forum How should I build my kitsunes?

Started April 07, 2021 by @Tidermelon group

tune

Heyo! I’m really interested in creating a character who is a kitsune; however, since there are so many different depictions of them in the media and in folktales, I’m unsure which would be best to use. I don’t have a particular story this character would go into, so I’m open to all ideas.
Some different interpretations of kitsunes I’ve found throughout storylines:

• Humans, except with fox ears and several long tails.
• Regular foxes, again with more tails.
• Many-tailed foxes… with powers!
• Many-tailed foxes that can cast illusions and turn into humans at will.
• Many-tailed foxes that can turn into humans at will, but have a fox-shaped shadow.
• Immortal foxes with psychic abilities/the ability to see the future.
• Nine-tailed fox spirits that act as spirit guardians.
• The above, but tricksters rather than friends.
• Foxes that can hear or see anything in the world.
• Really, anything involving many-tailed foxes with powers.

I’m most interested in the foxes that turn into humans, but I’d also like to incorporate some other things into their lore from the above (or from something else, if you guys can find something I didn’t!). Could anyone give me some advice?

A note: The character I have in mind is just going to be a normal person.. well, they’re going to be a kitsune, of course, but not anything overpowered or allknowing. I don’t want the kitsunes of this world to be divine spirits or anything, just a normal race with some cool powers. If you could keep that in mind while brainstorming, that would be great. :)

What's the plot, and the setting (beyond kitsune are not divine)?

No idea and no idea! I’m making something completely from scratch — I’m just asking you guys what the most interesting/creative thing to start out with is. I’ll probably be using this character in roleplays.

I don't know if it's the most interesting, but fox/human shapeshifter sounds like a good place to start, with partial shapeshifting that makes for enhanced fox senses, or on the other end human perks like opposable thumbs and pack bonding.

The animal behavior of foxes can suggest the kitsune character's worldview, so for example unlike wolves, foxes were never mistaken for having a hierarchal society or coordinated cooperation because they're utterly adorable chaos most of the time.