Hi, I just want to say I absolutely adore your shikigami au, and to now find out you have lore for it? That's like the best thing ever!
I wonder, which onmyoji canon are you basing your au in?
I'm personally most familiar with the yin yang master movies, and the recent onmyoji anime, but I have a feeling you're basing your story on a different verse? There are so many canons to onmyoji :3
Hello there! I'm so incredibly happy to hear that you're liking this AU haha! To be completely honest, I rarely ever execute my ideas online because I'm a bit shy, but this time I really wanted to draw something with proper lore and worldbuilding, so I tried my absolute best to explain it as clearly as possible! (´ ∀ ` *) Though if I'm being real, the lore isn't 100% complete yet, and these are just a few concepts I liked enough to put into words - and I'm pretty sure I might even change my mind about some parts in the future~
Firstly, I don't think I based this idea on any existing series (*￣▽￣)b I simply took the basic Onmyoji-Shikigami concept from its original mythology (plus a few personal headcanons/settings to fit my own taste). In this specific setting, Onmyoji are divided into two types: traditional and non-traditional. Traditional Onmyoji usually use paper charms and spiritual tools; they own Shikigami bound to them by contracts and operate under the strict control of the "Shrine" - which acts as the main "government" which controls everything (you can pretty much think of this organization as the "World Government" haha). On the flip side, non-traditional Onmyoji have similar elements, but they utilize a wide variety of weapons instead (in Zoro's case, he uses katanas and attaches charms to the blades to boost its spiritual power). Some of them don't use Shikigami at all, or have very few, and most of them openly go against the rules of the "Shrine".
There's one crucial setting here: Onmyoji cannot fully purify or seal away yokai/miasma on their own; they need Shikigami or spiritual tools to completely absorb that energy. This is precisely why Shikigami are treated as nothing more than "living weapons." Because the "Shrine" inherently classifies Shikigami as yokai, they don't really care if a Shikigami absorbs too much miasma and breaks apart - after all, they can always just get a replacement. That's exactly what happened to Sanji. Since he was a child, he was "sold" to the Shrine by his own clan (Kitsune), living as a mere vessel for miasma. Whenever a previous master passed away, he would be sealed inside the Shrine until a contract was formed with the next master. Since he's a Nine-Tailed Fox (Kyubi), he's incredibly powerful, but with the constant influx of absorbed energy, he's always in immense pain. Fortunately, he later crossed paths with Zoro, who was destined to be his new master.
As for what happens next… well, I haven't figured it all out yet haha! (っ˘ω˘ς ) But basically, Zoro absolutely despises seeing Sanji being treated that way, and he hates it even more when Sanji acts like it's just a normal thing. Zoro is entirely willing to betray his clan and the "Shrine" just to protect his Shikigami. Fun fact: the only reason they can constantly live in hiding and escape successfully is actually thanks to the backup from Zoro's clan (Shimotsuki)! You know how it is - they probably don't like the "Shrine" either, but they just prefer to maintain their neutral stance outwardly (ᵔ◡ᵔ)
Thanks for letting me yap ⸜(⸝⸝⸝´꒳`⸝⸝⸝)⸝ It's really fun-! I used ggl translate's help so I hope I didn't make any grammar mistakes lol
