[not again] catchall for chuuya

[fishingforcompliments]

i'll make this pretty when i'm not hunting down stuff for memshares

Comments

[shortforever]

It's a beast of legend, I guess? Like...

[He does not know what legends exist in Flayn's world.]

...they're not real, but like, people write stories about them. Myths, kinda. Tengu walk upright like a man, but they have the features like I had in that memory: the feet, the wings, the tail, and sometimes they even have a bird head too. Usually they carry swords and are fierce fighters too.

They're a kind of yokai, which is like...kind of like demons, I guess? But yokai aren't always evil like demons are. Sometimes they're tricksters. Or like with tengu, they're not really good or bad and just like to fight.

[fishingforcompliments]

I see...

["Not really good or bad and just like to fight" - now who does that remind her of? Flayn, perhaps wisely, does not say that out loud.]

How fascinating! Do you know many of the stories that have been written about them, Chuuya?

[shortforever]

[Let's just say there's a reason why he ended up as a tengu lol]

I know some? Like, they're bedtime stories and stuff. I'm no expert, but I grew up hearing them just like any other kid.

Why? You want to know more?

[fishingforcompliments]

Yes, I would love to!

[shortforever]

Well alright.

First off, there's two similar ones: the tanuki, and the kitsune. Both of them are shape-shifting animals that can make themselves look like anything they want, even humans. There's two main differences between them. First off, a tanuki is a tanuki, obviously. And a kitsune is a fox. But the other difference is in their intent. Tanuki usually like pranks that are mostly-harmless, so coming across one isn't too dangerous. A kitsune, on the other hand, can be very dangerous. They're very moody, and sometimes they eat people.

[fishingforcompliments]

[


she doesn't knOW WHAT A TANUKI IS, CHUUYA. but she'll listen patiently as he explains.]

They... eat people? But why? [...] There are quite a lot of creatures that eat humans... but I cannot imagine that they are very tasty. Why eat a person when you could eat a delicious fish, instead?

[shortforever]

I dunno, they never really explained that part. Maybe it's because most animals would eat humans, if given the chance? But I bet they eat fish too, yeah.

[fishingforcompliments]

What sorts of forms do they take most often, since they can shape-shift?

[shortforever]

Humans, I think? To like, go live among them and trick them and stuff.

[fishingforcompliments]

Is there any particular sort of human form they take? That is... is there some way to identify them for what they are, or are they indistinguishable from humans until they begin tricking them?

[shortforever]

Sexy ladies, I guess?

[Dazai was not a sexy lady kitsune though.]

The legends usually say that they can't hide their tails with magic, so they have to hide them under their clothes. So if you find a fox tail, it's a kitsune.

[fishingforcompliments]

[Was he a sexy kitsune man?]

...but a tail would be difficult to hide under clothing, would it not?

[shortforever]

[He was actually kind of horrifying, so no.]

Not under a kimono, I guess. Or a poofy dress.

[fishingforcompliments]

[Yikes. Hopefully he'll be sexier for Chuuya here. Actually that sentence was kind of cursed, strike it from the record.]

Oh - I suppose not. Then you could keep yourself safe by not associating with people wearing clothing of that type, correct?

[shortforever]

So you're saying I should never talk to a girl in a skirt again?

[Just. Listen to how ridiculous you sound, Flayn.]

[fishingforcompliments]

...

Well, I suppose that would be a little extreme.

[shortforever]

Right? I'm not gonna stop talking to girls just to avoid something that might not even be real.

[fishingforcompliments]

Yes... but if you were in a place where you knew they were real, that would be one way to avoid them, I suppose.

Is it the same for the tanuki? Are they also unable to hide their tails?