S. Shakuii is the Émile taxon for a species of vampire prominent in Japan. The name comes from Japanese 爵位 (Hepburn: shakui, lit. peerage) symbolizing the tendency of S. Shakuii to often act as nobility, or for the subspecies' pervasive nature in the nobility of Japan during its imperial era. The species is not native to Japan, though it was studied most extensively there by a human student at the University of Tokyo. The taxon in the Émile standard for species taxonomy was chosen directly by a correspondent of the subspecies, and popularized through online forums frequented by members of the underground demi-human research community.
History
Despite its name, S. Shakuii did not likely originate in Japan. As it is reflective primarily of European vampire mythos and due to the Will of the People and its ways in spawning demi-human species, and surveying its popularity around the world, though statistics are somewhat lax as demi-human research is not a well-endowed field, it is estimated that the actual origin of S. Shakuii would have been in England, born from fears of revenants and ghosts in the 12th and 13th centuries. The cause of the species' translocation is unknown.
Earlier documents describing the subspecies used the tentative taxon S. Nymphalis after the Linnean taxon for butterflies, although this has been mostly retired due to the use of the genus Aetherius Nympha for nymphs. Some documents still refer to the subspecies with the term "S. Shakuii (tent. S. Nymphalis)" primarily for this reason. The conjugate term "Shakuii" is formed as a faux Latin genitive, following the tradition both in Linnean and Émile taxonomy to affix "-i" to foreign proper names which taxa carry in honor.
Vampires of the subspecies have historically been identified in many prominent government positions and positions of the nobility across England and Japan, where they were usually influential figures with large support bases. Though historical documentation about them is inaccurate due to the volatile nature of demi-human research, they are generally identified to have loyal human supporters who may or may not be aware of their vampiric nature, and who number far beyond what can be realistically enumerated by only using their powers manually. Well-reputed S. Shakuii leaders are sometimes accused of maintaining a cult of personality or deifying themselves through their power, especially for those who are illusion mages and can create artificial miracles with their magic.
Physiology
Vampires of the subspecies S. Shakuii appear nearly identical to humans. Visibly, they are marked by subtly glowing eyes, often of a warm color, and fangs in their mouth. They often have a distinctive pallor similar to pallor mortis and a somewhat doll-like appearance. Their eyes diminish in brightness when they are physically weak or incapacitated, such as when they are asleep or unconscious, and flare up when they are excited or rejuvenated, especially when they have freshly eaten. Ocular luminescence can roughly correspond to blood oxygen level and generally flares up along with a rush of adrenaline.
S. Shakuii does not have an alternate form, though some members of the subspecies practice magic and are able to shapeshift into forms such as a fleet of bats or cloud of mist. The rules for such a transformation are beholden to the school of magic employed. Despite their lack of innate magical power, S. Shakuii commonly have sorcerous traits that allow them to veil their fangs and eyes, especially in front of humans to help uphold the Masquerade. While their form is veiled, they still demonstrate pale skin. This illusion magic does not take much effort to uphold, although some vampires of the subspecies believe it is untrue to their nature. The natural illusion gives members of the subspecies an affinity for illusion magic if they ever wish to study the craft.
Feeding
S. Shakuii feeds on human blood about once every one or two weeks, although metabolisms vary significantly between vampires. Generally, members of the subspecies experience a rush of adrenaline during the hunt. The hunt may be defined as the process of isolating a human from their crowd and appealing to their sensibilities, perhaps through the use of miryoku or simply through their allure as an individual, or cornering them in combat after a fight.
Generally, S. Shakuii do not particularly savor the taste of blood, but it does further increase adrenaline and it is often difficult to stop feeding once one starts. Some members of the subspecies lament that this leads to unwanted fatalities in humans, although this sentiment is uncommon as members of the subspecies are usually encouraged to revel in their nature. Members of the subspecies report tachycardia during the process of hunting and feeding on humans, in both themselves and their targets, and note that the fear of the target human only excites them more.
Psychology
S. Shakuii vampires are generally not heavily affected by their transformation, though some vampires of the subspecies do note their thirst for blood, which is normally fairly typical for all vampire subspecies, identify it as infringing upon their own ability to act with genuine kindness to humans. Though the subspecies itself does not inflect any psychological conditions or moral or ethical transformation, the transformation can exacerbate preexisting conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) where it can make intrusive thoughts worse.
Generally, members of the subspecies S. Shakuii find a natural comfort with other humans, especially those who are under their charm or who already acknowledge their nature. As such, it is commonly recommended to members of the subspecies that they quickly find humans to confide in, as it is considered more important for vampires of the subspecies than for humans for emotional regulation. A healthy social life also goes hand in hand with many of the cultural effects of S. Shakuii, who are commonly associated with the royalty due to their nature that enables them to accumulate prosperity relatively easily.
Miryoku
One of the most notable powers of S. Shakuii, though one of their less distinctive ones, is their ability to "charm" humans, a limited form of mind control common in vampires. The effect itself itself referred to as "charm," or by its Japanese name miryoku (Japanese: 魅力, lit. charm, glamour), and is frequently used by members of the subspecies to placate humans or elicit their servitude. Unlike many other forms of mind control, hypnosis and entrancement in vampires, miryoku does not make the target human follow a specific order or command, but instead makes them more prone to suggestion from the vampire and is commonly analogized to falling in love.
Due to the subtle effect of miryoku, vampires of S. Shakuii are generally not afraid of using it on humans. Since no overt command is given, humans do not often understand they are under a human's control, but may exhibit symptoms of intoxication such as slurred speech and unnatural calm, as though they are sedated. Usually, before it can be used by the vampire, miryoku requires physical and emotional closeness or eye contact, at which point a target human may already be acquainted with the nature of the vampire. However, miryoku does not require a shared spoken language or any other formality, unlike S. Erisi, the most common vampire subspecies in the Greater Offetstine Area with a similar ability, compulsion.
Miryoku is sometimes used to turn humans loyal to a vampire, occasionally using it to radicalize them and make them forgo existing social bonds to serve a vampire exclusively. Under this state, they take their loyalty to their vampiric master as granted. If they recognize their own behavior, they do not believe it requires justification and feel a sense of adoration for their vampire master that the rest of their actions stem from. In more extreme cases, humans under the charm of S. Shakuii vampires often envision themselves as consorts of the vampire. Despite this, the power cannot be used to make them follow any specific order. Even human servants under the control of miryoku still exhibit their own will, and it takes both the charm and emotional investment of a vampire to fully control a human.
Culture
Vampires of the subspecies S. Shakuii are usually known for their well-off and affluent nature. As their nature does not mutate their morality but confers powers that allow them to gain leverage in the human world, S. Shakuii vampires often use miryoku to earn the trust of humans. The act of manipulating humans, much like the act of feeding, usually imparts a sense of excitement to the vampire, who otherwise feels the greatest sense of excitement during the hunt, the process of cornering and feeding on humans. Due to this, vampires of the subspecies are usually able to leverage the wealth of their humans for their own benefit, and naturally gravitate to living in opulence and glamour.
This tendency of S. Shakuii is closely associated with their presence in the royalty and peerage of their respective nations, primarily Japan and England. It is suspected that their ability to easily win the hearts of humans, even humans who fiercely oppose them, is a component in their pervasive nature in multiple nations' governments. As the subspecies is generally associated with loyalty, and through the Will of the People, it is also suspected that the subspecies itself evolved as a result, and their nature grew more powerful.
Some human scholars, especially those who personally identify with the political and economical ideals of soclalism and other left-wing schools of thought, note that the character of S. Shakuii, to find their wealth through the deception of humans, and later turn around and paint oneself as an ideal figure or role model to the lower-class humans, is akin to the portrayal of upper-class humans in socialism. S. Shakuii has previously been implicated in the rise of the Industrial Revolution, though claims tying together the two are rather tenuous.