#♛ ¦ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ꜱᴏ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ ༺ headcanon.

[cryopathiic-a]

More outfit refs 💅

#♛ ¦ 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐕𝐀𝐒𝐄! ༺ mun's art. #;references #♛ ¦ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ꜱᴏ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ ༺ headcanon. #(( for a post im cooking ))

[cryopathiic-a]

headcanon. punishments in Eternal Paradise.

As a cult, Eternal Paradise operates with its own set of rules that aim to maintain its social structure and facilitate indoctrination and subordination. What is considered appropriate or inappropriate behavior within E.P. is largely determined by the Lord Founder himself, but the enforcement of those behaviors is also a result of community pressure to conform.

Before Douma, his parents ruled with their own respective tactics. But Douma, as a cult leader, has his own methods of exerting control.

Violence in itself is a highly condemnable thing within the cult. Violent behavior towards other followers is possibly the most culpable thing one can enact. Of course, given that this is the scripture, all punishments are non-violent in nature and are not even framed as such. More often than not the perpetrator will be advised to 'take some time to think on their actions' or 'take sometime for themselves', which is a nice way to rephrase being exposed to isolation and social rejection.

Hat of Shame:

Although Douma himself does not feel it, he understands shame can be a very powerful tool to control human behavior. The fear of humiliation is a driving factor for conformity. And that's what this hat represents, essentially. When crowned with the Hat, the guilty parade around the temple with a tramp stamp. Followers are not allowed to talk to them as they are considered unseemly and have behaved indecently. The Hat is adorned with jingly ornaments that alert others to the blameworthy person's presence. And on another level, alert the monks and Douma himself as to whether the Hat is still being worn or the member has taken a liberty and removed it before their punishment is through.

The Maze:

Utilizing Nakime's ability to attach the temple to the Infinity Castle gifted Douma with an endless expanse in the ponds outback. The various bridges interconnect in an elaborate labyrinth and whether there's a solid way out of it or not remains dubious even to Douma himself. At times, this is utilized to punish either humans or other demons for insubordination. Being thrown in the outbacks will lead to aimless wandering for days, until the humidity of the lilly ponds is welded into one's skin. Douma usually resorts to this in order to play with someone's mind, rather than get rid of any problematic humans ( he simply eats those ) Those who come out of this torture, usually with his aid, are often left mentally scarred and traumatized after months of being trapped in isolation and sustaining themselves on wild weeds, raw fish and pond water, as well as being exposed to sleeping outside.

#♛ ¦ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ꜱᴏ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ ༺ headcanon. #(( fandom: haha see douma didnt even hit anyone me: and yet he was a bastard. )) #torture tw

[cryopathiic-a]

headcanon. human visage.

In spite of being arguably the least humane one of them all, Dōma looks more considerably more human than his brethren. His conversion into demonhood has not altered his physical characteristics; and he remains nearly identical to how he looked before when maintaining a facade around his acolytes. And while some may say he was simply spared by Muzan's blood, from having to wear his true nature on his skin, that is quite the opposite for him.

Dōma's character is all about the treacherous nature of false appearances. This is a theme prevalent in several cultures. In Ancient Greek, for example, "Φαίνεσθαι" vs "Είναι" speaks about the lie that sits on the surface versus the true nature of something. And that ties into his character intrinsically; the pious man who is in fact the biggest sinner. Philanthropy disguising contempt for the 'less fortunate'. The rich man donating a foundation when he continues to hoard the wealth and perpetuate the conditions of poverty. Dōma himself is crafted to be a beautiful lie; an unattainable notion, because he symbolizes blind faith in false idols.

Dōma's face is ageless, because his superficial promise is that of eternal youth. His features are genderless, much like an Angel is genderless. His visage is ethnically ambiguous, with a focus on big, polychromatic eyes that draw attention away from his lips and his words.

Abstaining from suffering, from anything that makes life harder is an alluring notion; just like how he is alluring, to draw humans in and devour them with a promise of eternal bliss. He offers relieving lies; because they are easy to digest. No one wants to suffer. We tend to believe the things we want to believe. Dōma challenges the reader to go against that visceral human instinct and consider that maybe the easiest path is not necessarily the one that leads us to self-fulfillment. Anyone who has been to therapy will know this. Truths can be hard to confront and habits can be hard to change. But true happiness cannot be found without a measure of pain, first, to overcome the things that hold us back. Dōma plays the part of that voice in our head that urges us to fall back into bad habits, to surrender to our vices, to stop fighting for something better for ourselves.

In conclusion, Dōma looks like that because he wears his true nature on his skin. His is a beautiful promise, because easy things can be beautiful.

References:

#(( bro doesnt have to be good with words even when he looks like that. ppl will just believe it bc that's how people are )) #(( AND u can imagine he is GOOD w words on top of it so yeah. that's kinda his power. )) #♛ ¦ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ꜱᴏ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ ༺ headcanon. #;references

[cryopathiic-a]

headcanon. douma's ice.

As a blood demon art, cryokinesis is more similar to Gyutaro's blood scythes rather than Gyokko's water manipulation, in that it does not require an external source of ice. All of Douma's creations, including the hoarfrost rime, are made from his own blood. That is to say, if his ice was juxtaposed to actual ice, the difference would be made obvious as the real thing would look much more opaque and stiff.

Douma's ice is extremely cold. It scores around -100°C/-148°F. So merely coming in contact with it is enough to cause immediate necrosis on the skin. Of course breathing techniques may fortify the user to an extent, but even special insulation can only get you so far if he wants to actual cause damage with it. Because the ice comes from within, there are particles of it on his breath as well as any sploshes of blood that may be inflicted during battle. It compliments his fighting style in general, as he predominantly relies on long-range attacks, as this feature forces the opponent to keep a wise distance.

For slayers, specifically, his rime is a natural counter as it thwarts their ability to perform breathing techniques. That's one of the key elements that makes Douma almost impossible to defeat as a human. Coupled with his infinite regeneration ability, the breathing user would eventually succumb to necrosis, even if they have managed impressive blows on him in the process, which he would then just heal.

Douma himself is made from that ice, meaning it's in his blood. When he creates something, it can be animated because of that reason. So in a way, in spite of being extremely frosty, the ice remains somewhat flexible and crystal clear. His blood runs red in his veins but can crystallize once parted from his body, as do the rest of his tears and bodily fluids in general.

Because the temperature is that low, he is not more susceptible to fire or heat damage than any other demon would be. In fact, he has a slight advance as energy travels from hot to cold, so essentially he's draining the flames by being so frozen it's near-impossible to melt. That does not grant him extra defenses against sun breathing or flame breathing in action, however, as the way a Nichirin blade works targets Muzan's cells, so it has nothing to do with his individual qualities as a demon. His skin will sweat more when exposed to high temperatures, however, such as in his beloved sake baths that he usually prefers to take warm.

Douma's creations, such as the kata Crystalline Divine Child and Cold White Princesses, are not sentient. They do not have a will of their own but rather act as an expression of his will. Even though they do come off as rather animated and seem to be moving on their own accord, it's always Douma behind it. He's actually so proficient in his blood art that he can simply have them lounging about doing mischief and whatnot while he, himself, is doing something else ( like when he was preparing to exit and leave the mikos deal with Kanao and Inosuke for him without even needing to be there physically ) Anything the iceborn creatures see, Douma can see. In the advanced stages of his blood art, he can create virtually anything as long as he knows its inner workings and has memorized its appearance ( his eidetic memory compliments that )

#♛ ¦ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ꜱᴏ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ ༺ headcanon. #(( will add more later uwu ))

[cryopathiic-a]

(( quick headcanon bc I refuse to make nice and organized posts but: Douma gained a lot of notoriety among other demons whilst ascending the ranks. His lower rank blood battles were usually short lived but once he got to Upper Six they progressively started to drag out and become more of a spectacle. He's the type to sit back with defensive moves while the rime slowly eats away at his opponent, so sometimes the blood battles could drag on for days. And although no one has challenged him after Akaza, it's a known thing among demons that if one was to fight for the second moon's spot the battle would be very, very annoying. ))

#(( doma vc: make it so annoying that ppl will stop challenging u uwu )) #(( and this way ppl leave him tf alone to eat and do whatever the hell he wanna do 💅 )) #;ooc #♛ ¦ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ꜱᴏ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ ༺ headcanon.

[cryopathiic-a]

headcanon. Paradise Faith tradition.

Senbu/shibu dancing with the aid of fans was a long held tradition in Paradise Faith. Even before the birth of its currently appointed spiritual leader, performing a ceremony once per year was considered a pledge for good luck and part of the winter solstice celebrations. The dance was traditionally performed at night time, after the evening prayer, by the lily ponds.

Originally, this practice was exclusive to women. However, growing up, the cult's prodigal son took interest in the dance and thus was indoctrinated in this tradition and participated feverously, opening the path for men to join as well. Even as a human, Dōma was proficient in the art and stood out for his graceful moves and flexibility, which were the result of avid practice. The dancers wore customary kimono and hakama or a simple kimono if it was of appropriate length. Their hair would be adorned with ornaments and usually tied back, away from the face, which could be painted with traditional makeup or covered under the rim of a straw hat.

Dōma continued to partake even after his coronation as a demon. Some of the elder cult members still alive would remember his mesmerizing dances as a once in a lifetime experience; there are accounts of people being healed from their ailments simply by watching him perform. Some say that during one of those dances, the Lord Founder had even tip toed on water.

This practice was discontinued around fifteen years short of entering the Taisho era.

References; ( x ) , ( x ) , ( x )

#♛ ¦ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ꜱᴏ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ ༺ headcanon. #(( the video linked is a CHINESE dance but it was closer to the aesthetic i wanted )) #(( kotoha: dies douma: stops dancing )) #(( me plugging my otp in every hc bc we DIE on this hill ))

[cryopathiic-a]

(( I know fanon tends to headcanon Dōma as someone who is ambivalent towards Muzan, but I don't agree at all. To me Dōma reads as a hardcore loyalist, not to Muzan specifically but to the Demon King and subscribes to the idea that demons are inherently superior to humans and should be the ones to outlive them. His misanthropy runs deep. His loyalty comes because his interests align with those of the Demon King, as he is one of the strong demons and reaps the benefits of the hierarchy system. He is on the winning team and wants it to stay that way.

A lot of it comes from the misconception that Dōma doesn't fight the slayers full force bc he doesn't care about the cause he's supposed to be defending. I don't necessarily agree. To me that reads as him being vain and too full of himself and not taking them seriously, instead batting them around like a cat does the mouse instead of finishing them asap. It was vanity and over confidence blinding him.

To further prove my point; 1. Dōma does an 180 and immediately responds when his attention is called after Akaza's death.

2. Dōma was one of few Kizuki that took Muzan's offering and blood immediately without some circumstance urging them to do it. He was on board with the plan because he never truly thought of himself as a human in the first place.

3. Dōma is an atheist and his understanding of the world is that the strongest in it get to thrive, while the weaker only suffer. As such Muzan in his worldview is still a God, by virtue of being the most powerful being in existence -from Dōma's POV. ))

#♛ ¦ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ꜱᴏ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ ༺ headcanon. #(( well thats more of a chara study but yeah ))

[cryopathiic-a]

hc + friendship

headcanon prompt || always accepting

True to his often childlike disposition, Douma has a rather superficial and immature take on what friendship means.

That is largely due to his background and the way he was raised.

What friendship means depends on the sociocultural context, so, within Eternal Paradise to call someone your friend was moreso a term of greeting. As with most cults, within Eternal Paradise interpersonal relationships are replaced with every member's relationship with the collective - as the cult controls everything in its members' lives, including their interpersonal relationships. As with many cults, one's social status depended largely on their relationship to the Founder.

As for Douma specifically, he was very much isolated. His formative years were primarily spent around adults, so he had very limited chances to socialize with peers or integrate in a same age group. He had no tutors or schooling other than what the monks taught. As the cult's bodhisattva, Douma learned to have no needs as a coping mechanism to having his social needs constantly neglected or undermined. His parents would often tell him that everyone is his friend, that he should treat everyone the same and not play favorites as well as not to give into earthly temptations that would hinder his clairvoyance, as he had a purpose to fulfill.

In Canon we see him taking gifts from Gyokko, trying to wedge himself into other demons' missions, pester Akaza to whom he refers as his bestie and seems to be one of the very few Kizuki who actively seeks out relationships with other demons. And this ties into his main character point; the quest to find his own humanity. Throughout his century of life, Douma has not managed to retain a single attachment to anyone and it is this failure that ultimately becomes his greatest weakness when he can't 'hold on' after being decapitated without anything to latch onto and rekindle his determination.

In spite of having, like, zero friends in canon, Douma is an overtly amicable demon. My personal interpretation of that behavior has a lot to do with him lacking a sense of social boundaries and constantly trying to compensate for his lack of sentimentality. It's like incessantly rubbing cold hands. And he subconsciously craves those connections, even if he can't seem to build or maintain them. That's ... the tragedy of his character, I suppose.

Douma as a 'friend' definitely has a tendency for being over invasive, annoying and problematic in general. Though it's in the goofy sense, more often than not. He's not the type to get jealous or start fights; but he is the type to instigate so the other person will start them ( then he still gets to be the wittle baby boy who did nothing wrong — why are you yelling at he... ) He appears very warm but his facade becomes easier to see through with time; Douma is sentimentally aloof and it shows in the way he's so comfortable exiting these relationships (unless there's an actual attachment, which is how most rp dynamics usually build)

He gives questionable advice at best and it always comes across a little patronizing. But on the other hand, he is rather generous in sharing his material stuff, he can be a party animal and definitely the sort of daredevil that more adventurous personalities can benefit from. Oh, and he is an insufferable opportunist, of course.

#♛ ¦ ᴛᴇʟʟ ᴍᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴛʀᴏᴜʙʟᴇꜱ༺ answered #fallesto #♛ ¦ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ꜱᴏ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ ༺ headcanon. #(( this turned to a whole ass ramble BUT THANK U !! for sending!! ))

[cryopathiic-a]

// before i forget : assortment of random dōma headcanons that should probably be placed in a proper post before i head to discord!

dōma's bottom fangs are usually concealed and would surface during particularly feral moments, when eating or when around other demons. this is part of the modifications he makes when wearing his human disguise.

dōma's art of tessenjutsu actually hails from his love of dancing and performance arts in general. he is an avid dancer and taught himself how to fight with fans when he was still a human, out of boredom.

speaking of which, boredom is a main thing for his character and has followed him throughout his life. as a human he used to be very prone to substance abuse and addictions, as well as quite the party animal at temple gatherings.

dōma has spent most of his life having short and very finely trimmed hair. his parents considered the birch oak white strands to hold purity and be of spiritual value, so they sold them to followers of the cult! sometimes his father would hand them out for free too as well, as a blessing, predominately to ladies.

#♛ ¦ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ꜱᴏ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ ༺ headcanon.

[cryopathiic-a]

hc + the ocean

❝ The sea welcomes all streams of clean water, dirty water, muddy water, rainwater or otherwise. And yet the ocean can never be made full. We aspire to be the ocean; to be insatiable and ever expanding like She is. To be the ocean is to hold all the waves, with no expectation of controlling the current. And so should we accept all experiences as they come. ❞

[ The ocean holds a variety of symbolisms in Buddhist culture, from which Eternal Paradise faith is derived, for its unique qualities. It is often used in contrast with the river, one of which represents narrowness and selfishness, the other immensity and selflessness. A single drop of water in the ocean is made up of all the waters from every quarter of the world. So the ocean is all-encompassing and inclusive.

The sea is also often associated with the world of suffering, known as the cycle of samsara. Eternal Paradise teachings deviate from the original concepts here. As a hedonism-based religion, focus is given not to the concept of navigating the waters but rather encourages the faithful to drift afloat and accept a human's inability to control the currents. The Lord Founder is often paralleled to the ocean, as one who is enlightened and can accept all different people with all different values and ideas. The Lord Founder is also endless in his capacity to welcome others in his waters.

In spite of the sea holding a pivotal spot in his teachings, Douma has never been to the beach or seen the ocean even from a distance. ]

headcanon meme || accepting & thank u for sending !!

#(( kyogai vc in the bg: and i took that personally )) #♛ ¦ ᴛᴇʟʟ ᴍᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴛʀᴏᴜʙʟᴇꜱ༺ answered #♛ ¦ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ꜱᴏ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ ༺ headcanon.

[cryopathiic-a]

hc + 💍 for a jewelry-themed headcanon

headcanons! || always accepting

hc + 💍 for a jewelry-themed headcanon

As a religion developed in tandem with the spread of Buddhism and founded in earlier Shinto beliefs, Eternal Paradise faith originally encouraged a frugal lifestyle. Values such as humility and spirituality were praised over material goods and that, of course, includes bedazzling oneself. However, with Douma's birth the founding family strayed from those values as his parents begun to, essentially, commercialize the ordeal and exploit the kid for offerings in gold. For Douma, among other things, that meant more accessorizing. And it instilled in him a habit of adorning himself in jewelry.

Douma is rarely seen without any accessories, such as belts/aprons, flower crowns. All of this fanfare is evidently frowned upon by the elder monks. But the one traditional piece he always wears, are the iconic mala bead necklaces.

These necklaces are used as an aid in meditation. The user counts each of the 108 beads travelling around the mala whilst reciting a mantra. Once they reach the first/guru bead, they flip the necklace over and begin again. Douma's favorite necklace is turquoise with red accents, made from jade and rosewood. Jade being the jewel of Heaven, it symbolizes wealth and nobility, whereas rosewood is thought to have healing properties and often associated with compassionate and feminine energy.

#(( yeah you know exactly which necklace >_> shame. )) #♛ ¦ ᴛᴇʟʟ ᴍᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴛʀᴏᴜʙʟᴇꜱ༺ answered #♛ ¦ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ꜱᴏ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ ༺ headcanon.

[cryopathiic-a]

(( Dōma, apart from his regular sake baths that promote blood circulation and grant him his flawless complexion, also enjoys purifying incense & steam, often times partaking in full on skincare routines with his followers ( yes those same followers he eats later that night ) He's a big fan of flowery smells and honey for the skin, too. Having been pampered since birth, he will often have his humans shape & trim his nails for him, as well as comb his hair and apply hot stones/massage his back etc ))

#(( im really just posting this to showcase how freaking spoiled he is - )) #(( babygirl core )) #♛ ¦ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ꜱᴏ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ ༺ headcanon.

[cryopathiic-a]

headcanon. on polyamory

The scripture of Eternal Paradise does include a passage on the benefits of marriage. Originally, there used to be an implication that monogamy is to be encouraged, even if it wasn't strictly enforced and left up to personal choice among the faithful. Most practiced it anyway.

When Dōma took over the cult, he added several passages about the notion of 'possession' and 'jealousy' to the sermons. Polyamory was now openly encouraged within the cult, as its spiritual leader preached that; ' love at its purest form is shared, and is meant to be shared, so it would be virtuous to share it with other souls without limitations, on the foundation of self-love and self-understanding. jealousy poisons the mind and can drive a person to do extreme harm to their loved ones. '

At some point, the Lord Founder himself had collected up to ten wives, of various ages and genders, of which none are alive to this day and none gave him children, either.

#♛ ¦ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ꜱᴏ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ ༺ headcanon. #(( me: finally polyships - douma vc: harem :D ))

[cryopathiic-a]

headcanon. douma's blood art origin.

Hello uwu In the past I've made some headcanons on the way Douma's blood art works and his ice sculpting abilities. So, today I'd like to talk a bit about my take on the way Douma's blood art manifested. My personal take is a 50/50 on canon compliance, meaning I have built it around canonical information and added but not altered anything. Douma's backstory offers a lot of room for creativity, after all!

Before I go on my little rant, here's some stuff about demonic blood art that I base these headcanons around:

Each demon is capable of developing a unique 'blood art', the techniques of which can be utilized solely by them ( but can be known and identified by Muzan Kibutsuji )

The way each demon will develop their individual blood art seems to rely on both their psyche ( who they were before they were turned ) and their own physical and mental capabilities or skills! For example, Akaza got to keep his Soryu Style and develop it with his blood art.

Blood art seems to be a reflection of the demon's emotional world and attachments from their human life as well. For example, some demons' techniques were shaped by their artistic talents, such as Gyokko's pots, Kyogai's tsuzumi, Nakime's biwa etc

The strength of one's blood art depends on several factors, such as their anciency, the number of humans they have consumed but also ... just practice! As shown in Akaza's case, where he prefers to physically hone his martial art rather than eat to grow stronger, as well as Kokushibo's case, who, despite being a picky eater as well is still leagues above any other demon created after him.

The use of blood art requires the user to actively focus in order to perform the attacks. The better the focus, the more accurate the results. If a demon loses their focus, their blood art will lose its potency as well — as shown when Douma's ice clones begin to crack and shatter because he is melting alive from Shinobu's poison.

Other information this headcanon is based on:

The practice of cold exposure in Shinto; 'cold water purification'

The concept of the 'float tank', invented in 1954 by John C. Lilly

Misogi ( ablution ) aka washing oneself in cold water for cleansing purposes

Buddhist cold exposure practices meant to cultivate mental fortitude

tw; mentions of child abuse, traumatic events

When Douma was born, his parents believed that he had otherworldly powers because of his striking features. Specifically, he was seen as a messenger from the Gods. That implies an expectation for a message to be delivered. So, from the moment he had learned to talk, every noise that came out of the prodigal child's mouth was taken, analyzed, assigned several possible meanings and then used to spew confusion and chaos among the faithful — so they would flock to their Lord Founder even more in an attempt to alleviate their existential anxieties. But Douma was just a child back then. And that sometimes became apparent; he could not always conjure a story that would convince the adults, after all. He didn't have the answers. So, in frustration of being given this impossible task, he often cried in the hearings.

Concerned, his parents believed it to be a result of spiritual turmoil, because he was a being that belonged to the Heavens but had been sent as a herald on Earth. There was a discrepancy between body and soul. So, they sought to help him isolate mentally from his physical body in order to become more in tune with his dualistic nature. Douma was taught how to meditate from a young age, but because it often involved long fasts and sleep deprivation, he couldn't always follow through. They looked for a way to 'force' a state of deep meditation on him, a sort of 'numbing slumber' that would detach his immortal soul from his physical shell.

On of the more questionable techniques they tried were the ice baths. The child would be slowly submerged in a tub filled with dry ice and river water and held there until his skin reached the condition where pressing on it left a mark. Then, he would be brought back out and towel dried. It was thought that, while in this state, Douma would communicate with the Other World and carry the truths he learned back into the physical one. Initially the room was supposed to be dark and empty to allow him to concentrate better, but eventually it became sort of a cult ritual. To be held down in ice water until your skin grows numb is one thing, but being pulled out of the torture into a room full of people commenting on it was so traumatic it caused a violent dissociation in Douma.

And that's where he gets his blood art 'focus' from, primarily. That's Douma's equivalent to, say, Akaza's mental fortitude or Kokushibo's relentlessness. When utilizing cryokinesis Douma's mental state mimics that dissociation — it is his lack of emotion that makes the attacks accurate and calculated.

Of course that's not all there is to it; many metaphors could be assigned to why ice in specific is Douma's true element. Water, fresh and living, is an element that has flow and the ability to move; whereas ice is rigid and stiff, just like Douma was incapable of moving past his traumatic beginnings in life. Ice is also uninviting and makes for hostile environments where life cannot flourish and grow; just like Douma himself is a toxic individual that leeches off of people's lives and, eventually, adds them to his own. Unlike heat, ice has a passive/deathly element to it as it is essentially when particles become sluggish. Just as fire is often paralleled to desire, ice symbolizes hatred and indifference.

tl/dr; If we go by the theory that a demon can choose their blood art subconsciously, then Douma's was created as a blend of the things that shaped his human life, aka the cult's practices, but also his personal traits that tie into the element's intrinsic themes.

#(( Ive referenced this in threads at times but I wanted a more comprehensive post bc it is a big part of my portrayal )) #♛ ¦ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ꜱᴏ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ ༺ headcanon. #child abuse tw #long post tw

[cryopathiic-a]

Douma is not bothered by the attention he gets from humans. But, after a certain point he is very used to getting it, to the point where his own boundaries with them can be a little loose. Since he doesn't usually move from the temple much, he will be found there and more often than not surrounded by his 'wives' or whatever group of people have been deemed to be his 'inner circle' at the time. Those that are offered a glimpse of how he lives might be surprised by how little time he spends alone or in company of a sole person and not several. Much like many spiritual leaders, Douma has his own circle of fanatics that accompany him everywhere and aid in indoctrinating the newer members.

A big part of his following consists of women; and in the past he would mingle with them and have flings and whatnot. It was his loverboy era, before he was turned. But in reality Douma is, more often than not, repulsed by the girls who fall for him. He shows contempt towards them and is disgusted by the thought of touching them. In the past there have been cases where a woman's fascination with him crossed a boundary; and there Douma does not hesitate to reinstate it firmly; ' Do you really 'love' me, sweetling, or do you want to feel pretty? To feel chosen by me. Special. You don't love me. You love the idea of me. You love what I have to offer; and you can still have that. If you devote yourself wholly and truly to our Lord. '

#♛ ¦ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ꜱᴏ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ ༺ headcanon. #(( this is one of my favorite tropes btw but i dont have enough cult girl ocs following me that are willing to get friendzoned :// ))

[cryopathiic-a]

headcanon. mannerisms

Douma in general is a very animated character. His face is hardly ever without expression. He has really prominent features that help convey emotion and he's mastered the art of faking smiles or tears, as needed. So it's safe to say his resting bitchface will only be present when no one else is.

The same goes for his body language. He's prone to reaching out and touching others, taking up space and gesturing with his hands as he speaks. Especially when giving sermon, Douma can become very theatrical and that in itself is something unconventional for his time and culture. The people of Japan revered ascetism far more than the Buddhist practices initially, but both entail a certain level of stillness and tranquility, with ritualistic motions that favor precision and mindfulness. That's a juxtaposition to what Douma does. His wrists are usually adorned with bracelets that chime with every motion and that deflects from his claws and stimulates the physical senses. In a way, his mannerisms are an echo of western influence; although he, himself, has not been directly subjected to it.

It goes without saying that this theatrical demeanor is something to make up for the absense of anything substantial within. Douma is not loud, as a person. He speaks in a silky smooth tone and uses big, airy gestures not jittery ones. So for someone who is a bit more perceptive ( like Kanao in the manga ) his motions will eventually come across as intentional.

When he is truly experiencing distress, however, is the one time he will fall still. He's a textbook case of the freeze aspect in fight-flight-freeze defense mechanisms. If he falls silent and becomes less animated, that's a good sign that something has gotten under his skin, for once. When he's truly in pain, he doesn't make a sound.

#♛ ¦ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ꜱᴏ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ ༺ headcanon.