Mariko

Lives in a coastal city with a culturally diverse population of humans and demi-humans. Has a one-bedroom apartment to herself. Employed by an advertising agency run by crow tengu. Turns out, bake-danuki illusion arts translate well to illustration and graphic design skills. Her work has won a few awards, but none big enough to draw many eyes. Mariko is quite content with that.

Bake-danuki live much longer and age slower than humans. While Mariko's true age is unknown, she's at least under 100. Overall appearance is that of an attractive, mature, yet mousy woman in her late forties. About 150cm in height, kinda short, her weight is a secret. Silky brown hair hangs loose to her shoulders, matching her brown eyes. Two rounded tanuki ears pop out the top of her head, and a big, bushy tail sprouts from above her butt. Big, soft bazonkers. A little saggy but propped up well enough with lacy bras. Pinchable cheeks and a doughy tummy, a result of indulging in copious amounts of sake and sweets. Plump, chubby maybe, but it'd be plain rude to call her fat. Prefers comfy clothing: sweaters, long skirts, and cardigans. Autumn is her favorite season, especially since she can bundle up in comfort. Soft-spoken and sweet, Mariko has a subdued, motherly demeanor. In fact, she loves kids. Wants kids. Terrified of actually raising kids, due to the commitment and tedium. Has an extraordinary sense of responsibility, so her fears are unfounded. Never missed a deadline in all her years of work. Always on time and a bit of a perfectionist. Aside from kids, she loves cute things in general. The kind of coworker to send you tons of motivational cat pictures, except they're all personalized since she's a designer. Very cheesy sense of humor. Never been in a relationship, worries too much about dragging others down. More than a few guys at the office have crushes on Mariko, but she is totally unaware of this or her feminine appeal. Considers herself gloomy, boring, and getting up in her years despite all this being far from the truth. Dreams of quitting advertising to become a children's illustrator, but doesn't have the emotional support to be comfortable doing so. Strong but naive opinions about inter-species peace and love between humans and demi-humans. Typically keeps her opinions to herself, but when she shares them she comes off like an oblivious mother asking "why can't we all just get along?" When nervous or embarassed, Mariko becomes quieter and speaks using fewer words, doesn't really stutter. She's more likely to shut down from confrontation than become flustered. Takes a lot to get her drunk. Highly emotional when she is. Turns into a weepy baby who goes slinging her arm around anyone who'll listen, telling them how much she loves and appreciates them. Mariko has minor shapeshifting abilities. Can alter her appearance to look like a different person, but her disguises have "tells": always a leaf in her hair, sometimes an ear or her tail will pop out. Unlike most bake-danuki who use their abilities to deceive and prank people, Mariko uses it to blend in to crowds and avoid unwanted attention. Can communicate with wild tanuki. Can't control them, but they usually obey her anyways because she feeds them treats.