#knowledge beads;headcanons

[cannikumi]

PUBLIC INFO [Human]

Runs a cafe called the Willow’s Whisper in Korea. It’s a hole in the wall cafe with food that is good for the soul.

The legal human name is Ji-Min Luna, or M. Luna as written on their nametag. They are a humble chef and quiet business owner, with a fan of esoteric and mythological legend.

M. Luna runs a safe place for people to go to when being pursued by unpleasant individuals. This is true, the host does their best to help out guests.

Silver coins are sometimes given to special persons in need for protection, and they actually do work.

PUBLIC INFO [Demon]

Ji-Min is known by many titles: The Hollow Blood Moon, The Eclipsed Cannibal, to name a couple. You either know Ji-Min when you hear their name, or have no idea who this demon is. They don’t mind either way.

The details of how Ji-Min disappeared from the demon realm is unclear after all this time. Thanks to abusing the powers learned by certain undead, Gwi-ma was forced to banish Ji-Min.

When the kumiho consumes demon essence, it is unlikely they ever come back. Ji-Min never confirms. That’s no fun.

Ji-Min is a half demon in the sense that there is literally half of them remaining. The other half is lost forever in the void. 

Never let the fox starve, or Ji-Min will become worse. They will never let themselves feel starved again, which is why offering them food gets their attention for conversation.

PRIVATE INFO

Ji-Min is not the kumiho’s real name. They went originally by Dae-Dal, and their twin was Haetbit. Their old name was abandoned some time after their twin’s death. 

Anyone who finds out their true name will incite a level of rage from Ji-Min, especially anyone with the slightest bit of human blood in them. Saying their twin’s name aloud in reference to their other half is an even worse reaction. 

Oddly enough, if someone does present that they know the above knowledge, Ji-Min will give that person something depending on how they know it, why they know it, and if they know their true story.

Part of the continued cannibalism is a need to fill the void of losing their twin with demon essence to feel whole again. The decay rate of consuming other demons doesn’t make this a possible solution.

Ji-Min will not return to ‘normal’ unless there is a divine intervention, which they will refuse, to somehow create a miracle of bringing Haetbit back to them. Even then, they are going to still be an antagonistic little shit, just not as hungry.

They are slightly less antagonistic to entities associated with the sun, which is what their twin was associated with.

[cannikumi]

Ji-Min doesn't love. They obsess. They possess. They share as their ultimate sign of claiming an entity. They keep what is their safe, they fix what is theirs, heal the wounds of what is theirs. Destroy threats of what attempts to take what is theirs.

But Ji-Min does not love. Not anymore, they say.

[cannikumi]

Ji-Min is fascinated by the idea of robotics and artificial life. Something falliable created a form of life that is neither flesh nor blood? It has a consciousness and perhaps even a sense of morals? Some are purely logical and lack any emotional capacity? Some do learn that? It is utterly fascinating to them. The hibris of mortal men knows no bounds.

That is also part of the reason they are so involved in certain necromancy practices: its functionally immortality but not truly. A soul put in a machine or a husk, is that alive or a mockery of what brought it here? Every case by case basis is so different to them? It is always worth studying. They don't have organs to eat anyway, so there is no reason to hunt them.

Granted, anything created out of the light of the divine and paranormal catches their attention. They aren't the most tech-savvy kumiho, but the better they understand machines, the more their magic can work on it. It is a win-win.

[cannikumi]

Anytime Ji-Min is sitting without their tails braided, you bet your ass that fox is sitting exactly like Ninetales from PokeStadium

[cannikumi]

Ji-Min often says "You cannot kill me in a way that matters."

Which is true, but it is only half of the truth.

When Ji-Min was 'born', they were Dae-Dal, twins to Haebit. In mythological fashion, the pair of kumiho represented the moon and sun, and a balance of the taegeuk: Dae-Dal representing blue and Haebit representing red. Both shared the same essence meaning when one was sustained, so was the other. They could not live without the other, sharing that sibling care and adoration while pushing each other to be better. A healthy family rivalry.

Haetbit provided the patience and tolerance, even kindness Dae-Dal lacked, while Dae-Dal gave Haetbit the means of rage when necessary to fight back. The pair were successful hunters in gathering souls: only the most vile of humans selected to stop hunters from following them to the ends of the earth in revenge. Those who died alone lost in the woods. The olden ages were much easier to have people go missing. Even then, Haetbit was fascinated by the complexities of their prey and dragged Dae-Dal in with silly plans. Any warmth Dae-Dal had was sourced from their twin.

When the tragedy struck of Haetbit being destroyed by humans, there are still no words to this day that can describe the anguish Dae-Dal felt. One's very being torn out, ripped in half by cold claws and shoved back in with burning iron.

Haetbit was their sun. A moon with no sun is simply a drifting husk in an eternal dark. They cannot be Dae-Dal any longer. They could not be, any longer.

So they became a hollow husk concerned with nothing but their own survival and eventual madness. They became Ji-Min.

While consuming demons does stop their essence from completely decaying into nothing, half of them will always be in a state of oblivion. Ji-Min will always have blood wash off of them when soaked with water. Clean pools will turn from clear, to red to black. As they walk, fox fire burns bloody trails so they may never be seen. Their face is always marked with a sanguine sorrow. Their true body held together with the weapons that tried to strike them down one last time.

A demon with half of an essence should be dead, but hatred, spite and revenge has kept them going. Every avenue Ji-Min has looked into for survival, they have taken. Dark supernatural arts, healing medicines, otherworldly magic and more. Nothing truly solves the pain, but it helps them keep alive with no ties to the demon realm.

With all their madness, Ji-Min still remembers their lost half. there is one remaining, whole fox jewel of Haebit's in their possession, embedded in a bone mask in their memory. Haebit wondered if humanity could ascend, improve. Ji-Min keeps that idea with them despite revelling in the idea of their downfall. whichever happens, one of them will be right. Ji-Min carries the chains that held Haebit, using them as weapons in states of pure madness. They honour the memory every summer solstice when the day holds the most sun.

The ideals of humanity could save Ji-Min, but they would rather die a halfborn demon than indulge in what took their sibling away. Hope for Haebit's return is gone, just a foul poison to drink. They would rather continue to suffer silently than submit. They will not ask gods for miracles of mercy. They do not deserve mercy.

"You cannot kill me in a way that matters. I have already died in the one way that did."

[cannikumi]

I regret to inform you all that Ji-Min has malewife energy. Be burdened with the information I have been.

[cannikumi]

Ji-Min is convinced that Bobby is just a unicorn/kirin/qilin/likewise creature in human form and refuses/cannot bring themself to be mean or do bad things to him. He just hasn't proved he's one of them yet...

[cannikumi]

The body count of Ji-Min is both higher and lower than you think it is.