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Just babbling on some general fox stuff and Kaori/Natsume's place in it. THIS IS GOING TO BE A LITTLE DISJOINTED i am so sorry... also if there's anything that doesn't make sense or contradicts things, please let me know! After a while my thought process starts fizzling out.
So, to begin! In Japanese lore foxes, or kitsune, are often portrayed as temptresses, tricksters, messengers, or any combination of both and more. Some are shown as messengers or servants of Inari, their patron god, while others are malicious and wish to bring harm on the people and animals they come across. They are often affiliated with an element or a group of elements, the supernatural, and nature. They're shown to be female most often, or take female forms, with(I assume) the idea that it's easier to trick/tempt men. Of course, there are plenty of love stories as a result! ...Most of them end pretty tragically, one way or another.
In Natsume's world, her Earth, living things are all inherently magical. Whether or not they can harness that magic depends on many things-- personality, species, age, etc. That being said, foxes, those in Japan in particular, show the highest capabilities for magical ability. For the most part their magic comes in with age and because of various world factors(overcrowding, deforesting, busy roads, pollution, etc) new kitsune are somewhat hard to come by because they simply don't live as long as they could(a fox with little magical ability will likely only last the average lifespan of a wild animal, however). Female foxes come into their magic much earlier in life, hence the majority of female kitsune, while males lag a little behind; in the larger scheme of things it matter very little, as a young female kitsune will readily mate with a male fox and more often than not her pups will have just as much a chance at coming into magic as they would if she had waited to an older age, to bear a more magically inclined fox's child. This isn't to say there aren't those, who do, however! Which I'll talk about more when I bring up Kaori.
Now, all Japanese foxes have a spiritual, internal connection to the god Inari-- a very basic acknowledgement for most that there is something there for them, but of course, wild animals think little of gods and their whims. A fox can take one of three paths in life-- the first path is the simplest for those with no extra ability, and that is to remain a simple animal, living normally and as well as they can. This isn't to say it's a bad path-- there is little to judge about following your most base instincts. The second would be to harness their magic, but to use it for malice and tricks-- the path of a nogitsune, which separates the fox from Inari's hold until either a) it veers back onto the path of "goodness"(a term that means little, to a fox) or b) it completely abandons any will of its god forever, and remains as it is until it is either killed or consumed by its hatred/malice/whatever and turns into something else entirely. A nogitsune never remains as it is for very long, as it is a weak creature, compared to the more hostile things that dwell in its area of working, and if it commits some form of harassment or atrocity near a shrine of Inari's, Hir foxes are sent to deal with the offendor. The third path would be to embrace Inari as its god, and the abilities that brings-- while not necessarily being used as a servant or messenger or shrine guardian for Hir, they have the ability to choose to do so, or to simply live out life normally. Something to keep in mind is that while kitsune can be called kami, they are not necessarily spirits-- it is very much a case-by-case basis, usually accounting for power rather than actual spiritual presence.
Inari's foxes are special, to say the least. There are thirteen elements a fox can be affiliated with, and rarely will a fox have more than one attached to them. "Wind" and "spirit" foxes(kuko and kiko respectively) appear to have the highest turnover rate for nogitsune, though the cause may simply be the fox's personality meshing well with the element as opposed to the element making them that way. Fire, earth, river, ocean, mountain, forest, thunder, time, and sound all have few kitsune affiliated with them, in varying amounts, and many of these have other deities or animals that appeal to them as well. Occasionally they may form a partnership, friendship, or other sort of relationship(with non-foxes) based simply on what element they come close to. Heaven and void(tenko and reiko) make up the majority of foxes under Inari's command, coming in white and black respectively with very little variation in color for that element. For the most part they are loyal and true, not prone to tricks or traps, and concentrate on their duty. ...Thankfully, there's enough of these that a bunch of them just fool around unless commanded otherwise, but for the most part they are "good". Of course, any fox, no matter how powerful or how many tails or how connected to Inari it is can be swayed into malice, just like anything else.
As far as culture goes, kitsune love knowledge and information and often steal things like books and maps and scrolls in an effort to learn. They often have a set of skills they do better than other ones, like most people, and concentrate mostly on that! Most, if not all have very good imaginations, as is required for high-grade illusions, and outside of that they do usually put it to good use, whether it be carving, painting, pottery, weaving, whatever. They're very hands-on and often don't enjoy artistic things they can't physically touch or mess with. Kitsune take the value of words and promises very seriously-- break a promise with a fox, and they may hold a grudge or take retribution on you as they see fit. They hate being betrayed above most other things, as their bonds with others tend to take precedence above most other things(except perhaps enjoyment, but that often goes hand-in-hand). They thrive in company and family groups, and if they're in an area for long enough will often claim a small group of people(foxes or otherwise) as their own for their own comfort. Prone to sleeping in piles because it's warm, if they can.
Now, onto Kaori! Kaori was born to a pair of powerful foxes, tenko and reiko respectively. She came into her power as a normal fox would, after some number of years, and was crafty enough to avoid getting killed until she was powerful enough to control many aspects of her life! I've made it clear that Kaori is a very independent kitsune, who does not need love or family(but enjoys having it), and she's proud of this fact. In and among kitsune, she's something of an oddball(no, scratch that-- she is an oddball, no denying) and it makes others wary of her for things other than her powers. The foxes in her general age group(or those that have reaches eight or nine tails) find her attitude and personality in general displeasing and a clear case of being unable to act her age-- they believe Kaori is far too old to continue partaking in human pleasures, and while judgemental creatures it is recognized that most kitsune really give absolutely no fucks when it comes to what others think. However, the fact that she denies the pull of tight-knit family groups disturbs them to some extent-- they can't imagine ever wanting to be alone and unloved as long as she has, and they don't understand just why it is that she doesn't seem at all bothered. So despite her ranking Kaori's treated like something of an outcast and is rarely ever called to do Inari's bidding.
In Thusia she is, to be frank, a little afraid of the fact that she has absolutely no connection to Inari. As something that's been with her all her life, to suddenly have it cut off bothers her much more than anything usually would. As a result she's sort of... gathering people around her that she can consider hers and enjoying the comfort and safety of a large group she never really felt she needed before. She doesn't do it on purpose, however, and if you asked her she'd obviously say "no, that isn't true," but! Not without doubting herself. She's aware she's been protective of Gian and Aella and Aoko and she really enjoys interacting with the rest of Apt C and the Stupid Kings and basically everyone else '^' MAKING FRIENDS is a new and weird experience. She may try to get herself affiliated with one of the gods here if only to have some sort of connection that sits a few ranks above her.
As for Natsume... well, it isn't exactly a secret that she has a tengu father! This is not a fox. Not at all. In general interspecies mating creates some funky stuff due to the magical nature of these things but thankfully Natsume came out relatively normal! She was born as a fox kit, and was blessed, so to speak, with the ability to come into her powers much earlier than normal-- I said this in her question meme, that she started minor shapeshifting things around the age of ten which, while old for a normal fox obviously isn't here. However, as a downside, she has no secure connection to Inari as other foxes do. While she would be able to form that connection in the future if she pursued it, she doesn't have that natural feeling. Thankfully her chances of becoming nogitsune are super low because she's a huge wimp. Compared to Kaori, she's much more of a "traditional" fox in how she feels and acts, if not so much by her personality. She absolutely needs to have a group around her, which is why she fell into the circus, and subsequently Sparkles, so fast. She's fairly mature and polite for her age, and obedient, which is well-liked as a servant of Inari.
Uuunfortunately now she'll never get there! Oops. Thusia happened! That said, she's extremely attached to her flatmates, but unlike Kaori she doesn't quite consider them "hers"... subconsciously she might, these are her things and she needs to watch over them, but she can never actively think that way. It just isn't how she processes things! So she just settles for importance and Feelings. Not to mention there are a couple other people she considers important but if it came down to it, Sparkles comes first. Not to say she isn't horribly depressed because she is. But then again there's not much that makes Natsume very happy, no matter how much she tries to say otherwise :V Pettings do help, though.
SO THAT'S MY. THING. I guess. '-' if i think of more i'll add it in somewhere...
So, to begin! In Japanese lore foxes, or kitsune, are often portrayed as temptresses, tricksters, messengers, or any combination of both and more. Some are shown as messengers or servants of Inari, their patron god, while others are malicious and wish to bring harm on the people and animals they come across. They are often affiliated with an element or a group of elements, the supernatural, and nature. They're shown to be female most often, or take female forms, with(I assume) the idea that it's easier to trick/tempt men. Of course, there are plenty of love stories as a result! ...Most of them end pretty tragically, one way or another.
In Natsume's world, her Earth, living things are all inherently magical. Whether or not they can harness that magic depends on many things-- personality, species, age, etc. That being said, foxes, those in Japan in particular, show the highest capabilities for magical ability. For the most part their magic comes in with age and because of various world factors(overcrowding, deforesting, busy roads, pollution, etc) new kitsune are somewhat hard to come by because they simply don't live as long as they could(a fox with little magical ability will likely only last the average lifespan of a wild animal, however). Female foxes come into their magic much earlier in life, hence the majority of female kitsune, while males lag a little behind; in the larger scheme of things it matter very little, as a young female kitsune will readily mate with a male fox and more often than not her pups will have just as much a chance at coming into magic as they would if she had waited to an older age, to bear a more magically inclined fox's child. This isn't to say there aren't those, who do, however! Which I'll talk about more when I bring up Kaori.
Now, all Japanese foxes have a spiritual, internal connection to the god Inari-- a very basic acknowledgement for most that there is something there for them, but of course, wild animals think little of gods and their whims. A fox can take one of three paths in life-- the first path is the simplest for those with no extra ability, and that is to remain a simple animal, living normally and as well as they can. This isn't to say it's a bad path-- there is little to judge about following your most base instincts. The second would be to harness their magic, but to use it for malice and tricks-- the path of a nogitsune, which separates the fox from Inari's hold until either a) it veers back onto the path of "goodness"(a term that means little, to a fox) or b) it completely abandons any will of its god forever, and remains as it is until it is either killed or consumed by its hatred/malice/whatever and turns into something else entirely. A nogitsune never remains as it is for very long, as it is a weak creature, compared to the more hostile things that dwell in its area of working, and if it commits some form of harassment or atrocity near a shrine of Inari's, Hir foxes are sent to deal with the offendor. The third path would be to embrace Inari as its god, and the abilities that brings-- while not necessarily being used as a servant or messenger or shrine guardian for Hir, they have the ability to choose to do so, or to simply live out life normally. Something to keep in mind is that while kitsune can be called kami, they are not necessarily spirits-- it is very much a case-by-case basis, usually accounting for power rather than actual spiritual presence.
Inari's foxes are special, to say the least. There are thirteen elements a fox can be affiliated with, and rarely will a fox have more than one attached to them. "Wind" and "spirit" foxes(kuko and kiko respectively) appear to have the highest turnover rate for nogitsune, though the cause may simply be the fox's personality meshing well with the element as opposed to the element making them that way. Fire, earth, river, ocean, mountain, forest, thunder, time, and sound all have few kitsune affiliated with them, in varying amounts, and many of these have other deities or animals that appeal to them as well. Occasionally they may form a partnership, friendship, or other sort of relationship(with non-foxes) based simply on what element they come close to. Heaven and void(tenko and reiko) make up the majority of foxes under Inari's command, coming in white and black respectively with very little variation in color for that element. For the most part they are loyal and true, not prone to tricks or traps, and concentrate on their duty. ...Thankfully, there's enough of these that a bunch of them just fool around unless commanded otherwise, but for the most part they are "good". Of course, any fox, no matter how powerful or how many tails or how connected to Inari it is can be swayed into malice, just like anything else.
As far as culture goes, kitsune love knowledge and information and often steal things like books and maps and scrolls in an effort to learn. They often have a set of skills they do better than other ones, like most people, and concentrate mostly on that! Most, if not all have very good imaginations, as is required for high-grade illusions, and outside of that they do usually put it to good use, whether it be carving, painting, pottery, weaving, whatever. They're very hands-on and often don't enjoy artistic things they can't physically touch or mess with. Kitsune take the value of words and promises very seriously-- break a promise with a fox, and they may hold a grudge or take retribution on you as they see fit. They hate being betrayed above most other things, as their bonds with others tend to take precedence above most other things(except perhaps enjoyment, but that often goes hand-in-hand). They thrive in company and family groups, and if they're in an area for long enough will often claim a small group of people(foxes or otherwise) as their own for their own comfort. Prone to sleeping in piles because it's warm, if they can.
Now, onto Kaori! Kaori was born to a pair of powerful foxes, tenko and reiko respectively. She came into her power as a normal fox would, after some number of years, and was crafty enough to avoid getting killed until she was powerful enough to control many aspects of her life! I've made it clear that Kaori is a very independent kitsune, who does not need love or family(but enjoys having it), and she's proud of this fact. In and among kitsune, she's something of an oddball(no, scratch that-- she is an oddball, no denying) and it makes others wary of her for things other than her powers. The foxes in her general age group(or those that have reaches eight or nine tails) find her attitude and personality in general displeasing and a clear case of being unable to act her age-- they believe Kaori is far too old to continue partaking in human pleasures, and while judgemental creatures it is recognized that most kitsune really give absolutely no fucks when it comes to what others think. However, the fact that she denies the pull of tight-knit family groups disturbs them to some extent-- they can't imagine ever wanting to be alone and unloved as long as she has, and they don't understand just why it is that she doesn't seem at all bothered. So despite her ranking Kaori's treated like something of an outcast and is rarely ever called to do Inari's bidding.
In Thusia she is, to be frank, a little afraid of the fact that she has absolutely no connection to Inari. As something that's been with her all her life, to suddenly have it cut off bothers her much more than anything usually would. As a result she's sort of... gathering people around her that she can consider hers and enjoying the comfort and safety of a large group she never really felt she needed before. She doesn't do it on purpose, however, and if you asked her she'd obviously say "no, that isn't true," but! Not without doubting herself. She's aware she's been protective of Gian and Aella and Aoko and she really enjoys interacting with the rest of Apt C and the Stupid Kings and basically everyone else '^' MAKING FRIENDS is a new and weird experience. She may try to get herself affiliated with one of the gods here if only to have some sort of connection that sits a few ranks above her.
As for Natsume... well, it isn't exactly a secret that she has a tengu father! This is not a fox. Not at all. In general interspecies mating creates some funky stuff due to the magical nature of these things but thankfully Natsume came out relatively normal! She was born as a fox kit, and was blessed, so to speak, with the ability to come into her powers much earlier than normal-- I said this in her question meme, that she started minor shapeshifting things around the age of ten which, while old for a normal fox obviously isn't here. However, as a downside, she has no secure connection to Inari as other foxes do. While she would be able to form that connection in the future if she pursued it, she doesn't have that natural feeling. Thankfully her chances of becoming nogitsune are super low because she's a huge wimp. Compared to Kaori, she's much more of a "traditional" fox in how she feels and acts, if not so much by her personality. She absolutely needs to have a group around her, which is why she fell into the circus, and subsequently Sparkles, so fast. She's fairly mature and polite for her age, and obedient, which is well-liked as a servant of Inari.
Uuunfortunately now she'll never get there! Oops. Thusia happened! That said, she's extremely attached to her flatmates, but unlike Kaori she doesn't quite consider them "hers"... subconsciously she might, these are her things and she needs to watch over them, but she can never actively think that way. It just isn't how she processes things! So she just settles for importance and Feelings. Not to mention there are a couple other people she considers important but if it came down to it, Sparkles comes first. Not to say she isn't horribly depressed because she is. But then again there's not much that makes Natsume very happy, no matter how much she tries to say otherwise :V Pettings do help, though.
SO THAT'S MY. THING. I guess. '-' if i think of more i'll add it in somewhere...