NSFW Warning

This post discusses adult concepts relating to BDSM, pet play, slavery, and more for the purpose of explaining an erotic fantasy space. Please check the disclaimer for more information and seek refuge if you don't wish to be here.

What is (not) a K9

K9 is a loosely conceptualised world by manga artist and author 海明寺裕 (Kaimeiji Yuu). While the specifics vary between manga (including the term used to refer to K9), the K9 Universe has a handful of traits that I've begun to use as the seed of my own writing. I've written about Kaimeiji's works a bit in RRRRRR (#2) and in a dedicated blog post about consistent concepts across his work (available here) Since I don't want to exposition dump in my writing and I can't trust that everyone who reads my writing will also have read Kaimeiji (though you can and should, it's mostly available on MangaZ), I thought I'd create a primer that explains what K9 are, what they aren't, and what ambiguities are intentional to the writing. Some of my world disagrees with Kaimeiji, and our focuses differ somewhat, but I hope to produce something that is at the same time faithful to his dream while also expanding the premise.

Some readers may already have an image of what a K9 is in their minds. It's not exactly a unique word, so it picks up a bit of baggage. First I'd like to clear up what a K9 is not just because they aren't useful for the world I'm expanding. K9 are not furry. According to the (mildly unconstructive) Furry Chart, K9 would fall somewhere between a 0 and a 1, so basically not furry at all. I have no issues with furries, but the aesthetic of K9 is much closer to real world pet play. Even in the most furry-adjacent Kaimeiji work, 後宮学園 (mentioned in this reading report and available on MangaZ), the extent to which the girls resemble real-world dogs are short, unpronounced muzzles (not the proud snouts I know furries can be quite fond of). It's also not Alpha, Beta, Omega / Omegaverse. I also have no issue with that particular paraphilia (you'll find that I basically have no issue with anything but I might as well validate you while I'm here). There's less to say about that, but as you read on you may begin to wonder if there's a connection. There isn't, sorry. Finally, they're not quite puppy girls, though that's probably the closest real-world comparison. All respect to the brave trans girls pioneering the puppy girl canon. It could be my own misunderstanding about what exactly is expected of a puppy girl, but K9 appears to have a broader application and particularly emphasises the function of the pets (though pets owned purely for the purpose of being cherished certainly exist).

So WHAT ARE THEY? I hear you ask. Maybe the simplest way to think about K9 is to roughly take the social status of dogs in the real world and apply them to humans, with all the messy baggage that comes with that. The in-universe interpretation of K9 is that they are Canis Mammeatus¹, a species in the Canis genus which resembles human beings in almost every way. Specific physiological differences with humans are somewhat flexible depending on what the story needs, but highlight include: sensitivity to dog whistles (and other high pitched frequencies outside of the human hearing range), enhanced sense of smell, sexual arousal from submission, and reproductive incompatibility with humans (they cannot have children with humans). In my version of the K9 Universe there are no non-humanoid species of wolf or dog, a departure from Kaimeiji's vision. As a general rule (non-wolf) K9 in society are owned as property^† . More than one would expect of a dog, K9 are often given functional or fashionable clothing based on their role, are commonly given piercings, and other cosmetic changes. Some K9 are given jobs^†, but it's not a strict rule and many are kept as companions, for therapy, competition, etc.^† Societal expectations around K9 differ from country to country^†, with some cultures fussing over breed and function and others neglecting their populations^†. K9 are typically branded at birth, and a brand is the primary method to verify a K9's status without additional testing. Brands vary depending on the time and place, but they are typically applied to the left butt cheek (think the MLP cutie mark, though not personalised). Sometimes brands will be put elsewhere, such as on breasts or stomach. Sometimes K9 ears are tagged as part of registration^†. A K9 that is not owned is considered stray, wild, or otherwise a threat^†, and there are industries dedicated to their capture, containment, training, and/or rehoming^†. K9 bond deeply with their masters^†, but can also be trained poorly and develop neuroses, become unsafe around humans, or unsafe around other K9^†. On that note, K9 physiologically desire hierarchy and tend to become unwell if they aren't provided clear leadership or made to be leaders². Sexual contact with K9 is considered a social faux pas^† and it's illegal in many cultures, however unlike in our world, the acceptable types of contact are much broader. In terms of population, there are roughly ten K9 females for every male, but the reason for this can vary from story to story (my personal reason for this is that it just doesn't suit the stories I want to tell to saturate the story with male K9). Lastly, K9 are capable of imprinting³, a phenomenon where they believe that they are human beings, develop relationships with humans, and even engage in society as humans. Many K9 stories deal with K9 suffering from this affliction, because it's fun!. In short a female K9 differs from a human woman in almost no perceptible way, and the ambiguity of that lack of difference allows for some questioning (within the text and for the reader) about how legitimate the classification actually is. I believe that ambiguity is also intentional and it will feature in most, if not all, K9 stories. The ambiguity combined with the simple brand identification system also allows "human" characters to be permanently mislabelled as K9, a concept used very effectively in めしべのアルバム.

So you may then ask, why not just use human men and women in pet play? It's a good question and there are thousands of successful eromanga and erotica stories that do just as much. The first allure of the K9 Universe for me is the biological disposition angle, especially from the perspective of the imprinted K9. Have you ever felt out of place, like the world is too complicated, like you just want someone else to tell you what to do? Maybe you were a K9 that got lost in the system. There's a special blend of fear and anticipation to finding out that your life is about to change forever. That's certainly possible in other stories, but this universe supports a society-wide, society-enforced system that encourages obedience from certain beings. There's something alluring about a setting where the main character feels like everyone else is crazy, only to eventually understand that everyone else was right all along (or at least convincing enough to prove her wrong). Unlike puppy girls who mostly play the role of an adored pet, I like that the K9 world, owed to the fact that it takes more from the real world, includes other roles for K9 such as guide dogs, police dogs, and other supportive roles. But I also like that unlike typical master/slave play there are animalistic trappings and not necessarily the expectation of service considering prize/trophy dogs, race dogs, and just typical "best friend" dogs are non-service roles we see in the real world. Just as dogs in the real world operate in a niche that isn't quite work animal and isn't necessarily aesthetic-only pet, K9 slot in the same way.

Kaimeiji Yuu's K9 world is so evocative that after reading through only a handful of stories I was stricken by weeks of feverish dreams simulating countless stories set in different places and times and featuring different kinds of women as the principle characters. I think it's a rich world that could produce a near-infinite amount of storytelling potential, including stories outside of the erotic (in fact one of the first story concepts that came to mind was about a sled dog who has to help her injured master descend a mountain during a snowstorm, focusing on their unique bond through a survival narrative). That being said, I don't see myself as the arbiter of Kaimeiji's world. My interest probably only covers a fraction of all the possible stories that could be told. If other people were inspired to write within the K9 world as I am, I would be thrilled to see how they interpret the systems at play and how they create novel stories.

Disclaimer

Since anti-art puritans will probably find this post at some point and use it to discredit something cool I do now or in the future, please note that art is not an endorsement of how we should treat each other in the real world. The K9 universe is a fantasy made for the pleasure of the reader with no victims and no harm or disrespect intended towards real individuals or people groups. For a loose guideline on how one could interpret media that depicts harm in a responsible way, consider reading this chapter of my Kaimeiji Yuu addendum article. If this world doesn't sound arrousing to you, if it feels repulsive in some way, if it offends a political, religious, or other disagreement, feel free to just ignore it. That's your freedom as someone exploring new media, and my freedom to produce whatever I please.

Footnotes

¹term first used in めしべのアルバム
²idea first illustrated in puppy Love
³term first used in 後宮学園
^†just as dogs in our world are treated (you will see this footnote come up a lot)