Fanart is by Syurii22.

Toyosatomimi no Miko is a character in the Touhou Project series introduced in its 13th installment, Ten Desires.

Miko was once Prince Shoutoku, a Japanese leader in the 600s known for promoting Buddhism and streamlining the Japanese government. In the Touhou lore, she was visited by Taoist hermit Seiga Kaku, who had heard about Miko’s longing for immortality. Seiga introduced her to Taoism, but she rejected it as a religion unfit for placating an entire country. She was intrigued by its promise of immortality, however, and privately converted to it, advocating for Buddhism to keep Japan stable. After drinking an “immortality elixir” (mercury sulfide), however, she was forced to let go of her body and become a supernatural hermit like Seiga, notably taking on the form of a woman, making her a canonically trans character (lets-fucking-go).

After convincing a hermit from a rival clan (Mononobe no Futo) to sleep without decaying, Miko followed in suit, waiting for a time where a Taoist Japan would revive her in search of guidance. However, Buddhist monks were able to keep her mausoleum sealed, and the legends surrounding her were slowly brushed off- which led to her transportation into Gensokyo, where the folklore of old is a reality of everyday life.

When she awoke in Gensokyo, it was right after Buddhist monk Byakuren Hijiri opened her own temple, however, leading to a surge of divine spirits across the realm, setting up the events of Ten Desires.

What look like headphones on her are canonically earmuffs- Shoutoku was allegedly able to discern between ten questions asked at once, an ability carried by Miko (although with her enhanced abilities, she can also analyze each person and determine their inner desires (thus the title of the game))- although it means her hearing is highly sensitive and has to be muffled to prevent pain.


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  • khizuo [ze/zir]
    ·
    4 months ago

    I saw the authors mentioned in the course description and immediately thought of you. It name-dropped Torrey Peters, Imogen Binnie, Akwaeke Emezi, and Camilla Sosa Villada. The professor has written a lot about transness in fiction, and also her faculty photo was so goth. I think she is really cool, I'm so excited to be in her class.

    • ashinadash [she/her]
      ·
      4 months ago

      AHHHHHHHHH NO MY MIRROR IMAGE IS OUT THERE SOMEWHERE!!! HOW IS THIS A CLASS AND WHY AM I NOT IN IT, I HAVE SPENT MY ADULT LIFE TRAINING FOR THIS sunny-breakdown WE COULD BE MATCHING WITS RIGHT NOW! GOOD LORD

      • khizuo [ze/zir]
        ·
        4 months ago

        The class is explicitly about the renaissance/re-emergence of trans fiction starting in 2014, and I am pretty sure that this means Nevada will be assigned.

        this will doxx me, but

        If you want, I can DM you the professor's website. She is genuinely so cool.

        • ashinadash [she/her]
          ·
          4 months ago

          If you're cool with that I would be fuckin fascinated to see, fwiw. Don't do it on bearsite though, find me on matrix probably.

          the renaissance/re-emergence of trans fiction starting in 2014

          power-genius For one thing Nevada came out extremely late 2012/early 2013 so there's that, but trans fic, I wouldn't place a single year on it. Is there really trans fic before then though? I have long looked for trans people writing their stories before then and had no luck.

          I think we will need to be having some discussions niko-concern