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Lotus Dancers
“Without fox demons, no village is complete.” —Chinese proverb
Lotus Dancers are a type of Huli Jing, or Chinese nine-tailed fox, similar to the Japanese Kitsune or Korean Gumiho. Like their other east Asian counterparts, the Huli Jing can shapeshift into a human form. Huli Jing as a whole can be either benevolent or malevolent, and can either be wise guides to humans or tempting tricksters who devour the essence of humans in the guise of a charming man or woman. In their true form, a Lotus Dancer Huli Jing appears as a beautiful fox with nine tails, regardless of their age. Their fur is always a shade of pink, ranging from so pale it almost appears white, to a vibrant bubblegum pink. You will never see a Lotus Dancer with fur any brighter than bubblegum pink, so magenta or fuchsia-colored foxes are imposters disguising themselves as Lotus Dancers. They never really gave me a straight answer as to why their fur appears in such a strange hue, but a lot of them say it’s because of the lotus blossoms and seafood that they eat. Their eyes can be brown, amber, blue, or green, with green being the rarest and most beautiful in the eyes of their kin. Lotus Dancers will always carry a heady floral scent about them that eases the mind, relaxes the body, and cleanses spaces of negative energy and other unpleasant things that might be clinging to the area or the beings within it. All Lotus Dancers prefer to take their human form, though, and they live up to the legacy of Huli Jing taking the form of beautiful women or handsome men. In this form, they appear as a full human, and never appear in a transitional state where they have fox features on a human shape, as they consider it less beautiful than the form of a human. When they appear as a human, you may not even know that they're a fox at all, as they do not tend to let any hint of their fox nature seep through, aside from the sweet floral scent that follows them. Lotus Dancers are magnificent artists of sword dancing, which is why all Lotus Dancers will be seen with a sword at all times. No two foxes will have the same dance, and it is something they perfect over the course of their entire lives. When they dance, they attract positive forces (good luck, positive energy, happiness, etc.) to their audience. It is said that if someone makes a wish and then watches a Lotus Dancer dance with their whole heart, their wish will come true, though forcing a Lotus Dancer to dance for this purpose may result in your wish being corrupted and never coming true. Lotus Dancers have developed a deep and fond relationship with their swords, giving them names and constantly tending to them, and many consider their sword to be a dear friend or member of their family. They are never seen without their swords, and should a Lotus Dancer lose their sword or have it break, the unfortunate Huli Jing is shamed to the point that they are shunned by their former kinfolk and often fall to more predatory habits like their more malevolent kinfolk. At that time, their fur will often lose its beautiful pink luster and become dark or dingy. Lotus Dancers can be great protectors, though they prefer not to use their swords to do so, as their swords are considered far more than a simple weapon to use in combat. They prefer friendship to protection detail, though, as friendship allows them to live a more carefree life where they can perfect their dances and enjoy life. |
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