TSUKKIAKARII
kokushibō 🌙 michikatsu tsugikuni
penned by ari
黒死牟 🌙 継国 厳勝
Links
Mun
ari, 25+, they/them, CST (GMT -6:00)
discord is given to mutuals i'm comfortable withcarrd updated: 11/26/23
Rules
- manga + headcanon based, not spoiler free. while she is still by and large canon-compliant and canon-aligned, over the years of writing kokushibō, i've filled in a lot of blank spaces with hc's and developed things a great deal for my interpretation of her--it's safe to say she's become fairly canon divergent!- i usually just say i’m selective and private, but i’m not super strict about it and it’s more of a just in case thing. i do prefer being mutuals only, however, for my own comfort. generally speaking, the only times i typically don't follow someone back is if there's no kny verse/a muse to a media i'm too unfamiliar with. if i follow someone, i hope to write with them. however, due to past experiences, i'm also liable to unfollow blogs based on rules below--or general incompatibility. i keep my dash to people i enjoy writing with, and only those. i am very liberal with my unfollowing and blocking due to past experiences that involved me not being as strict with boundaries as i should have been from the beginning.- i don't send in passwords, and if you make a "like this post to remain mutuals" announcement, i'm not going to like it. if someone wants to unfollow me, irregardless of previous interactions ic or ooc, simply because i didn't like a post that's effectively a metaphorical hostage situation, i don't see how we'll actually be mutuals for long anyway.- i'm usually most active and available for writing on wednesdays and thursdays--but i may lurk during the night the rest of the week and am most often available on discord when not actively at work. feel free to ask for my handle if we're mutuals.- due to past experiences, there's a handful of people i don't tolerate being around myself: if they come up i'll just remove myself from the situation.- if you've either softblocked or hardblocked rabbit (uppertwo), do the same to me. i'm always going to be in my boyfriend's corner, and there's nothing rabbit has done that i wouldn't support and/or do myself--plus, every single verse includes rabbit's muses playing a role, and i'm not willing to change that or adjust it for anyone. my bf and i are a team. where they go, i'm going too.- i love oc’s! as long as i see a kny verse (or they're a kny-based oc OR we're able to figure out ways to interact), i'm fully willing to write. it mainly just comes down to looking for ways to rp together.- usual no’s apply re: godmodding and meta-gaming and etc. just don’t be a dick and we’re gucci. likewise, don't reblog memes from me, interact with ic threads you aren't included in, or generally act like an ass.- triggering content and nsfw themes may occasionally be present–they’ll be tagged and cut accordingly. specifically, mentions of abuse due to how my character was raised can be more common, along with darker themes present in the series they're from. due to her role in the eternal paradise faith + being seen by the followers as a god within the temple, cult themes will be present as well. nsfw headcanons may be located here occasionally and tagged, but any actual threads will be on an unannounced sideblog. i tag things as "WORD ment /" or "WORD /", and if you need something tagged (or i forget to tag smth), pls lmk!!!- i very often put replies in my queue to ensure consistent activity--if you're uncertain if a thread is in my queue/lost/etc, you're welcome to ask. if for whatever reason i'm not feeling something--or you aren't--there's no hard feelings and i'm always happy to start something else!- i’m fine with pre-established relationships and just winging things, with the exception of romantic relationships- this blog is single-ship! she'll only be shipped with @uppertwo. i don't mind plotting other dynamics such as rivals, friends, etc.--but nothing romantic nor sexual! likewise, kokudōma will be Very present on this blog: in each verse kokushibō and rabbit's dōma are together in some way, whether it's dating or (most often) married, and i'll ask this be respected. i will not humor nor tolerate cheating or "past relationship" dynamics. this, of course, only applies to rabbit's dōma. in many verses (including main) they have children, whose information can be found here!- my dash icon, header, and icon border were also made by @uppertwo!- due to past experiences with personal blogs reblogging my hc posts, i'll ask that personals not follow me and i'll block on sight- i also am fine with duplicates, and am not against writing off of duplicates of my muses, or even creating twin au's. likewise i don't mind writing off other dōmas, obviously with differing dynamics than rabbit's- i'm alright with turning asks into threads--if i have a lot of threads already I may take a while to get to them, but i'll always love it and you're welcome to ask to see if i'll be able to add another! i'm prone to doing this as well if I know the other mun is alright with it- note also that my kokushibō is trans and genderfluid, and this means she may not always have a masc appearance, and they may be referred to as she/her, they/them, or he/him. instead she often presents in a more feminine body. i base much of their genderfluidity and transness on my own experiences--if muzan can maintain and walk around in a femme form, so can koku.
DOSSIER
QUICK REF
First Impressions Meme
reference + clothing || reference + nudity (both by rabbit @uppertwo and @devsdoodles!)
attire reference
II: The High Priestess 🌘 XIII: Death 🌒 XVIII: The Moon
Differences from canon:-- Kokushibō doesn't devour children, and though she has killed countless numbers of humans, she avoids doing harm to children
-- she resides at the eternal paradise temple with dōma, and is seen as a god in the temple by the followers of the cult--a cult she takes active part of
-- among the followers, she uses the title izayoi to avoid questions and suspicion. to those who know her personally, she may be called michikatsu still. it is only those who know who and what she truly is that call her kokushibō. it can be thought of akin to a personal name vs a public name
-- her title within the temple is no kimi (i.e. izayoi no kimi or michikatsu no kimi), contrasting dōma's title among the followers as -dono. in similar vein, no mikoto is not unheard of either, especially among those most devoted to her. this doesn't necessarily affect how other demons address her, however, and is more within the temple and cult
-- she's married to and has had dōma's (@uppertwo's) children; this will likely be mentioned in threads as well
-- like dōma, she were queerplatonic towards kotoha and acted to help raise inosuke
-- likewise, she helped teach daki and gyutaro of being demons
-- my koku draws much more inspiration from the concepts/symbolism of death and the moon. likewise, her characterization/details about her physical appearance/her demonic arts reflect this
-- i also draw a great deal of inspiration from the concepts of onna-musha and yamato nadeshiko, leading to further allusions also to the archetype of the high priestess
name: kokushibō (formerly: tsugikuni michikatsu)
alias: upper moon one (formerly: moon pillar); izayoi, michikatsuage: approx. 500
date of birth: july 28, 68 muromachi period at approx half past hour of the rooster (1406, 5:20 a.m., appears 20); leo sun, virgo moon, capricorn rising
gender: gender-fluid (he / she / they pronouns), favors femme presentation
orientation: demi-romantic / bisexualheight: 6'5", muscular build, curvy; silhouette hidden beneath kimono
hair color: pitch black, and streaked with blood-red along the full length. length reaches to her knees, though is very seldom left loose.
eye color: red sclera / gold irises (human: plum, a mix of red and purple--after demonhood, there remains flecks of gold). the six have a glow when in darkness and shadows. the lines in her eyes imitate the petals of flowers--specifically lotus. the kanji are said to be carved and so they aren't black, but instead scars.
distinguishing features: a large demon slayer mark in the pattern of flames, lilac claws, fangs, pointed ears, and skin tinged in shades of lavender where it is thin thanks to her own purple-black blood (the purple areas dotted with star-like speckles that softly glow in low light), and the flute worn on a necklace beneath her kimono. after her pregnancy, she also has new stretch marks.
jewelry/attire: when among followers such as gatherings in the main hall, it is proper formal kimonos complete with padding (01, 07). when not among followers but within temple, it's still nicer kimono but not quite so formal (02, 03, 06, 08, 09). when hunting, and it is lighter kimono and hakama tied beneath her chest more akin to canon. when within the inner chambers, its often yukata (04). when carrying her children, she wears maternity style kimono (05). she wears earrings donning the sun and moon in silver, and a golden band upon her finger. she favors dark colors still, often incorporating purples and reds--even so, dōma has gifted many in other colors as well. beyond these, she will wear chokers and hair pins--many also gifted by dōma. other jewelry takes the form of further piercings: labret upon bottom lip and three along each clavicle those visable.
APPEARANCE
she is tall, and muscular, and even curvy–her kimono hiding much of it, proper silhouette when among others. a good example of her body type/figure is red breonne. her hair is long, now tinged with red where it was once black as night, straight and layered. long bangs frame her face, while the rest is tied back into a ponytail most often--depending upon how she has worn her hair. full length reaches to her knees, and thus is seldom left loose. her eyes, too, are red–and golden, glowing like a specter in the darkness. now six, where once there were only two, and once where plum, a shade darker than her twin’s. though the center eyes carry the scars of kanji brand, the pupil is round beneath it--unlike her other four eyes, that carry slit pupils, albeit ones that don't cover full iris--an iris with lines reflecting the lines of lotus petals. when disguised as a human, her eyes return to their plum shade--but flecks of gold remain, not fully hidden. flames adorn her skin, from her forehead to the first two sets of eyes, and again on her jaw, down her neck and disappearing beneath her kimono–and continuing down a side to reach nearly to a knee ( see here ). her skin carries a deathly pallor, tinged in shades of lilac and lavender where the skin is thin–anywhere a typical human would carry pinks, she carries lilac. boundary between tones isn't a perfect gradient, almost appearing like the edges of clouds--and speckled with stars that glow in low light. after carrying twins of her own, she now possesses extra stretch marks to show her pregnancy. a twin, older twin to yoriichi tsugikuni–and thus she bears a striking resemblance still to the first sun breather and originator of breathing techniques.her innate demonic art is biokinesis, the ability to change herself, even more than the standard demonic ability to shape-shift. she can change her form as she desires, and most often this takes the form of a femme body--not at all unlike muzan's changing forms. however, she may still don a masc body if mood aligns.to humans, her scent carries a floral quality, but sultry and earthy--devil's trumpet and queen of the night. to other demons, the scent of blood still clings as well, adding a note of copper.when among humans, her fangs are kept hidden (as are her claws). when away from them, or not hiding her demonic nature, they'll show more freely. her claws are long and strong, tinged lilac and lavender as well--darker at the base and a lighter purple on the tips. strong and sturdy enough she can cut through human bodies frighteningly easily. a tendency to frequently adjust the length of them: when around the humans of the temple, they're hidden; when hunting, they're fully shown; otherwise, a somewhat middle-length is common seen, mostly for convenience. see herebut to most, it is her fangs that are the most frightening: most notable long, saber-like fangs akin to a smilodon, reaching just past her chin when mouth is closed. though her incisors/front teeth are still more expected, she carries another set of canines (though not quite as long as her sabers), and her molars are more akin to a cat's rather than being flat. as if she had truly taken the fangs of a smilodon and adapted them to a human's jaw. an examplehidden beneath shape-shifting, she still carries a scar upon her neck from yoriichi's cut--one that will range from a dull ache to scorching and burning, relieved only by ice and cold. the times of greatest pain leads her voice to become breathy and airy.her voice too has variation: when disguised as a human and using one singular voice, it is very androgynous--neither very deep nor particularly high. however, her natural voice in her demonhood is actually layered and somewhat discordant: multiple distinct voices speaking at once in only nearly perfect unison (a very good example of this is dormin in shadow of the colossus 2018). one can hear both a distinct masculine deep voice as well as a typically higher pitched feminine voice. a show of her lack of say of her own fate and abandonment of her humanity for so many centuries. only occasionally has the cult heard these voices in show of divine miracle.of her piercings, beyond her earrings, they take the form of labret, clavicle piercings, and a piercing upon each finger. clavicle and finger piercings are dermals and each are adorned by gemstone in alternating amethyst and garnet, while labret is a ring upon bottom lip. hidden beneath kimono, she also dons nipple piercings--these most commonly entail charms, a sun and a moon.her trans-ness is a reflection of my own and my own experiences/desires--transphobic comments or behaviors will result in an instant block.on this note, in her main verse, current plot with @uppertwo is that she has carried and delivered their twins--likewise, any untoward comments about trans pregnancy will also result in a block.
PERSONALITY
once upon a time, kokushibō was once merely a human. once upon a time, she had a sibling. once upon a time, she had a family.she’d initially forgotten much of them, not even recalling the faces of their children for so long, but her twin remained clear in his memories.sort of.in periods of reflection, she describes irritation, unease, disgust. in truth, little of it is true–feelings twisted by jealousy, by inferiority, by the demonic blood within her veins in effort to manipulate as she spent so many centuries pulling against the curse that bound her for so long.asking her wouldn’t do any good, as she isn’t very fond of speaking.straightforward and curt, punctual and loyal to those she wishes to protect, kokushibō isn’t the sort to humor teasing and games from those not deemed hers. though displaying humility towards muzan, willfully admitting to failures without complaint, this doesn’t necessarily extend to others–demanding obedience from others, often detached and cold, a disinterest that could be called arrogance.with curse no longer holding her, she now views him in much the same way as one would keep an enemy close--only in the hopes of seeing his fall, only in the hopes of protecting her family from him, of keeping him away from the temple and here kokushibō and dōma keep themselves: the hope that their children will never even know his name.despite her usual severity, regarding the followers of the temple that view her as god watching over them and dōma her messenger--for them, she displays an unusual amount of patience, not unlike the affection shown towards a favored pet, but so little of it is genuine and instead merely a ploy to ensure loyalty and devotion. trust in humans were broken the night kotoha fled--now all humans are potential recruits, or potential meals. Or both.unlike most demons, she recalls her human past centuries later. recalls the parts not twisted and warped through the centuries--until curse finally broke as she had her children. now memories have come crashing back, and the need to process and shift through them, separating out the lies to keep her bound from the actual truth--and learning to accept that truth and herself, still.in the end, she is still an older sibling–still loving and hating her twin in equal measure, feelings on inferiority buried within, a moon left orbiting a sun that only existed in memories.in the end, she still held the same goal as so long ago–to keep winning, to become the strongest samurai in all the land, to never know death. such a disdain for defeat it borders on fear, failure remains unacceptable, something too literally beaten into her from such a young age.her memories of humanity are those of family: in her marriage to dōma, in the family they've created, isn't she just as deserving of finally having the love they should have both had from the beginning, that could have saved them all along?her curse floundered for centuries, fractured the night she met yoriichi beneath the red moon, and in favor of her family she has finally broken it--she chooses her family, over muzan.though she doesn't view dōma as some great being, instead as fellow demon and nothing divine--she doesn't believe in gods anyway--she still seeks to protect the temple and ensure it's stability and safety at his side and wearing his ring upon her finger, with their children in her arms.
Verses
MAIN VERSE
the standard verse in which she is the demon kokushibō, generally set within the Taisho era the series takes place in. effectively spanning from the moment she becomes a demon. if another isn’t asked for, this verse is the default. she also has carried and delivered her twin daughters, with @uppertwoit's also to note that they have been together even before their marriage for an extended length of time--as a result, kokushibō has developed a place within the cult as well, specifically seen as a god by the followers. likewise, when dealing with human muses she's prone to thinking of them as someone to potentially manipulate--whether it's to become a demon or to indoctrinate into the cult. this also allows the part of her personality that plays the role of their gracious god to show--but above all, she values the stability of the temple and thinks of it and her family housed within it above all(note: my kokushibō is trans and any comparison of trans pregnancy to genderbending or otherwise displays of transphobic behavior will result in an immediate block).previously, the betraying muzan au was separate, but it has now been combined with her main verse due to plot developments!information for their children in this verse is found here!
SURVIVAL VERSE
the continuation of her main verse, post-infinity fortress, in which she and dōma abandon muzan in favor of their children--kokushibō retreating first and saving dōma. she spends much of her time in the beginning of the verse tending to him and the effects of shinobu's poison upon him, and then settles into the role of the new queen of demons with her husband and their twins at her side. an understanding with the disbanded corps, and more children on the way--she doesn't care to repeat muzan's actions, only for her family to have their own happy ending.
CHILDHOOD VERSE
canon verse spanning her childhood growing up tending to her younger twin and the moment they become an adult with a wife and new head of the tsugikuni
HUMAN VERSE
she starts out as a samurai lord, head of a prestigious family, and then becomes a slayer trapped within the shadow of younger twin
MODERN + REINCARNATED VERSE(s)
a fully modern verse in a fully modern world, in which she works as a financial auditor and compliance analyst, separate from the canon modern au. a life she never got to live before, if only things had been just a little different.the difference between modern verse vs reincarnated verse is that in her reincarnated verse, she retains memories of her life as kokushibō and her eldest twins already exist. in modern verse, she were never a demon at all.in both versions, she is happily married to dōma still!
PILLAR AU
if the upper moons are pillars and the pillars are upper moons–she has returned to becoming the moon pillar, haunted by the fallen bodies of loved ones and comrades. but, even more, by the knowledge of twin fallen to demonhood and recognizing that while none have the strength, she still has the obligation to end his suffering
TRINITY BLOOD AU
an au made with @kreziik02, in which michikatsu and dōma were created for the red mars project as delegates from earth to facilitate communications with mars--but upon war breaking out, become the crusniks 05 and 06 instead, crafting their own kingdom near the empire.
RUNAWAY AU - with @uppertwo
what if she had met him sooner? what if, if fates aligned, she ran away with dōma in childhood, away from father now that twin gone and mother dead? away from the temple, away from the estates, away from the cult--just the two of them, and the desire to keep each other safe. but dreams don't always work in expected ways, and upper one is actually twoshe still carries the same appearance as humanity, save for features like her claws and fangs and new skin tone--and still is known as michikatsu instead
HUMAN/DEMON AU - with @uppertwo
a slayer sent to investigate mysterious cult, who learns the truth of it and its leader--but instead of being devoured or killed, michikatsu instead is spared and nursed back to health after the battle. as her mark threatens her, she eventually willingly becomes demon, remembering nothing of her human life but dōma himselflike runaway verse, she still goes by michikatsu instead, and still looks much closer to her human appearance save for certain features like claws and fangs and skin tone
HUMAN/DEMON AU Rv - with @uppertwo
the inverse of the previous AU, in which Kokushibō is still demon but it is Dōma who is human. the head of a cult who managed to capture the interest of Kokushibō--becoming god and messenger as something like fondness grows in blackened heart.and so she remains around temple, ensuring the safety of dōma and considering the notion of turning him as well.
Headcanons
Headcanon Carrd!
All headcanons were moved to this carrd for accessibility!