Kota Takamura
The kyōrinrin bartender of Yokaiza
Information
| Age: | 178 [23] |
| Gender: | Nonbinary [He/They] |
| Sexuality: | Pansexual |
| Species: | Kyōrinrin |
| Occupation: | Bartender |
| Humanoid Height: | 6'2" [189 cm] / 6’7” [201 cm] |
| Spirit Height: | 2'2" [67 cm] |
Kyōrinrin
awe-inspiring sutra
Kyōrinrin is a spirit of knowledge formed from ancient scrolls, books, and scriptures which have been left unstudied by their owners and gathering dust.
Knowledge Through Ink
Gains knowledge by absorbing the ink from any paper literature they can find. The absorbed ink becomes additional tattoos on their body and leaves the used pages blank.
Elongating Arms
Their arms can elongate, but only up to 3-5 feet [1-1.5 meters]. They choose not to use this ability unless necessary as it causes strain on those limbs.
Personality
| Reliable | Attentive | Knowledgeable |
| Talkative | Curious | Eager to Learn |
| Vain | Self-doubting | Impatient |
Kota tends to come across as egotistical or rude, but it's mainly a facade to hide a secret soft side. While they try to talk themselves up and portray an air of confidence, their mind is full of self-doubt and questions towards their worth. Recognizing this similar lack of confidence or loneliness in others prompts that softer side to peek through by offering their company or telling one of the many stories they've learned over the years. They enjoy chatting or getting a good meal/drink as a means to cheer someone up, but any act of kindness is followed by a backpedaling response to resume their character. In a sense, this makes them come across as a tsundere of sorts.
Alcohol
Storytelling
Praise
Interacting with bar patrons
Windy weather
Sightseeing
Rain
Fire
His spirit form
Loneliness
Modern technology
Overly rowdy bar patrons
History
Being a kyorinrin, Kota was born from the anger and resentment ancient texts harbored towards their owners after falling into neglect and disuse. As such a young spirit created by the long festering negative emotions, they’re immediate reaction to their sudden existence was to get revenge on their owner. How dare these mere humans leave such priceless treasures go unread and unstudied for so long! How dare they leave all these scrolls, books, and papers to collect dust! Revenge is what this little paper dragon-like spirit wanted- and revenge is what they got. No great acts of wrath were inflicted but the spirit satisfied their tantrum with mere papercuts and throwing books.However, once this “revenge” was achieved, the young spirit had no idea of what to do next. Alone and new to the world, Kota did nothing but travel. Their owner must not have wanted them because they lacked knowledge. Yes, that must be it! From then on, Kota searched for every scrap of paper they could get their hands on, adding to the ever-growing well of knowledge their being became... but they were still alone. It took stumbling from the mortal realm into the spirit realm for the yokai to find someone as lost as they. Another young yokai seemingly lost in a field of flowers.It wasn’t without prying and patience that Kota learned this little kitsune wasn’t lost but, in fact, abandoned. Feeling a sense of kinship with this other yokai, the paper dragon promised the pair of them would stick together, and that is exactly what they did. From then on, neither of them would ever have to be lonely again. The two found home in the city of Yokaiza and since then they have always been each other’s family.Presently, this yokai spends their days tending to the bar and serving the many patrons that stop by to unwind with good drinks, food, and company. In their free time, Kota explores the city alongside their adopted sibling and the friends made from bartending. It's a simple existence, but a pleasant one.
Trivia
If you draw on them while they're in their spirit form, those doodles will appear as tattoos in their humanoid form. They may be temporary but still be careful where and what you draw.
It's a headcanon that they're banned from the bookstore due to stealing and one too many times where they "accidentally" absorb ink.
Their bad habit is always trying to obtain more knowledge by grabbing any kind of literature they can get their hands on by any means. This stems from the notion that they must always be "improving" themselves in order to be worthy.
He tends to pick up many hobbies, sometimes all at once, but is just as quick to drop them once he feels like he's learned them. They really only stick to a hobby when it genuinely catches their interest. For example, drawing and calligraphy are genuine hobbies.
They enjoy exploring the city and going on strolls in their spare time. Despite loathing technology, they enjoy taking photos of the scenery after lots of practice.
They're really bad at using technology. Simple tasks, such as texting, can be difficult without practice.
