0 - The Fool - Reimu Hakurei (Alternate at end)
The Fool can also represent not only someone who is child-like or blindly (mis)fortunate, but those on a voyage of discovery. I would argue that Reimu has been learning more about Gensokyo with every game, and that the incidents she resolves - by pure chance, often after many encounters with youkai and spirits completely unrelated to the incident - are her version of the pitfalls of the road. Alternatively, I nominate Maribel.
I - The Magician - Patchouli (Alternatively; Rinnosuke, Renko.)
Couldn't agree more that Patchouli makes a great version of the Magician. For a less literal example - one that substitutes a discovery and encouragement through salvaged technology and rumor rather than actual magic - Rinnosuke fits well. If Maribel is the fool, then it is only logical the first person she encounters is Renko - who encourages and enables her to embark upon a journey both magical and rational.
II - The High Priestess - Kurumi
To explain; the High Priestess often holds hidden knowledge that others are not meant to know; I often see water and moonlight mentioned. To me, the obscurity of Kurumi's reasoning behind engaging in combat - as well as her wholehearted effort - make her enigmatic, and thus a perfect candidate for the High Priestess. I would also put Mystia in this role for similar reasons.
III - The Empress - Minoriko
I think we're all in agreement here; if anyone is the sort of guiding and pleasant person that the Empress - usually - is, it is Minoriko. That being said the Empress can also be aloof and removed, and demands discipline from those who listen to her guidance. As the Harvester sows, so can it be taken away.
IV - The Emperor - The Yama
Shikieiki would not wish to be this card, but I feel she would embody it simply to prevent others from doing the same. The Empire is definitely masculine and controlling, demanding strict obedience - and Alice with her legion of dolls can fit that quota nicely - but it is also a symbol of authority and rigidness. Even if the Yama desires to be seen as someone who helps others, in a place as freespirited as Gensokyo, her influence is often mistrusted and even viewed antagonistically; leading to her sometimes confrontational methods.
V - The Hierophant - Yumemi
For someone who values innovation and science, the Hierophant seems strange; it is a card that is about knowledge, yes; but also it's foundation in rational, stolid fact - not the kind of rampant superscience that can unify entire fields. Nevertheless, though Yumemi is hardly a reactionary individual, to Gensokyo the things she bring are a poisoned offering - being both amazing and yet capable of bringing with them change that would take much of the 'mystery' of Gensokyo away. This leads us to the Lovers nicely-
VI - The Lovers - Gensokyo
It is a place that we all love; a place that even those who dwell within it know to be special. To strangers and residents alike, it is magical, precious. Can any one person rightly guide this place to further development..? So asks the Fool as they continue along their journey.
VII - The Chariot - Yuugi
This card is all about the power of confidence. For someone who can fight without
, Yuugi positively exudes confidence and good-natured boisterousness. On the other hand, she is also aggressive and headstrong - traits that though positive, can lead to strive and conquest.
VIII - Justice - Byakuren
And here I notice the order of our decks differ. Eh? Do I have bootleg cards or something~? Anyway, if the Yama is the Emperor, than Byakuren is justice - the idea that both human and youkai must receive the same chances. It is vital to note that despite the level of devotion she inspires, Byakuren is not perfect; she has many flaws and doubts. This blindness - both to the concept of self, and perhaps to the task she has set out on - is also befitting of Justice. She may yet change that land.
IX - The Hermit - Marisa
I realize that many of you are probably scratching your heads at my weird choices right now; but ever since I started playing Touhou, Marisa seemed like a Hermit to me. Although she is open and outgoing, she doesn't ever tend to share her deeper motivations. She wanders Gensokyo in search of... Well, anything, really, and we have seen her copy many things that belong to other - but these knowledges are never shared with others. Her secrets are her own, but her wisdom and drawn comparisons to the Magician make her the epitome of this card; in my mind.
X - Wheel of Fortune - A stylized drawing of Eientei, with many rabbits; Mokou and Kaguya face each other while Keine; who is of two halves - attempts to hold them at bay.
Neither side will ever progress, yet at the same time they are always progressing. There are many sides more than just two; but despite how they may act to others, they will always attempt to juxtapose the balance of power; and if that has consequences for those around them, so be it. So the wheel continues to turn, where it's roulette ends a constant mystery.
XI - Strength - Ichirin. Unzan looms in the background, looking both terrifying and yet calm.
Inner strength - quiet devotion, thought, and a will of iron - are the qualities of Strength. She is unfairly lambasted as being merely Unzan's hitbox; how can that be, when it is she who gives Unzan form and allows him to remain in this world? Ichirin gives Unzan purpose, and it is for that reason that he does not appear alone; her inner strength is as bright as a monk could be.
XII - The Hanged Man - Koishi
A closed eye brings happiness and great power; but at the same time, Koishi has abandoned a facet of herself; out of fear of fear, hatred of hate. Although her sacrifice does not leave her bitter, to assume that she is solely happy of such a loss is debatable; on the other hand, she did gain knowledge and enlightenment of a sort from this sacrifice, so perhaps through the loss of her eye, she was in fact correct..?
XIII - Death - Yuyuko
Yuyuko really is the perfect embodiment of all sides of change/death. There is nothing more to say.
XIV - Temperance - Suwako
It takes gracefulness and knowledge of oneself to admit defeat; and it takes foresight and planning to rear your own descendent as a maiden. Suwako exemplifies the nature of Temperance not just as balance and wholeness, but also in terms of foresight - and in less flattering ways - the ability to undermine things with quiet power as opposed to raw strength.
XV - The Devil - Yuuka
It is one thing to interpret the Devil as being a card leading others into temptation, and still another to it be associated with restraints and the lifting of them. Yet a third is someone who acts on impulse; who eats for the pleasure of food as it crunches beneath their teeth, fights for the thrill of blood spilling, gives for the joy of a warm smile, and turns to the sun with the coming of dawn. In this interpretation, Yuuka represents both the negative and positive connotations of the Devil; she is free to do what she wants, but that is because she holds no code or law to stop her. Many of the Old Gods of Gensokyo and other lands might also fall under this interpretation...
XVI - The Tower - Remilia visiting an imprisoned Flandre
It is not just the destruction and doom that the Tower brings, but it's meaning; the Tower brings destruction because it was weak, built on pride and refusal to change. Remilia is intelligent, lady-like, and refined; but she is also extremely proud of herself and those who serve her. Her sister is both family and yet a nuisance, living a life far removed by force - and deadly certainty that sister knows best. Even if this does protect Flandre, the effect it must have on Remilia's mental well-being alone is enough to make the Scarlet sisters a perfect fit for this card.
XVII - The Star - Mima
Although Marisa would fit here thematically, the Star is a herald of coming joy; prosperity, livelihood, peace. One might ask how Mima has anything in common with those things - although she may be mentioned as an Evil Spirit, she has since disappeared almost without trace; and now that she is gone, what are most days in Gensokyo like? Each new dawn heralds another peaceful, lazy day - only interrupted by just enough incidents to keep things 'interesting'. One wonders if Mima saw that there was no longer a need for her in Gensokyo. Or perhaps...
XVIII - The Moon - Satori
Although Koishi has power to control the subconscious, Satori must see the plain and simple truth that is the Moon's antithesis. However, these are filtered through layers of thoughts; dreams, desires, creativity, stagnation... In the end, because of this burden of truth, she must unravel the entirety of the illusions woven by human or youkai alike simply when interacting with others - and the distrust and the loathing this creates as a reflection are so very fitting for the Moon.
XIX - The Sun - Chen and Ran, looking at something past the view of the Card. They are content, but distant.
Although Yuuka or Utsuho are very thematic against the Sun, this is a card of simple joys. Happiness that should last forever, but may just be a temporary state of mind. Nevertheless, as our Fool advances farther along in their journey, they are likely to reach this state of happiness more and more frequently; they are no longer done however; beyond the view of this temporary happiness lies reality.
XX - Judgement - The Other World.
It is frayed at the edges, and Gensokyo and it clash at the borders; Yukari's gaps peer over two sleeping on a train, vines wind through the pavement, cars careen across unpaved roads. The dead mingle in the streets of what we can consider the real - and in Gensokyo, the youkai are repelled by superior force of arms and sheer disbelief; for even if Gensokyo is powered by such disbelief - a theory of which I am not sure I ascribe - when weaponized, the conflict would be disastrous indeed. The Fool understands; the Hakurei border must be maintained, or the happiness she has sought will forever be lost. Then again, if you subscribe to the alternative Fool and Magician -
XXI - The World - Yukari
In the end it doesn't really matter, does it? Life continues. Gensokyo will be Gensokyo, and our world will be our own. The two may coexist; they may drift closer or apart. In sleep or dreaming they will be watched, regardless of who has learned these lessons. Harmony is found; it was never really lost.
I'm willing to explain my decisions if necessary, as well as talk a bit about the minor arcana if people are interested.