#kny scary fanfic

[eyes-closedmind-open]

My precious doll

Rengoku Kyojuro x gn reader headcanon

⦁ When he first heard of you, it would be from the book his mother read to him and he was so fascinated by the protagonist of the story that he plead his mother to read him over and over again when she is not tired.

⦁ One spring he heard there is a puppet show that is recreated from his favorite story, so he begged his parents to take him there.

⦁ his parents didn't understood entirely why he loved that book so much, but they took him there anyways, seeing their child so happy didn't took to much of convincing.

⦁ They got the first row seats and once the light dimmed and the stage got lighted up he swore his world stopped for a second once he saw your doll, pretty just as he imagined, the flowing hair as they made you to move along in your story and the never changing gentle smile they painted on your porcelain face, it's almost like you are real but that feeling went away just as fast as it came

⦁ His eyebrows crunched into confusion momentarily before shrugging it off and continuing to watch his favorite story play out into the puppet show.

⦁ After the show he couldn't stop talking to his parents about it all and then they understood why he liked the story so much, you were such a lovely written person, gentle soul with a burning heart with the love that seems to never end for the people.

⦁ he vowed to himself to become somewhat like you so others could experience your kindness through him.

⦁ And as they were going home he saw a shop through the corner of his eye, it was a puppet shop! and it had you in it.

⦁ His parents saw it and they also saw how fast Kyojuro’s eyes lighten up, by then they knew they had no chance of saying no, so his father just did a hand gesture that meant "go for it" 

⦁ He, of course, picked out you with such a enthusiasm that it shocked a shop keeper for a moment then he laughed about it while calling Kyojuro an adorable biggest fan of you.

⦁ Once he got handed a box with you in it, he felt like he was holding a world in his hands: he swore he will love and cherish you, so you will never have a chance to question his love for you and never felt lonely, a doll or not, you are a precious gem to him. Whenever he knew why or not, his child self didn't cared for as long you are there, everything will be okay

⦁ And when he came back home, he unpacked you with such a carefulness, like you will shatter if he will grip you too tight and too hard even if momentarily and once he was done with unpacking he sat you on the floor and stared at you for a while admiring your human like beauty.

⦁ His mother suggested on brushing and styling your hair and she will teach him how to style your hair in many hairstyles and just like that it became one of his favorite past time

⦁ But as time went on his mother got sick and he needed to pay attention more to his training and his brother, you got less and less played with and talked with

⦁ while you understood as why, you still longed for the boy who looks so much like flame and has fire embers for eyes to come back and talk to you as you were a person and not a puppet.

⦁ Your porcelain skin cracked in the corner of your fingertips and your once perfectly smile faltered, while its not so visible to the human eye, he will see it, if he will come back to you.

⦁ But after his mother passing, he barely had anytime at all for his little past times, so one evening he came back to his room after a long day, the so little kyojuro wasn't so little anymore, you thought to yourself, he is growing and he is growing fast, you just wished you could see more of it.

⦁ And for the first in the long while, he saw you. even if you were always there when he came back, he finally saw you. he stood there for a bit, recalling all the memories with you. he felt guilty for leaving you all so suddenly, but life is demanding for his attention and his precious doll will have to wait for him to come back. "as long you come back, i will wait for you for eternity"- a foreign voice whispers to him in the corner of his mind. but that foreign voice doesn't sound all that foreign at all: it sounds familiar, like he heard it somewhere long ago before.

⦁ He came closer to his doll, to hold them and talk with them like he did all those years ago and for the first time in long a while he felt burden being lifted off his shoulders: being heard and seen even, even if it's by the doll. but his heart is telling him something different: like you are not just a doll, like you are more than that. but he doesn't know, neither does he has words to put his feelings to, so for now you will be just his beloved doll who makes him feel safe to express whatever is on his mind.

⦁ And so you became his safe place everytime he has a bad day, not so great mission or the house is more colder than usual, you're his place he goes to when his father is drinking his life once more, he wonders everytime why.

⦁ why he feels such a strange connection to you, maybe because it hold the memories of his mother? holding the memories of his father before he succumbed to his depression? or there is simply something about you he has yet to find out.

⦁ He tells you everything that's happening in demon slayer corps, from Tomioka saving a demon kid to a kamado being brave and standing up against Sanemi and defending his sister regardless of the consequences he may face and all while he goes off about his day from the corner of his eyes he swear your smile became little bigger and brighter, but when he turns you look like your usual doll self, he shrugged it off and continues on.

⦁ Before every mission he always make sure to hug you as a good luck charm, he hugged you a little tighter before he set off to catch on the train, he had a feeling something may go wrong, but he didn't let his thoughts consume him too much and remained positive.

⦁ If only that saved him.

⦁ He knew he was finished with his demon slayer career the second he saw his mother, but its okay, he saved everyone and sometimes sacrifices must be done for others to live on, right? he thought to himself, he didn't wanted to leave, he still got so much to look forward, he promised to three not-blood-related brothers he will train them to become stronger, he promised to Senjuro he will come back, he promised it to you.

⦁ Once he closed his eyes once and for all, he opened them again, but this time he is in different place, with his mother by his side, he sat up very quickly to hug her

⦁ "I missed you, mom"

⦁ "I missed you too, kyojuro" she smiled at her son as she hugged him back "but you still have someone to visit"

⦁ and before he knows it, he appeared in his room, he looked around and noticed his doll is nowhere to be seen, as he was ready to go and look around he heard a sniffle and a hiccup.

⦁ He follows the sound and sees his photo on the shrine next to his mother and his weeping brother, he ran up to try and comfort him but his hand went through him and that's when it actually hit him.

⦁ He is dead.

⦁ He is gone.

⦁ he can't comfort his brother anymore, he can only sit next to him hoping he will sense his presence and hopefully it will bring him some peace, while sitting next to Senjuro he finally saw his doll, sitting on the top of the shrine, beautiful as ever, but their expression seemed to be more, sad? how a doll can be sad? he thought to himself

⦁ "Because I'm not just a doll"

⦁ he wiped his head to the direction of the voice and there they were, in all their glory who looked exactly like his precious doll.

⦁ "what?" he asked while he looked back and to the person standing "I was real all along, just couldn't really talk to you through my porcelain crafted body" They smiled while looking at his still shocked expression, he then noticed something on his pinky, a red string! 

⦁ connected to the person in front of him, who was his doll.

⦁ "I got trapped into a doll while trying to reborn and I couldn't escape" they kneeled beside him to honor his shrine "so that's why we didn't met this lifetime, but Kyojuro, your love set me free from the porcelain body and for that i must thank you" they looked at him once finished the prayer all meanwhile his mind is trying to put all the dots together.

⦁ "So was it you that i felt the presence of the entire time? and that whisper, was it all you?"

⦁ "it was, did I spooked you?"

⦁ "no! It was comforting actually, not to be alone, thank you" he smiles at you and then he made a shock expression "Oh! I almost forgot to ask, what's the person who been looking over me name?" his smile was ever so gentle even in death.

⦁ "I am Y/n" they smiled back at him

⦁ "Nice to meet you Y/n, you can call me Kyojuro and it sounds like we got a lot to catch up" He hummed in thought

⦁ "that we do, but for now, lets sit for a while, two presence is stronger than one, so I'm sure your brother will notice it and bring him some comfort" they said as they sit side by side.

⦁ Once Senjuro had calmed down and ready to go finish his chores without breaking down again, Y/n and Kyojuro are ready to move on, but before that Kyojuro wanted to say goodbye to his father, so he walked to his room and entered, and he saw something he didn't expected, his crying father, but no sake in sight

⦁ "I'm sorry Kyojuro, for not being there for you..." he said in the whisper, it's like if he will speak any louder the realization will hit him once more.

⦁ And with that he knew Senjuro will be taken care of "Take care of yourself, dad, me and mom will be waiting for you both, don't come too soon though!" He smiled for the last time as he went to Y/n to go further into afterlife. ⦁ "All set?" They asked

⦁ "Yeah, let's go!" he grabbed their hand and disappeared into nothing more but sakura petals.

⦁ Senjuro could swore to himself he heard his brother laugh from the distance, "he is okay" smiled as he thought to himself while looking up to the sky.

[blissxjj]

Demon Slayer O/C

Kagura

I have been seeing a lot of demon slayer o/c and let me be truthful and say i don't have just one o/c i am so indecisive that i keep changing my o/c randomly and none of them represents me in the slightest so i wanted to share with you my vision and one of the characters i thought of.

Let me start by showing her hashira outfit then I will explain her back story.

(I own these drawing)

So as you can see she is quite unique!

BackStory

So her name is Kagura (no official name yet) Kagura lives in the mountains with her huge family and members of an old cult she was raised to be a witch and act as her family did, they practiced rituals and witch craft, let's just say that Kagura's family had friends on the other side. She never took their practice seriously, she had a feeling that it was all a huge lie.

Her mother was very strict, and once she knew about Kagura's beliefs she went bonkers and dragged her daughter to the forest, there was a big tall (as a tree) shadow of a man standing there, glowing white eyes and an unsettling smile on his face (if you can even call it a face)

Her mother started chanting and then proceeded to say that she is sorry for failing to raise her daughter to connect with their world.

Kagura was scared and held on to her mother, when the tall man whispered "Kill her" her mother turned around generating her weapon a bow she made herself when she was younger.

Kagura, fearing for her life, she attacked her mother before she could fire her arrows she grasped it and put it through her mother's chest. Kagura picked up the bow and ran away from her mother's now dead body and from the crazy people she tolerated for too long.

Kagura now started to believed in the other side and she started to practice witch craft and connect more with the creature that lurked behind the shadows, turning herself into an archer using her mother's bow. Years passed and Kagura is nineteen standing In front of the same tall man that once turned her mother against her, Kagura came to terms with the shadow because she realised she will never conquer the other side without killing this creature he was the gate to her ultimate ability.

Abilities:

Kagura is a hashira that uses a bow and arrows instead of a melee weapon, she has good aim and her crimson arrows are special for three reasons, one they DON'T run out she could generate them forever as long as the red Crystal is on her right hand to do so, two her arrows are deadly if she hits a demon or a human in the head, but if she misses or purposely makes her arrows penetrate any other part of their body they will start to hallucinate about their bad past or fears or even just random shadows and creatures creeping around in their vision, it's not that bad but it could be distracting. Three, is her summoning ability, she charges her arrow until a demonic red circle appears on the tip of it, Kagura thinks of a creature from her collection that might help in the current situation, then when the circle starts glowing she fires the arrow at the desired area for the creature to appear.

Her collection:

Kagura has a different creature for different situations as mentioned before, so here are some of the creatures explained, and what each creature does to her arrows.

(these are not names to the creatures but rather descriptions) I don't own any pictures going forward the credit goes to the respectful owners.

Dark hound:

It's a dog/wolf like creature that is good at attacking, it's a good tracker and has pretty strong since of smell and could find anyone and anything. Used to find, track and attack. Pretty default but great choice!

Arrows: none

Ability: Pack: They gain strength when together.

Bat-Owl:

It's an owl with bat-like wings, Kagura uses this creature as a way to communicate or spy on enemies (Same as the hashira's crows)

Arrows: none.

Ability: Kagura can look through the owl's eyes but that would leave her body blind for the same time she used the owl vision.

Crawler:

This creature has two forms:

Two legged: he is not fast in this stance however his strikes are stronger and faster, used in situations where fights are around him and his opponent doesn't rely on speed.

Four legged: in this stance he is fast, switching from hitting with his claws to biting with his mouth, used in situations where chasing and attacking is needed.

(he can switch between the two stances mid fight but it takes time and energy)

Arrows: two legs: stronger piercing, four legs: Longer range.

Ability: None.

Unseen:

This blind creature is sneaky and invisible, it will not show itself until it's too late, striks are fast and deadly, also good at hiding its smell, sound and even appearance, he is good in situations where they need to be sneaky or quiet.

Arrows: invisible.

Ability: When the creature becomes invisible Kagura can too, if one is spotted the other is revealed too.

Death wings:

This creature is a flying master fast and deadly he strikes from above serving as both a transport and a weapon, used in situations where the fight needs to be taken high or when fighting on the ground is a big disadvantage.

Arrows: Reveal enemies in the area.

Ability: None (Mounting it is the ability)

Hell hound:

Unlike the first hound this one is used for land transportation its thin legs and great speed serve not only as a useful mount but a great escape and chasing. Used in situations where mobility is needed rather than damage.

Arrows: Faster arrows

Abilities: Arrows split into two.

Every creature's weakness:

Dark hound: not very sturdy, and he begin well at everything means he is not special in anything.

Bat-Owl: If she is spotted she will run away and hide plus her small size is a big disadvantage.

Crawler: He doesn't like LOUD NOISES.

Unseen: he is a one strike one kill so if the target escapes his first assassination he becomes useless.

Death wings: Relies on sound to move around so if the place is dead silence he needs to keep screaming to find his way revealing his position to everyone.

Hell hound: not very durable and his attacks barely do anything to the enemy he is a transporter not a fighter.

Kagura: She relies on her creature to fight melee while she fights from a safe range, this makes her a support to others rather than the main fighter, yes her attacks and creatures are strong but the moment they get close to her and her creatures are not there to help she is probably dead.

❤️

Thank you so much for reading all of this i hope you like it and you are welcome to give me suggestions for names and other changes i should make.

Love you stay safe!

[justasimone]

黒死牟 - The tale of the Six-Eyed Demon (spooky story fanfic)

By justasimone

This is a fanfiction based off of the series Kimetsu No Yaiba. This is based on Kokushibo, a character from that series.

If you get through this (yeah, it's super lengthy of a read) I will be astounded! 

I've written too much

Disclaimer:

This is a story that contains no spoilers nor

gives away any canon information on this

character. This is a creative interpretation in

the form of a short story. There may be more

tales to be unveiled.

Edits and writing by justasimone

黒

死

牟

Kanji: (Kokushibo)

 ʟᴏꜱɪɴɢ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪꜱ ᴡᴏʀᴛʜ ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ

 𝐘e𝐭

ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪꜱ ᴡᴏʀᴛʜ ʟᴏꜱɪɴɢ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ.

【黒】

【死】

【牟】

ᴛʜᴇ ꜱɪx-ᴇʏᴇᴅ ᴅᴇᴍᴏɴ

𝑳𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒈𝒐, 𝒂 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒔𝒊𝒙-𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒗𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒔.

It was said that this entity had walked the earth at night in search of human blood. The villagers were quite terrified, noting that strange things had begun happening all over the country that could not be explained. The appearance of demons had thrown the city into silent, deadly chaos that many could not escape. Since then, others had begun to see a pattern with them. Some folks claimed that one man was behind the horde of them, claiming that he used them all to fulfill his wishes. Others believed that they could be working for more sinister reasons outside of just one leader. Although there were many stories for the reasoning behind it, the most popular belief had to do with a hierarchy.  

There were very few who tried to piece this horrifying story together. One was a man who claimed that he had witnessed his brother being transformed by the six-eyed demon. The man insisted that he was a deadly adversary that embodied evil itself. The tale began with the man waking up to the sound of a ruckus outside. He heard someone scream and noticed that his younger brother was missing. He opened the sliding door ever so slightly, so he could see what was going on outside without being detected. Believing that the shadows of the night would conceal him in the darkness, he looked out into the abyss before him. By a dim light coming from one of the house’s lanterns, he saw his brother hunched over with a sword. It laid shattered on the floor in pieces while the mantle stuck out of the ground. It was then that the man saw the demon.  

He described him as a creature with an uncanny yet warped human appearance. The man’s skin crawled when he saw six eyes and a mark of fire along his face. He studied his fallen brother, who gritted his teeth as blood ran from his mouth. He was so shocked to see a warrior as powerful as him easily defeated. The man knew at once that this demon was far more terrifying and disturbing than the rest of the demons, he had the rare chance of witnessing. His brother coughed up blood, muttering something inaudible to the demon. The man watched the terrifying demon stare into his brother’s eyes as lightning struck as if it was splitting the sky into glass shards.  

He held his breath and tried to hear what his brother said. Finally, he heard a bit of his dialogue. “Please…Don't do this to me. I cannot be one of you. I swore to him…”  

The six-eyed demon’s eyes lit with a dangerous rage akin to a burning flame. “You cannot take back your promise, Kidou. You will become a demon to serve my master.”  

“Please, I beg you! I no longer want to live forever, living the violent, brutal life I have been trapped in. I would rather die with honor in my heart than to live with the sinful bloodlust for immortality. I dare not give in to the darkness of my heart any longer.”  

The six-eyed demon narrowed his eyes. “Do you think I will allow this? You will not forsake me now. You are a warrior designed for the bloodshed that must be used for my master. You cannot break an oath to me nor to him.”  

“Please!” The young man cried out in anguish as he knelt before Kokushibo. “I don’t deserve to serve anyone; I would rather perish!”  

Suddenly, before the man knew it the demon grabbed Kidou’s face and made him look into his eyes. The lightning continued to burst with an electrifying pandemonium. With the quick flashes of lightning, the man saw the demon’s eyes glowing in the dark while it scowled at Kidou. “You will pay with your family’s lives. Nevertheless, you will become a servant.” Suddenly, the lantern by the house flickered in the wind while Kidou screamed. When the light was refocused, the man saw his younger brother hit the floor with blood dripping down his mouth. Except, something told him that it wasn’t his blood. Kidou laid lifeless on the ground for a few moments until he suddenly sprang up like a puppet. His movements seemed unnatural and rigid as if he were being controlled.  

“You will come with me,” said the six-eyed demon. As the man looked on in horror, Kidou turned his neck and faced him. Another burst of lightning revealed a terrifying expression that the man could never forget. His younger brother Kidou looked vile, staring into his eyes like a hungry beast. The six-eyed demon smirked and looked over its shoulder at the man. The tale ended with the man running into the forest and hiding into a ditch. He had managed to run from his brother, who he figured was turned into some sort of monster like the one he had seen before. It is said that the man only lived for two days until he was never seen again.  

Another tale was told by a father of two twin siblings who disappeared. He said that before his children disappeared, his son had complained to his wife and himself about two demons. The story began with their daughter Chinatsu wandering into the forest. She had been determined to find supernatural creatures and believed the legends she heard from her grandparents concerning these creatures. Her twin brother Chihiro, however, did not believe any of it. He merely dismissed the tales as silly myths to entertain children of the same age as them. He rolled his eyes whenever he heard his grandmother speak of mythical demon slayers, demons, spirits, deities, fantastic creatures and reincarnation.  

One day after his grandmother told a specific tale of a man who was cursed to live forever after eating a forbidden fruit, he went out to play as usual with his sister. This time, his sister was thoroughly engrossed in the tale and claimed that she would find this mythical man that day. They wandered through the forest as she wandered about, holding what looked like a jade coin with a quartz centerpiece that could show the forest from a fish eye’s view. His sister Chinatsu claimed that this coin would allow her to find him, just as her grandmother claimed. Her brother warned her that their grandmother had said only to use it if danger was approaching.  

Chinatsu laughed and shook her head at her brother. “No, no, silly! We’ll use it so we can help the man who is cursed!”  Her brother Chihiro glared at her with dissatisfaction. “Right. We should be avoiding someone that unlucky instead. If he was actually real, all he would do is give us bad luck.”  

Chinatsu shook her head again. “No! He would be saved because we can help!” She laughed and continued to wander through the forest with the coin as her guide. She looked through it and continued to wander, turning every so often down a different path. The sun was setting and Chihiro had a bad feeling about this. Soon the two twins found themselves deeper in the forest as the sun disappeared under the mountains. “Great, now we’re lost. Good one. Now father will scold us and mother will worry!”  

His sister was completely unfazed and kept wandering. “This coin will get us out if we need to.” His sister stopped in the middle of the forest. Her eyes lit up as she stared a bit in the distance. Her brother was just pushing away some branches from scraping him when he looked and saw what his sister was staring at.  

He nearly jumped when he saw a man with red eyes and a suit watching them. The man smiled gently at them and walked towards them.  

“Are you lost?”  

His sister nodded. “Yes, but first I need to find someone. Have you seen him, sir? I’m looking for a man who is in trouble.” Chihiro glared at her while she spoke. “Stop making things up,” he said while grimacing.  

“Are you? Do you need help finding him? What does he look like?” The man looked empathetic, yet Chihiro felt uneasy around him. He sensed a strong, negative energy emitting from him.  

“He ate a blue fruit and got cursed because of it. I want to find him so I can try to help him. My grandma says he got changed from a human into a demon because of it.”  

The man’s eyes grew wide as Chinatsu continued narrating the story her grandmother told her. After Chinatsu was finished, she smiled. “I was hoping to find him today so I can help him.”  

The man stared at her in silence. Somehow, he seemed troubled by the tale, yet oddly moved by the girl’s opinion of the cursed being in the legend. Chihiro cut into the silence with an apology. “I’m sorry, my sister is a fool. She only listens to stories from our grandmother and doesn’t know the difference between reality and fiction. I sincerely apologize for disturbing you.”  

The man looked surprised and his pupils seemed like they changed for a minute. The man then smiled and laughed. “Don’t worry, she has quite a healthy imagination for her age. Let me help you two find your way home. Your parents must be worried about you!”  

Chinatsu smiled and took the man’s hand while Chihiro took hers and followed. In a short amount of time, they found themselves back at their small village. Chinatsu and Chihiro bowed to the stranger. “Thank you so much for guiding us home,” they exclaimed gleefully.  

“No problem,” the man responded as he waved. As his sister was out of earshot, Chihiro heard the man whispering. He thought he heard him say something odd. Later, his sister would confirm what he heard. “The man you speak of in that tale is right here, young one.”  

When the twins got home, everything seemed normal at first. Then Chihiro noticed his sister looking out the window like she was waiting for something. The more he asked her about it, the less responsive she was. As they were about to go to bed, he heard her whispering to herself. “I get to help him…” she said before closing her eyes to sleep. Later that night, Chihiro awoke to the door of their home left open as the cold winter air seeped in. He dressed and went outside, looking to see a trail of footprints that matched the size of his sister’s geta. Nervous, he followed them until he saw her sleepwalking in the forest. Her eyes were open and she was smiling. “Where are you going, sister?”  

She turned and smiled at her brother. “To give our souls to the man. That will help him,” she said while giggling. The boy was so alarmed that he tried to drag his sister back home. He told his father about it as he struggled to keep his sister from out of the forest. No matter what he or his parents could do, his sister wouldn’t stop screaming and trying to fight them to go outside. She even tried to bite them at one point while screaming non-stop. Her mother finally let her go in fear and Chinatsu ran into the forest. Her brother ran right after her without warning.  

Days later, Chinatsu and Chihiro’s parents found a note next to a Sakura tree. It was written in scrawled writing, signed by the first few letters of their son’s name. The note read:

Running from people in the night. They aren’t normal. They have sharp fangs and have ungodly strength. We slipped past them until we saw a man with three pairs of eyes. He caught Chinatsu. I tried to fight him, but I lost. I am looking for her now. I’m following the man. Please find me before he takes her away.  

Chinatsu and Chihiro’s parents never saw their children again.  

Perhaps the most famous tale came from a retired demon slayer. The old man claimed that he knew much about demons and told many townsfolk to avoid them at all costs. He watched several towns with such a watchful eye that the townspeople never witnessed a single demon inside their town. This time of peace would not last eternally, despite the old man’s skill and great prowess as a former demon slayer. The man claimed that many great comrades of his were slaughtered by demons, but most notably of all were the attacks from what he called the upper moons. He had told his story once in an inn when the townsfolk celebrated his success, claiming that they were all too naive.  

He claimed there was one demon in particular that had made him the most uneasy. This demon was the most conniving, ruthless and calculating being he had ever known. The man called this demon Kokushibo and had nicknamed him the harbinger of death. He claimed that this demon took not only the lives of many innocent people but that he also posed the biggest threat to his entire team, including the most skilled of pillars. He described Kokushibo as very powerful with an incredulous amount of strength and great skill. He claimed that Kokushibo could bend his power in the form similar to nature using breath techniques that he never thought any demon would ever understand.  

When the old man was pressed for more information, he refused to disclose any other specifics. Even his younger comrades were left in the dark, questioning the existence of this elusive demon. The last thing the man was quoted saying was that he felt that he had known this demon’s true identity due to his family crest. He felt that he knew which clan he was from yet did not confirm it with certainty. He warned his last student before he died of Kokushibo. The old man stated that if his student was to discover Kokushibo's true origins he should never disclose this information under any circumstances.  The old demon slayer died with that secret a year later due to a heart attack.  

Since then, more tales have begun to surface of this demon. While many narratives have not been confirmed to be firsthand accounts, many elders believe in his existence. The younger townsfolk who even doubt the existence of the supernatural still shiver with fear when they hear of him.  

It is said that to this day, Kokushibo roams this very earth.  

(End)

(I decided to add some haunting edits...muhahhaa of the "six eyed angel".)

➡️Note:

Tales and legends from word of mouth are often edited with multiple variations added on from many years through various storytellers. This would lead to some information or firsthand accounts of demons to vary greatly and contained exaggerated, even warped versions of the original accounts (such as the blue fruit version instead of the actual story). Hence why I thought of writing this based on that perspective without any spoilers or worrying about how canon it is.

(I will soon post this story on fanfic.net when I get the chance.)

I deleted my amino account to protect my mental health so I no longer use the alias of Solar Eclipse. Hence why I removed the amino link.

[mitskimutual]

these abandonment issues r gettin a lil annoying >=[

[demonslayedher]

Hahahaha this post was such a typo-filled ramble and I've borrowed parts of it elsewhere but I stand by my main points about how Gotouge drew lots and lots of inspiration from existing folk culture but got to the heart of those themes instead of getting boxed in with "canon" versions of mythology and/or religious traditions. What a smart and talented gator.

But I bring this back up because on my recent oni related adventures, I finally went to the Japanese Oni Exchange Museum on Mt. Oeyama, where Shutendoji (one of the big baddies who terrorized the Heian capital) hung out with his demon legions and was killed by the Heian equivalent of Hashira. It's easy to say Shutendoji = equals Muzan, but I stand by my previous points about how KnY sticks to its own demon canon and it's a little silly to search for 1-to-1 comparisons between KnY snd previously existing demon lore.

That said, something I really liked about this museum is that it was a comparative look at regional oni legends and made analysis based on patterns, but in recognizing that oni aren't always even necessarily bad, it encourages visitors to make their own conclusions about what oni even are.

This is part of where I think KnY's charm and strength is, by giving us sympathetic views of both the oni and their hunters, it dabbles a lot in that ambiguous space about demon nature. At least, with Tanjiro as our viewpoint character, it's much easier to look beyond the surface "evil" and instead recognize creatures doomed to a different sort of superhuman existence, which inevitably puts them at frequent odds with the surrounding humans. If we really get into it, the historical origins of many demon legends, including around Oeyama, are people who were feared by others because of the lifestyle they led, just trying to get by.

...

That really wasn't the point of this post though. I just wanted to point out how I appreciate that poisoning Muzan was such a crucial step, because in so many demon legends the heroes have to at least get the demon super drunk before they even have a chance at beating it. : D Yay, Gotouge~

Ramble on the Limitations of Looking for KnY Interpretation based on Japanese Mythology

One thing I notice a lot in the Japanese side of KnY fandom theories is a lot of deep dives into religious and mythological reasons behind Gotouge's creative choices. It is super interesting stuff, and Gotouge borrows enough and does homage to enough that there is a clearly a solid knowledge base there. While I find historical details handy for interpreting the characters, ultimately, I find that the canon of demons and Breaths can be interpreted in a vacuum without relying too heavily on the uncanny coincidences lurking in deep dives. This isn't going to be a well-supported essay, this is going to be a ramble that may include a bunch of interesting nuggets. (And then she went on to ramble for 3249 unedited words...)

First things first: I'm a nerd. I like to say I broke the weeb scale a long time ago, but I'm not exactly a university professor or anything like that. That said, I do read a lot of stuff from experts who have jumped on the KnY trends to talk about how elements in KnY are taken from, say, the sword making traditions of the Okuizumo region that results in black swords or simply making comparisons to famous swords, or local legends of supernatural encounters that resulted in split rocks, or comparing specific oni with and the heroes who slayed them or at least comparing elements of specific characters to other famous oni legends, or that Hinokami Kagura is based on a specific Shinto legend and has 12 forms based on existing Kagura traditions, etc. And I love reading this stuff, because I wouldn't had learned about some of it without my interest in KnY leading me to those articles, or as I read it I cheer because they're making references to things I already (as a nerd) really enjoy and therefore it strokes my inner echo chamber bias, or I nod along and think, "oh, yes, why of course, that makes total sense, Hinokami Kagura must be based on the dance Amenouzume performed to enticed the Sun Goddess Amaterasu out of the cave, how silly to think it could be based on anything else" but I then also take a step back to think, "...but it also doesn't have to be." For as many similarities as there to existing legends, it feels to me that Gotouge made it a point not to make specific reference to any particular mythological or religious elements. As an example, Gotouge considered titles with reference to a Shinto fire god named "Kagutsuchi" but never made actual reference to any fire god (or sun god) by name in the finalized direction canon took. Granted, a lot of fan theorists have read into that, going so far as to say because Nezuko's fire powers she represents Kagutsuchi, Yoriichi represents Amaterasu, etc., but while I find the idea of borrowed elements makes for highly interested interpretation of canon, one-to-one comparisons really don't work for this series. By not invoking a name like Kagutsuchi in the title or otherwise, Gotouge succeeded in not being boxed in by the canon of any particular deity. (Granted, "canon" for mythology can vary significantly by whatever historical writings you're looking at, with standard interpretations going through many big changes throughout the centuries. It can be as loose as it is limiting, depending on what sort of historical/mythological/religious figure you're talking about.) I feel there's more evidence of this avoidance by never invoking Amaterasu as a deity, despite the emphasis on the power of the sun in slaying demons. Even looking back and trying to figure out who Akeno placed so much faith, it was only called a "god of sunlight" as opposed to a "sun god." It's as though KnY works with a generic approach to religion. Even if the use of Buddhist element, the Nenbutsu prayer is called such, and Himejima's repeated phrases are legit Buddhist practice, but there is a huge variety of Buddhist sects and practices and theologies, and throughout history, many of them didn't get along. Going back to Akeno and wondering if she might had been Buddhist, I went so far as to suspect she was influenced by Nichirin sect philosophy based on its emphasis on the "Nichi" (sun) representing Japan and incorporating Shinto gods into its philosophy, and for its likely influence in the Kanto area in Akeno's time period, and for its encouragement for the salvation of women and therefore popularity among women. I felt pretty satisfied that it was all lining up, but also, none of this is necessary for a quality interpretation of canon. If Gotouge wanted to say specifically what informed her religious conviction, then it would had been said. But that's not what was important, was it? What was important, and therefore focused on, was Akeno's feelings toward her son and wishes for his sake.

While KnY's worldbuilding feels richer with all the clear religious influence, the details are not actually important. If anything, I feel like Gotouge dove into the heart of the elements of, say, Shinto mythology, and played those core elements up. It's different, yet still familiar, to take sun-associated elements and used them in a way that serves the story without being boxed into existing traditions. The sun is clearly important, and once you start looking for it, you find subtle recurring references to it. Like, Akeno's name? The "Ake" is one way of writing "red," and there are all sorts of uses of other ways of writing "red" throughout the series, in everything from the sand used for making Nichirin blades to the way that Haganezuka calls Tanjiro an auspicious "red" child with a very rarely used kanji. Our commoner main characters, though, just use regular old ways of saying "red" when referencing Tanjiro's appearance without thinking deeply into it, like there's something special right in front of them but they don't recognize it. Similar to how something as special as Sun Breathing was hidden right in front of them in Hinokami Kagura, with a name so generic and simple that it's entirely unsurprising that the Taisho era Kamado family would interpret it as "fire god." The very lack of limiting real-life details is what allows Gotouge to sprinkle these deep touches around, cover them up with branches and leaves, and then sit back and wait for readers to stroll through and invitingly pleasant looking field and then trip and fall down a rabbit hole. This is also what I think gives Gotouge the freedom and malleability to work with the sun in a way that serves the story, especially in ways that tie it to fire. While I don't think there's strong ties for this is general Japanese culture, the way canon is written implies a close tie between fire and the sun as being a very closely related element, hence the influence on the Kamado family, Tanjiro's appearance, his suitability for Sun Breathing based on a history of tending fire for careful charcoal burning, and Tanjiro and Nezuko capability as demons to overcome the sun. Here is where I go into a bit of a tangent about the purification element. This, again, is not strictly tied to any particular Shinto canon (and Shinto does place heavy emphasis on purification), but instead is an example of Gotouge getting to the underlying heart of a lot of common religious elements. Fire is associated with spiritual purification in everything from Buddhism to Catholicism, it's very easy to apply Nezuko's fire abilities as something which burns away something evil (demon poison) so as to purify something good (human flesh, or even other physical substances). Maybe lesser known, but very deeply entrenched in Japanese culture, is the purification element of charcoal. While it may be known around the world for soaking up undesirable elements and therefore used in everything from fish tank filters to treating food poisoning, in Japan, there's a bit of a spiritual side to it as well. For something so closely tied to the way of life for citizens throughout hundreds of years of history for everything from cooking to heating the home, it's unsurprising that quality charcoal would receive as much emphasis as good water and rice. Japanese charcoal is especially known for not producing undesirable smoke or odor, making it appropriate for use in a lot of settings. Charcoal farmers have often not just been that; they've been caretakers of the forest. Keeping the right trees, at the right sizes (both for use as charcoal and for how you pack it together when making charcoal), and in the right numbers to ensure you have stock for coming years, requires management of the forest. (Other tangent side note: many of the other names in the Kamado family are references to plants. Sumire both has the "sumi" sound of charcoal and is the word for violet, Kie is in reference to hollyhock, Nezuko is in reference to red beans (and the asanoha pattern of her kimono is in reference to hemp leaf, an

auspicious symbol of strong and quick growth), Takeo is in reference to bamboo (ironically bamboo can be a problematic plant for charcoal farmers, because it may spread too fast and take resources from other trees--stop stealing all the takuan pickles, Takeo!), Hanako is in general reference to flowers, Shigeru is in general reference to (plants) flourishing, and maybe by the time they got to Rokuta they gave up and said "he's our sixth child, let's just call him 'Six-Boy', lolz." BUT I DIGRESS.) That means the Kamado family not only had careful management of fire in the actual days of charcoal production, but of a wide variety of natural resources to ensure the trees were healthy. Natural weather phenomena, clean water, pest control, minerals from rocks getting into the soil, hmm, so many elements to pay attention to. Hmm. These sure sound a lot like other Breaths. And Breaths all stem from Sun Breathing. That means there may be certain elements of Sun Breathing that have been emphasized in each of them, but none of them encompass so many qualities of the natural world. The natural world which Yoriichi saw with such clarity than nature accepted him with open arms, practically, in how well animals took to him. Sun Breathing, while especially using that all-important purification aspect of sunlight which burns evil demons, is like an all encompassing embrace of nature. While being closely tied with fire is hugely important, there's more to it than just flames. While Shinto is very much so closely tied with nature (the extent to which this is emphasized may vary from shrine to shrine, scholar to scholar), what I see in KnY is a clever use of emphasis on spirituality in nature as opposed to emphasis on Shinto mythology. And I think that was a smart move. While stories based more directly on various theologies, mythologies, and religious ideologies often use those building blocks often wind up having very creative takes on them (even and especially with the confines of them), ultimately, the story of KnY is whatever Gotouge wants to do with it, and it does not seem guided by the specific conventions of more specific religious elements. But again, those deeper elements are still everywhere. You know what color Japanese charcoal burns? It's a gorgeous jewel tone red, spanning many of those rare shades of red Gotouge make reference to. And, in wider Japanese culture, red is the color of the sun (as opposed to how other cultures may represent it as yellow or orange or white or so on). (Not as exactly a KnY tangent, just personal: Japanese charcoal is so freaking pretty, I had no idea until I saw it used in the tea ceremony at parts when guests crowd around to enjoy the sight of it as the host prepares it for boiling the water. I can stare and stare and stare, it is so so so so so pretty, but also this element of the ceremony has gotten rarer both as many places have made a more practical switch to electricity, and tea ceremony quality has gotten more rare both due to fewer producers and due to beetle-related damages to the trees used, and I will always state HOW DISAPPOINTED I am that Kanata and Sumihiko are not out there raising charcoal, because charcoal is precious and I'm always so terrified of wasting charcoal in my practices because its so precious, but seeing the amazingly beautiful burn of the charcoal is absolutely one of my favorite elements of the ceremony and this of course gives me an extra soft spot for Kamado Tanjiro BUT I DIGRESS AGAIN, I TOLD you this was going to be a ramble, but SERIOUSLY IT IS SUCH A GORGEOUS RED).

So anyway. My point is, as interesting as incorporating outside elements may be, I don't find them necessary in interpreting KnY's canon. Even if it takes tons of Taisho Secrets to do so, Gotouge presents the details necessary, and that's more than enough to work with. After all, despite all the care taken in historical details in building the setting, KnY takes place in a fictional universe, it can make its own rules when it comes to things that don't actually exist in our universe. Demons, for example, follow a chronology and power system with sources and limits that is unique to a this universe, as tempting as it is due to general cultural familiarity, it does not call for a one-to-one comparison with existing demon legends. Breath as well, as a power system, is very interesting. Again, this is because it has a lot of basis in core concepts of real life physical and spiritual training. It's presented as a method available to anyone who can pick it up, not drawing on a mystical outside power or summoning the actual superhuman elements of nature. Other stories that present their power systems like that are well and fine, but when it comes down to it, this is a story about mere humans doing everything in their limited power to wave swords around and defeat creatures that seem so likely to outpower them. This is a common, relatable basis of stories throughout history, and a lot of analysis I've heard of KnY's success says that it shows how classic this story structure is. Many Japanese demon stories have their origin in epidemics, and some people suggest that the world looks for hope in stories like KnY in times of seemingly insurmountable crises like coronavirus. I think that's an oversimplification of KnY's success, but again, because of Gotouge's use of core cultural elements, it can be applied easily. OKAY BUT ON THAT NOTE we can do some really interesting digging if we want. : D Gotouge does make some highly specific references, included religious ones (granted, not in ways that impact the plot). The example coming to mind is the Seventh Form of Thunder Breathing, the "Flaming Thunder God." In Japanese, this is "Honoikazuchi-no-Kami," the name of a lightning deity who had a very, very brief mention in the Kojiki and who appeared among a handful of other lightning deities named in reference to other aspects/phenomena of lightning, like the sound or the rumble through the ground. Honoikazuchi is not so much the lightning itself, but the fires started by lightning. Stick with me a bit longer, I'm building up to something here. You've probably heard of the twelve animals of the Chinese (poorly translated as) Zodiac, right? Well, the system is way more complex than that, and really, if you want complexity, skip Japan and go dive straight into ancient China. I laugh and cry at myself for having a graduate degree in Chinese studies, the extent of my knowledge is is pitifully small, I know nothing, nothing. Suffice to say, China has its own five element system of water/wood/metal/fire/earth, it's more a philosophical application than a more physicality-based four element system popular in the west (fire/water/air/earth, why hello there, Avatar), with attributes of these elements assigned to every about anything through Chinese culture, from medicine to, you guessed it, the Zodiac animals. Japan saw all this and said "cool, we'll do that too" albeit their sort of mixed and matched a bit and made their own take on it in Onmyodo. An Onmyoji, who keeps track of, like, really any other-worldly matter you might have on your hands as a Heian noble, is someone who is paid to know all this stuff (it was very likely an Onmyoji who told the Ubuyashiki clan, "yeah, you got an evil family member to blame for your curse, squash him"). Yours Truly is not an Onmyoji and therefore will not attempt to go into more detail, save the one that a handful of Japanese theorists in the KnY fandom love to bring up: The Boar is a water sign. This means that, especially in Shinto practice, boars are considered an animal that protects against

fire, hence, a lot of practices to protect against fires were done on days of the Boar, in the month of the Boar, etc. So? So-o-o-o-o-o? You see it? You see it??? Boar = Water, Honoikazuchi = Fire, Inosuke and Zenitsu are basically foils to Tanjiro? Yes, yes, see it, yessss??? Deep dive Kamaboko theory, yes?????? Hahahaha. Naw. It's just a fun coincidence. ^_^ Again, I find these details completely unnecessary, for we are already given so many details in canon to work with on its own, and I think Inosuke and Zenitsu as foils to Tanjiro works entirely well simply based on their personalities, not because of any supernatural elements that require a high level of nerdery to have any hope of appreciating. Besides, once you start reaching too hard for cultural details Gotouge might have used and clinging too tightly to those ideas, there's likely something in canon to make it doubtful. For instance, Inosuke more widely presented as a king of the forest who wears deer and bear hide as well, and the fanbook state that Beast Breath is considered a likely offshoot of Wind Breathing. Even if we rely more strictly on historical detail, there's still the question of, say, what one of the basic Breaths, Thunder Breathing, even was when it was but a thunder inspired sword form not necessarily powered by Breath, you know, back when swords were longer and it would have been harder to make the fast draws katana would later be better suited for. Maybe they called it Thunder because it was practiced by swordsmen who stomped around really hard, and then when they added Breath technique, they figured out "oh dude, we can use our strong legs to go fast"??

Those are the kinds of things I find more fun to play around with in interpreting canon by bringing in little outside details, because as a work of fiction, there are already so many fun details to work with already even when treating it in a vacuum. But, giving Gotouge extensive and subtle use of cultural elements, especially core elements, it sure makes a lot of outside details applicable. Which is all to say, it's all super interesting, and I think the more people realize these things, the deeper they read into it, to an extent more than canon calls for. As much as I like it, and as much as I've enjoyed pulling outside elements in to fanfiction (like Kagutsuchi and lightning god tidbits), ultimately, if Gotouge thought these things were necessary, they'd have been included. Since they are not, I try to stick to canon details and Word of God-touge in answering Asks (lolz, I didn't plan on becoming a meta blog, it just kinda happened). BUT ALSO, JEEZ, I AM SO EXCITED IF PEOPLE TAKE A DEEPER INTEREST IN JAPANESE CULTURE BECAUSE THEY LIKE KIMETSU NO YAIBA, YOU CAN HAVE SO-O-O-O-O-O MUCH FUN PLANNING A TRIP TO JAPAN AROUND KNY THEMES, DO IT DO IT DO IT, GO TO YAGYU AND POSE IN A TANJIRO HAORI AND STICK YOUR SWORD IN A SPLIT ROCK, THE LOCALS THERE LOVE IT, DO IT but also like maybe learn about the tea ceremony and appreciate how beautiful the charcoal is with me k thx bye

[zhuilingyizhen]

41

I think I only have one that’s MDZS, cause I usually read all my fics in one go, but here:

1. https://archiveofourown.org/works/24625039

Good fic so far, I’m reading it slowly to savor it. One of the good zhuilingyizhen fics on ao3. :)

2. https://archiveofourown.org/works/22860541/chapters/54638344

Not MDZS, but still in the anime category. I think I’m rereading it though 0-0

3. https://archiveofourown.org/works/24042934?view_full_work=true

Me being poly trash & reading inotanzen. Kny was so effing good tho-

4. https://archiveofourown.org/works/17540753/chapters/41956934#workskin

Warning, it’s rated E for smut in later chapters. I don’t plan on reading the smut tho, I’m still a child. Good fic so far.

5. https://archiveofourown.org/works/17177168/chapters/40387604

Rated E again, but every time I try to finish this one I just... can’t. I have to go back and reread, and I’ve gotten so close but I just never finish. It’s sad, really.

Sorry for the lack of MDZS on here!! I’ve been reading less fanfic for a while (scary I know) in favor of writing it. I’m currently editing part of a fic, but knowing me I won’t be done for a while. I’ve started just writing snippets whenever I can and plan to mash em all together eventually. My ao3’s fictionexistences, so I guess y’all can check it out if ya want. 0-0

Ty for the ask!!

[kny-imagines]

ok but what if i wrote a kny school!au fanfic,,,,,,,,,, where sanemi is your scary upperclassman,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and you kinda avoid him like most of your peers,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, until he punches a molester on the train,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and kinda starts keeping an eye out for u bc ur too dumb to take care of urself,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and then u fall in love,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[angstandhappiness]

INTERESTING

Ramble on the Limitations of Looking for KnY Interpretation based on Japanese Mythology

One thing I notice a lot in the Japanese side of KnY fandom theories is a lot of deep dives into religious and mythological reasons behind Gotouge's creative choices. It is super interesting stuff, and Gotouge borrows enough and does homage to enough that there is a clearly a solid knowledge base there. While I find historical details handy for interpreting the characters, ultimately, I find that the canon of demons and Breaths can be interpreted in a vacuum without relying too heavily on the uncanny coincidences lurking in deep dives. This isn't going to be a well-supported essay, this is going to be a ramble that may include a bunch of interesting nuggets. (And then she went on to ramble for 3249 unedited words...)

First things first: I'm a nerd. I like to say I broke the weeb scale a long time ago, but I'm not exactly a university professor or anything like that. That said, I do read a lot of stuff from experts who have jumped on the KnY trends to talk about how elements in KnY are taken from, say, the sword making traditions of the Okuizumo region that results in black swords or simply making comparisons to famous swords, or local legends of supernatural encounters that resulted in split rocks, or comparing specific oni with and the heroes who slayed them or at least comparing elements of specific characters to other famous oni legends, or that Hinokami Kagura is based on a specific Shinto legend and has 12 forms based on existing Kagura traditions, etc. And I love reading this stuff, because I wouldn't had learned about some of it without my interest in KnY leading me to those articles, or as I read it I cheer because they're making references to things I already (as a nerd) really enjoy and therefore it strokes my inner echo chamber bias, or I nod along and think, "oh, yes, why of course, that makes total sense, Hinokami Kagura must be based on the dance Amenouzume performed to enticed the Sun Goddess Amaterasu out of the cave, how silly to think it could be based on anything else" but I then also take a step back to think, "...but it also doesn't have to be." For as many similarities as there to existing legends, it feels to me that Gotouge made it a point not to make specific reference to any particular mythological or religious elements. As an example, Gotouge considered titles with reference to a Shinto fire god named "Kagutsuchi" but never made actual reference to any fire god (or sun god) by name in the finalized direction canon took. Granted, a lot of fan theorists have read into that, going so far as to say because Nezuko's fire powers she represents Kagutsuchi, Yoriichi represents Amaterasu, etc., but while I find the idea of borrowed elements makes for highly interested interpretation of canon, one-to-one comparisons really don't work for this series. By not invoking a name like Kagutsuchi in the title or otherwise, Gotouge succeeded in not being boxed in by the canon of any particular deity. (Granted, "canon" for mythology can vary significantly by whatever historical writings you're looking at, with standard interpretations going through many big changes throughout the centuries. It can be as loose as it is limiting, depending on what sort of historical/mythological/religious figure you're talking about.) I feel there's more evidence of this avoidance by never invoking Amaterasu as a deity, despite the emphasis on the power of the sun in slaying demons. Even looking back and trying to figure out who Akeno placed so much faith, it was only called a "god of sunlight" as opposed to a "sun god." It's as though KnY works with a generic approach to religion. Even if the use of Buddhist element, the Nenbutsu prayer is called such, and Himejima's repeated phrases are legit Buddhist practice, but there is a huge variety of Buddhist sects and practices and theologies, and throughout history, many of them didn't get along. Going back to Akeno and wondering if she might had been Buddhist, I went so far as to suspect she was influenced by Nichirin sect philosophy based on its emphasis on the "Nichi" (sun) representing Japan and incorporating Shinto gods into its philosophy, and for its likely influence in the Kanto area in Akeno's time period, and for its encouragement for the salvation of women and therefore popularity among women. I felt pretty satisfied that it was all lining up, but also, none of this is necessary for a quality interpretation of canon. If Gotouge wanted to say specifically what informed her religious conviction, then it would had been said. But that's not what was important, was it? What was important, and therefore focused on, was Akeno's feelings toward her son and wishes for his sake.

While KnY's worldbuilding feels richer with all the clear religious influence, the details are not actually important. If anything, I feel like Gotouge dove into the heart of the elements of, say, Shinto mythology, and played those core elements up. It's different, yet still familiar, to take sun-associated elements and used them in a way that serves the story without being boxed into existing traditions. The sun is clearly important, and once you start looking for it, you find subtle recurring references to it. Like, Akeno's name? The "Ake" is one way of writing "red," and there are all sorts of uses of other ways of writing "red" throughout the series, in everything from the sand used for making Nichirin blades to the way that Haganezuka calls Tanjiro an auspicious "red" child with a very rarely used kanji. Our commoner main characters, though, just use regular old ways of saying "red" when referencing Tanjiro's appearance without thinking deeply into it, like there's something special right in front of them but they don't recognize it. Similar to how something as special as Sun Breathing was hidden right in front of them in Hinokami Kagura, with a name so generic and simple that it's entirely unsurprising that the Taisho era Kamado family would interpret it as "fire god." The very lack of limiting real-life details is what allows Gotouge to sprinkle these deep touches around, cover them up with branches and leaves, and then sit back and wait for readers to stroll through and invitingly pleasant looking field and then trip and fall down a rabbit hole. This is also what I think gives Gotouge the freedom and malleability to work with the sun in a way that serves the story, especially in ways that tie it to fire. While I don't think there's strong ties for this is general Japanese culture, the way canon is written implies a close tie between fire and the sun as being a very closely related element, hence the influence on the Kamado family, Tanjiro's appearance, his suitability for Sun Breathing based on a history of tending fire for careful charcoal burning, and Tanjiro and Nezuko capability as demons to overcome the sun. Here is where I go into a bit of a tangent about the purification element. This, again, is not strictly tied to any particular Shinto canon (and Shinto does place heavy emphasis on purification), but instead is an example of Gotouge getting to the underlying heart of a lot of common religious elements. Fire is associated with spiritual purification in everything from Buddhism to Catholicism, it's very easy to apply Nezuko's fire abilities as something which burns away something evil (demon poison) so as to purify something good (human flesh, or even other physical substances). Maybe lesser known, but very deeply entrenched in Japanese culture, is the purification element of charcoal. While it may be known around the world for soaking up undesirable elements and therefore used in everything from fish tank filters to treating food poisoning, in Japan, there's a bit of a spiritual side to it as well. For something so closely tied to the way of life for citizens throughout hundreds of years of history for everything from cooking to heating the home, it's unsurprising that quality charcoal would receive as much emphasis as good water and rice. Japanese charcoal is especially known for not producing undesirable smoke or odor, making it appropriate for use in a lot of settings. Charcoal farmers have often not just been that; they've been caretakers of the forest. Keeping the right trees, at the right sizes (both for use as charcoal and for how you pack it together when making charcoal), and in the right numbers to ensure you have stock for coming years, requires management of the forest. (Other tangent side note: many of the other names in the Kamado family are references to plants. Sumire both has the "sumi" sound of charcoal and is the word for violet, Kie is in reference to hollyhock, Nezuko is in reference to red beans (and the asanoha pattern of her kimono is in reference to hemp leaf, an

auspicious symbol of strong and quick growth), Takeo is in reference to bamboo (ironically bamboo can be a problematic plant for charcoal farmers, because it may spread too fast and take resources from other trees--stop stealing all the takuan pickles, Takeo!), Hanako is in general reference to flowers, Shigeru is in general reference to (plants) flourishing, and maybe by the time they got to Rokuta they gave up and said "he's our sixth child, let's just call him 'Six-Boy', lolz." BUT I DIGRESS.) That means the Kamado family not only had careful management of fire in the actual days of charcoal production, but of a wide variety of natural resources to ensure the trees were healthy. Natural weather phenomena, clean water, pest control, minerals from rocks getting into the soil, hmm, so many elements to pay attention to. Hmm. These sure sound a lot like other Breaths. And Breaths all stem from Sun Breathing. That means there may be certain elements of Sun Breathing that have been emphasized in each of them, but none of them encompass so many qualities of the natural world. The natural world which Yoriichi saw with such clarity than nature accepted him with open arms, practically, in how well animals took to him. Sun Breathing, while especially using that all-important purification aspect of sunlight which burns evil demons, is like an all encompassing embrace of nature. While being closely tied with fire is hugely important, there's more to it than just flames. While Shinto is very much so closely tied with nature (the extent to which this is emphasized may vary from shrine to shrine, scholar to scholar), what I see in KnY is a clever use of emphasis on spirituality in nature as opposed to emphasis on Shinto mythology. And I think that was a smart move. While stories based more directly on various theologies, mythologies, and religious ideologies often use those building blocks often wind up having very creative takes on them (even and especially with the confines of them), ultimately, the story of KnY is whatever Gotouge wants to do with it, and it does not seem guided by the specific conventions of more specific religious elements. But again, those deeper elements are still everywhere. You know what color Japanese charcoal burns? It's a gorgeous jewel tone red, spanning many of those rare shades of red Gotouge make reference to. And, in wider Japanese culture, red is the color of the sun (as opposed to how other cultures may represent it as yellow or orange or white or so on). (Not as exactly a KnY tangent, just personal: Japanese charcoal is so freaking pretty, I had no idea until I saw it used in the tea ceremony at parts when guests crowd around to enjoy the sight of it as the host prepares it for boiling the water. I can stare and stare and stare, it is so so so so so pretty, but also this element of the ceremony has gotten rarer both as many places have made a more practical switch to electricity, and tea ceremony quality has gotten more rare both due to fewer producers and due to beetle-related damages to the trees used, and I will always state HOW DISAPPOINTED I am that Kanata and Sumihiko are not out there raising charcoal, because charcoal is precious and I'm always so terrified of wasting charcoal in my practices because its so precious, but seeing the amazingly beautiful burn of the charcoal is absolutely one of my favorite elements of the ceremony and this of course gives me an extra soft spot for Kamado Tanjiro BUT I DIGRESS AGAIN, I TOLD you this was going to be a ramble, but SERIOUSLY IT IS SUCH A GORGEOUS RED).

So anyway. My point is, as interesting as incorporating outside elements may be, I don't find them necessary in interpreting KnY's canon. Even if it takes tons of Taisho Secrets to do so, Gotouge presents the details necessary, and that's more than enough to work with. After all, despite all the care taken in historical details in building the setting, KnY takes place in a fictional universe, it can make its own rules when it comes to things that don't actually exist in our universe. Demons, for example, follow a chronology and power system with sources and limits that is unique to a this universe, as tempting as it is due to general cultural familiarity, it does not call for a one-to-one comparison with existing demon legends. Breath as well, as a power system, is very interesting. Again, this is because it has a lot of basis in core concepts of real life physical and spiritual training. It's presented as a method available to anyone who can pick it up, not drawing on a mystical outside power or summoning the actual superhuman elements of nature. Other stories that present their power systems like that are well and fine, but when it comes down to it, this is a story about mere humans doing everything in their limited power to wave swords around and defeat creatures that seem so likely to outpower them. This is a common, relatable basis of stories throughout history, and a lot of analysis I've heard of KnY's success says that it shows how classic this story structure is. Many Japanese demon stories have their origin in epidemics, and some people suggest that the world looks for hope in stories like KnY in times of seemingly insurmountable crises like coronavirus. I think that's an oversimplification of KnY's success, but again, because of Gotouge's use of core cultural elements, it can be applied easily. OKAY BUT ON THAT NOTE we can do some really interesting digging if we want. : D Gotouge does make some highly specific references, included religious ones (granted, not in ways that impact the plot). The example coming to mind is the Seventh Form of Thunder Breathing, the "Flaming Thunder God." In Japanese, this is "Honoikazuchi-no-Kami," the name of a lightning deity who had a very, very brief mention in the Kojiki and who appeared among a handful of other lightning deities named in reference to other aspects/phenomena of lightning, like the sound or the rumble through the ground. Honoikazuchi is not so much the lightning itself, but the fires started by lightning. Stick with me a bit longer, I'm building up to something here. You've probably heard of the twelve animals of the Chinese (poorly translated as) Zodiac, right? Well, the system is way more complex than that, and really, if you want complexity, skip Japan and go dive straight into ancient China. I laugh and cry at myself for having a graduate degree in Chinese studies, the extent of my knowledge is is pitifully small, I know nothing, nothing. Suffice to say, China has its own five element system of water/wood/metal/fire/earth, it's more a philosophical application than a more physicality-based four element system popular in the west (fire/water/air/earth, why hello there, Avatar), with attributes of these elements assigned to every about anything through Chinese culture, from medicine to, you guessed it, the Zodiac animals. Japan saw all this and said "cool, we'll do that too" albeit their sort of mixed and matched a bit and made their own take on it in Onmyodo. An Onmyoji, who keeps track of, like, really any other-worldly matter you might have on your hands as a Heian noble, is someone who is paid to know all this stuff (it was very likely an Onmyoji who told the Ubuyashiki clan, "yeah, you got an evil family member to blame for your curse, squash him"). Yours Truly is not an Onmyoji and therefore will not attempt to go into more detail, save the one that a handful of Japanese theorists in the KnY fandom love to bring up: The Boar is a water sign. This means that, especially in Shinto practice, boars are considered an animal that protects against

fire, hence, a lot of practices to protect against fires were done on days of the Boar, in the month of the Boar, etc. So? So-o-o-o-o-o? You see it? You see it??? Boar = Water, Honoikazuchi = Fire, Inosuke and Zenitsu are basically foils to Tanjiro? Yes, yes, see it, yessss??? Deep dive Kamaboko theory, yes?????? Hahahaha. Naw. It's just a fun coincidence. ^_^ Again, I find these details completely unnecessary, for we are already given so many details in canon to work with on its own, and I think Inosuke and Zenitsu as foils to Tanjiro works entirely well simply based on their personalities, not because of any supernatural elements that require a high level of nerdery to have any hope of appreciating. Besides, once you start reaching too hard for cultural details Gotouge might have used and clinging too tightly to those ideas, there's likely something in canon to make it doubtful. For instance, Inosuke more widely presented as a king of the forest who wears deer and bear hide as well, and the fanbook state that Beast Breath is considered a likely offshoot of Wind Breathing. Even if we rely more strictly on historical detail, there's still the question of, say, what one of the basic Breaths, Thunder Breathing, even was when it was but a thunder inspired sword form not necessarily powered by Breath, you know, back when swords were longer and it would have been harder to make the fast draws katana would later be better suited for. Maybe they called it Thunder because it was practiced by swordsmen who stomped around really hard, and then when they added Breath technique, they figured out "oh dude, we can use our strong legs to go fast"??

Those are the kinds of things I find more fun to play around with in interpreting canon by bringing in little outside details, because as a work of fiction, there are already so many fun details to work with already even when treating it in a vacuum. But, giving Gotouge extensive and subtle use of cultural elements, especially core elements, it sure makes a lot of outside details applicable. Which is all to say, it's all super interesting, and I think the more people realize these things, the deeper they read into it, to an extent more than canon calls for. As much as I like it, and as much as I've enjoyed pulling outside elements in to fanfiction (like Kagutsuchi and lightning god tidbits), ultimately, if Gotouge thought these things were necessary, they'd have been included. Since they are not, I try to stick to canon details and Word of God-touge in answering Asks (lolz, I didn't plan on becoming a meta blog, it just kinda happened). BUT ALSO, JEEZ, I AM SO EXCITED IF PEOPLE TAKE A DEEPER INTEREST IN JAPANESE CULTURE BECAUSE THEY LIKE KIMETSU NO YAIBA, YOU CAN HAVE SO-O-O-O-O-O MUCH FUN PLANNING A TRIP TO JAPAN AROUND KNY THEMES, DO IT DO IT DO IT, GO TO YAGYU AND POSE IN A TANJIRO HAORI AND STICK YOUR SWORD IN A SPLIT ROCK, THE LOCALS THERE LOVE IT, DO IT but also like maybe learn about the tea ceremony and appreciate how beautiful the charcoal is with me k thx bye