Profile

Cheerful, independent, and a little bit reckless, Yamaji-no-Kodama has been living life according to their whims for many years. Beholden to nothing and no one, they stay anywhere from secluded mountainsides to heavily-populated cities. It all depends on their desires, and their stomach.

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Personality

Kodama is the sort of person who doesn't take life seriously. They are laid-back, remaining generally positive and letting negative things roll off their back. They can be a little mischievous, especially when bored, but aren't the sort to go out of their way to make too much trouble. They're selfish, and intentionally try to keep their relationships shallow. Kodama is actually a very lonely person, but they've been lonely for so long that they've become more or less numb to it. They don't expect anything from anyone, even themselves. Because of their past, they're afraid of getting close to people and afraid to settle down. They try to avoid attachment, only getting closer to those that they think they can benefit from. Kodama is a softie at heart, but often hides it well because they don't like appearing vulnerable.

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Species

Kodama is a kitsunebi, a spirit that controls and feeds upon souls. Through consuming the souls of others, they can use the powers of those beings and extend their own lifespans near-indefinitely. Kitsunebi can manipulate their own souls as well as souls around them that are not bound to physical forms. Their basic form is similar to a large fox, and they are connected to it strongly enough that they can summon and dismiss it from their soul alone. They have the ability to create auxiliary bodies which they can enter freely, though it's much harder to leave while the body itself is still alive, and it remains even once abandoned. A kitsunebi cannot be killed just by killing them in an auxiliary body, and they have magic which can heal any wound provided the body itself has no soul bound to it. Currently Kodama's only auxiliary body is their human one.

A few hundred years ago, demons, spirits, and even gods began to seek the abilities of the kitsunebi en masse. The population rapidly declined, and by now, Kodama has a strong suspicion that they are the only one left.

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Appearance

Kodama's human form resembles a young adult, approximately in their early 20s. They have an appearance that has no strong resemblance to either male or female, and are almost completely lacking in human secondary sex characteristics. They are 5'5 with a thin build and just enough fat and muscle to not come across as overly bony. Their hair is long and layered (short in icons due to PB; either is acceptable for RP purposes) with a base of platinum blonde. They have two long sections of hair to either side of their face that reach down to around their chest. The color of this hair in particular is a barometer of the souls they have absorbed, and has changed over the course of their life. Currently it is almost entirely bright red, thanks to Kodama's consuming of a soul belonging to a fire god of considerable power, and the rest of Kodama's hair is tipped in this same red. Their eyes are a green color unnaturally close to yellow. Kodama is often seen drinking, most frequently from juice boxes but also cans from vending machines, rarely cartons from stores, and occasionally alcohol (beware of flammable burps). Their fashion choice skews modern and sometimes a little bit immature for their appearance.

Their natural form resembles a fox about the height of a human, but with a slightly elongated neck that makes them taller than humans. Their fur is the same color as their hair in human form with the same red tips. They have prehensile appendages that hang from either side of their face in much the way their hair does as human and matching in color; physically these do not possess much strength but they are very flexible and are primarily used for handling souls.

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World

Alongside humans and other beings lacking magic exist three categories of magical entities: gods, spirits, and demons. Gods are born of human wishes and desires. They almost always take the shape of humans, live among them, and are sustained by them. Their purpose is to work towards the fulfillment of the desires that brought them about, in a way that individual humans are unable to pursue. Spirits and demons are very similar, and the difference is in many ways superfluous. They are as varied as non-magical animals and largely live separate from humans. This is because souls exchange and absorb magical energy from other souls, however human souls, with no magical energy of their own, only take energy in and do not put out anything in return. The only real distinction between spirit and demon is whether this energy has a negative or a positive/neutral effect on what is best described as a soul's karma. As a spirit, Kodama's influence is positive, but their ability to revive another being requires a large amount of positive karma, almost always leaving it in a negative state after the process. As far as consumption, human souls can only be eaten while in a negative state, gods can be eaten while negative or neutral, and spirits and demons can be eaten regardless of the state of their karma.

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Being around humans is draining for demons and spirits alike. Most wouldn't do it given any better alternative. So any one of us that takes the shape of a human does so because we have something to gain from you.