#OKAY ITS DONE

[thebrookesnook]

Here's the discussion for Umemiya's deity representation as seen in the latest chapter. If you haven't seen my thoughts on Takiishi's yet then I've provided a link to that post as well.

(I hope you appreciate the better quality & organization of the post from my well-rested brain cells)

Part 1: Takiishi Chika and the Karura

Spoilers for Chapter 150!

In my last post, I discussed my theory that the bird-like deity depicted for Takiishi was a karura. With Umemiya, I believe the deity to be Fudō Myō-ō (不動明王, ふどうみょうおう) who is also known as the Immovable Wisdom King (Skt. Ācalanātha).

[Fudō Mask was sourced from the Japanese Buddhist Statuary: A to Z Phot Dictionary; (Wooden) Seated Fudō Myō-ō Statue by Kaikei created in 1203 sourced from Isumu (360° view available)]

Fudō Myō-ō is THE central deity among all of the Myō-ō (warlike or wrathful gods) groupings, but is most prominently featured among the Godai Myō-ō (五大明王, Five Great Kings) who are manifestations of the Five Transcendental Buddha. He was given the title as the Immovable One due to his unwaivering commitment to the protection of Buddhist teachings.

Orginating as a pagan deity from India, Fudō's conversion to Buddhism began with humble beginnings. He was assigned as a servant and messenger of Buddha himself and later achieving higher positions—becoming a manifestation of the power and virtues of Dainichi Buddha, one of the 5 Transcendental Buddha I mentioned previously. (Source: MetMuseum)

In regards to their appearances, Fudō shares a remarkable resemblance to the deity depicted in Chapter 150. From his adornments, eyebrows, hair style, the prominent scowl etched into their faces and the long side braid (?) to the left of the face.

Aside from looks, let's talk about the prominent parallels between Umemiya and Fudō Myō-ō:

Origins. Both Ume and Fudō had to start over with their lives, with Ume losing his family due to a car accident and Fudō being stripped of his former godhood after converting to Buddhism. Despite these, they were able to work their way up so they'll be strong enough to protect what they valued the most.

Their roles. According to Schumacher in his page about Fudō,

"Fudō converts anger into salvation..."

- Schumacher, M., "Fudō Myō-ō"

"converts anger into salvation", that seems familiar- Oh wait.

Fudō and Ume are guides to enlightenment AND protectors. They themselves are symbols of safety in the eyes of those under their care.

Connections. While the Godai Myō-ō (Five Great Kings) aren't closely related to the Shitennō (Four Heavenly Kings) as the former rank far above the latter, there are similarities to be found. One is that both groups are in charge of the five directions, and yes five. The Shitennō is commanded by Taishakuten (帝釈天) who is the Lord of the Center. Relating this back to Ume and his Four Kings, it's interesting to note that the mangaka choose a higher ranking god to represent Ume rather than use Taishakuten. Perhaps to differentiate the power gap between Umemiya and his Four Kings?

Conclusion: I'm confident that Fudō Myō-ō is definitely the god representing Umemiya with the evidence I have gathered as well as several others have come to similar conclusions to the fact. It was really fun deep diving into this research for both Takiishi and Umemiya and with a clear head than the previous post, perhaps I'd like to make another one but of Tomiyama and Togame (The Hare & The Tortoise) or Sakura and Sugshita (The Tiger & The Dragon). No promises though.

(P.S. I am not Japanese but I have been deeply interested in the culture and history. I do my best to use credible sources (both ENG and JPN) and give credit accordingly. However, I'm prone to slip ups so if there is anything that requires correction, notify me throught the post via reply/reblog.)

(P.S.S. I have a blog specifically made for wbk content for further post like this so feel free to visit me there @transient-winds )

[de-fright-ful]

ROCKETRETICULE asked for their sideblog, VICIOUSROCKET: mostly for shits and plain cursed kid : amity and Vicious

IF THEY HAD A FAN-KID ! | OOC MEME | ACCEPTING

TLDR. Send me a pairing name, and I’ll tell you what I think their child would be like if they had one!

TEE HEE - I gotta explain a bit first - so, like, the meme here is combining Amity's wasp-satan and Vicious's entire shadow-bound state, and I could've meme'd into it, but I had to make it tragic instead of birthing a new class of demon!

Also, full disclosure: I accidentally posted this early while trying to save the draft earlier, AND I remembered halfway through that this is all supposed to be the past tense cause he dies. So if you notice obvious errors: that's why! I promise I'm trying but this has been a battle against my own brainrot ADSJASDJASD

NAME: Resakk Joy; another name chosen by Amity from Saijikari tradition, though unlike in Kitty's case, Resakk's name didn't so much come from Amity alone as it did grow from a mutual idea.

You see - Vicious and Amity - (working from the backdrop of our discussions for a hypothetical; this is not a shipping thing, just to explain the fan kid scenario asdasd) They're not lovers; they're not family, and they're not exactly friends either. They're strangers with parallel interests - like a deer and an owl that feed from the same field.

Vicious comes down through The Passing (The Joy family-controlled mountain path that connects Sinnoh to Saijikara and is ideal for subtle civilian traffic); he pays his tolls, answers their pointed but short questions and makes pleasant with the matriarch and her family (especially her siblings, who he comes to feel a protective, uncle-like fondness for) before passing on his way. It's simple and empty, for the most part, two strangers having a glimpse into each other's life for half a second before moving on.

Amity doesn't know what he's up to beyond where it applies to her and her land - but, so long as he's not running Pokemon or People directly, she doesn't care. He doesn't care about the inner workings, why the passing is treated so vitally, and why they run their ship so tightly. Outside of their brief interactions and the foundation of their parallel interests, they are nothing to each other and are not shy about it. In fact, the inconsequential nature - it almost enhanced things.

When you're nothing to each other - or at least you TELL yourself that you're nothing to each other, what sort of false civility and tender-non-existent forced dynamic can constrain you? What and who are you trying to fool with false pretenses? Who are you saving? You can call it a bit bitchy and cold, but it's all so simple and easy, hi, goodbye - it's almost like a game - until one of you ends up pregnant, of course, and now you aren't parallel anymore, you're connected.

When Amity found out, she wasn't HAPPY, but it is what it is. She knew the risks, he knew the risks, WE know the risks. And bringing it up to Vicious - the answer about what'll happen next is easy. She'll do what she's always done, and he'll do what he's always done: exist separately. She doesn't expect him to be a dad or step up (and on some level she'd be more comfortable doing it all alone; at least alone, she only has to account for her feelings and prepare for the possible worst) and she says as much to him: but she says this, I'm not going to make you do anything, stay, go away, change your name, I don't care. I'll make it work for me - but if you want to be a part of this and name this child, you tell me now. I won't chase you, and I don't want THIS hanging over my head for the rest of my life.

Vic shrugged - I mean, like, no baby names on the top of his head. All he said was he wanted it to be a strong name - no cutesy, forever baby names, nothing like ABCDE or a boy named Sue. She could have the final say, whatever that may be. At the moment, Vic was washing his hands of things, and naming the child would make him attached. Subconsciously, you have to know that, but it inspired Amity. Not in the way he intended, but it did. She made a pact to herself, and though she never spoke the name, lest the spirits hear it, the boy would be Resakk.

When translated from Saihoken, the name refers to nothing, a lack of existence, an empty void. Again, it reads as harsh. Who could call their child nothing? It seems cruel and unconscionable, but in Saijikari culture, it's anything but!

The Saijikari hold a particular belief system around names and their meanings - you can never name a child after the deceased, never name a boat after a town. Never, I repeat, never give your children sweet, soft, enticing names that would endear a spirit or monster to want to take them (for instance, Amity is a bad name going by traditional naming rules). Enter nothing: to be named nothing in light of this superstition would be equivalent to, I don't know, sealing your child in the equivalent of a salt circle. Nothing is a deception, it's a maze of mirrors, leading the spirits in circles looking for a child that - to the universe and to their gaze, seems not to even exist. It is a name, and it is protection, at least spiritually speaking. It's a silent declaration of parental love beyond the physical world and caution against intangible powers. It would protect him, and ultimately? That's what Amity suspected both her and Vic wanted.

GENDER: Cis Male

GENERAL APPEARANCE: IDK HOW EXACTLY TO EXPLAIN IT, BUT HE LOOKS LIKE HOW EVERYONE TRIES TO PORTRAY THE COMMON JAPANESE DELINQUENT ARCHETYPE BUT SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY, THEY GOT CONFUSED AND MADE A 6'6 TEDDY BEAR OF A GUY THAT JUST LOVES BRIGHT COLORS AND SUCH

credit to DJARN and this picrew here

PERSONALITY: Despite his appearance, Resakk was a sweetheart, a complete and utter sweetheart. Shy, but in the sense that he only liked to speak if spoken to and didn't enjoy being put under any sort of spotlight. He was a listener more than a conversation starter, but he enjoyed listening. Though that's not to say he ever was a follower - god forbid. Do you know those guys who watch people do something stupid and just go and fix it themselves while the others are too busy patting themselves on the back? He's that guy - he won't make a scene, but god, he doesn't suffer fools gladly, and he can't let go when he knows something is fucked up. 'Let them dig their own graves' okay, but he'll feel shitty if he lets them get buried beneath their hubris. You can walk away, but he's grabbing the shovel and digging them out for his own conscious. I will also say that while he's the guy that's commonly regarded as so chill and patient and laid back - he can be vicious under his breath when he's finally been pushed beyond his cool. He tried to keep it to himself, but dear god, you could feel the rage radiating off him in WAVES.

SPECIAL TALENTS: Nothing supernatural this time around; however, this kid is a whizz when it comes to math and has a peculiar ability to do highly complex math mentally. But being this is Resakk, he often chooses to use this ability by helping tutor his classmates and younger cousins in the family. After all, what's the point of a talent if not used? A waste of energy, that's what!

WHO THEY LIKE BETTER: Unfair question!! Because he loves both of his parents equally but in very, very different ways. Resakk grew up with his mom nearby—she was active and present, and well, he's a bit of a mama's boy and loved to help her and show his appreciation for her through the quality time they often spent together and helping her with the many jobs and hats she wore around Kiyose! But like - growing up Vic was almost more like an uncle, it wouldn't feel appropriate for him to want or push for that same closeness he has with Amity. It's not what their dynamic is, but he doesn't NOT love him; it's just different!

WHO THEY TAKE AFTER MORE: HONESTLY? Vicious, but more specifically, with all the positive traits that have been buried by the choices Vic's made and the way events in his life have shaped him. Would Vic be able to step back and definitively go, 'Yeah, my boy's just like his old man?' absolutely not, but it's there, it's evident. It's hard-coded. His patience, despite the brusk nature he tends to have - his kindness with children - his confidence and charm at times - his capacity for learning and thinking quickly, and his desire to love and genuinely BE loved & help/care for the people he cares deeply about? Yeah, that all came from Vic.

PERSONAL HEADCANONS:

(the softer, sweeter ones)

He had a decent-ish relationship with Vicious? It's hard to explain, Vic is closer with his older sisters, the twins, of course. He was visiting them as 'Uncle Vic,' long, long before Amity became pregnant with him, but Resakk couldn't say he felt rejected by him. He's not around often, but Resakk understood why, in his own way - this is just how things have always been! he knew it wasn't HIM, this is how things are. And with all of his uncles, the Coven and his older brother around, Resakk didn't exactly feel like he was starved of a connection with fatherly figures.

Of the Kids born to Rocket members, he may have had best relationship with his dad than any of them.

Still, Vic dropping by to see Resakk every month or so had this vibe to me

Doesn't call Vic dad, but only because his sisters, the twins, have always called Vicious 'Uncle Vic' and Resakk has always defaulted to following his older sisters! (he thinks the world of them and as a young kid thought they hung the moon)

Resakk broke his nose while rough-housing with Vic when he was around six - he and the girls were playing tag in the yard, and Resakk jumped into his arms - Vic lost his balance, and even though he tried to catch both of them, Resakk smacked into a decorative flag-stone. Resakk cried and cried, blood gushing and all the average horrors that come with a broken nose for the first time. But Vic? Vic seemed absolutely TRAUMATIZED. They started running on autopilot, trying to rock him but walking almost like a zombie straight to the first person who could trust passing the kids off to. Resakk was fine - his nose never healed right, but that's how it is sometimes! He was okay, just scared, and the twins, too, were terrified cause they didn't know why Uncle Vic seemed upset or how to help their brother - but given time and lots of comfort later, all were fine. However, the sheer frustration Amity felt at Vic throughout the entire situation could have fueled the city. Yes, his terror was understandable, especially given his trauma of losing his other son - but he had a kindergarten-aged kid and two little girls with him, and he couldn't say 'it'll be okay' to them? Eventually, though, all worked past it, and it became nothing more than a memory.

One of his fondest childhood memories was the time Vic convinced Amity to let him take the girls and Resakk on an adventure in the sidecar (just driving around the countryside together until supper) - it wasn't the most exciting or action-packed but packed in with his sisters, laughing and giggling and able to look up and see their dad so happy? It all lived rent-free in his heart until his final days.

Resakk was given a Pupitar for his 10th birthday from Vic, god only knows where Vic got it, to 'protect him' and Resakk fell. in. love with it - I'm talking 'would save his pocket money to buy him miracle grow' levels of love for that little cocoon

That nasty scar on Resakk's lip? Ironically enough, THAT WAS FROM HIS PUPITAR - they were training, and the Pupitar miscalculated its trajectory. Resakk got a concussion from that event but never held it against the Pokemon! That's still his strange, spiky metal dog!

OKAY I HAVE TO MENTION THE PINK PEACH FUZZ - man, rocked that since he was 16 - it looks so ratty, and it's not that Amity didn't try to teach him, but BY GOD HE'S BEEN COMMITTED TO THAT IMAGE

PESTO THE BABY PENGUIN SIZED, good lord, that boy was HUGE, just like his father—not only did he seemingly dwarf his poor mother left carrying him, but growing up, he was ALWAYS the back of the class pictures and always the one doing heavy lifting, reaching, and cleaning higher than any of his classmates could.

LOOOOOOVES HIS SISTERS. There’s a significant age difference between the three of them, with both of the girls being around 13 when he was born, and one would assume this mean they’d have no interest in a gross baby brother, but you’d be wrong! These girls spent so long as the youngest and only real kids around that they were over the moon when they learned they’d have a brother and didn’t leave Resakk alone for even a moment since he came home from the hospital!

Amity inspired Resakk to get all the piercings he did—not to copy her, though that's fun (and there are pictures of the two of them wearing some matching novelty earrings), but because he just thought they were beautiful. There's no deep struggle of rebelliousness; he just thinks they're pretty!

Actually, no, he felt one sort of way about Vicious: he wishes he'd offer to help Amity more. Does he owe her anything? Absolutely not, but it's just something in his gut that never really settles right. Though unknown to Resakk, Vic does offer, Amity always denies his offers because she's proud. Unlike Vicious, who ASKS, Resakk just comes in, and he does whatever she's struggling with. Amity is struggling with her one arm to pin a braid in place? Yeah, no, Resakk's taking the bobby pin and going, 'Hold still, oma,' She's grabbing the step stool? Nah, Resakk's got it.

Vic could and did wrastle with him, even in the months before his death. The boy may be two inches shorter than him, but the paternal urge to put that boy in a headlock and ruffle his slob-looking, overly long hair is POWERFUL. (As a sidenote, Vic keeps telling him to get it cut; he never did!)

OKAY AND NOW THE SAD BITS

SO

Vic's appearance and parts of his personality weren't the only things Resakk inherited from his father—no, the Shadow affliction, as it turns out, can be genetically spread, and it was.

Now, unlike Vic, whose Shadow affliction has a sort of consciousness, for Resakk, it was silent, directionless, and, well, cancer-like. No one knew, but it'd metastasized in his heart from the moment he took his first breath. And things were fine and normal for the first few years of his life - then he began getting tired.

They took him to doctors, but nope, he's a growing boy, a BIG growing boy, and it's okay. You're overanalyzing it, Amity. But he got worse and worse slowly in hard-to-trace ways.

It makes the memories all the more frustrating. What was a symptom? What if they had caught it sooner? What if they KNEW sooner?

But Resakk never really... saw himself as sick?

He sort of felt like he was living in another world. As he got older, he knew the others were more worried and desperate about him, but he felt fine, no different in any big way, and he hated making people so worried about him.

By sixteen, and countless visits to utterly useless doctors who hadn't seen anything like he had, it was when it finally began to sink in for all of them that maybe what was happening wasn't treatable. They didn't think he was dying though - it was more of an adjustment.

Then - well, he died - one moment he was there, and the next he was gone, dropped to the ground lifeless partway through a school day

After Resakk died Amity wasn't coping. Not well, at least. And she shocked herself - she had planned to give Resakk the family's traditional burial and have him sealed away with the ancestral ashes, as she did with her older sister, father and grandfather before him. But... Amity didn't - instead, she requested a private autopsy. She wanted... answers. She wanted something to feel like there was a cause and effect, not dumb chance that stole her baby boy from her.

She got her answers—she never talked about it openly, but she did, and after that, something broke between her and Vic that could never be repaired.

OH AND VIC? Yeah, he doesn't NEED Amity to tell him what she learned - he'd suspected it for a long, long time

[hoshizoralone]

reflection

[mroddmod]

everyone be quiet i'm manifesting

[marsipain]

Norwegian Mikus :)

Left is Miku as a russ and right is Miku in a bunad!

[wojtekaneko]

That's how it went

[steelsartcorner]

my pen has still not been confiscated so it’s halsin’s turn in the ongoing turn-everything-into-Hades fever dream

others: the dark urge (OC); minthara (bg3), karlach (bg3), shadowheart (bg3), gale (bg3), lae'zel (bg3), astarion (bg3), wyll (bg3), kotallo (horizon)

[crowatyourwindow]

Kenji and his cow Hanako II were the best duo from wan change my mind

[deathricedrawn]

i'm ready to try

[upon-the-snow]

early mornings after nightmares

[medicalunprofessional]

sorry guys they finally showed me peak fiction . Its called “phantom of the paradise”

[dolotonglo]

so that popularity poll huh

[seafoamsol]

Place your trust in my sovereignty.

[raphaerolo]

Tasuki

[wolfsnooze]

in which hunter’s possession goes a whole lot worse

[gunsatthaphan]

"we'll forget it by tomorrow anyway."