Monukai

Summary

Monukai are a rare species that result from a Monster-Youkai pairing (hence the name). Retaining the creative intelligence of a Youkai, yet maintaining the sweet naivety of their Monster ancestors, Monukai are best described as a child-like species. Striving to make the people they like happy, they can be territorial, but are generally warm enough that anyone will be welcomed to their home if they visit outside of spring. They're much more inclined to listen to their instincts than Youkai are, however, so if they sense danger, they're quick to flee right away. They're capable of weak magic, and generally rely on the land for their survival. They don't understand the concept of money very well though, so they function either by goodwill or by exchanging services or goods with others.

Appearance

Build

They're a humanoid species that best resemble animals that walk on their hind legs. Whether they're furry, scaly, feathery or otherwise depends on their hybrid species, but overall, they're very cute and cuddly-looking beings. They usually aren't bigger than a human child, though some can grow absurdly large.

Colour

Generally, they'll have the same colours as their natural counterparts would have, and do not retain the wild colours and odd gender distinctions their Youkai ancestors have.

Clothing

They like to wear very fluffy and warm clothing, as they would feel vulnerable without them. However, many of them are fluffy enough to forego clothes if they so wished to. The wilder members of their species generally do this.

Evolution

Having descended from Youkai and Monsters both, they retain the humanoid body structure Youkai generally have, while keeping the strength and body type Monsters generally have. Since both of their mother species can use some degree of magic, they're capable of using a bit of it themselves, though it's generally nowhere near as impressive as a Youkai's (though it's still an improvement over Monster Magic). While they're quite smart, their intelligence is closer to that of an animal's due to their overly trusting nature.

Personality

Attitude

They're almost always kindhearted and eager to please others, which has given them issues with poachers and other similarly shady people in the past. The wild ones are a lot more standoffish though.

Reasoning

So long as they don't see or sense malice from other beings, they'll warmly welcome anyone and everyone and would give the clothes off of their back to help out someone in need.

Social

Since they're quite rare, relatively speaking, they tend to live in towns or villages to keep themselves safe. That being said, if a good person visits them, they'll realize they're so open that they'd feel like family by the time they have to leave their home. A Monukai will suffer terribly if they're isolated for more than a few days, however, as they depend on companionship and the kindness of others to survive and are overall highly affectionate and co-dependent.

Language

They learn language from their parents and society, though they're not smart enough to learn more than 3 languages reliably, and that's pushing it. They tend to speak like children would, as their language is simpler and easy to understand. Due to their odd structure, their speech sounds more guttural than a Youkai or Human's would.

Intelligence

They're intelligent enough to speak, form societies and use magic, but they wouldn't fare too well in a school environment, especially higher level ones. That being said, they're not dimwitted either and can be very cunning depending on the species and circumstances. They're more street-smart than book-smart overall.

Habitat

Range

They can live anywhere normal animals can live, more or less, with a bit more leeway due to the adaptations due to their Monster origins.

Climate

They prefer colder climates if they're of the furry variety. Otherwise, the scaly and feathery varieties prefer warmer lands, while the oceanic variety prefer the sea. Generally, they all like spacious places that are ideal to hide at easily or to grow a large family at.

Adaptability

They're not very adaptable and can die of shock if their environment or circumstances change too quickly. For example, a feathery Monukai will die of a heart attack if they come across a big shock, much like their animal counterparts.

Exploration

Once a tribe finds an ideal home, they'll generally stay where they end up settling, and only explore if they absolutely need to or if they plan to make their own tribe.

Reproduction

Courting

They're a lot like animals, since there isn't a particularly fancy way they gather the attention of potential mates beyond gift-giving, grooming, cuddling and showing them their hiding spots/homes. Within Monukai, if they feel comfortable enough giving their clothing to each other, they're generally agreed to be mates, or at least in a serious relationship.

Initiation

When springtime arrives, Monukai will generally mate. This means they're intensely territorial at that time, however, and may fight with each other if they're particularly aggressive.

Pregnacy/Eggs

It's pretty much the same as a Monster or animal pregnancy. The feathery and scaly varieties tend to have eggs, while the rest have live births.

Nurture

Since they're highly social beings, they take great care of their children and generally won't abandon them unless they have absolutely no choice but to do so. They'll even go so far as to adopt other children that have been abandoned or injured, though this extends past their species as well. They tend to coddle their children, however, and produce children that usually remain innocent through their entire lifetime.

Training

Childrearing and hunting is about the most Monukai will train their children in, as they rely on the kindness of others for survival. That being said, they do know how to create clothing from scratch, and are capable of cooking (though they generally have their food either rare or in the form of pleasant treats). Magic is learnt through instinct rather than being taught, however.