The New New Touhou Character Alternate Interpretation Compendium

I'd say they wondered about her, seeing how they ultimately sealed her away.

We're talking about Shou, not Byakuren.

I suppose that makes sense. "A pointed stick? Why would I need that when I can leap twenty feet and break my opponent's neck with my mighty jaws? Give me something for when they're twenty-one feet away." And eventually she remembered she couldn't go tiger anymore, but by then it didn't matter.

The way you describe Bishamonten makes it sound like the guy's retiring, and that may be entirely possible. It's not an age of avatars and divine justice, but of occasional visits to the temple for special occasions and police officers.

Picdump! The highest rated Shou stuff I found pretty lackluster, which suggests that a lot of it isn't visible on a Safebooru search. But there was a sweet spot around pages twenty to sixty that had some good stuff.

In a nutshell
Two profiles
Some style parody
Black and white and under a vortex of some sort
Big ol' grin
Grats
Golden tears
Faces of danmaku - high intensity, low dignity
Timid?
Please stop smiling
Young tiger girl in the dark
Tiger girl dishabile
On a bed
Sleeping in the Flower Zone
In repose
I think I like Naz more in this one
Like this guy's style, it's very FFVI-ish
f7(eiki) would make awesome tattoos
Onikobe Rin's rendition is pretty fabulous
Or gives me Metal Gear vibes for whatever reason
Silky sparkles
Tiger's stripes
Hey, your everything is one fire
Glowing petals
I guess artists just assume people spend more time in water than they actually do
Amazing what a new hairstyle does
She looks significantly more feminine in this one, somehow
If you kept your eyes off the view, maybe you wouldn't lose what you're holding
I don't know if "handsome" is the word I'd use, which isn't to say I don't think she's smokin' hot
Surprised to be photographed
Pretty mellow
Big B in the hizzouse
The arm looks off, but it's a good game face
Fully kitted out
White not-tiger
She knows kung-fu?
Flaming fuuma shuriken
Avatar state
I'd let her guard my treasures alright. That wasn't intended as a double entendre but sounds like one anyway.
The expressions tell the tale
Cosmic mouse-tiger love story
Head in lap
Sleepy time
Big sis of the temple
In the back?
Eager young pupil
Buddhism is hard!
Not a proscribed use of divine panoply
Fruit for the fruit god, veg for the veg throne
Her magnificence cannot be contained
We've swapped out Shou's hair dec for a planet-eating abomination - let's see if she notices!
Now do one of Diabolic Edict
You're never too young for weapons training

edited 5th Aug '14 10:38:13 PM by Tacitus

Well, anything more to say about the not-tiger, or shall we move on to the Crown Prince sometime tomorrow?

Why is it fanon that Shou loses the pagoda?

Hmm... Shou calls Nazrin to the Myouren Temple whenever she needs her assistance. So I'm pretty sure Shou will help Nazrin out if she ever asked for help.

Like, if there's a legendary treasure lost somewhere. Shou could enhance Nazrin's search^note Or end it in seconds in finding it. Doubly so if it's a treasure long forgotten by the world.

Anyway in conclusion, Shou is a grand example of loyalty and devotion. Remember, she fights for her friends, so mess with them, there will be a laser with your name on it.^note And you cannot escape.

It's actually canon that Shou lost the pagoda. She lost it before the events of UFO, and she sent Nazrinto find it. She only gets it back just moments before you fight her in Stage 5. Her losing the pagoda all the time is fanon, though.

And, since that happened just as many times as Youmu said "myon," Patchy said "mukyu," or Yuyuko joked(?) about eating Mystia, it has since become a defining character trait.

Good round for Shou, I think. Tenshi and Iku will be next, followed by it looks like Seikibanki! But first, make way for the prince!

Toyosatomimi no Miko

Stage: Hold Harmony Sacred ~ The Divine Spirit Mausoleum
The massive quantity of gathered divine spirits resembled a starry sky.
They silently wait for the one to give her voice.
BGM: "Starry Sky of Small Desires "
Theme: "Shoutoku Legend ~ True Administrator"

Spellcard Motif: I am an awesome divine sovereign
Notable spellcards: TD, HM, ISC
Honor "Ranks of Twelve Levels," Hermit Sign "Emperor of the Land of the Rising Sun," Secret Treasure "Prince Shotoku's Out-of-place Artifact," Discernment "Laser of Seventeen Articles," Divine Light "Honour the Avoidance of Defiance," "Divine Spirits' Universe," "Heed the Commands with Absolute Care," "My Way is Truly That of Heaven!"

Write-up:
The legendary Prince Shotoku was the regent who first unified Japan, a strident proponent of Buddhism who was also respectful of Shinto, and a wise ruler able to comprehend ten conversations simultaneously. "He" was also Toyosatomimi no Miko, a closet Taoist who deceived her homeland while pursuing immortality.

Unable to accept her inevitable demise, Miko and a few of her most trusted allies learned Taoism from a Chinese hermit, but publicly backed Buddhism as a way to pacify the populace. Her mastery of the Taoist arts allowed Miko to perform superhuman feats, but also wrecked her body, forcing Miko to cheat death by becoming a shikaisen (after her underlings tested the technique). Though she intended to return to the land of the living once people had tired of Buddhism, she miscalculated - Buddhism continued to thrive in Japan, and Buddhist monks continued to seal her mausoleum to keep Miko from awakening. It was only when the legends of her accomplishments caused people to doubt Prince Shotoku even existed, causing her mausoleum to arrive in Gensokyo, that Miko was able to revive. Miko has taken these twists in stride, and has decided to provide her leadership to Gensokyo's humans as necessary while pursuing immortality as a Celestial.

Miko seems to be pretty popular for her relatively recent debut, as she is a hammy would-be overlord who is nevertheless polite, graceful and lacking in malice (particularly when compared to her mentor). Fans like to play her against her Buddhist rivals for obvious reasons, and because Miko's "good deeds for selfish reasons" is a good foil for Byakuren's "good intentions for questionable actions." Plus her relationship to Kokoro gives her a measure of the mask youkai's popularity. Also, her not-quite headphones have apparently earned her a promotion to vocaloid.

Relations

• Mononobe no Futo, Soga no Tojiko (fellow Taoists, allies)
• Seiga Kaku (Taoist mentor)
• Myouren Temple Crew (Buddhist rivals)
• Reimu Hakurei (Shinto rival)
• Hata no Kokoro (creation)
• Fujiwara no Mokou (historical in-joke)

Interpretations:
"Regent Saint"
by Otherarrow

"Handyman of the World"
by Antimatter 625

See also the previous compendium.

edited 11th Aug '14 9:49:01 PM by Tacitus

So Miko has charisma. So much charisma. She even sparkles! She may not have seemed that special when she was introduced, but SoPM showed how quick-witted she was, HM gave her an Evil Laugh and DAT CAPE, and WaHH gave her that talk with Kasen where she just exudes presence the whole way through.

I'll link one of my favorite remixes of her theme, but I think the Hopeless Masquerade version is still hard to beat.

Regent Saint

Prince Shoutoku was a legendary regent of Japan, who advocated the spread of Buddhism, dealt with the aftermath of the conflict between the Mononobe and the Soga, was an advocate of the arts, and did a lot of important stuff in terms of law and government that slip my mind at the moment. He died.

Toyosatomimi no Miko was Prince Shoutoku, that legendary regent of Japan. However,the spread of Buddhism was to pacify the masses, and she and her allies actually caused and manipulated the battle between the Mononobe and the Soga, leading to the destruction of the former clan and the cementation of Buddhism and Miko's reign. Miko was not herself a Buddhist, but rather she studied and practiced Taoism in hopes of gaining control over nature and becoming undying.

Ironically, her Taoist methods to cheat death caused her to start to die. To secure her immortality and her future eternal reign, Miko and her allies performed the Shikashan ritual, and faked their deaths to be reborn as Shikashans. Miko slept, waiting for the day the people's faith in Buddhism would wane, and she could return to save them from it and seize control of the country as god saint king.

Naturally, this didn't work out, and the Buddhists kept her crypt sealed. And then folks started denying her existence, causing her to fall into Gensoukyou.

Reawakened in a new world that seemingly doesn't need her, Miko instead focuses herself on continuing her hermitly studies and seeking enlightenment. Of course, Miko would be happy to remind you that the "god saint king" offer is still on the table. She ain't going to push it, but it's there. She is keeping the option open because she loves humanity and wants to see it become great.

Also, fuck the Buddhists.

Anywho, Miko's ability is to hear and understand ten people at once, a superhuman ability that, when combined with Miko's near-superhuman levels of perception and inference, allows her to read the ten desires that make up the person's self and determine their future. Of course, this ability is also kinda sucky because, well, ten people yapping at once all of them crystal clear. She wears earmuffs to block folks out, but Akyuu says they can be used to focus on one person as well.

Miko loves humans and will happily come to your aid if you call for her, and will protect you from youkai. She's like a hero, dashing and charismatic. Like, a cape wearing superman or something.

Despite what Seiga says, she isn't comparable to Jesus. She refutes the "born in a stable" rumor.

But seriously, if you need a god saint king, you know who to call.

EDIT:This turned out longer than expected. Eh, gave it a title since I probably won't write anything else this length without forcing it.

edited 10th Aug '14 8:23:04 PM by Otherarrow

I wonder what Miko thinks of Buddhism being so popular. Does it simply reaffirm her belief that people are sheep in need of her guidance? Or does she take its success as more proof that she's awesome? After all, she totally came up with it.

I should really reread SOPM, but I'm just not sure where Miko stands on the topic of humanity's worth. On the one hand, she figures without some solid leadership, everything will fall to ruin. On the other hand, she emphasis the point that people can be so much more. Just look at herself. That could be you, if only you were way more awesome. It's like she's an optimistic cynic or something. 'people suck, but they don't need to.'

I have a theory that one of the reasons Miko wanted to become shikaisen is because Seiga said she could make her new body as she wished, and Miko secretly wanted to be a woman.

An important part too many in the fandom seems to ignore is that Miko and Tojiko are actually the only canon couple in Touhou. Like, not even in-universe canon, they are literally a husband and wife in reality. Unless you assume Miko isn't actually Prince Shotoku and is only based on him.

edited 10th Aug '14 1:53:12 AM by ninryu

Actually, it's the opposite of in-universe canon. Yes, it's true of the charcters they're based on, but the histories of each character (ie: relative ages, etc) are different enough in Touhou canon to make the assumption unwarranted. It's essentially a historical-reference joke that some fans like to make.

Personally I think "Tojiko isn't quite the same person" is the more reasonable perspective though.

edited 10th Aug '14 2:05:10 AM by Clarste

Handyman of the World.

Miko sees people as tools. They aren't alone, though. Everything in the whole world is there to be used. Laws, people, religion, rocks, metals, plants, animals... everything is a tool or resource. And a tool without a hand to hold it does little but decay. She's willing to be that hand, to guide the tools she has so that they can make a better world around them.

Its broken, so fix it.

So yeah, she's got a wee bit of pride. And its not like her assumptions on human nature are wrong, exactly. There's a lot of cultural inertia in human nature. Tradition and the past will always have a firm grip on what people do. Individuals may innovate, but few cultures are warm breeding grounds for innovation. 'Eccentrics' are often shunned, and because people are lazy and progress is an uphill battle...

Well, Miko wants to change that. She's goal-oriented. If other people are too lazy and weak to make progress, then its up to her to lead them to a golden age. Of course they'll protest and bitch and moan, because it's change and people don't readily accept change, even if it's for the better.

She knows the way. Follow her or enjoy the dust she leaves you in. ^note You're following her. Quit your arguing. Everyone else is following her, see?

All that said... I'm not a fan of her ideas^note As a character, she's interesting and amusing and I like her quite a bit. I just don't agree with her philosophy/paradigm. Mostly because I think the above way of thinking ^note which I envision as hers, more or less is arrogant to the extreme. She isn't perfect. She made mistakes; miscalculating the popularity of Buddhism at the very least, though I'd guess "poisoning herself while trying to become immortal" probably qualifies as well. She learns from and adapts to her mistakes, but that hardly makes her unique.

Perhaps more than any other character, Miko's flaw is her ego ^note And in Gensokyo, it takes a seriously inflated head to stand out in that regard. She is the definition of right in her mind, so she can literally do no wrong. I'm sure if she had her way, she'd be sitting on whatever celestial bureaucracy made laws and would reshape them according to her whims.

Maybe I'm just cynical. Or maybe I value choice/free will above happiness, while Miko does the opposite. Which, to be fair, "why let people make decisions that hurt them?"

Well, because people are people. Take that away, and what have you got? I don't know, but I suspect Miko's answer would remain unchanged. A person who isn't a person is the same thing as anything else is:

'A tool'.

edited 10th Aug '14 7:42:10 PM by Antimatter625

I'll note that she objected to the idea that Gensokyo was nothing but a zoo for humans to sustain youkai on the grounds of "human dignity". I think a "tool" is almost the last thing she'd think of a person as. "Tools" don't need to be persuaded, they don't need to be deceived, they don't need to be controlled. She certainly respects human free will, but more in the sense of respecting a worthy opponent. Human nature is the most powerful enemy she has, because she believes it is literally impossible to force someone else to do something they don't want to do. Instead, you have to convince them that it was their own decision, that they made the best choice they could, because "choice" is the only thing that will move someone.

edited 10th Aug '14 8:01:47 PM by Clarste

It's like the wind. Catch it the way you want to move you forward. Or maybe the sail is a better comparison, redirecting it to make it catch the wind better. It's easier to change the way the sails catch the wind than it is to move the boat itself.

I don't think Miko associates any intrinsic value to human free will. It's just another thing to coax and manipulate. It's the handle (or reins) to grab so that she can guide humanity.

She may well respect it in the same way she'd respect a river for transporting so much water, or a tree for growing so big and tall. And she'd be just as willing to dam up that river or use the tree as anything between fuel and building material as she would to twist someone's will to her ends.

edited 10th Aug '14 10:08:53 PM by Antimatter625

The wind, a river, a forest. IE: Nature, the realm of the gods. Outside of human control. I would continue to call those the opposite of a tool.

The point I was getting at is that she's willing to redirect them to suit her purposes. Outside of human control, perhaps, but she is a super-human, after all. So I would say that for her, they are tools. Sometimes its best to let nature works its course, but sometimes letting things progress naturally won't get you what you want. She knows how things will flow and how to redirect those flows in her favor. They're tools she makes to work for her.

(Obviously all the above is just my interpretation)

edited 11th Aug '14 8:26:16 AM by Antimatter625

I think you would be hard-pressed to find a sailor who thinks they're "using" the wind or the sea like a tool. More likely they would say that they're at the mercy of the wind, or that they adapt themselves to the sea. Maybe it feels less so in the modern era, but nature is big and cruel and it's gonna kill you if you don't respect it. Humans are of course small and weak (which is why Miko felt the need to "overcome her humanity"), but that doesn't mean human nature isn't worthy of respect too.

This is probably just me being a dumbutt but maybe it's like...to Miko a specific person can be a tool, or even a specific group of people, but people in general, humanity, they are pretty rad and she wants to elevate them to greatness (with herself always in the lead of course).

...I'll shut up.

That actually makes sense. She might face a danger of separating humans and humanity in her mind, or coming to view the humanity she's striving towards as more important and real than the humanity before her.

Miko of the Toyosatomimi Clan:

A former regent turned hermit. She has the ability to hear the desires of ten people at once. Very charismatic.

Miko's one charismatic individual. She was one of those who laid the foundations for Buddhism. But that was the image she showed to the world. In reality, she was all about Taoism.

But she's so charismatic, Buddhism remained a thing long after her existence was forgotten about. Or so the story goes. Buddhist monks made sure she stayed all dead and sealed up until she vanished from the world's memory.

Her resurrection in Gensokyo was delayed as well, because a certain temple just happened to be on top of her mausoleum. But she just knew the day would come, so there was no rush.

She's currently a hermit, seeking to become a celestial being. She has followers, but she isn't interested in teaching them her way of life. They could be useful for running errands, though.

At first, she was able to listen to ten conversations at once, but after her deep sleep, she's able to hear ten desires. This is quite handy, as she could tell who's naughty and nice. ...Hm, would this make her a better Santa Claus than Seiga?

Comparison Time: Satori hears the thoughts of the mind, but Miko hears the thoughts of THE HEART!

However, there are some people she can't seem to gain a full understanding of. Like Youmu, she's half-ghost^note A bit lost on that one., and Koishi because she just can't be understood.

I can imagine her saying RESURRECTION!

She literally can't lose! Unless you count being stuck in a tomb for over a millennium, but I'm sure there's a way she could spin that into a cunning victory. I mean, she was already planning to wait for a bit before her smashing return, so does the time she spent not-dead really count as a loss?

I guess it's the worldview of a hereditary monarch who wants only the best subjects to rule? "You need me, you need my leadership, but with that guidance we can create something harmonious and successful." That was the point of the whole constitution, to spell out the ways people could work together and create a great country. The people could pull it off, but the Crown Prince had to tell them how.

Well, they pulled it off for a while, then the ruling class became more about poetry slams than effective governance and things fell apart.

Y'know, I was wondering about that - it's conceivable that the history books got the guy's sex wrong and never caught wind of the whole "secret Taoist" thing. Or maybe, because Gensokyo is the realm of fantasy, and enough people had doubted Shotoku existed, a fictional Crown Prince was created for Gensokyo.

On the one hand, after criticizing Byakuren she cops to using Buddhism for her own ends. On the other hand, she's got that "My Way is Truly That of Heaven!" spellcard, which is a bit odd for someone trying to scam her way into immortality.

Miko is very fabulous character who exudes charisma and power not unlike Remilia except she is much more mature than the vampire loli.

Ah, right.... the difference between her power and Satori's. I think how my mind currently distinguishes them is that Miko is basically able to 'hear' your body's desires. By listening to all of them at once and comparing them to each other, she can form a very accurate image of someone's mindset. Then, by using super-genius deduction, she can 'get inside your head', so to speak. Like Sherlock Holmes cranked up to 11.

One key thing is that she's hearing your body's desires. I recall somewhere mentioned she 'reads your constitution'. The other thing to bring home from this interpretation is that she doesn't necessarily have experience with many non-humans. Hence, she reads Youmu completely wrong, because she's never read a half-phantom before. Miko sees a lack of desire for life/death, and since in her experience that has a 100% correlation with "being a human who became a Shikaisen", she jumped to that obvious conclusion.

The difference from Satori is that she just looks directly at 'you'. While Miko deduces what's going on in your head, Satori sees it directly. While it's harder to fool, Miko's is more useful in predicting what someone will do and how to manipulate them. Miko knows what makes you who you are (but can be mislead on who you are ^note Though it would take a truly skilled liar or an odd case like Youmu to baffle her). Satori sees who you are (but can't determine why you're that way).

That's my 2 cents on the situation.

Basically. I just get the sense that she doesn't much respect anyone else's opinion on what could be done to create something harmonious and successful. Just do what she says and everything will be totally fine.

I do wonder how a Shikaisen would become a hermit. Considering how carefully the ministry keeps an eye on them, it seems like trying to become a celestial after becoming a Shikaisen is a great way to draw exactly the wrong kind of attention to yourself. Like... I don't know... shooting a steady supply of signal flares while escaping from Alcatraz.

edited 11th Aug '14 11:49:14 PM by Antimatter625