Kami & Yōkai - Second Edition
This post is my attempt to incorporate Japanese demons/spirits into the omegaverse. Yeah, it’s weird! I know. I decided to have fun and go all out because why have just one omegaverse variant when you can have all of them in the same ‘verse? So the rules change slightly depending on the species, just like in the real world but with a little less variety since the a/b/o dynamic stays constant.
Try as I might, I cannot find another word to describe and differentiate kami and yōkai without losing the nuances. ‘Demons’ works as a catch-all for yōkai, but spirits fall under both categories. And kami is normally translated as ‘gods’ or ‘deities’, but the nuance is much more complicated. :p Oh well. In-text I tend to switch meanings depending on which nuance I’m aiming for.
I decided not to translate the names of most kami and yōkai for consistency. While some of them can be translated without much fuss (i.e., kitsune to fox spirit), others such as mizuchi and makami sound extremely stupid (makami literally means “true god” but it’s a wolf).
In the case of the crane spirits, the spirits are called tsuru (lit. “crane”), while the actual animal is called a crane in-text, to differentiate. It sort of makes me cringe, but writing “crane spirits” or “wolf spirits” all the time also makes me cringe. So.
As a fair warning, some of this stuff gets a little bizarre. It’s omegaverse after all. Though some of it maay be considered to be borderline bestiality. If that bothers you, leave while you can.
Navigation
General Differences
Makami (Japanese wolves)
Ten (Japanese martens)
Mizuchi (Water dragons)
Tsuru (Cranes)
Kitsune (Foxes)
Tengu
Hakutaku
Hybrids
General Differences
First, the difference between kami and yōkai:
Kami are spirits and phenomena that represent aspects of nature in Shintoism. They may inhabit objects such as trees or embody an entire concept, such as death, and included ancient ancestors. As part of nature, kami could be both good and evil. They were believed to reside in a different, but parallel world, and were the standard that all humans should strive towards. Although often translated as “god” or “deity”, no one term in English perfectly captures the scope of the word kami.
Yōkai are spirits, demons, and other assorted creatures. The word literally means “bewitching apparition”. They are also called by other names such as ayakashi and mononoke, but I’m sticking with yōkai for several technical reasons. They come in a variety of forms. Some are malevolent and dangerous, others benevolent or even helpful to mankind.
Second, the similarities between all kami/yōkai and human beings:
Have one of the binary ‘sexes’ (m/f) and one of the ternary ‘sexes’ (a/b/o).
Intersex individuals exist, and either of the two systems may be affected.
Note that normal animals’ ‘sexes’ are binary (male/female, not including the true hermaphrodites). They do not have the ternary system of a/b/o dynamics.
If we consider ‘gender’ as a different but related concept, all kami, yōkai, and human beings possess genders to some degree. Only the normal animals do not, as they have no concept of it.
Alphas impregnate, omegas are impregnated. Male betas impregnate, female betas are impregnated. Despite what society spouts, pairings other than AxO and MBxFB create perfectly healthy relationships.
Everyone can form pair bonds (aka mating/claiming) with anyone regardless of sex, gender, or even species.
Alphas emit alpha pheromones, omegas emit omega pheromones. I detail what the evolutionary/biological purpose of each is in another post.
All omegas go into heat. The ruts of most species’ alphas align with the omegas and their heats (the heat triggers the rut). These heats/ruts are associated with higher fertility. Other details may change depending on the species.
Everyone can use suppressants and birth control, though the methods differ.
Followed by the differences:
The biggest, glaring difference is that most kami and yōkai have two forms. One is their animal form, the other is their humanoid form. The animal form may be larger than a normal animal of the same species.
Kami/yōkai can form pair bonds, but very rarely do so except in species that mate for life (i.e., cranes).
This is because kami/yōkai live somewhat transient lives. Like most animals, they rarely remain with the same partner after raising their offspring.
In fact, once the offspring mature and fly the proverbial nest, they often part ways from their parents and rarely seek each other out. Kami/yōkai do not form lifelong bonds with their children, normally.
Kami/yōkai have longer lifespans than humans. Because it would be exceedingly cruel to make a creature with a 1000 year lifespan go into a heat frenzy every year for multiple months in a row, I played around with the timing. So the occurrence of heats varies based on the species.
During a heat, human omegas fit the more stereotypical omegaverse omega behavior: submissive, needy, clingy, weak etc. How other species act during their heats varies.
Kami/yōkai omegas are way more picky about their partners and actually have enough strength to fight off any betas and alphas who try to breed them against their will, with the caveat that they can only do so when their strength is equal or greater than the beta/alpha. Omegas will act just as submissive as their human counterparts if their partner is stronger in order to avoid injury. That being said, it’s still much more dangerous to pursue one of these omegas if they don’t want you compared with human omegas.
Most omegas produce less slick than humans (which is really only a problem if you consider cross-species relationships...). They give off less intense scents as well, since it wouldn’t do well to be so enticing that every creature in a five mile radius comes flocking to you.
Their heats aren’t nearly as painful as in the average omegaverse, too, considering the fact that they still have to run around finding food and protecting themselves.
They also don’t need an alpha to have sex with them to get through a heat, though it makes everything much nicer if they do.
On a similar note, not all alphas from every species have knots. Yeah, they don’t get to have fun with that little kink. Only humans and other canine yōkai have them.
Kami/yōkai use different types of suppressants if they want them at all, since some manmade chemicals will kill them or make them sick.
Makami [真神]
Makami are the spirits/deities of the Japanese wolf (note: not the Hokkaidō wolf). The characters in the name mean “true” + “god”. Makami were once worshiped. They were supposed to be capable of human speech, rewarded good deeds, and punished evil. They were sometimes offered food to protect villages.
The Japanese wolf is extinct, but in this ‘verse the kami version survived into modern times. Most live in small family packs in dense woodlands. When juveniles depart from their family packs, they either live solitary lives, band together in smaller packs, or start their own with a mate. They loathe being mistaken for their yōkai cousins, the “mountain dogs” called yamainu.
Appearance:
The Japanese wolf was smaller than gray wolves and the Hokkaidō wolf. The makami are a little larger than the normal animal version was, and they are relatively short in humanoid form as well. Most alphas do not exceed 5′8″ (173 cm).
As kami, they have red markings around the eyes that I won’t explain the origin of here.
Their hair color can be almost any sort of brown. Their eyes are blue at birth and gold in adulthood.
Reproduction:
Mating season: starts at the end of winter
Occurs every ~ 6 years
Tend to form pair bonds (mating/claiming). However, they are typically less depressed and physiologically compromised than humans when their mates die.
Have litters of 5-6 pups. Takes 6-8 years to raise, meaning a new litter may overlap with the previous one.
Practice alloparental care (they will gladly adopt and raise pups that are not biologically theirs).
Have knots, stay tied for 10-15 minutes.
Tend to like subtle scents, as their sense of smell is very strong.
Behavior:
Very social, live in family units.
Most adore pups, regardless of lineage.
It’s easy to rile up an entire pack in the span of seconds, especially if one starts howling.
Howl for fun, before hunts, and to communicate over long distances. Their howls are not mutually intelligible with that of the Hokkaidō wolf.
When they are chased out of the pack during their adolescence, they may form smaller packs with their siblings, set off alone, or find a mate.
Very wary of humans, most dislike them severely. They hide from humanity since the animal version of the Japanese wolf is extinct.
Can get super aggressive when provoked. Also very protective and territorial.
They are kami, but hold no special elemental powers or anything.
Ten [鼬]
A yōkai of the Japanese marten. The character is commonly read as “itachi” aka a weasel, but can be read as “ten”. Several are said to form a column that emits a mysterious flame. Other sources say they are better at disguising themselves than the kitsune or the tanuki.
Ten lead solitary lives in the boreal forests all across Japan and tend to move around during the winter to find more food. They prefer to eat fleshy fruits, but are also carnivores. Having been hunted for their soft golden pelts and chased out of their homes by logging, the yōkai are wary of humans.
Appearance:
Japanese martens reach a maximum weight of 3 lbs. (1500 g) and are about 1.5 ft (0.5 m) long, not including the tail. Ten are a little larger than their animal cousins, about the size of a small 8 lb dog. Alphas of this species never exceed 5′6″ (168 cm).
Their pelts are prized for their softness. They are dark brown to dull yellow in color, with cream colored throats and heads. Their eyes are dark brown.
Reproduction:
Mating season: end of March to mid-May
Occurs every ~ 3 years
Do not tend to form pair bonds (mating/claiming). Adults lead solitary lives.
Have litters of 1-5 kits. Takes ~ 4 years to raise them, as they grow quickly.
Have no knots, their genitalia are on the small side even in a humanoid form.
Tend to favor ripe, fruity scents.
Behavior:
They are highly territorial loners who come together only for the mating season and to raise kits.
When their kits mature, the parents and kits rarely see each other again. The parents also go their separate ways.
Have a very short mating cycle (~ 3 years), which earned them the reputation of being promiscuous.
Very wary of humans since they used to be hunted for their pelts.
All ten control fire that they can engulf around their bodies without burning them. They can never be harmed by flames of any sort.
They have another reputation for bearing grudges, which originates from a legend told in Hiroshima Prefecture that killing a marten would result in a fire starting nearby.
Although they are attracted to sweet fruit scents, they prefer to eat meat.
Mizuchi [蛟]
A dragon said to “ascend to the heavens through rain” according to the dictionary. They typically dwell in bodies of water. In one story from the Nihongi, one of these lived in a river and killed many people by poisoning them until a man named Agatamori challenged it to a match and killed it. In other stories, human sacrifices are offered to these deities.
Considered to be kami, the mizuchi reside in rivers and lakes, and generally act as protectors of the ecosystem. Their wrath and protectiveness is nearly without equal, however, and they are capable of poisoning entire bodies of water just as easily as they can purify them.
Appearance:
They are extremely large, about as long as two houses put together. Their humanoid forms are often tall and slender, but shorter dragons are not uncommon.
They are long and slender, with short limbs and fins to help them swim swiftly.
Their scales are usually blue or green on top, with pale beige or grey underbellies. Their eyes are gold.
Reproduction:
Mating season: winter
Occurs every 10-15 years.
Do not tend to form pair bonds. They are solitary creatures who reside in their home rivers for most of their lives.
Since they lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young, they mate in the winter and lay their eggs in late spring. Their offspring hatch at the end of summer.
Lay 1 egg. Takes 13 years to raise one hatchling.
They can successfully crossbreed with other types of dragons.
Behavior:
They may share their river with close relatives or their offspring, but typically lead solitary lives if they can help it. Many are highly territorial.
More nonchalant around humans than others.
They are very long lived.
Tsuru [鶴]
Cranes, especially the red-crowned cranes, are symbols of good luck and longevity since they are said to live up to 1000 years. They also return favors to those who give them aid, as in the folktale “Crane’s Return of a Favor”. Of course, it is said that folding 1000 origami cranes will grant you a wish.
The legends boast of the crane’s longevity for good reason. They can actually live for more than 1000 years. Tsuru tend to live in the remote mountains of Hokkaidō and are particularly known for their acts of altruism and gratefulness.
Appearance:
Normal cranes are quite large (5 ft, ~ 158 cm), but the kami and yōkai variety are even larger. Their humanoid forms are also tall and lean with white and black tipped wings.
Their coloration is typically pale, though some individuals have black hair instead of white. Their animalistic forms are red, black, and white.
Most possess a mantle made of their own feathers weaved together.
Reproduction:
Mating season: April to early May
Occurs every 10-15 years
Tsuru mate for life, so they form pair bonds complete with claiming and biting. However, they have very high standards and do not easily form pairs.
The mating ritual required for them to accept a mate includes an intricate dance generally only another crane can produce. There are subtle differences between the mating dance and their normal one that only cranes really understand.
Both the mother and father care for and protect their offspring together.
Lay 1-3 eggs. Their chicks do not ever really leave, but mature around ~ 7 years of age.
Behavior:
Tsuru stay within their family groups for their entire lives. Foraging for food may make them wander, but they stay in the general area of each other.
However, even normal cranes are highly conscious of their ‘personal space’ and require quite a distance between them and other cranes. If any others intrude upon their space, they get aggressive.
They also become very territorial of their nests.
The juveniles will sometimes wander into flocks of regular cranes to mingle.
They enjoy dancing even when not in the mating season.
Their mantles sell for high prices due to their beauty and are often given as gifts of gratitude.
Kitsune [狐]
Fox spirits that usually have the ability to shapeshift and appear as young, beautiful women and men. A common legend is that they gain another tail for every 100 years they live and thus, their power increases as well. They come in a few varieties: gold, silver, or white coats, and two types: the zenko are “good foxes” and benevolent beings that serve the kami Inari, while the yako/nogitsune are “field foxes” that are mischievous and often malevolent.
Although they are as mischievous and sly as the legends say, it is also true that once a kitsune owes you a life debt, they will definitely pay you back in the time of your greatest need. All yako/nogitsune start out as normal foxes that gain spiritual powers as they age.
Appearance:
Varies based on the type of kitsune.
Zenko have gold, silver, or white coats. They are larger than the average yako.
Yako are red foxes, so they have the same coat colors as normal foxes (mainly red, silver and other mutations are possible and more common in the north).
Their humanoid appearances are always that of beautiful youths. Kitsune (along with some other shapeshifters) are unique in that they can alter their physical appearance. Some also appear as the gender opposite their real one.
Their amount of tails corresponds with their age. Not all kitsune are successful at removing the tail in their humanoid forms.
Reproduction:
Mating season: spring
Occurs every ~ 5 years
Tend to form pair bonds and are fairly monogamous.
Have litters of 4-6 kits. Takes ~ 6 years for them to mature and leave the parents.
However, they rarely accept kits that are not their own and some omegas may even kill the offspring of other omegas if they have a chance. Alphas and betas are a little less likely to do it.
They have knots just like wolves, dogs, and humans.
They can crossbreed with any other canine and humans successfully. In fact, their offspring are often fertile, which is a rarity.
Behavior:
Love to burrow and are fierce when cornered.
Highly curious, especially of humans.
Many kitsune fell in love with humans over the years. They are capable of producing children with superior spiritual powers who also happen to be fertile. Since this is such a great boon, they were often hunted down by human exorcists. Their omegas were used to birth strong children, which is why many exorcists can find their roots trace back to a kitsune mother.
Alpha kitsune are more protective and possessive of their omega mates than any other species, mostly because so many omegas were abused in order to produce better exorcists.
To kitsune of today, falling in love with a human is the greatest transgression. They are seen as whores with no standards and shunned by other kitsune.
Tengu [天狗]
The word tengu (天狗) means heavenly dog. They are kami and yōkai depending on the type, and reside in mountains and forests. Despite the misnomer of “heavenly dog”, they are usually depicted as birds of prey or as humans with the characteristics of birds. Sources vary, but the common perception nowdays is that they are mostly benevolent mountain guardians (but are still dangerous). They are often depicted as practitioners of Shugendō.
Tengu come in different varieties. The weakest are called kotengu and retain more avian characteristics. The strongest, and superior in knowledge, are called daitengu. In this ‘verse, the daitengu guard the mountains and shrines across Japan from a realm that is slightly removed from the human world, a place where many other spirits reside.
Appearance:
Based on birds of prey, all tengu have wings that reflect their heritage. The tengu are unique as a species in that the majority (kotengu) do not possess humanoid forms. A minority (daitengu) achieved the ability to transform through years of study and hard work, but in doing so lose the ability to return to their animalistic form.
Kotengu look like massive birds of prey that do not seem like they can fly because of their size. Daitengu look like tall human beings with massive, ten foot wings. They may look sturdy and even broad-shouldered, but they are amazingly light.
The hair and plumage of the tengu can be whatever color that birds of prey can be. Their eyes may be gold or amber.
Reproduction:
Mating season: varies
Kotengu: end of winter, lay eggs in spring, and the eggs hatch at the end of spring; occurs every ~ 5 years
Daitengu: same as above, but they only enter the mating season once every ~9 years and rarely actively seek to reproduce even then.
Since they lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young, they mate in the winter and lay their eggs in late spring. Their offspring hatch at the end of spring.
There are many subtypes of tengu, depending on which bird of prey they come from. They are capable of crossbreeding without difficulties.
They have a mating ritual that must be carried out in order for a tengu to be receptive to a potential partner. In addition, it is impossible for non-fliers to mate with a kotengu, since part of the ritual involves complicated acrobatics in mid-flight.
Daitengu mating rituals are complex works of art, and a sight to behold. They tend to mate for life, unlike their animal counterparts, so every now and again you will spot a pair bond.
Behavior:
They live in large communities formed from many kotengu and about 2 to 3 daitengu on a single mountain, of which they are very territorial.
They are not the most affectionate of creatures, but they are fond of children no matter the species. They have been known to adopt the offspring of other species, which is a rarity.
Although they are normally calm, an angered tengu is not a pretty sight. They have few natural predators.
When they are trying to be intimidating, they stretch their wings to their full length.
Tengu have the abilities of teleportation and invisibility (obtained by wearing a special cloak) along with other assorted abilities.
Daitengu are especially known to be wise and intelligent, but it is easy to dupe a kotengu. They are all mostly honest and shy away from humans for one reason or another.
Hakutaku
The characeters in hakutaku mean “white marsh”. It is a creature that originates from China. In Japan it is described as a beast revered as a guardian of herbal medicine. It can be found on talismans used to ward off disease. The hakutaku is also intelligent with the ability to understand human speech. Some legends say it devours bad dreams as well.
The hakutaku of this ‘verse were hunted to near extinction by humanity, which believed that the secret of immortality resided in their blood. Hakutaku have very long lifespans and can cure or ward off many diseases. Only one, Izawa, remains. Izawa resides in the other realm and works as an apothecary. The hakutaku could once be found in the mortal realm and lived near the summit of mountains.
Appearance:
They are large creatures with the body of a cow or a lion, multiple eyes, horns, and white fur. There were once two subspecies: one with the body of a cow, the other with the body of a lion.
They are regarded as divine beasts and possess the red markings around their eyes and down their backs.
Their human forms vary in size and height. They almost all have white to silver hair with dark colored eyes.
Reproduction:
Mating season: spring
Occurs every ~ 15 years
Rarely mate for life.
Have 1 offspring. Takes ~15 years to mature.
The subspecies were able to crossbreed.
They are more fertile outside of their heat periods than other species, but also have little sex drive outside of the mating season.
Behavior:
Tend to live in herds, so few wander to find new territory when they mature.
Family is quite important to them. They are protective and aggressive only when the herd is threatened. Otherwise, they are generally calm with whoever wanders into their territory.
They are very intelligent, so it is hard to dupe them. They do not take kindly to those who try, but are generally the type to let it go.
Have a penchant for wanting to help others heal.
Hybrids
This is probably where that almost-bestiality warning comes into play. Interbreeding is completely possible. You can blame the myths about Abe-no-Seimei (the man who supposedly had a fox spirit for a mother) for this.
However, like hybrids in the real world, the offspring are often infertile. In this ‘verse, hybrids often never gain the ability to transform into another form. They are stuck with the appearance they are born with.
They are usually rejected by both parents’ species, and there is a lot of prejudice against them. In fact, some cannot communicate with one or both of their heritages at all, so many avoid crossbreeding like the plague.
Also, just because it is possible to interbreed, doesn’t mean that all species should. There are very major physical and psychological constraints. For example (spoilers!), one of my characters is a Japanese marten yōkai (his name is Tōgo). He is an omega and gets impregnated by a human alpha.
So, how does that work, exactly?
Psychologically, a wolf would want to give birth to wolf pups in a wolf form. It’s possible in a humanoid form, but no one wants to see that mental image (sorry).
Human hybrids generally do not have the ability to transform into another form, so they have to come out from the humanoid form. This is where we have a problem.
Tōgo is described as a visually small omega. He’s short and thin, reflecting the fact that real martens are, well, tiny. The problem that arises is that Tōgo is not just short - his reproductive tract is also very small compared to an average human’s. Giving birth to a child sired by a human would probably kill or severely injure him (since he has a chance of getting up to 5 kids, too, yikes).
SO. Interbreeding = a very dangerous gamble depending on the species. And body horror.
But it is possible. One character, Hazuki, is very distantly related to Abe-no-Seimei. So he’s part fox spirit, and obviously his ancestors were able to reproduce.