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.
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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.
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
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