Miyu Shirosawa

Background
A certain snake turned into a Tsuchinoko near Kyushu’s Ikeda-ko (a.k.a Lake Ikeda) during the early 17th century. That youkai did not have anything special at first - it merely was the product of some reported sightings in a small village, sightings that unfortunately, were nothing else than the machination of a group of children that desired attention - a simple lie.

There was not much for the creature in terms of choice other than go about and conform itself to what humans thought it was: a youkai with a particular penchant to lie while also having a strong liking to sake: such was what tsuchinoko were said to be.

The nameless snake-youkai went on for about a hundred year doing just that. It did not even have a name, for when people asked it for one, all that they was an identity made up on the spot. The youkai never thought of a proper name it would give itself; there was yet to be a reason to do so.

But one day, something happened. Only the ones above know what exactly sparked such enlightenment within the youkai’s mind, but it began to wonder about its very own personality, or to be more precise, its lack of it. It realized that the deceiving it did wasn’t part of its true self, that it was nothing but an alien prospect that humans had forced upon it through their legends and imagination, and the same could be said for its love of sake. This all began to disgust it, and it slowly was turning into a youkai that was rejecting its very own essence.

Still, all of this remained confined deep within its mind. The youkai’s instinct remained the main governing force, and in this light, it continued to be what it was, a deceiver that mislead people into doing wrong things, perhaps even sometimes, misinforming people to the point that they died in fatal accidents.

The will to assure its own existence as different had come though, and that was the most important part - it had differenced itself from the rest of the other tsuchinoko and slowly was gaining a distinct identity. All of the “great” work it had done slowly began to reward it, coming in the form of legends and myths. These two alongside the youkai’s increasing age caused it to not only grow more powerful, but also more independent from the otherwise, fixed definition of what a tsuchinoko was. After a year or two of struggling against its basic nature, it came to a point that the youkai was able to inhibit its undesired habits to a certain extent.

That is the pivotal moment when “Miyu Shirosawa” was truly born, when the youkai accepted that it was “more” than just something which followed a specific pattern and call. As it was originally female, it took on a persona of the same gender. The name it chose was something that would be the utter opposite of what it did as a youkai, hence why she called herself Miyu, a name that translated itself to either “truthful gentleness” or “superior truth”. Certainly a creative prankster, wasn’t it? Or rather, wasn’t she?

But the ascension of the beast now known as Miyu wasn’t only in the conscious - the reputation she had garnished as a liar had by far bypassed the boundaries of the lake around which she worked - she was fabled as a deceitful tsuchinoko that, with honeyed and well chosen wording, was able to twist the most sound and solid facts. This eventually developed into her greater power, the one that allowed her to defy both natural and logical laws by “faking”.

As all youkai does when such a thing happens, Miyu rejoiced about her reaching a new level amidst the youkai. But “ice melts into nothing else other than water,” or so goes a saying. If Miyu became able to not lie as she desired, it did not mean that she did it on a perpetual basis - it was embedded into her very own core, as if it was part of her heart. The time needed to change all of this was going to be very, very long... and as she kept trying not to lie, she actually found that there was some sort of pleasure she could derive from that act, and said pleasure was very specific, not appearing while she did any other deed.

“What good is a life without pleasure?” That was the question she asked herself as she became faced with this existential problem.

It took time, but eventually, Miyu found some “middle ground” that was most appealing to her, since it fulfilled both the purpose she had as a tsuchinoko youkai and her wish of being “different”. Her effort to not lie would still remain, but rather than fully concentrating onto that as the main “solution”, she would focus on being especially cryptic and unspecific. There was just something about seeing people’s misfortune that caused unequaled bliss to her, especially when concerned misfortune was caused through words that happened not to be lies.

Two hundred years since her birth had lapsed by then. Miyu remained in Japan afterwards, continuing to operate as a tsuchinoko youkai in her own unique way, but countries, just like people, aren’t exempt from change.

As the Edo period came to an end with the advent of the Meiji Restoration in 1868, technology was slowly brought in, and scientific advances began to make locals lose belief in the existence of youkai. While not affected herself as she had defined herself enough to not need human acceptance for continuity, Miyu found that this did make it harder for her to interact with humans, or even, fool them without having to rely on her powers.

Miyu eventually became bored of the place as it was so “uninteresting” and the likes of her were eventually being sidelined for more pressing matters, such as the industrial revolution and catching up with the Western countries. Youkai, while not entirely forgotten, found themselves not so much on the foreground anymore; the mystic slowly got pushed back to a less important part of the average inhabitant’s life.

Something caught her attention though, and that was the immigration of some locals to “a land far away, vaster than anything ever seen.” Seeing no point anymore to stay in Japan for the time being, and curious to know how the land that had stemmed all of Japan’s change was like, Miyu, disguised as a human, boarded the ship towards the continent that the human world called “The Americas”.

In the 1890s, the Tsuchinoko set foot upon the Western Coast of North America, disguised as a normal human child. Using her ability to manipulate facts, she was able to forge herself a valid human identity.

The land was indeed large, much larger than Japan. The geography also happened to be much more varied, with massive deserts, verdant forests, and ice-cold tundras existing on the very same landmass - landmass that all composed one single country. Miyu found this much interesting...

... but the most interesting were the youkai that dwelled in this new land. They were all very different from the ones she knew back in Japan, causing her an interest she didn’t have before - socializing with others of her kind. Well, her definition of “socializing” wasn’t exactly true to the word’s original meaning. Mischief and deceit having been inbred within her existence, she mostly got to “know” other youkai by coming up to them under various forms and misleading them to unfortunate mishaps, all while getting some information about what setting she had exactly set her foot upon. This caused her to gain a very bad reputation, and the local youkai populace eventually begun to brand her as an outlaw.

Miyu laughed at all of this though - she could fake her identity. One day, she was a tsuchinoko, the other day, she could be some eagle, and the next, a different youkai, perhaps even a human.

At a certain point in the early 1900s, Miyu found that there were many legends about “Lake Monsters” that were spread throughout North America, and became intrigued in the subject. It could also be wise to say that the local youkai of the West Coast were beginning to become so hostile that if they ever discovered her true identity per chance - they’d skin her on the spot.

To avoid any more pressure, Miyu moved towards the north east, where the great lakes were said to be. Thinking on what kind of “innovative” prank she could do, she had the idea of posing as a dragon in the lakes and cause onlookers to gain fear of her, potentially raising her powers due to the human emotions, and maybe who knows, giving her some dragon-like abilities?

Fate dictated that Miyu’s first target lake for her string of pranks would be the body of water that was known to white people as Lake Champlain... and that would also be her last, concerning the string that is.

Miyu assumed a form that she thought looked like a water dragon’s, since she had in truth, never seen one with her own eyes. Even if her power of faking was quite the potent one, if she did not know enough details, the re-production wasn’t going to be entirely faithful. And so, in the form of a dragon that had elements of her own aesthetic sense, she entered the lake and tried to trick onlooking watchers in believing that she was the “Lake Monster”.

Only to be dragged into its very depths by something much bigger than her. While she was swimming, something latched itself around her tail, suddenly pulling her towards the abyss.

When she came to her senses, she was in an underwater cave - in front of a massive and imposing serpentine creature that resembled a dragon. Terrified to the point that her limbs could not move, all that Miyu could do was tremble, unable to even invoke a grain of power to allow her an escape. She felt that if she tried a single thing, the imposing serpent before her would just gulp her down in one swift chomp.

But there was also another feeling, the one of unadulterated adoration. The royal fur it had, the charm of the scales that armored its belly, and the simply majestic air that surrounded it - this dragon was all that Miyu wanted to look like, or so she realized.

The being that had caught Miyu was none other than Tatoskok, an old and powerful dragon that was over a millennia old. It wasn’t exactly hostile to the tsuchinoko’s presence, but it had to wonder why a snake that had disguised itself as a dragon was swimming inside his lake, especially when most other youkai of the area feared it as a dragon with a bad temper. It could see through her disguise.

Miyu, still struck with fear and hypnotized by the commanding aura that the dragon had, spilled out all of her history, not a single lie nor a single abstract detail being put this time in her words - she unleashed the complete truth. It was perhaps that first time ever that the tsuchinoko was cornered with no real means of escape, or at least, that is how Miyu felt like.

The dragon was amused by her story, and also intrigued in the little beast that had come from a land far away. Life had become boring for it, and other than spending its days swimming or lazying about in its cave, it did not have a whole lot of activites to do; that is why Tatoskok proposed to Miyu that she could do as she pleased in his lake and even pose as himself, but at the condition that she would become a certain sort of “student”. He had a lot of knowledge, and felt that it would be a waste to keep that knowledge to himself.

Miyu, partially out of fear, but also wishing to spend time by the dragon’s side, accepted. She began a sort of “apprenticeship”, learning nature-related magic, and absorbing the lore and knowledge that the dragon had to impart to her.

The study lasted two years. Miyu’s deceiving surface seldom appeared during that time, and she mostly remained a diligent, good-hearted student. If it was because of her newfound adoration for the dragon, or simply the constant fear of being killed in one instant, even Miyu did not know - she was conflicted: Miyu had initially come to this land for fun, but in a sudden turn of events, it appeared as if she had taken the road towards something of a higher calling. What would happen to her once this “apprenticeship” of hers was over? Only time would tell. resigning herself to see what fate once again held in store.

The point came where Tatoskok eventually deemed that Miyu had learnt enough, and asked her what she would do from that point on. The tsuchinoko had been drastically changed internally from the time she spent with the dragon. As fearsome as his mannerism and appearance was, he did have a somewhat kind heart and Miyu felt like he was treating her, a total stranger, like his own daughter, and this left quite an impression on her.

However, she had begun to feel homesick. Two years spent wandering either around a lake or under a dim cave had caused her to grow a renewed wanting for freedom. She also wondered what had become of her homeland, especially what had been the outcome of the Meiji restoration.

Ever respectful of her mentor, Miyu left the dragon on good terms and told him that she’d put her teachings to good use somehow. Tatoskok trusted that she’d eventually find “more” than just lying and deceiving to her existence, and encouraged her to begin a new, different kind of life back in Japan. He then returned to his usual lazying, as per the general dragon’s habit once it had passed its prime.

It was the early 20th century when Miyu left the Americas and returned to Japan. Due to the influence that her years with Tatoskok had on her, she posed as a dragon - her form as a tsuchinoko only served to remind her of the inferior being that she once was. However, while her old nature had mostly subsided during her stay in America, one could say that when Miyu returned to the place where she was born, being close to her roots revived part of her past personality. She was a youkai after all, and the influence of her birthplace was something much more greater than the influence of an experience in a distant land.

Miyu found back this old desire of hers to be mischievous, but it still wasn’t enough to overwrite her new persona. An entirely new facade emerged from the fusion of the old Miyu that had been left in Japan, and the new Miyu that had come from the land far-away.

“A dragon is said to have established itself as a resident of a lake near mount Yatsugatake, but no one is very sure wherever it exists or not. Rumours say that the dragon can transform itself in a young girl that will visit you, and if you’re good to her, it will grant one basic wish. Watch out for its random bouts of mischief though - should it feel particularly nasty, it will play a prank on you, ever temperamental that it is.”

Such was a certain saying of locals before the Great Barrier was erected. Miyu was sealed inside the paradisiac world by mere coincidence, since the new place she had happened to stop by for living was nothing else than the Misty Lake. She had moved there because it caught her eye on the way back to Kyushu, and it reminded her much of Tatoskok’s lake.

Miyu now resides under the Misty Lake, ever searching for her own way to become a dragon permanently, and also, still playing pranks here and there, all while putting a grain of benevolence from time to time. Her personality has stabilized into the one of cheerful yet cryptic girl. She usually comes out of her residence under human form, but while swimming in the Misty Lake, for the sake of impressions and spoofing humans into really believing that a dragon inhabits the lake, she’ll stick to the dragon form she had used a long time ago. She appears with long white fur on the back of her long serpentine body, two horns, and purple-pink plates ornating her belly. Her tsuchinoko form has in stark contrast been totally forgotten.

Personality
Miyu’s personality is best comparable and summed up to a wise but playful child, ever so fickle. She will not hesitate to mess around with people, as long as she feels safe about doing so. She does not really care for others, but at the same time, she does enjoy seeing others being grateful to her - a feeling that she discovered when she spent time with the elderly dragon that taught her.

Miyu has become obsessed with dragons ever since she met one in flesh, seeing them as beings that are worthy of all the world’s adoration. She strongly strives to become one herself, and as a result, does a lot of research and experiments with her ability of “faking” while she’s in her home, trying to alter her own existence, or otherwise, collecting dragon-related artifacts.

Miyu doesn’t really care about what goes on in Gensokyo, but she had her fair bit of interest about various places and characters, most notably, she wants to gain access to the books contained in the Voile Library, as they could prove useful to her own research. Still, the youkai is wary about her well-being -- things wouldn’t be too well if she ever got on the Librarian’s wrong side. Miyu also wouldn’t mind meeting people with knowledge about history - this includes the scholar Kamishirasawa Keine and Hieda no Akyuu; scavenging for stories with dragon-related content would be made much easier if she knew them..

Likes:


 * Dragons - The creatures that she wants to become like, so much that she fakes her identity as the one of a dragonling.


 * Being Mischievous - It’s been hammered again and again, Miyu is a living example of Schadenfreude.


 * Western Clothing - Her stay in the Americas, especially when she frequented the occidental-inspired towns, caused her to grow some love for the fashion that country. This could explain why she dresses up in such un-Japanese ways at times.


 * Wandering about - When she’s not researching, to randomly take a stroll and see where mother luck takes her could be said to be a hobby. She’ll randomly drop by and visit people at times, just for the sake of changing scenery.

Dislikes:


 * Sake - She’s grown to absolutely hate the drink.


 * People stronger than her - She is wary of them and generally feels uncomfortable. Miyu will get particularly jumpy and stressful if she’s even near one... but will do her best to hide it. This can indirectly infer that Miyu is somewhat of a coward.

Residence
Miyu's cavern is located under the Misty Lake. To access it, one needs to know how to swim, or as an alternative, one has to know how to dig, if anyone can be bothered trying to figure out where and how they should they dig that is. Long things short: her residence is extremely hard to get to.

The cavern in itself actually is filled with dry land – Miyu keeps the water and humidity at bay with a shamanic spell engraved over the cave's entrance. This allows her to keep furniture inside the place, making it resemble some sort of study.

The shady books she stores in her underground domain are mostly borrowed from Suzunaan, but there are some that are part of her personal collection that she's gathered from her travels; to name but a few: a western promotional magazine, some recipe book in English, and an article about western fashion.

Combat/Magical Skills
"'A throughout understanding of “Faking” by Miyu'"

One of the definitions attributable to the name faker is: “one who produces deceitful copies”. That is exactly what my ability allows me to do – whenever I see an object or understand a concept, I can re-create it to a certain extent. I am one who forges counterfeits

However, there are factors that need to be taken into account when I try to forge these counterfeits. Just like how a smith requires both skill and materials to make the finest of crafts, I will require two things to successfully “fake” what I see.

1) The Materials : Spiritual Energy


 * There are many ways to call this “force” that I refer to – mana, od, chi, it comes under many appellation that would be too long for me to enumerate here, so I'll just call it according to the title of this subsection: Spiritual Energy.


 * Spiritual Energy is what equates to the forger's materials – this finite amount of resources is what they'll use to create the piece of work they have in mind, may it be a simple sword, a complex plate of armor, or a massive metallic statue. As it can already be logically concluded, the materials necessary to make a katana are by far less consequent than the ones needed to make a warship. The smith cannot create anything that requires more than what they already have.


 * This allegory is hopefully sufficient to demonstrate how one cannot fake a weapon or concept of greater power than their own. Even though I am about four hundred years old, I still have a very long road to go when it comes to become a powerful youkai – as such, I am unable to “fake” things that emit or are composed of much greater spiritual energy than my own body.


 * However, this does not mean that copying greater things is an absolute impossible to me – working with the materials I have, I could possibly forge something of a similar kind on a smaller or weaker scale. If for example I had 1 measure of iron to forge a giant that would actually require ten, the end result of my attempt to forge said giant would only be a tenth of the original in size or power. Heck, half of the time, it might not even be functional.

2) The Skill : Understanding


 * Now, other than materials, a smith also requires something else if they wish to forge the greatest of masterpieces – the actual skill and knowledge concerning the forging process. Inexperienced smiths only give out brittle constructions, while those that have forged for ages, having a thoroughly understood the art, will be able to create the most magnificent of crafts.


 * As a Faker it is the same for me -- if I want to make a counterfeit that is respectably close to the original, I will need to have comprehension of the matter than I'm trying to re-create – what is it made of, how does it work and how does one use it? If these details are missing from the canvas, there will be no way for me to “fake” whatsoever it is. The comparison can be brought to an even simpler level – how does one cook if they don't even have the basis for it?


 * These two bits of information will hopefully have enlightened you on the nature and limits of “faking”.


 * Now that you've understood more about this power of mine, let us see what appliances there can be for it:

A) “Faking” my appearance


 * Faking looks normally does not belong to my field of expertise, but since manipulating my own self is much easier as the spiritual energy within me is well, my own, I can use this to my advantage and change my appearance.


 * At this point of my existence, I can mostly turn on a whim into simple things that don't have that many complicated shapes – a random brick, a branch, or even, a simple pillar of stone. However, they will appear extremely bland, and I find that most useless, as the more aware individuals will find out the oddity that I am disguised as pretty quickly.


 * Now though, there are things that I can fake very well, and these are things that I have practiced for a long time and have a clear image of what they look like. My human form is one of these “fakings”. It is basically, the image of a child that used to live in the village where I came to exist as a youkai. She was quite innocent looking, and perhaps dare I say, cute, so I decided to use her as reference for the human form I'd adopt. As per the general rule though, I can only make something that's inferior and somewhat flawed – my hair and eyes aren't black like the girl's, they're of the strange violet-pink color.


 * I can also appear as a dragon, or well, a dragonling. I at first had no real reference, but my time spent with mentor Tatoskok, and that one large tapestry of a white dragon that I own in my residence have both given me some solid details to work on, hence making my shape more and more consistent as a dragon ever since. As a copy though, I am once again nowhere near the originals. First of all, I am tiny compared to them, my length being roughly equal to about the combined height of three average adult humans; secondly, even though I look like a dragon, I am not one, so I lack their powers.


 * Coming to taking the appearance of other youkai, it is theoretically possible if I was given enough time to scrutinize their physique and make out the precise details concerning their looks... but that'd require as I said, time, and a lot of effort. Perhaps if I was to gather photos under various angles and take a closer looks of the beings in which I'm interested... oh wait, I do not have a camera.

B) “Faking” Abilities and Weapons


 * This is something that I've barely used, but have practiced since one never knows when a fight is inevitable. After all, without power, one can barely do anything – let alone protect themselves.


 * Using my ability to fake, I can basically copy the weapons and magical abilities of other beings. Danmaku, manipulation of various properties, magical weapons – nothing is beyond me as long as I get a good look at them and understand what they are. A detailed explanation of the conditions which determine a faking's feasibility has already been given earlier, so I'll save you from having to re-read the same things twice.


 * Do note something that I haven't explicitly states beforehand though – the title does say “Objects”, not only weapons. I could also replicate certain items, if I'm given the time to study them and comprehend what they're made of.


 * One last thing when it comes to faking in general – my counterfeits do not last forever, lest I keep supplying them with energy. Their existence is a lie, and nature naturally erases lies; if my counterfeits cease to have something which allows them to anchor themselves in reality, they'll quickly disappear. Maintaining my human form is very low-cost, since I’ve been practicing it since about eighty percent of my lifetime. My dragon form is also, to a lesser extent not as draining, since I’ve poured all of my being into it and memorized what it is that I’m trying to become, as if that fake image is part of me. Maintaining the image of things that are not embedded within my soul would probably be much more straining, and besides deceiving people or gaining their ire, it would not serve me much.

Artifacts
Miyu is an avid collector of items that have some sort of relation to dragons. She has stacked up a lot of “belongings” in her cavern. She says that she's obtained them by “dealing” with various individuals, but one might think that she rather swindled them.

Miyu's cavern has an area that is reserved just for treasures, and she constantly watches over them, much like how European dragons often look after a treasure themselves. The content is hidden behind an illusory “fake” wall, making it so that only Miyu herself would know that one could actually touch the layer of “rock” and it'd disappear on contact.

The Tsuchinoko's most prized possessions are:


 * - A fragment of the blade that killed a legendary dragon
 * Possibly from one of Siegfried's swords. Has been submerged in dragon blood as it was used to slay one, piercing the thick hide and going deep into the dragon's organs. Theorized by Miyu to contain more than just a high amount of formless magical power.


 * - A gem from the American-Indian Dragon Piasa
 * Piasa was originally a dragon with the ability to control and create water; a great figure amidst the Native American legends. As he died, this gem which was part of his body not only contains a trace of his power, but also the very poison that was strong enough to kill a powerful creature like him. As it's been a long time since the poison seeped in there though, its potency has decreased by quite a lot.


 * - The tip of a dragon's tail that can double as a greatsword.
 * Extremely durable, and with scales that could serve as serrated edges for cutting/lacerating. Has been in a rigid state since the death of its owner. It is very heavy and hard to wield, but is also filled with magical fire that can be unleashed by Miyu when she herself inputs some chi into the sword/tail. Belongs to the dragon that Saint George slew, and looks stupidly oversized when Miyu's wielding it in her human form.


 * - The tooth of a gigantic dragon that once roamed the seas.
 * Belongs to the legendary Leviathan. Massive, and is said to be indestructible. Also so heavy that Miyu can't even lift it with her youkai strength.


 * - The eye of a dragon
 * Time feels slow as one gazes upon it. One could even have the impression that time has stopped, and everything is becoming immobile. Or is it them that is becoming immobile? Who knows? There is indeed that impression of one's body becoming quite rigid and heavy... so what if it once belonged to the Basilik?

These aren't the only treasures that she has, but Miyu regards the rest as either useless or just fit for decorative purpose – these artifacts are those upon which she can still research in her hopes to eventually become a dragon. She's analyzed them thoroughly, to the point where she can “fake” them out of memory. However, since she's copying what already happen to be old artifacts that aren't at their prime anymore, what she creates tends to be fitting for someone around the Green Level of Power Ratings.

Spellcards - Shooter Format
Faking Sign: Replicate - What will probably become Miyu’s most infamous spellcard, she basically traces certain patterns and danmaku types similar to the enemy’s and uses them in conjunction with her own danmaku. It relies more on irritating the enemy and surprising them than sheer power and complexity.