semi-automatic
Bunny with a noob cannon, seriously, learn to aim you hip-spraying scrubs
Bunnies with a sniper rifle and a bag of explosives, respectively
Bunnies with no guns and a pump-action carrot, respectively
I dunno
TEWI! TEWI! TEWI! TEWI! TEWI! TEWI!
The gun will jam, the clip will fall out, or it will somehow shoot backwards
Follow the white rabbit
Hare in the moon
Older-looking
More older-looking
Older and more operatic
A quiet moment on the porch
Que significa?
Hanging out with the family
Like two little scarves that are always attached to your head
She's in there somewhere
Wink
Meeting the new kid
What's up, doc?
Welcome to Urf
Not sure if want
Now they're both princesses
I remember that one
Mokou's man on the inside?
Going for a stroll
Quantity has a quality all its own
Hmm...
Winter connection
Bunnies being threatening together
Head pat
I'd nominate it for the "Fund It!" pool too
Splinter Cell: Bunny Helmet
When your superpower interferes with your love of pranks
Carrot onna stick
I like to think she does this in the middle of heated conversations with Reisen
Good ol' yume shokunin
Terajin gets in on it
Won't lose to the rain
A not quite flawless escape
Suck it, sharks

Oh yeah, according to Wikipedia, the kind of hare referred to in the "Hare of Inaba" story are actually brown-colored for most of the year, but may turn white in the winter. Yet Tewi and the rest of the swarm are invariably portrayed as white rabbits. Wonder why that is?

GAP Formerly G.G. from Who Knows? Since: May, 2011 Relationship Status: In love with love
Formerly G.G.
#3774: Jan 17th 2017 at 12:42:54 AM

I do not know but I think she does turn brown but 'chooses' to make herself white.

"Fan, a Mega Man character."
Clarste One Winged Egret Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
One Winged Egret
#3775: Jan 17th 2017 at 12:54:53 AM

Honestly the weird part is that she's a white rabbit yet her hair is black.


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