#amashinsai yokai au

[julia-bunncat]

Amashinsai yōkai! AU: Hebi's biology and psychology.

I decide to finish this post especially in honour of Korekiyo's birthday! HBD, my sweet lovely snake boy! 💚

...When I wrote my first post about Yōkai! AU, I mentioned that I could go into more detail about the Hebi's nature (as, at the moment, these are the most elaborate yōkais in my AU)... And although there have been no direct requests for it – I have recently been inspired again, which means here we go again! 😂

TW: In the hcs below, there will be repeated mentions to all kinds of violence, cannibalism and killing, because, let's not forget that the Yōkais are Japanese evil spirits, demons. The process of hebi's procreation and conception (reproduction) will be described in some detail, with mention of animal reproductive organs, so if you're disgusted by that sort of thing, you'd better skip this post or not read the paragraph dedicated to it. I suggest you treat it like a paragraph in a biology textbook :'D

Have a little look at the officially-approved hebi!Kiyo's design (I remind you that my bestie, who doesn't have active blogs in English, draws things for me)

and I'll start!!

𓆓 Kiyo came to the human world in part to understand why the yōkai, being creatures of a more ancient and independent nature, are mostly partially human-like. His theory is that previously all hebi and yōkai in general had a different (more animal-like) appearance, but after numerous encounters and promiscuous liaisons with humans, decided to take on their appearance (to make it easier to deceive / use for their own purposes, which in turn also doesn't exclude the possibility that hebi are partly human = descendants of these unions human + ancient hebi).

𓆓 A reminder that Korekiyo has a couple of powers: hypnosis, emotional healing and small wounds treatment (+ he can anticipate changes in the weather as he's very sensitive to temperatures; can hide his presence even from gifted people and teleport over short distances). He could have done more and/or developed what he already had if he had wanted to, but given the path he chose, it wasn't necessary. Nevertheless, the Hebi, as a separate species, have their own Progenitors – the serpent deities who embody everything that is attributed to the image of the snakes in folklore [life and death, malehood and femalehood, wisdom and blind passion, healing and poison, etc. – in fact, this is why a normal hebi chooses between two ways of "enlightenment"]. Progenitors are enormous and wrap their tails around the entire serpentine otherworldly dimension. They can control the weather, time and space, bend other yōkais to their will, possess infinite knowledge, but also care their little half-human Hebis, giving them freedom of action and peace of mind.

𓆓 The "Serpentine Otherworldly Dimension" – is a nest which looks like a deep cave with chaotically swirling hebis. It's a dark and "crowded" place, as there REALLY are a lot of snakes mixed in there, doing whatever they want. The hebi who have chosen the path of intellectual enrichment almost never leave it, and remain isolated even from some of their relatives, preferring to gain knowledge from the Progenitors. And the hebi who want to build up their power by eating anything and everything, first being played back at their relatives by endlessly competing for energy and physical dignity, and then go to the otherworld for other yōkai / to the human world for mortals.

𓆓 A "little bit" about the Hebi's birth and reproduction. Like descendant snakes, they have a division into females and males = different reproductive body structure. Nevertheless, it's worth remembering that they are primarily spiritual beings – bodies are just conventions, shells, vessels for holding energy reserves (their main food) – which means that, at a basic level, they are still genderfluid. With some effort, the male can "grow" the necessary organ to temporarily hold the foetus in his body, if he wishes to give birth himself. The female, in turn, will also be able to "acquire" a fertilising organ for herself. Another thing is that it's not socially acceptable to do this, or rather no one thinks about it, because in principle there is rarely any love for one's partner/offspring = there is no self-conscious desire to necessarily reproduce (It's only intensified by instinct during the 'mating season' after molting, which is essentially the work of the Progenitors).  The reproductive anatomy of females and males is a mixture of snake's + human's anatomy. Males have no nipples and navel, but two hemipenises – its appearance can vary depending on the "enlightenment way" chosen, but generally it resemble tentacles that narrow towards the end (the male can move them almost as deftly as his tail). The location is inside the tail, in the human groin area. Females have breasts (which are more the result of mutation or desire, i.e. their function is accessory), two clitoris + the semblance of a uterus, so yes, Hebis are viviparous. However, they don't carry a foetus – fertilisation occurs when a piece of the male's energy is injected into the uterine zone through the hemipenis and this piece is formed into one or more life forms that grow to the size of a baby in a matter of minutes and burst out of the mother's womb (* the mother doesn't die from it – she can heal such a wound). The process of such an express birth, and the fact of pregnancy itself – is very undesirable for any parent, so females use all possible contraceptive methods (for example, by forming a barrier inside themselves to prevent the long hemipenis from reaching the "danger zone").  Another thing is that hebis mating is always a wild and aggressive process. A female may be attacked by several males with the sole purpose of taking as much of her life energy as possible – and not always the surrounded individual have time to fight back and react appropriately.

𓆓 It goes without saying that baby-snakes are very unwelcome "guests" in the Hebi's world, given the circumstances of their birth as described above. Once they are born, their parents don't hesitate to abandon them to their fate, while other hebis are ready to crush the cubs with their multi-kilogram tails at any time, or devour them as a snack. In other words, the first minutes of a Hebi's life are spent trying to survive. And getting back to Korekiyo... He survived, in fact, thanks to his slightly stronger, more active and eldest only for a few seconds sister :D Contrary to all the laws of yōkai's empathy, Miyadera was born with a protective instinct and took great care of her little brother, realising from the first seconds that in this world you can only exist in peace if you become "stronger, harder, faster" (so, she ate... other baby-snakes that she met along the way). In one day, she and Kiyo heard of the existence of other dimensions of Yōkai (and not only), found a way to move to one of those "inter-worlds", and grew there until their views abruptly diverged. They didn't squabble – it was just that Miyadera had let Kiyo go to the human world, figuring that he would want to sate not their knowledge, but their flesh, roughly speaking :'D But as I have written before, although future conflict is inevitable, they will eventually come to some understanding, thanks to a deeper and healthier sibling bond. I wanted it to be like that, at least in this universe. Also, without straying too far from the subject of baby-snakes, I think it's worth mentioning that the Hebi don't age visually, as they are "immortal until killed". Or to be more precise, born in the form of a baby, they change for a while, but as soon as the outward appearance takes on the characteristics of a young man/woman – "ageing" stops and the actual age is only reflected in the volume and length of the tail. If a Hebi wants to become a giant snake in every sense of the word, he is more likely to abandon anything human in his appearance.

𓆓 I mentioned in passing above that the main food for the hebi is a soul energy, as they are (again) spiritual beings and all the magic available to them is the result of what they have previously accumulated. If in the case of the "path of knowledge" everything is generally transparent (knowledge is an immaterial, conscious product; the more knowledge — the sooner the otherworldly being develops), then it's worth clarifying something about nutrition in the usual sense of this word. At first I assumed that the Hebi had a snake stomach that ran the length of their body, and that their jaw expanded to absorb food many times its own size.... But then I thought: why do we need all this fuss and convention for? 😆 All the Hebi have left of the snakes (which, I remind you, are their descendants — the same creations of the Progenitors) is the ability to expand their jaws to the size of at least a human head. After such a powerful yawn, the characteristic cracks in their cheeks remain for a while, but then smooth out again for a more naturalistic human appearance. The function of such a jaw is simple — to hold as much as possible... And the "food" will be digested / broken down to the state of the much needed energy substance directly in the mouth. A very environmentally friendly way to get rid of "leftovers" ;) With this body structure, hebi are omnivorous: animals, humans, human food, and other yokai. However, it is logical that they will get no energy from food that doesn't have some sort of soul, which means that eating anything "human" (other than animal carcasses) is completely useless. And yes, "digesting in the mouth" doesn't mean that if a human puts their hand in the mouth of a hebi — they will lose that hand. If the snake realises that you're not trying to feed them lavishly, it will end happily — touch the fangs as much as you like! 😂 Oh, and also, despite the specificity of their diet, they are able to taste and smell quietly. And no hebi performs the act of defecation, urination and sweating.

𓆓 The appearance, as well as the abilities of the hebi, can be completely unique. Thus, horns are a reminder of their connection to dragons (although, as proud, self-loving and self-sufficient creatures, they prefer not to draw such a parallel); essentially don't affect any characteristics, but there are some individuals who consciously use those horns as an indicator of their own strength, status, and age. Sometimes the horns are artificially enlarged and this "crown" can exceed the volume of the head (which generally doesn't prevent such a hebi from moving)... Kiyo doesn't care about such things and even treats it as some kind of teenage mischief :'D But the tail colouring is more interesting topic. There may even be some gene pooling at work here, producing an infinite variety of colours and patterns on them, but there are variants that are considered VERY attractive to individuals of both sexes — and this is vividly expressed during the mating season. In my AU, the owner of such colouring would be Shuichi Saihara after his amazing rebirth :D In his case, literally all EP are pumped into attractiveness, and from that point of view, he is very lucky not to have been born in the "Hebi dimension" ;)

𓆓 The species division of humanworld snakes is, to some extent, a result of what is going on in their Hebi-creators. For example, Kiyo isn't venomous because he didn't need such an ability, but other relatives who chose "development by eating" could acquire various venoms just to "take it easy". It should be understood that "human poisons", the venom of ordinary snakes, and other vicious substances are nothing compared to the paranormal venom of the Hebi. Accordingly, all of the above will not apply to them. The best way to kill a venomous yokai is to sic an equally venomous one to them. Another known power of snakes is constriction. In battles, Korekiyo will use the abilities of his tail + the agility and cunning gained by teleporting short distances. And the imagination doesn't stop there — hebies can even sail the seas if they want to, and it's not for nothing that there's such a strong connection in folklore between snakes-werewolves and something aquatic!

𓆓 And the last thing I'd like to point out for understanding these creatures — is the spectrum of feelings. Hebi's can't crying — and it's not just their physiology. Feelings of sadness, longing, despair are, if not atrophied, buried very, very deeply in their souls. In other words, they are not deprived of the ability to experience this full range of feelings - there are simply no external circumstances that would allow them to express them in any way. Yokai's temperament will always be about something negative in human terms — irritation, rage, pride, cunning, temper, lying... But understandably, there are exceptions. For example, when the hebi do feel sympathy for each other — it becomes possible to trace their own "snake love language". Kissing, active tactile types of caresses like patting/scratching "it's something for human". But weaving, rubbing, squeezing, various tail sliding — this is what we need. At most, they can clasp each other in a hug or intertwine their fingers... Which overall looks gentle ~

That's it for now!! I hope I've satisfied someone's curiosity, or just fascinated with unconventional biology, ahah! 😜🐍

[happy6machine]

Spiritual Experience

Aug. 30, 2021 (needs redrawing sometime).

Part of Amashinsai Yokai AU. Actually, I think this post is a bit outdated, so better check the tag "amashinsai yokai au"? I don't feel like drawing much right now... Maybe I can take a few requests? Honestly, feel free to send your queries to my inbox. About shinsai or whatever. I don't fully comprehend how Tumblr operates, which makes it challenging for me to engage with the community on occasion.

[beautynthesin]

What is your favorite shinsai fanart and fanfiction?

i dont really read alot shinsai fanfics but when i do theyre by junebugz on AO3 :]] im actually trying to write my own but hhhh im not the best with words :[[

and with art omggg but any shinsai art that has gorgon or snake like korekiyo is mwah @ephemeral-darkness @cowbov @happy6machine

Honorary mention is @dead-ghouls i love their shinsai art sm

[julia-bunncat]

I!! noticed!! in the 1ST post bout 𝖆𝖒𝖆𝖘𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖘𝖆𝖎 𝖒𝖔𝖓𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖇𝖔𝖎𝖘 𝖑𝖔𝖛𝖊 𝖆𝖚 (iykwm), it was written saihara can turn into nobusuma (bat squirrel or wtf), !BT! in the last heby biology entry mentions his "VERY attractive tail pattern" (wonder how it looks HMmM)... guess idea's changed?? can u write bout it?? pwwease do! ▼⁠・⁠ᴥ⁠・⁠▼ atb ly

Oh, hi dear Anon!! I hope I'm not answering too late – it was so unexpected to get the question, eheheh :> So, yeah, first of all, my heartfull thanks for it! 🤗 I'm insanely glad someone is genuinely interested in my AU and trying to get to the bottom of things!

And in general, you are absolutely right in your assumptions! Since the plot of yokai!AU [but I like your alternative title too – keep calling it like that xD] has been gradually modernised, it turns out that it now has several branches. In the first version, after his death, Shuichi turns to Nobusuma... And in the currently more entrenched version – to Hebi. This "uncertainty" is due to the fact that the yokai!AU storyline could have been used in the visual novel… But the second reason is Korekiyo's actions and a stronger bond with him, as Shinsai turns out to be more gentle than Amasai here :'D

I hope I've answered your question ^^ buuut if you need any further clarification, I'll be sure to add it! Same goes for the pattern on Shuichi's tail, if my artist-friend can draw it ~

Thank you so much again for asking!!! uwu It made my day, so may yours be marvellous too! 💞

[julia-bunncat]

A bunch of Shinsai headcanons [As part of my yokai!AU]

Don’t forget to read the main post about Yokai!AU: https://julia-bunncat.tumblr.com/post/682431429518508032/kinda-amashinsai-yokai-au-part-1 [if you haven't already done it 💜]

Basic warning: ❗ xenophilic relations ❗

this art was drawn by my bestie, with whom we have developed this AU, but she doesn't have any permanent profile in Tumblr – I hope, it will be created sometime later owo

❧ Shuichi’s name is very much liked by the hebi, as it is convenient to hiss: S~s~shuichi S~s~saihara 🐍

❧ Initially, Shuichi (for natural reasons) feared Korekiyo, completely unaware that the snake’s diet doesn't include human flesh… He tried to satisfy his curiosity as much as possible, but was on guard. And yet, in time, he will get used to his neighbor’s quirkiness, having the pleasure of listening Kiyo’s chatter and telling everything that he knows himself.

❧ Hebi is incredibly curious about EVERYTHING human. From history to how Shuichi uses chopsticks, how he puts food in his mouth and eats. Although, if a human asks him anything in return about the yokai, Kiyo will be equally encouraged to answer. He still has a soft lecture tone. That’s how they usually talk ~

❧ During certain periods of time, Kiyo has to shed his skin… and that causes a lot of problems 😅 When it happened for the first time, Shuichi came from the college and was horrified by the fact, that a huge ball of thin snakeskin was lying in his room. And he's like:

S: and what am I supposed to do with this..? K: oh, you can try to get into it and then you’re gonna turn into a hebi S: rEALLY?! K: khe-he-he~ no, it was a joke! (but then Kiyo will just throw it away or it will dissolve itself after a while)

❧ The following year, Saihara had already caught the process of snake shedding himself, and more precisely – he helped Korekiyo with it. He filled the bath with hot water (somehow placed seven-mater hebi in there) and tried to facilitate the process with all sorts of oils or baby lotions 😆 Kiyo was… much harder this time because the human touched him everywhere, and the mating period was close :'^ But he was so appreciative of Shuichi’s care that passed the test!

❧ In winter, Shuichi is very worried about Kiyo, who is losing his strength. Basically, he uses warm drinks or hot-water bottle to warm up the snake… Also, although clothes do not warm, but accumulate heat, he still gives hebi his sweaters or wraps him in a blanket out of habit. It's very valuable to Korekiyo, but anyway, there’s no better way for him to warm up than to hug a human. Moreover, in the summer (or when he has a high fever), Shuichi snuggle up to snake for cooling in response.

❧ When Shuichi and Kiyo became particularly close, the snake became VERY clingy. One time he was so tired of having to wait for Shuichi after study that he turned into a small snake and slipped into his backpack unnoticed (Saihara was in a hurry that morning and didn't notice anything). Of course, Hebi made it so that no one would see him… But in any case, Shuichi was UNBEARABLY hard to hold his face when Kiyo crawled under the sleeve of his hoodie and tucked his head somewhere in the shoulder area. After that, he reprimanded him a little bit, but they resolved all of it peacefully ~

[Kiyo also has the ability to feel the vibrations of Shuichi’s footsteps a few meters away, so he always meets him at the doorstep ;)]

Like this 👀

❧ Sometimes Kiyo occupies the whole bed and the whole floor next to it with his long tail. At times like this, out of indignation, Shuichi grabs it and tries to drag… But all he does as a result is hug it and puff. Kiyo, in turn, can easily wrap Shuichi with his tail and pull him closer or lift. He is very amused by the attempts of that funny human:D

❧ When Kiyo himself becomes a small snake, or he's surrounded by them, Shuichi becomes even MORE NERVOUS. Like- Okay, he's used more to Kiyo in the form of a full-fledged snake and can gently smooch him on the pretty little head… But if you ask him to hold a real snake, he might recoil and even scream. What if it bites him in the face?!? Or inject the poison under the skin?? 😖

❧ To satisfy Kiyo’s thirst for knowledge, Saihara has to do much more in-depth self-study… But for safety’s sake, he also watches various documentaries about snakes or martens. Here's a meme:

K: That is, you’re watching of how pair of snakes, mate on red velvet, to the enchanting music, for scientific purposes, right? S: Yes… K: I get it, khe-he-he..~

❧ Shuichi bought a terrarium to keep Kiyo there if the guests suddenly arrived and the hebi didn't have time to hide his presence. He came to this decision after one incident…

Random guest: *scream* Shuichi (all braided with a snake): h-he’s pretty tame, it's all right! Random guest: Are you sure? Snakes have no attachments to their owners. Is it dangerous to hold him in your arms, Shuichi! Kiyo: 😕🙄

❧ To some extent, Korekiyo and Shuichi used to practice kissing on each other xD Hebi basically refer to hugs / kisses / petting, etc. with great trepidation, calling it no other way than "human caresses" (i.e. only with people he can know something similar, as well as the feeling of love in general). Snake flirting, in turn, always drives Shuichi out of balance, as Kiyo always "vibrates" his tongue before kissing and continuously hisses 😳

❧ So, if in the early stages of the relationship Shuichi was very afraid of all snake movements, as they develop, he will begin to experience the same curiosity as Korekiyo to him. Like, sometimes...

he’ll hug Kiyo’s tail tight and asks hebi if he can ride him in it.

pet a long relief snake's horns (and also hold on to them like a steering wheel for fun)

want to calculate exactly how many rhombs are on the tail of the snake – and he'll do it by gently moving his hand across hebi's scale

snatch the serpent's vibrant tongue with his fingers

examine an excessively wide jaw or throat and touch Kiyo's fangs.

[little comfortable scenario]

S: What do we have here? *gladly grips the tip of the tail, rub it between the palms* Has the Snakey grown? A Snakey has grooown? Oh, you such a good long Snakey! K: *blushes*

❧ Sometimes Korekiyo becomes envious of the fact that Rantaro has fluffy fur and it's much more pleasing for a human to pet him because of it… 🥺 But the truth is, he still has smooth, gorgeous hair that Shuichi likes to touch. Moreover, the hebi, in principle, is more opened to human –he is intelligent and friendly!! Saihara even dedicate a poem to him!

If you like these headcanons, I’ll write something else with Rantaro or about the hebi's nature one day! And I’m still open to any questions! ✨

[julia-bunncat]

(kinda) Amashinsai yokai-AU | part 1

I finally found the strength and time to share it! >^< In fact, this Universe has been very important to me for a long time. I love it so much, and I’ve come up with so many headcanons that if I had more resources and skills, I could make a whole visual novel… However, let's not be hasty and limit ourselves to a text description!

As usual, preliminary warnings and remarks:

I am NOT an expert on Japanese supernatural folklore! All the information for this AU was taken from public sources and modified for my personal convenience (and also because I take human-characters as a basis).

I think it’s obvious that since it’s AU and many of the characters in it have been yokai since they were born, their behaviour will also be different from the canon. Consider it a "partial OOC".

And yes, although Amashinsai is still the main pairing here (I would even jokingly call this story "My boyfriends are Yokai"), I found a place for other characters as well. Indeed, the second part will be devoted to them.

Oh, and I hope you understand that there’s a lot of xenophilia/xenophobia?

It all started with animal associations. Cats, dogs, rabbits, other domestic and more common animals and birds – it's, of course, always great… But as you can see from the attached collage – I relate Rantaro, Korekiyo and Shuichi to the more wild ones. And it’s not difficult to assume that these animals will become the prototypes of their yokai-versions.

Korekiyo. Animal: snake. Yokai: faked Ao andon, but actually Hebi (or Naga, if you wish)

*I didn't find the author of that picrew :( + keep in mind that the design is VERY exemplary.

I would like to point out that the whole story will be based on how Shuichi interacts with different yokais. Accordingly, in the beginning, he’s a regular student who wants to be a detective = to be more useful to his uncle (i.e. he's about 18-19 years old). The only thing that distinguishes him from other people (classically) is his "ability" to see different paranormal beings. In my mind this "ability" was passed on to him from an ancestor who either was yokai or could be connected with these creatures by some ties. It isn't that uncontrollable (and generally acts as an intuition), but at the time it really hurt Saihara's nerves, because of which he tries not to contact the outside world so often, and ESPECIALLY not to visit the places where these creatures can live.

However, Shuichi has friends who are former classmates – Kaede and Kaito (and they are also "ordinary mortals" xD). Only because of their active persuasion (and following the example of Kaito, who is also terribly afraid but is still going to go), on a hot summer's day Saihara decides to go to a peculiar party, the culmination of which will be the summoning of spirits. As in the legend of Ao Andon, they will gather together in a small group, surrounded by lanterns, and start telling ghost stories one by one...

illustration if you don't want to follow the wiki link ⤴

And though Saihara knew from the first second that it was a VERY BAD idea – even he couldn't have expected that instead of the phantom figure of Ao Andon, a young serpent would appear. And either Shuichi was too close to the place where he manifested, or Hebi felt that this human was the only one who tried to escape not because of the general horror effect… In any case, the poor boy had to be alone with the yokai :'D

That’s how they met, ahah! And from this point on, I think I’ll start talking about yokai!Korekiyo’s personality... And about his looks and the nature of Hebi in general ~

Hebi, in their most ancient, giant snakes form – quite perceptive, wise creatures. Because of this, they are not deprived of pride and prefer not to contact with humans at all. That is why not much is known about them ["It seems to be one of the rarest, most mysterious types of non-ghost Yōkai existing in the World"].

So the next piece of information is my own conjecture:

Younger snakes (such as Korekiyo, he lives only about 80 years old) achieve "enlightenment" in two ways: some accumulate energy by eating people/other yokai; others accumalate knowledge… But Kiyo has "distinguished himself", to some extent! 😅 Yes, he went on the path of accumulating knowledge… but decided to search for it in the human-world. In this universe, he continues to be in love with humanity!! And basically, that’s why he "replaces" Ao Andon. Any story from the mouth of man – is a real value! ~

Hebi!Korekiyo has three shapes: human-like; basic half-human half-snake; and ordinary snake, as in nature (finger-sized and longer). In basic form he keep snake pupils and forked tongue. The length from top to tail is about 6.5 meters. The color is dark green, with a red rhombus pattern, which visually resembles intertwined ropes.

Another interesting topic is the connection between common snakes and Hebi.

Hebi is thought of as the Creator of the snakes. They love them as "smaller brethren" or babies. And the little snakes, in turn, love them like Gods. That’s why Hebi can summon as many snakes as they want at any time. And cold blood (high need for warm), with the need to shed their skins and to go into hibernation, snakes inherited from Hebi, not vice versa!

Also, Korekiyo is capable of: hypnosis, healing (emotional), treatment of small wounds. The rest of his relatives may be poisonous.

In the end, Kiyo will be attached with Shuichi for a ve-e-ery long time~ Because he will think, that a man who can see the yokai will cooperate with him fruitfully :'^ Saihara can only protect himself with this "cooperation". «I’ll give you stories, and you try not to eat me»😂

The meeting with the next yokai will only take place in winter.

Rantaro. Animal: pine marten. Yokai: Itachi.

I'll start by saying, that weasel is usually develop into "Itachi". The choice of marten is nothing more than my personal whim. Also Itachi describe as "tricksters and pranksters" – some of them do not abhor theft… They have the ability to hypnotize people and, as representatives of werewolves, transform into many other yōkai.

An old phrase about animal yōkai goes, “Kitsune nanabake, tanuki hachibake, ten kubake” — foxes seven forms, tanuki eight forms, martens nine forms.

These yokai are most dangerous in the group, because they climb up onto each other’s shoulders, and create huge columns of fire (Just imagine Rantaro doing this with his fluffy sisters – and you’ll understand why I preserve this fact 🤣)

However, the most important thing is that martens are territorial animals.

In this story, Rantaro is a very dangerous, embittered creature who controls a whole forest. The reason for this anger is quite trivial – his parents were killed by people for their fur, and he was left alone to protect his sisters. This defense of the territory and of all its inhabitants is carried out as follows:

Rantaro has several shapes, but the main ones are: human; marten (it’s been given to him since he was born, which means it makes him feel more comfortable); furry; a human with animal ears, sharp claws and a tail. According to my headcanons, the name and human appearance yokai!Rantaro "borrowed" when he met one of his beta-versions. He only changed it a little to avoid raising suspicion, but in fact, this "beta" was the first trustworthy person in his live.

Namely, I mean this beta-design ⤴

So the scheme is quite simple… If you are a lost traveler, but generally a human without evil thoughts – the green-eyed marten will quietly show you the way. If you are a hunter or just a "sketchy" human – soon you will meet a young man on the road in a slightly skinned yukata. He'll assure you that he knows this forest like the back of his hand… But it's over. From now on, you’re guaranteed to be dead. The methods of struggle are almost non-existent. Unless you could just stay out of this territory.

Let’s talk a little bit about coloring. The main color of fur is brown, but the forehead, ears, part of the chest and belly – a yellow-green tinge. The tail is also heterogeneous: it combines brown and yellow-green spots.

But how did he meet Shuichi?

As I said earlier, it was winter. Saihara was already partially friends with his Hebi-roommate. At this time of year, Korekiyo was very weak, so as soon as he had some free time – Shuichi went to collect some stories for him. It was a common practice. But he still had to wade through dangerous places… (and that’s why hebi wouldn’t leave him even on hard days – he turned around the hot-water bottle in the Shuichi's backpack :'D)

That how this duo wandered into the Rantaro's forest. Of course, Shuichi passed his test without any problems… But it will only seem so at the beginning of the way 😅 Itachi will sense that Shuichi "sees a lot more". Moreover, through ignorance, Saihara brought an outsider (I mean hebi!Korekiyo).

Their relationship will be strained for a long time… But even such angry animals can be re-educated! 😉

Despite outward hostility and serious responsibility for sisters, Rantaro has a deep desire to leave his home. The soul of his inner Adventurer wants to see the world! He just needs to be gently pushed to realize it. For a human, like Shuichi, it’s not that hard. In gratitude, itachi will offer his services as a bodyguard and, in fact, will become a second "exotic pet" for Shuichi~ (and there's no controdiction since Rantaro is still free to leave human's house)

Last one: Shuichi. Animal: Fruit Bat or Megabat. Yokai: Nobusuma.

Here he looks like a metal vocalist so REALLY don't take this design seriously abhhaghsgah

For some it's a spoiler, and for some it's a logical consequence, because if the yokai are (almost! I think, Rantaro’s parents just didn't have time to fully reincarnate themselves into itachi) immortal, then people sooner or later die. However, if Saihara’s ancestor was somehow bound to the yokai, it's possible that on a genetic level he too was destined to become a supernatural being. It could be an ordinary yūrei, but I decided that everything has to be fair :D

Nobusuma is usually depicted as a flying squirrel.

Although in this illustration it looks more like a bat.

But the choice of the bat for Shuichi is due to several reasons:

Aesthetics and nightlife. They reflect Saihara’s shyness and his title of "emo-boy".

At the same time, the Fruit Bats are quite sociable and affectionate to people, which, if you think about it, also applies to Shuichi, who can find common language with a variety of people.

According to some ideas, the bat symbolizes vigilance and insight; has the ability to feel the latent forces of nature. It goes well with detective work.

The only thing, yokai!Saihara is trying not to drink human blood. But in general, his need for food is similar to Nobusuma’s.

Phew, actually, I spent a lo-o-ot of time on this job! ^^" Maybe some parts of this AU may seem "shaky" to you (especially in the case of Rantaro). But I hope you're at least interested of it! I’ll work on the second part – and yeah, I’m always ready to answer your questions 🥰

[julia-bunncat]

kinda yokai!Amashinsai AU [part 2]

If there’s a second part, there’s got to be a first part, right..? I strongly recommend you read it for a better understanding ❣ And for Shinsai shippers – I offer you follow here if you haven’t seen my last post.

A bunch of ❗ warning ❗ before:

I’m giving my interpretation, not entirely following the canons of Japanese bestiary.

I’m writing about hostile, horror entities and spirits. Here you will encounter xenophobia, BUT from the yokai side to humans. I mean open hatred and contempt. Get ready for these mentions: death, rather brutal murders, devouring, a hard past, offensive vocabulary.

Rantaro and Korekiyo are not the only ones, whom Shuichi will meet along the path. After all, he is able to discern the yōkai freely, even if they are masters of shape-shifting (like Rantaro) + (and this plays an even greater role) he has somehow managed to "own" two strong representatives. Of course, he didn’t want anything like that, and he wasn’t going to keep Itachi and Hebi around forever… In fact, it was hard for Saihara to understand why they wanted to live with him so much. But information spreads quickly – not in the human world, so in the spirit one. In essence, Kiyo and Taro became Shuichi’s bodyguards both as a token of gratitude and to protect him from the yokai's attention, which they themselves cause :'D

Thus – of all V3 cast – Kaito, Kaede, Keebo, Ryoma, Miu, Angie, and Himiko remain human who are either unrelated to Saihara or former classmates (Kaito and Kaede for sure). But Kokichi, Gonta, Kirumi, Maki and Tenko are the Yokai whom Shuichi will meet at different times and places. So… Let me start by telling you more about this ~

Kokichi. Yokai: Nezumi (a werewolf-rat) or Tesso 🐭

Unlike Rantaro and Korekiyo, Kokichi is an "unscrupulous" man who converted to yokai after death many years ago.

«A vile little man with no moral principles, but with great sense of smell and vision» [as Kiyo would describe him xD]

At once I will say that he has two shapes (furry and human) and, respectively, humanlike – is the most applicable and favorite for him. This fact is important because, unlike all the V3-yōkai listed above, Kokichi is also a Shuichi's former classmate (or rather, "a strange boy from a parallel class" :'D). Kokichi knew him even before Saihara met our Hebi and Itachi ~ But… he hasn’t been to the party where classmates accidentally "summoned" Kiyo. Their meeting will take place shortly after Rantaro’s joining: most likely, having found out of Saihara’s new roommates, Nezumi will fabricate a fake case about the disappearance of important papers for a young detective. Shuichi will not be in any danger… But we’re still talking about Kokichi, right? 😅 Having fallen into his "trap", Shuichi not only learns that all this time his former classmate was a werewolf-rat, but also gets very nervous.

It is worth noting that in yokai world, Kokichi’s a spy / thief and messenger who does all kinds of "dirty work". He always benefits himself from missions, and he does more tricks than real irreparable harm. He's interested in people + likes to boast that he is actually a great Zodiac Deity worshiped by thousands and hundreds of thousands (which is obviously a lie).

So Shuichi need a lot of patience 😂 Kokichi will promise not to divulge the information («as far as possible»), cause Saihara interested him… But he'll tease him quite often and this meeting will leave a strange residue in the heart of the whole company ;;

Another small detail – the ability. Like Korekiyo, Kokichi can summon and bend to his will an incredible number of rats. His skills of deception and entanglement remain inimitable. But I will repeat that, he's not an actual danger to Shuichi in this story.

Next, Gonta. Yokai: Kabutomushi (a werewolf-insect – Japanese rhinoceros beetle)

This is an anthropomorphic rhinoceros beetle figurine by Kara Nash

I warn you in advance that, in fact, you won't find this yokai anywhere xD Kabutomushi is the Japanese name for "rhinoceros beetles"; translated as "an insect in a samurai helmet".

The reason for such a liberty on my part is that insect-like yokais (well, except for Kamikiri, Okiku-mushi or any other small parasites, but they are all don't fit) doesn't exist at all, which really surprised me! Сause most insects are so scary! Although, to be fair, I don’t want to make Gonta too repulsive… In general, his story is already well suited for such a transformation 😅

Kabutomushi – is an extremely rare yokai. In the Shuichi's history, due to the harmlessness, he occupies a place somewhere near Kokichi. It's difficult for an ordinary person to identify Gonta's yokai-nature, in principle, because the basic form – it's human, i.e. a huge muscular guy with long green hair in torn clothes. He lives in a village far from civilization (however, among people) and creates the impression of a well-bred, kind, hard-working wild-boy. "Gonta" is the name given to him by the inhabitants, since no one from even the oldest generation knows who and when he was born.

However, there are times when the yokai-origin makes itself felt. Pissing off a big guy – is a tricky business, but if someone does it, he and almost the entire village will suffer.

In the midst of a serious rage Gonta takes the form of an anthropomorphic rhinoceros beetle, who immediately begins to crush everything in its path. In special cases – sends a horde of malignant insects to the fields with a harvest. Having a cool down, he remembers almost nothing, but even so, wise merciful inhabitants do not run with a pitchfork to kill him – they forgive him, blaming whoever pissed off the big guy. Such a decision is explained by Gonta's personality. After knowing the truth, he is always deeply repentant and seeks to help rebuild the village and fields, using his insect control for good. Therefore, the inhabitants even called him the Spirit or God of these lands.

So Shuichi doesn’t have to re-educate another yokai, when he meet Gonta :'D Kabutomushi is more of an intermediate character – an opportunity for Korekiyo (whom dragged Saihara so far away😂) and Taro to get even more touching knowledge of what humans and yokais are not necessarily eternal hostiles. In other words, this whole situation is good for Amashinsai's relationships ~

Kirumi. Yokai: Jorōgumo (arachnid yokai) 🕷🕸

According to traditional beliefs, a golden orb-weaver transform into this yokai, when it reaches 400 years of age. For Jorogumo people are just stupid food, she lives in secluded places and easily lures them there. But… Kirumi is different and specific in this context [i'm changing the concept again, yeah]

First, Jorogumo, as a rule, seduce men for the sake of murder (for which they are called "spider-whore"). According to some sources, it attracts young men not only by turning into a stunningly beautiful women… but also by playing shamisen/samisen or biwa (japanese string instruments). Next, she takes him to her lair, weaves a thick web, and slowly, painfully eats for a long time… And although Kirumi will pose a little more of a threat than Gonta, she is not interested in eating all the men.

Kirumi is a balanced, respectful, almost noble arachne with her sense of justice. She settles in the homes of various oligarchs or other rich persons that can afford maids/housekeepers – and for some time secretly watches the work of girls. To avoid being noticed, she moves from place to place and carefully removes the web after herself… However, this peculiar neighborhood often ends deplorably for the owners of the mansion. Jorogumo knows full well that not always all the old buggers (and sometimes grumpy women) treat their workers correctly, so as soon as they cross the line – she uses her spider skills 💢 Kirumi kills with poison or strangulation (devouring is very rare, only when it comes to murdering housekeepers by their masters), and then goes to main lair – the cave behind the waterfall – where she vainly tries to regain her former memory…

Which basically is an adverb "secondly" xD Kirumi is not a 400-year-old spider, she is a former noble lady who died under mysterious circumstances centuries ago. For the most part, she is disgusted with her own existence and this strange manic desire to kill men who have allowed themselves to abuse the maids is completely incomprehensible to her.

So Shuichi’s task is to figure out her past, help her find a way to repose her soul and transform into a regular yurei. I have two variants of their meeting. Totally accidental: Shuichi finds her lair, taking Rantaro for a walk far away from the city. "The working one", i.e. during the investigation of one of her murders.

Let's talk a little bit about shapes, colors and skills.

Shapes: human, giant spider, half-human/half-spider.

Color: Kirumi isn't black and gold, but rather dark green with silver patterns.

Also, she has many talents – including playing old musical instruments and singing. Perhaps this is how she will thank Shuichi when he finds out the truth about her death.

Maki. Yokai: Hari Onago, a girl with a hookshaped hair 👩🔪

Usual warning: In this case too, I depart from the traditional view, taking only the appearance and ability as a basis, because the specificity of Harionago is the murder of lonely men who smiled her back. Canon Maki is nothing like someone who would do something like that, so her situation in yokai!AU is closest to the original story.

However, Hari-Onago is the first really dangerous yokai that comes across Shuichi and his supernatural boyfriends. It’s not even because of his abilities (although, I had the idea that Maki was preying on "special" people; it’s just harder to think about) – she's bloodthirsty on her own. For a very long time she has been moving in the shadows of silent streets and alleys, attacking a variety of people, as if she need a murder itself. As if it were her obligation – and no matter how much Shuichi tries to question her, the red-eyed girl had long resisted contact (at this time, Rantaro and Kiyo would have done their best to protect their owner from the long, hookshaped hair :'D)

In the end, only a change of tactics and a single phrase: «You don’t have to kill», would shed some light on the situation.

Maki is a former ninja/shinobi who died on a mission when they were still necessary. All she’s ever done is kill on orders. Ever since childhood. She didn’t think about her wishes or who she was at all. The work and mores of that time cut off her humanity. She didn’t have a chance to stop or even hear «Now you don't have to kill» before meeting with Saihara.

So, most likely, this story will end with her disappearing. Maki will just run away, and though Shuichi will be very worried for a few days that his help may not have been enough, the mysterious murders with a stab-and-twist wounds will stop happening.

Interesting mini-fact: the second variant for Maki was Dodomeki – a woman with a lot of small bird eyes on the skin… However, this yokai is more of a thief, while the Assasin-Maki (with her long hair) will certainly suit a cold, sharp weapon ;)

Tenko. Yokai: Kijo, female demon (demoness) 👹

In traditional terms, Kijo is a girl who has become a demon because of any negative factors: jealousy, hatred, curse, a terrible crime. Their appearance bears little resemblance to human, as it is disfigured by blue (super white) skin, yellow/red eyes, fangs, horns, long claws… However, our Tenko only looks like this when she’s irritated – which, anyway, is her main emotion 😅

Kijō are hermit demonesses who live as far from other yokais as from humans. They spend their whole lives in some shady thingies, like revenge… Tenko is no exception. Her main goal is to kill human males, so to do this, she hides in places where they (completely unaware of the risk) especially like to rest…

Tenko is the second dangerous yokai in Shuichi's way, whose fury and thirst to kill must be extinguished… but with great difficulty, of course :'D And not only because (especially) he, Rantaro and Korekiyo are the males. The most important reason is that Tenko became a demoness because of the brutal betrayal of the man she trusted the most. The act was as disgusting as you can imagine. It shamed all the male kind in her eyes and destroyed her faith in herself as a girl worthy of becoming a shield maiden.

Saihara will have to work very, VERY hard to solve this problem (while Kiyo with Taro will get a lot of punchies 😂)… but that's why Tenko is the one who ends my yokai-line ~

Also in the early stages of story thinking, I wanted to add Angie to the list, as an demonically possessed antag. Perhaps, she'd be pretending to be a saint, criticizing Shuichi, wanting to angry him and get his soul (like: «You fraternize with impure demons, the heavens don’t like it»). But I gave it up because maybe it would be too stereotypical and disrespectful to Angie ^^" Moreover, she is now replaced by the real enemy, the final boss of the story – Korekiyo's Sister.

Yes, she exists. And she's also a Hebi. Luckily, Kiyo isn't obsessed with her + he's not an abuse victim and she even let him move into the human world for his research… though she thinks human are "a walking sausages", roughly speaking 😅😅 Because of this, in one day she will obstruct Korekiyo's love and all this may end with the death of Shuichi… But honestly, I don’t plan on making her a hell beast. Perhaps, next time I’ll provide a less confusing explanation 😉

Also, while I was combing through the yokai wiki for this post, I found inspiration for her appearance in final ultra form… and I couldn’t get past the name "Kiyo-hime" xD

Yeah, at the moment, the images of the new yokais are still raw… During writing this post I have already made some additions. However, the experience itself was incredibly exciting for me!! After all, I tried to preserve the canonical details of the V3-cast, and convey all the horror, absurdity, oddity of these Japanese creatures!

I hope you were interested as well о/ Btw, I'm always open for any feedback – including fanarts, just remember to notify me and attach a link to this post 😉🥰

[julia-bunncat]

After a long break, I really want to get back to writing posts, but… I have too many thoughts and desires! 😅 xD Should I start working on the second part of hcs about Rantaro's family..? Or go back to describing the details of my yokai!AU? Or maybe share the new Shinsai! AU (I can generate them endlessly, seriously 😆)? Or start talking more about Amashinsai?

So hard >^< I’d be very pleased to hear other people’s thoughts, if that’s still possible 👉👈