#unlike genshi-

[sunshine-and-her-ikevil-stuff]

Oh my god

OH MY GOD

OH MY GOD!

With the free ticket! I always dreamed this day would come!! And it’s the one I wanted!

[n0tamused]

Genshi/HSR Characters as Dragons!

A/n: It has been a bit since my last dragon post, sorry my friends. Gotten a bit under the weather but I think that small reprieve has given me a lot of time to think of these designs! So I really hope you like them. Let me know what you think, or maybe who you'd like to see next in dragon form?

Contents: Diluc Ragnvindr, Sunday, Trailblazers(Stelle and Caelus) x GN Reader (separate), angsty hcs and also fluff, implied religious trauma in Sunday's hcs? Trauma in general.

Words: 2000

Diluc Ragnvindr:

-The esteemed Uncrowned King of Mondstadt is not only famous for belonging to a rich family and being top of the food chain in the industry, but also for possessing a power unlike any other. Dragons and dragon shapeshifters, although not unheard of or rare, have been scarcely seen since the cataclysm. Besides Dragon Dvalin, not many others are present in Mondstadt today

-No one exactly knows whether the Ragnivindr family had dragon people before, as the family seems to have kept their history to themselves, but if secrecy was their goal then what did bring Diluc to display his skill with claws and fang? Some speculate that it is not the Ragnvindr lineage that carries this power, but rather it is his mother that passed down the dragon blood onto her son. Diluc doesn’t talk about it whatever the case is. 

-Even in dragon form he is hard to mistake for someone else. He carries himself with power in every step and is always well kept. 

-Kaeya used to tease him when they were children, when Diluc didn’t have much control over his draconic form and when he used to stumble from being a kid one moment and being a small hatchling the other. Kaeya would pull at his tail only to get smacked by it. But the two boys were inseparable and trusted one another. Kaeya never spilled the secret of his red-headed brother’s abilities 

-Not even the childhood friends Jean and Barbara knew of the secret

-Yet, that dreadful night came when Crepus died, and flames soared so high and so hot that not even the rain could quench it. 

-It goes without saying that Diluc carries a lot of guilt and trauma from those days and for the first time in his life he found himself truly and utterly alone. He had no one. Crepus was dead, Kaeya betrayed him, Adelinde was just a maid, he couldn’t trouble her and he and any other friend he may have had in his youth have long since drifted apart.

-Grief turned to anger and that anger swallowed him, pushing him onward on the path of vengeance.

-Shneznaya had suffered much of his attacks - well, the Fatui there did, Diluc never risked harming a civilians, and he had saved quite a few hostages that the Fatui had gotten their hands on. In the land of ice, Diluc almost died as well once he came face to face with one of the Fatui Harbingers, and a dragon shifter at that too. He managed to live by the skin of his teeth, dragging his battered self into the snowy deserts that stretched on endlessly

-That incident ultimately sent him back to his home. He had learnt much and suffered plenty, it was time to let the winter turn to spring.

-Adelinde and Elzer had sent him many letters, he knew, he received most of them. Yet he never had the heart to respond to them..

-He came back a new man, scarred both in flesh and soul, yet a small piece of him was… content, maybe numb too. The cold of the nation Tsaritsa governs over certainly took its toll on him.

-If truth be told, he didn’t expect to return from the trip and he certainly didn’t think he’d ever form any sort of notable relationships in his personal life. He didn’t look for them nor did he particularly look forward to any either. His wound always felt too fresh to let anyone close

-Yet you just managed to do just that. Get close enough into this barricade he built around himself, and you helped put soft linen around his wounds, holding him close when he yearned for touch, leaving him be when he yearned for the cold.

-It took a while, but a rose in the wall of ice began to bloom. Flowers, no matter how delicate, always find cracks to grow in, even stronger than on solid ground.

-Diluc is quite protective of you, very much so, but he is not pushy with it. He understands boundaries and he himself is not a fan of always hovering over someone’s head or being in someone’s space. He does have his ears and good eyes, not just his own, that would alert him should any harm come to you

-You did find some of his feathers around the winery. At first you didn’t know they were his, so you just picked it up as it was still a rather impressive feather, yet it became even more precious once you learnt it belonged to him. Diluc didn’t understand why you’d keep it or regard it with so much admiration, but he wasn’t going to voice whatever protest he had that soon died on his tongue

-He reveals his dragon form to you even later, in the lush grass around the Dawn Winery during one dusky evening. Winter was coming so the air was chilly and breezy. You wanted to watch the sunset and to eventually stargaze, but Diluc wanted you warm while you did that, and soon his dragon form was lying behind your back, his warmth seeping into you and keeping you comfortable.

Sunday:

-Not every eye that is open is seeing, and not every eye that is closed is dreaming, so who are we to judge another? Sunday, the dragon in rule over the Land of Festivities, had long since ascended past a simple ruler. His current form alone demanded a certain form of delicate respect, a cautious one at that.

-No one remembers how he may have looked like before, if he had eyes or if those had been claimed by the Harmony or ▇▇▇▇

-Aeon of Harmony keeps their eyes closed, and in doing so rids themselves of any subjective thoughts. All are equal, and together we are stronger, such is the mantra of Harmony and Sunday was adept at putting that image forth. People were happy, people were content. 

-How many wings does Sunday have that are his own? Only two pairs. One pair meant for flight was crippled, cut short, and the other pair shields his eyes from the world. He now only moves and flies when THEY wish he flies, when THEY allow it, when THEY deem it necessary, and not anytime else. These wings are a burden and a blessing. They’re not his own but he hates to think they’d hurt him should he make some error - not that he would, he won't allow himself an error. No..

-Sunday inhabits his dragon form a lot of times, which, in a way, is also dictated by THEM. The only time he is human is when he goes behind the screen to listen to people confessing their bad deeds and their sins, bestowing his blessing and forgiveness unto them and guiding them back on the right track. THEY are merciful, he says, you have been forgiven.

-His words of advice and the action he took to ‘renovate’ the Land of Festivities(Dreams) have gained him much support and love and even many more followers where he previously had less. People generally did like the Oak family, they also loved his sister. She was the pearl of the Oak family, the sun, and he was the moon and the sea. 

-The colorful pair of horns on his head is said to come from the Harmony as well, it is THEIR blessing to Sunday, to look more formidable yet more approachable. It is THEIR gift. People know and people see this as a sign that he is the true leader they should follow. Many have become more easy to get to do certain things - most of them good yes, like behaving and upholding the rules while in the Dreamscape, but other actions came as hidden tactics from THEM to harvest the necessary power needed for the next step.

-Sunday has become lost in this grand scheme of things, and even the thought of the next morning became a thought too far to consider. He barely has time alone and to himself, he can never escape the eyes of THEM.

-He hates to trouble you. You two have drifted apart it would seem, yet from time to time Sunday would find you visiting him, wishing to give him company at least for a little while. And silently he prays he can indulge you - he wants to, he misses you, your warmth, your presence, your voice, your touch. He is welcoming to you. You have an idea of what’s happening: stress, work, duty - it is a response that he offered one too many times, but there was more, something you couldn’t dig up. It was a thorn in your side, you couldn’t get it out.

-So you sit with him, sharing some words and stories over dinner, tea and cakes. Other times you lay with him, his ear to your chest, listening to the gentle drumming of your heart, a lullaby that is the last thing able to have him sleep soundly.

-He dislikes for you to see him in his dragon form, he considers it broken although it looks angelic in the eyes of the majority, but as it is the form he is found in a lot of the time it is unavoidable. Yet you are the only person he allows to touch him, besides his sister. 

-Touch him, pet him, do as you wish. He is there for you.

Trailblazers:

-Double trouble, Baseballer of the Cosmos, the Nameless, the…*looks at smudged ink writing* Yes, the esteemed Trailblazers!

-You may have heard many stories about them, but once you get a look at them in reality, you’ll see just how amazing they are. The world is vast, yet they seem to shock everyone with their…otherworldly appearance.

-They both claim they weren’t like this before - they were two different people, but now they’re not and they do not remember how it all came to be this way. It is odd, but they’ve gotten used to it.

-Despite the appearance, Stelle is the more aggressive of the two and usually packs a more meaner bite, headbutt or a nastier scratch of the claws. Caelus is more shy, despite him looking more scary, he is sheepish and a tad bit more naive. But both of them are determined to get to the bottom of their story and to get back to their own bodies. The stellaron within them also seems to have something to do with their current predicament. 

-There were times where they were glad for it, as they could provide each other with company and comfort, their heads nuzzling their cheeks together or tangling their necks when they go to sleep in the dragon form. 

-Going in human form is rather complicated, neither of the two like it as one would have to be “dormant” while the other roams the world. The dormant one is able to hear most of what goes on outside, but they’re stuck roaming the subconscious like a heliobi - roaming through hazy memories and corridors. They have gotten used to each other's company so much that it is odd to be “alone”.

-They both love the express a lot and their significant other - which also puzzles them as to how they even have one to begin with.. but alright, they’re not arguing against it nor are they dissatisfied. It is funny how, at times, one of them can get sassy with the other when it comes to dates and things, sometimes even jealous. 

-But it is cute, and it works out in the end.

-At times there are situations where it would be better for either Stelle or Caelus to go (battle - Stelle; something more diplomatic - Caelus), so the two can switch back and forth if really necessary

-Their tail in dragon form is something like a beaver tail, although much fluffier. It can pack a nasty hit if you’re unfortunate to be on the receiving end of their attacks..

Size chart:

Ⓒ n0tamused. Do not repost, translate, edit, and/or copy any of my works. Likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated.

Tags: @moonlitreveri3 @lexidraws2 @drowning-in-cabbages @creationsabyss @grimulf-of-the-wilderness @st4rrl1ghtwastaken @the-inquisitive-constellation @voiddance @the-bilkush @fictionally-attached

+ @not-the-darknight (hope you don't mind the tag on there! <3)

[amalaeus]

Kylar/Robin/Sydney/Whitney HCs

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Kylar

Kylar V. Tepes

Black curly hair, the fringe is longer at the back because that boy does not maintain his damn looks for shit

Neon/Bright Green eyes

5"4

Malnourished twink-twunk (Becomes a twunk-hunk after PC rehabilitates their ass)

Excels in Science + Art, shit in everything else

Surprisingly really good at fighting, nerfed by their malnutrition

Unkempt, but does bathe everyday like a normal person

Clothing preference: Black hoodie and jeans/skirt, that's it.

Submissive, but once you get their breeding kink going they WILL top TOP you (Not exactly be a hard dom, but would get on top and try their best)

Rich RICH, could live off of his inheritance for a solid 50 years or so after his parents' incapacitance

On that note, would probably get along with Mickey (1 computer with 6 monitors? Implies that Kylar has surveillance over the city)(Definitely make a profit off of it)

V O Y E U R, breeder/bred, sub-leaning SWITCH, overstimulation kink

Older!Kylar or a Kylar with more Whitney influence would have neon green peekaboo highlight and a rattail (the Furina from Genshi impact kind)

Older Kylar, or Kylar currently would definitely get a Prince Albert if PC asked.

Robin

Robin O. Campbell

Fluffy brown hair, Blue eyes, KPOP looking ass hair (see image)

Twink

Average in school, only gets up to slightly above average at high confidence

Gaming + Anime addict (if the crossdressing isn't enough of an indicator-)

This is crack but, imagine if they were s illegitimate child of royalty- (Never gets a proper job even after going through Bailey, stays a virgin despite the brothel??)(They also has a $400 console in the early game, I doubt they'd have been able to save very much because he already starts out with $2k rent, they're definitely getting sponsored somewhere)(Would explain why they're protected but not fully)

Childhood friends with PC

Has been paying Bailey's fine longer than PC has

Older than PC by a few months-1 year

Trained in using a taser, brings a taser around

Vanilla, but a huge somniphiliac

Sydney

Sydney J. Hyde (Goes by Sydney Jekyll pure, Sydney Hyde corrupted)

Has Coloboma, hence the need for glasses

Twunk-Hunk (From cloister + all the church chores)

Great in school, honors/exempted from classes

Writer, both on people and the actual hobby

Would write sacraments, then moved to the carnality of PC's temptation

Adept in combat, like, scarily good at it (cloister)

Best/Favorite subject's English

Clothing preference: All 3 academia aesthetics: Dark, Light and Messy

Good singer, Corrupted!Sydney is very into Hozier, Faithful!Sydney only listens to church songs (The classical ones)

Corrupt!Sydney is just them letting loose all that repressed lust, or breaking out of whatever bullshit hypnosis Harper put them through

Masochist, DOMINANT, overstimulation kink, dom + top leaning SWITCH

Whitney

Last name HC TBA LMAO

Twunk-Hunk (hunk-leaning)

Lowkey gymrat (does it for looks)

Pierced lobes, upper lobes and helixes (Only wears earrings on one ear)

Dirty blonde hair, brown eyes

M!Whitney sounds like Bakugou but shouts less

Actually excels in school and academia, only held back because they missed too much class

Can fight, but unlike Kylar and Sydney, they wouldn't kill (sure being tossed into the underground brothel is as good as being dead, but I don't think they fathomed what happens in the underground brothel until they were kidnapped instead)

Their whole schtick is more or less just them letting out their frustrations with life, his connection to the underworld is shallow at best (due to the kidnapper switching it up so fast in the dismissal event)

VERY SELF CENTERED, VERY NARCISSISTIC

Honestly? The ultimate tsundere, genuinely thinks that the shit he does is how to be popular and get bitches

EXHIBITIONIST, VOYEUR, ORAL FIXATION, DOMINANT SWITCH, humiliation kink (giving), public sex enthusiast, pillow princess

[sokai-asuki]

Continuation from this post.

The 2024 April Fools from JP Project Sekai. There are 6 groups, 3 have been sent to the Sekai that depicts the past, far, far away when the dinosaurs was a thing. While other 3 group are sent to the Sekai that from the future, technically, alien exist and Rui, no, you cannot experiment on them—

Anyway, the Nexo Knights also being involved with whatever the shenanigans that been thrown to them again.

As you know, 6 groups and there's only 5 Vocaloids in it.

Team "Survival Masters" members: Hinomori Shiho, Kusanagi Nene, Momoi Airi, and Yoisaki Kanade. Their Vocaloid is MMJ Len. The other Vocaloids are L/N Luka, N25 KAITO, WxS MEIKO, and VBS Rin (No Miku)

Team "Genshi no Mori de Food Hunt" (Team "Food Hunt in the Primeval Forest") members: Hoshino Ichika, Shiraishi An, and Shinonome Ena. Their Vocaloid is L/N MEIKO. The other Vocaloids are MMJ KAITO, WxS Len, VBS Luka and N25 Miku (No Rin)

Team "Warera Pegasus Tankentai!" (Team "We Are the Pegasus Exploration Party!") members: Hanasato Minori, Aoyagi Toya, and Tenma Tsukasa. Their Vocaloid is MMJ Miku. The other Vocaloids are L/N Rin, VBS Len, N25 MEIKO, and WxS Luka (No KAITO)

Team "Hotto Hitoiki Space Cafe" (Team "Relief Space Cafe") members: Mochizuki Honami, Hinomori Shizuku, and Asahina Mafuyu. Their Vocaloid is N25 Luka. The other Vocaloids are L/N Miku, VBS MEIKO, MMJ Rin, and WxS KAITO (No Len)

Team "Niconico☆Tabemono Sagashi" (Team "Smiley☆Food Search") members: Tenma Saki, Azusawa Kohane, Otori Emu, and Akiyama Mizuki. Their Vocaloid is WxS Rin. The other Vocaloids are VBS Miku, N25 Len, L/N KAITO, and MMJ MEIKO (No Luka)

Team "Mirai Toshi de Acchi Kocchi" (Team "Wandering in the Futuristic City") members: Kiritani Haruka, Shinonome Akito, and Kamishiro Rui. Their Vocaloid is VBS KAITO. The other Vocaloids are WxS Miku, N25 Rin, L/N Len and MMJ Luka (No MEIKO)

Now, the knights have 5 people. That means one of the group will not have the knights.

Axl would might work with "We Are the Pegasus Exploration Party!". Might just be me, but the song they sung is called "Boo!", it's about a girlfriend being mad and upset over her boyfriend eating her pudding. Not gonna lie, kinda cute when Minori, Toya and Tsukasa are pouting. And also, the name is probably from Tsukasa and knowing Minori and Toya, they probably agree with the name and go along with whatever shit Tsukasa pull.

Anyway Axl might get along with Minori and Toya. Axl treated both Minori and Toya like a big brother he is and always give out half of his food. Minori and Toya, of course, love Axl and his kindness to them.

Lance would be in "Relief Space Cafe". It would be pretty funny that someone with such a dramatic personality and yet very caring and kind such as Lance in this group. He might try to pull out his acting smile and personality. Honami probably felt a bit weird out by Lance but still catch up and get along with him. Mafuyu is questioning if his personality is real or not, but still put on her facade and acting as if everything is fine. Lance, however, knows she is not fine. (Mafuyu, you remind him too much of Clay)

Aaron would be in either "Smiley☆Food Search" or "Survival Masters". These both groups have 4 human members unlike other 4 groups. I'm gonna launch out on how Aaron would be if he is on the said different group.

In "Smiley☆Food Search", he might get along well with Emu and her energetic and way of speaking. He might also understand what she means and ready to take it to the extreme. Emu, of course, thrilled and excited to have another person understand her other than her unit. She would definitely call him "Big Brother Aaron"/"Aaron-onii-chan".

He also would get along with Saki, knowing him having a younger siblings as well, he would treat Saki fairly and shows her everything about the world. Knowing how sick she is, he would try to tone down his risky challenge but he would still want Saki to feel the thrilled and the excitement. Saki, of course, love how Aaron treat her as the little sister and also, along with Emu, calls him big brother. She can have more than one brother!

Aaron might felt something is off about Mizuki but wouldn't try to press it as he try to get Mizuki to feel comfortable and safe. No one is here to judge her, no one is here to harm her, she is safe. He did get along with Mizuki, with their antics and shenanigans. Mizuki might be a bit thrilled with Aaron taking a risk challenges.

In "Survival Masters", Shiho, like in my last talk about April Fools Project Sekai in 2022, will probably try to not let Aaron harm himself, better yet, harm others. She probably needs to catch up to him but sometimes, his advice do come in handy and he does sometimes help him to open up a little, like an older brother.

Airi will probably need to catch up with him as well and try to tone down his challenges. And yet, she is curious and wants to know more about this daredevil ginger. Airi also reminded Aaron of Clay, with how she always scold him about his challenge and yet she does have a point on how dangerous it could be.

Kanade, again like in the last post, probably get easily tired and try to catch to Lance. Spoiler, she failed. Yet, she still understand and try to get along with his challenge. Knowing she, herself, also need to exercise. Aaron took her confidence to exercise as an advantage for her to come around to do more challenges. But he still tone it down, like, letting her do some basic sport and challenge. He knows how weak her body is, with her eating only cup noodles and never go outside but only when she run out of food or in need of something to buy.

Nene felt very overwhelmed by his antics and shenanigans. He is the combination of Emu, Tsukasa and Rui! Nene can't help but felt very scare for her life and him. She saw how risky and fearless he is when facing some difficult challenge and yet, he still smiles, he still keep going. Keep going like nothing can stop him no more. Nene can see a bit of his overconfidence but there's also a bit of doubt when she knows he knows it is risky but he still did it. She can't help but feel like there's more he is hiding than he let on.

Macy would be in "Food Hunt in the Primeval Forest". Don't look at me, Macy would look badass in those outfit. All hail the girlboss! Joke aside, I think she would be thrilled and love being in the group. She might get along with An, with how determine both of them are in achieving what they want and yet, there is still something that has been lost in them. Both do tend talking with each other about their original unit, their partner and their family. Macy does try to let An know, that it is alright for her to let others know about her problem and her grieve over her aunt, Nagi. But what is not alright is that no one tells her about her aunt death up until now, instead of grieving, she can still continue her dream and let her ambition be the hope for her aunt.

Macy is impressed with Ena's art skill and her fashion. Macy also felt a bit embarrassed if Ena ever get an inspiration from her, she is fine with it but still it's a bit embarrassed if you ask her. Macy also gets why Ena keeps on drawing, she gets how Ena's dad keep on discouraged Ena from drawing. Macy also felt the same, she still want to continue being a knight and yet, her father tend to discourage or try to convince Macy she can't be a knight. She still love her father, she did and he have point on how it is a risk on being knight, however she knows and she still did it because it's her dream. Ena took her dad's discouragement to improve herself and to keep on drawing, even if it means she might have hurt herself, her only dream and ambition is to keep drawing and prove her dad that he is wrong and she is a talented person that he can't refuse.

And lastly, Clay would be in "Wandering in the Futuristic City". Would it be funny that in Devil Manners April Fools MV, at the end of the song or some certain part, Clay's eyes slowly turn to full yellow, meaning the Grey Knight still in Clay and is part of Clay. Anyway, the team is beautiful and amazing. And we have another blue. Sorry Rui, Akito.

Clay and Haruka get along very well with their experience on some certain task and job. But it was mostly Clay helping Haruka. Haruka also get to notice Clay's routine and felt a bit concern for his sleep schedule, seriously, sleep for 2 hours??? Yet, she still felt calm and peace with him.

Clay felt a bit wary of Rui but can't help feel a bit of curious over his invention. Rui always showing off his invention to Clay and try to get Clay to feel anything about it, of course no reaction but Clay still listen to his explanation, so that counts. Clay does felt impressed with his invention and love to see his little robot. He can't help but feel a bit safe and calm with the robot, same as Rui with Clay, he can't help but feel safe and calm. And have an adult that understand him.

Clay and Akito, the fakeass bitches duo, Akito probably let out his polite and charming personality and try to show Clay he is a nice kid. Clay, however, knows that tactic. Let out a facade to lower someone else's guard and observe their move and responds. But Clay, try to be mature and calm person, also let out his facade and act like nothing is happens. Like he does not know what Akito think. While Akito try to understand what Clay's deal is, Clay already see everything what Akito is.

That is all, this is all fun and game but I still couldn't finish what I want to do. Let me know your thoughts!

[sorcerorsutrascroll]

#MatarajinIsOverParty

If you’ve read this paper, you know that Matarajin got #cancelled after Reiku Kogen (霊空光謙) wrote a callout where he accused the genshi kimyodan (玄旨帰命壇) ritual of twisting the Tendai concept of hongaku into this dril tweet to justify problematic™ behaviors. Although Matarajin wasn’t mentioned, he was guilty by association, as the HSiFS interview makes clear:

Matarajin is said to belong to a particular Tendai sect, but I hear that during the middle ages a lot of Tendai and Shingon sects end up becoming obsessed with sexual rituals and wicked teachings, leading to their downfall.

Reiku’s callout never specifies sexual activity as one of the things justified by the genshi kimyodan, but this was implied by the ritual's preexisting association with sexual concepts. Importantly though, there was never any evidence that the ritual itself involved sex acts. But even the lack of hard evidence didn’t stop Reiku’s callout from convincing everyone that Matarajin = sex cult god.

The fact that literally everyone found one guy’s rant + some slightly dodgy literature enough to prove that a well-established Tendai tradition was actually just a pervfest is typical of medieval Japanese Buddhist cancel culture, which had already destroyed the reputation of another well-established esoteric Buddhist tradition in the exact same way a few centuries before. In fact, the genshi kimyodan’s alleged sexual nature was often attributed to the influence of this earlier victim, the Tachikawa-ryu (立川流) of the Shingon sect.

While Matarajin is at least no longer primarily characterized by the genshi kimyodan, the only thing the Tachikawa-ryu is known for to this day is sex rituals. Just check out its English wiki page, almost half of which is devoted to the lurid details of the infamous skull ritual. The Japanese page used to read similarly until just six months ago, when someone finally made a page for the real Tachikawa-ryu and renamed the old page with all the skull sex stuff to「彼の法」集団 i.e. The Group of “Those Teachings”.

What group? Which teachings? For that we have to go back to a monk named Shinjo (心定). In 1268 he wrote the 受法用心集 (precautions for receiving teachings), in which he criticized the popularization of “those teachings” among Shingon practitioners. These sex-based teachings, including the skull ritual, match everything attributed to the Tachikawa-ryu. 

Buuuut... Shinjo only ever mentions Tachikawa to say that he had copied down all their secret teachings in his earlier training and years later found some odd texts mixed in with a bag of Tachikawa texts. The odd texts, which he had never seen before, were “those teachings”: 内三部経菊蘭の口伝 (Three Inner Sutras and Kikuran Oral Tradition). As for their origins, Tachikawa-ryu expert Nobumi Iyanaga notes that their stated lineages are "totally aberrant; the dates of the listed monks are not consistent; their Shingon branch affiliations (Ono-ryu or Hirosawa-ryu) randomly distributed and utterly confused.”  This page further notes that Tachikawa founder Ninkan/Rennen (仁寛/蓮念) is not in these lineages, making it clear that “those teachings” weren’t from the Tachikawa-ryu.

Unfortunately, a 14th century Shingon monk named Yukai (宥快) wasn’t about to let pesky facts get in the way of his beef with and subsequent callout post against a predecessor named Monkan (文観). Yukai wanted his Hokyosho (宝鏡鈔) to do as much damage to Monkan’s posthumous reputation as possible, so he made sure to associate Monkan with the nastiest known Shingon practices. Conveniently for Yukai, in 1281 a monk named Ekai (恵海) had added an appendix to the 受法用心集 quoting an unnamed author who claimed that “those teachings” began with either Ninkan or Ninkan’s disciple. With just this one dubious receipt, Yukai nonetheless successfully convinced everyone of his callout’s sneaky implication that Monkan had revived the Tachikawa sex cult.

Meanwhile, Monkan was friends and colleagues with a Tendai monk named Enkan, who had been initiated into the genshi kimyodan ritual. You can probably guess the rest. Just as Yukai made the Tachikawa-ryu his sacrificial scapegoat in his beef against Monkan, so Reiku made the genshi kimyodan and Matarajin his sacrificial scapegoats in his beef against the 18th-century Tendai establishment, with no small help from Yukai’s precedent.

Matarajin is unlikely to ever be worshipped again, but if his reputation among Buddhists were to be rehabilitated, it would almost certainly first require the rehabilitation of the Tachikawa-ryu’s reputation, a task which has only just begun in the past few decades with Nobumi Iyanaga leading the charge.

Further reading if you love juicy medieval Buddhist drama and/or want to join the Tachikawa-ryu Defense Squad™:

“Sexual Heresies” in Medieval Japan: With Special Focus on the So-called “Tachikawa-ryu” by Nobumi Iyanaga

“The Original Source of [All] the Perverse Teachings“? – Misconceptions on the Tachikawa-ryū and a New Paradigm of Sexual Imagery in Medieval Japanese Esoteric Buddhism by Stefan Köck (pages 81-101 of the book)

"Creating Heresy: (Mis)representation, Fabrication, and the Tachikawa-ryū" by Takuya Hino

Original Enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Japanese Buddhism by Jacqueline Ilyse Stone

From Outcasts to Emperors: Shingon Ritsu and the Mañjuśrī Cult in Medieval Japan by David Quinter

(The last two are books that you may need to find on your own.)

[its-morphin-time-xiv]

⏳ moar! \o/

The hyur sits up in her chair behind the desk, choosing to lean forward and prop her elbows up atop of the wood with a small smile. Her left hand dips down slowly to the table, picking up a small glass filled with what you could only guess was a nameless brand of bourbon. 

“I was among some of the youngest to ever to join the ranks of the Rangers, in Grisana. At the time... I was.. Oh goodness.. how old was i?” The mutant gives a small laugh, a finger tapping her chin as she pauses her words to take a sip.

“Ah! I was.. about fifteen or sixteen at the time, while the rest of my friends and most of the Rangers new and old were around.. seventeen... eighteen plus? I wasn’t anything special oh no. Don’t get that in your head.” she smiles wearily

“I was just a young girl who was born late, trying to fit in.. Y’know that whole schoolyard tale. Unfortunately for us, school wasn’t quite much for captivation as was the world around us. Always in danger, always on alert for the void that lingered beyond the wall the city was building.”

 “See, to become a Ranger, truly.. or at least how I saw it. The opportunity and choice is given during the dire situations of dire need and consequence. Our city was growing, and we needed to expand beyond the wall, beyond the ‘guaranteed’ safety. So most Ranger-to-be’s were found beyond the wall, in the outer city... usually anyways.”

“We were... out by the Wheat fields, near the Genshi farm. School had ended for the day, was light on the work we needed to do.. something about geography I think.--” the woman sits up again, puffing out her chest as she puts on a different voice, no doubt impersonating a teacher. “Oh’ we are on the northern coast of Thavnair, Illsabard further to the north! And The Bounty Sea west as Othard remains East. Land of the rising sun! Ho ho!” She smirked.

A clear of her throat and she was in her normal voice, trying not to laugh. “We.. we were helping gear up the Chocobos to pull the harvester through the fields before a pack of voidsent descended upon us quicker than anything I’ve ever seen.”

“A few of us managed to get away and call for help, but as for the rest of us... including yours truly.. We weren’t so lucky.” Bella nods a bit, taking another small sip of her drink as the spikes along her back flare out audibly, they’d twitch and flick, filling the silence. “I would’ve died, if it weren’t for him; The Creator. It was like he stopped time around us and gave us the choice.” 

“The choice to take the morphers, slip them on and fight.. or accept the death as it came. See I had always... heard of it, these little moments for the Rangers. It wasn’t widely talked about, but there were rumors. I honestly thought they were just urban legends, y’know? Fancy that they weren’t. Glad they weren’t.”

“--Anyway. We took the morphers, and activated them. Now when you first activate it... it’s unlike anything you could ever expect. Your mind.. is all just.. opened. You hear the whispers of the power bestowed upon you, and.. you’re given another task, another choice. Bind yourself, and accept the power.. and become a Ranger, or don’t. Simple as that.”

“I don’t.. really remember much of that first fight. It was a blur of raw emotion and memory, everything’s all fuzzy really. But.. from what I do know, from what they’ve said.. It was different... scary, even. The armor I wore was... feral. Said I struggled to control it, but eventually I managed and saved those I could. The others who took the morphers were.. well one wasn’t so lucky. They died before they could harness and.. really learn. Died that day, and the rest of us.. well we managed.”

“I managed.”

“And.. that’s the start of it. Fancy that, huh?”

@moonhartsffxiv​ (hope you enjoyed that! I certainly had to flesh out some things, but i am glad I could here! Thank you!)

For every “⏳” I receive, my muse will openly talk about a bit of their backstory.