#japanese pantheon

[takethisjunglebuff]

originally drawn in 2018.

[roththeprimordial]

God of War in Shinto Mythology

After God of War Ragnorok, everyone has been wondering what mythology Kratos is going to travel to next. Personally, I believe the two biggest candidates for the next mythology will be either Celtic or Egyptian mythology. However, as of yet, no pantheon is 100% confirmed for GOW 6.

I personally think it would be very interesting to have the next God of War take place in ancient Japan where Kratos and Atreus will travel to Shinto Mythology.

Basic Plot: Over the past several years, Kratos has been traveling around the world and became a beloved god of war who fights for peace. Kratos heard the news about how Atreus, Angrboda, their ten year old daughter Hela, and Fenrir were all stuck in the middle of a civil war between gods in ancient Japan. Once Kratos arrives, he is stuck in the middle of a civil war between the ruling god of Japan and a rebel force of gods who want to overthrow her.

Since Amaterasu is the goddess of the sun and Tsukuyomi is the god of the Moon and night, I thought it would be an interesting contrast and rivalry. Plus, Tsukuyomi is often seen as 'evil' in Shinto mythology while Amaterasu is seen as 'good', I thought it would be good to have the theme of switching 'good' and 'evil' from actual mythological figures.

List of Protagonists in the Game: The main protagonists from previous GOW games and new protagonists.

-Kratos/Sarutahiko: Obviously, Kratos will be the main character in GOW 6. In terms of personality, he is still very stern. However, over time he has mellowed out a lot more. In terms of design, Kratos has a much more samurai-like appearance and still carries his Blades of Chaos and his Leviathan Axe. He eventually acquires a new powerful weapon in his journey called the Scarlet Sword. Kratos in the story sees the atrocities committed by Amaterasu and was told by Atreus how evil the goddess was, as he joined up with Tsukuyomi's rebellion. However it turns into a Far Cry 4 situation, where Tsukuyomi's rebellion is just as bad, if not worse, then Amaterasu. There's also a subplot for Kratos where he meets a goddess in Tsukuyomi's rebellion named Uzume who he starts to fall in love with. However, he's conflicted whether he should try his shot at happiness again, or if he should stay single to honor his deceased wife, Faye.

-Atreus/The Fox: Atreus ever since after the events of the Norse saga, has left Midgard with Angrbota and Fenrir to explore the world. Eventually, he hears how Sindri, who disappeared years ago, was living in Japan under the name of Amatsumara. Atreus traveled to Japan with his wife, Fenrir, and his ten year old daughter named Hela, to look for Sindri. However, he saw that the country was consumed by a war of the gods. Kratos soon hears of Atreus' location and arrives in Japan to help his son. While there, Atreus joins Tsukuyomi's forces to try to take down the tyrannical Amaterasu. Atreus eventually finds Sindri, who is still bitter and angry, however much more mellowed out then before. He's working with Tsukuyomi so he can safe his girlfriend who was captured by Amaterasu's forces.

-Mimir/Kyōrinrin: Mimir mostly remains the same as he was in God of War 4 & 5, he's still a friend of Kratos, a comedic relief, and more. But once in this new strange land, Mimir becomes very interested in the lore and history of the gods, trying to learn as much as he can.

-Uzume: Uzume is a new character and a minor goddess who is the little sister of Amaterasu. Unlike the rest of her messed up family, Uzume managed to get away make a home on Earth. She is a kind and gentle soul who attempts to help mortals on Earth with whatever she can. However, their world was put in danger by Amaterasu and her mad quest to conquer the world. So, she joined Tsukuyomi's rebellion to fight back. She is also a walking encyclopedia of Japanese mythology, telling the player all the lore they need to know. She is also a support AI in the game like Atreus and Freya, and she starts to develop feelings for Kratos.

-Angrbota/Inari Okami: Angrabota will play a much more minor roll, much like how she was portrayed in Ragnorok. However, she remains a massive supporting character for Atreus, and sometimes is brought in to be the AI support.

-Hela/Tanuki: Hela is the ten year old daughter of Atreus and Angrobota. Hela is desperate to prove herself as a strong warrior to her father and is desperate to impress her grandfather, Kratos, who she really looks up to. She is even a support AI who mainly uses throwing knives when she fights. One of her god/Jotunn abilities is to summon the dead and make them fight for her, as a special move.

-Sindri/Amatsumara: Sindri is still upset from the previous events of Ragnorok, as he moved to Japan to get away from it all. He started dating a new girl he met, but she was soon captured by Amateratsu's forces, as Sindri works for Tsukuyomi to try and rescue his girlfriend. When Kratos and Atreus reunite with Sindri, Sindri is still angry at them and wants nothing to do with them. But over time, as they prove their worth and even help rescue Sindri's girlfriend, he forgives them and makes up with them.

-Kuebiko: A kami of knowledge who looks like a scarecrow and works for Tsukuyomi. But once he finds out what Tsukuyomi really cares about, he abandons him.

-Ryujin: A water dragon god who had a powerful spell placed on him by Amaterasu to serve her mindlessly. That was until the spell was broken by Kratos in a battle. Thus, becoming a powerful ally.

-Fenrir/Inugami: Fenrir basically plays the same roll he played in GOW Ragnorok. Mostly just hanging around and assisting whenever the plot needs him.

List of Antagonists in the Game: The main antagonists for GOW 6

-Amaterasu: If you know anything about Shinto mythology, you know that Amaterasu is the chieftain goddess of the Shinto pantheon. And like Zeus and Odin from the GOW series, she's an evil tyrant. Her personality would be very similar to Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender. She is smart, selfish, cruel, sadistic, a master manipulator, a liar, and a powerful warrior. She rules from the heavens and uses intimidation and manipulation to get what she wants. She would often manipulate and abuse the other gods, especially her brothers Tsukuyomi and Susanoo who both reacted differently to the abuse and manipulation. Tsukuyomi rebelled against her sister and wants to overthrow her while Susanoo is beaten down and broken, like Thor. He was once a hero, but now is the miserable enforcer of Amaterasu.

-Susanoo: Susanoo is the god of storms and the sea. Susanoo is also Amaterasu's enforcer. Susanoo at one point was a great hero who protected the people and saved them. However, his sister would often emotionally and physically beat him down and out perform him. She would claim how much superior she was and make Susanoo feel worthless. She promised him empty lies that if he obeys her without question, she would eventually give back his honor and title to the throne. This manipulation and abuse would break Susanoo, becoming an angry killer who destroys anyone Amaterasu tells him to destroy. However, he still has his son Yashimajinumi who looks over his father and tries to help him out. Eventually, Susanoo rebels against his sister and joins Kratos and Atreus to bring her down.

-Tsukuyomi: Tsukuyomi is the little brother of Amaterasu and the god of the Moon and night. After taking Amaterasu's abuse for years, Tsukuyomi abandoned the royal family and formed a rebellion to overthrow his tyrannical sister. Many other kami and gods joined him, including Kratos and Atreus. However, during the game, it's revealed more and more that Tsukuyomi only wants to overthrow Amaterasu so he could rule just as cruelly with an iron fist.

-The 9th Hachiman: Unlike many of the other gods in the GOW series, Hachiman is actually a title for a god instead of one god in particular. Hachiman is the god of war in Japan with the mantle being passed down to a new god, spirit, or mortal every few hundred years. The previous Hachiman's were greatly respected gods of Japan who kept law and order. Later, Amaterasu saw the god as a threat, as she sent Susanoo to kill the 8th Hachiman and replace him with an unknown god only known as the 9th Hachiman. The 9th is fiercely loyal to Amaterasu and is willing to die for his Empress. Throughout the game, it is believed that Kratos will eventually take up the mantle and become the next Hachiman of Japan. Brining law and order by stopping Amaterasu.

-Oshihomimi: The first son of Amaterasu and her top enforcer on Earth. Oshihomimi is an arrogant scumbag, much like Hermes or Heimdall. He possesses divine hearing, giving him incredible senses and allows him to avoid all attacks by any enemy.

-Raijin & Fujin: Raijin and Fujin were destructive demons employed by Amaterasu to serve her and take care of issues. The two are destructive and only hunger for battle.

-Ōkuninushi: A god of medicine. More of a manipulator and a liar, often manipulating others to submitting to Amaterasu to give them medicines to diseases that he released in the first place.

-Takemikazuchi: A god of thunder, a god of swords, a weapons expert and brutal warrior who serves Amaterasu, all so he can release his psychopathic urges on the battlefield.

-Izanami: Izanami is a primordial goddess, mother of Amaterasu, and goddess of Yami "Land of the Dead". She isn't aligned with Amaterasu, but in some point in the game she will be an opponent.

List of Common Enemies in the game: As you can guess, most if not ALL enemies in the game will be based off of different types of Yokai from Japanese mythology and folklore.

-The Shi: The Shi act as the main enemy type in the game. Like how the Dragur were in GOW 4 & 5 and undead warriors in GOW 1 through 3. They are also not from Shinto mythology and original creations. Their name means 'Dead' in Japanese.

-Oni: The Oni are basically like the Ogres from God of War 4 & 5. Tall ugly humanoid monsters that swing around a large blunt weapon.

-Kappa: Basically very similar to the Grim from God of War 5. Short quick reptilian creatures that jump in and out of bodies of water to attack.

-The Sun Samurai: Warriors picked from the afterlife by Amaterasu and turned into bloodthirsty yokai to serve and fight for Amaterasu.

-Tengu: The Tengu are enemies mostly found in the mountains and fight a lot like the Dark Elves from God of War 4 & 5. Mostly using blades and spears as they hover over the player and quickly attack and fly back into the air to avoid attacks.

-Sagari: A half-horse half-snake hidden weaker enemy that hides in trees and often quickly attacks the player before quickly retreating and backing away. Very weak, but still very fast and deadly.

-Futakuchi-onna: A woman with a monstrous mouth on the back of her head. The monster itself it weak to attack, but it often attacks by spitting acid, quickly biting opponents, and letting out powerful sonic roars that stuns the player.

-Rokurokubi: A vampiric woman with a long neck that keeps her distance from the player. Usually biting them and taking a chunk of health off. Very weak, but is good at keeping her distance.

-Nure-onna: A monster similar to the gorgon enemies from God of War 3. But more of an aquatic version. A half-snake woman that leaps out of the water and attacks the player.

-Hone-Onna: A phantom-like skeletal woman who can extend her bones into blades, hammers, spears, and shields to battle the opponent.

-Yuki-Onna: A beautiful pale woman found in cold and frigid areas who works similarly to the Revenants from God of War 4 & 5. They can transform into mist and escape attacks, possess ice breath, and have sharp claws. The only way to stun them is with arrows or a fire-based attack.

-The Black Monk: A dark skinned and dark robbed monk that uses it's long razortipped tongue to grapple and skewer opponents. Similar to the Licker from the Resident Evil series and the Smoker from Left 4 Dead.

-The Amanojaku: A vile and horrific red humanoid yokai which aren't very common throughout the game, but they are mostly found in small villages with butchered villagers everywhere. The Amanojaku is an evil spirit that made the citizens wrathful and made them kill each other. It also controls an army of brainwashed killers to attack the player. The creature is also the only one that can't be defeated by Kratos' rage move. Since it can absorb Kratos' rage and become stronger and regain health.

-Nue: The Nue are large creatures with the head of a monkey, the body of a tiger, and a snake for a tail. The monster is tough in combat and can breath lightning and fly for a short period of time. It works like the Chimera from GOW 3, you need to kill the monkey head, the tigers body, and the snake or it’ll keep getting back up.

-Bakeneko: A gigantic cat Yōkai that is born from the souls of angry recently departed cats. The monster is a little smaller then Fenrir and can almost be considered a mini-boss of its own.

-Adolescent Omukade/The Infested: The infested are dead yokai and humans who are possessed by massive yet adolescent yokai called Omukade. Omukade adults are giant centipedes, but the adolescents are the size of average to large sized snakes. They're parasitic and burrow themselves into the throat and spinal cord of dead and paralyzed humanoid hosts and take control of them. They operate the body to attack the player. If they get agitated enough, they will burst out of the host head and writhe around, a colossal and violent centipede sticking out of the host's neck hole. They are very similar to the Plaga Guadana from Resident Evil 4.

List of Bosses & Mini-Bosses:

-Jorogumo: A woman who seems harmless at first, but quickly transforms into a massive half-spider half woman that tries to kill the player. More of a mini-boss who often keeps her distance, sticks to walls, shoots the opponents with webs to stun them, spits poison at them, and if the player gets to close or stands still for too long, Jorogumo gets a quick bite that takes out a big chunk of health and poisons the player. Slowly draining their life bar.

-Jubokko: Basically a man-eating tree. The tree uses it's branches to attack the player, along with spitting thorns and poison at the player. The tree has several soft weak-points on it. When all the weak spots are destroyed, the enemy dies.

-Akkorokamui: A colossal red octopus that acts as a boss. Being very similar to the final boss fight from God of War: Ascension.

-Gashadokuro: A colossal skeleton made out of hundreds of angry souls that stands around 60 feet tall. The enemy will be one of the toughest mini-bosses in the game with very powerful attacks and only a few weak spots that are hard to hit.

-Shuten Doji: A specific colossal Oni who is far bigger and stronger then the other Oni in the game. Maybe a side mission to find and kill him in order to get a reward.

-Kuzenbo: King of the Kappa and a mini-boss side enemy in the game.

-Yamata-no-Orochi: Orochi is a mini-boss during some point of the game. After being killed by Susanoo, it regenerates and returns as Kratos fights and kills it.

-Adult Omukade: A massive maneating centipede dragon hybrid that is nearly the same size as Jormungandr.

-The 12 Heavenly Generals: The 12 Heavenly Generals will basically be like the 'Valkyries' or the 'Berserkers' from previous God of War side bosses. The 12 Heavenly Generals are made up of the Boar, the Dog, the Rooster, the Monkey, the Sheep, the Horse, the Dragon, the Rabbit, the Tiger, the Ox, and the Mouse. All are heavily armored and powerful samurai-like mystical warriors. They were gods who visited from foreign lands, before being captured and brainwashed by Amaterasu to fight for her.

New Weapons: Just like every other God of War game, Kratos gains new and powerful weapons in this game.

-Scarlet Sword: A long blood red katana that was forged by Sindri and several other local blacksmiths. Bathed in the blood of a god and enchanted in order to become the perfect weapon for a war god. The sword gets stronger and stronger whenever it's used. Healing the user over time and making them much stronger in return.

-Grasscutter: A legendary sword originally used by Susanoo, then gifted to Amaterasu. Which is then stolen and given to Kratos to use. The weapon once used can manipulate the air and create powerful wind currents that can tear through stone with ease.

[thelandswemadeofpaper]

A interesting thing in every pantheon is which domain belong to the 'King' of gods, what this civilization consider to 'govern' over the others

[cerseimikaelson]

You can read the latest chapter of There's a story left untold by Cersei_Mikaelson on ao3.

“What the fuck half the pantheons think is so great about America that they straight up move there I will never know. It’s all just environmental destruction and guns and that infernal concoction they call McDonald's.”

[thefiercest]

TMNT: Shinigami's Family (OC Characters)

Grandparents

Grandmother - Musouka

Grandfather - Kairyu

(These are just OC names, their original names are Dreamer and Dragon)

Parents

Mother - Kitsune

Father - Izanagi

(I think Shinigami's father is canon and if you do some research on him, you'll see why.)

Aunts/Uncles

Aunt - Aka

Uncle - Yuka (Original names Manmoth)

Uncle - Chi-You

Uncle - Gothano

Uncle - Ogama (Original name Toad Baron)

Uncle - Tesso (Original name Rat King)

Aunt - Bakeneko (Original name Jagwar)

Siblings

Half-Sister - Amaterasu

Half-Sister - Tsukuyomi

Half-Sister - Susanoo

(I know that two of them are men but I just don't see Shinigami having brothers so I'm writing them as women.)

....

I am just trying to figure out Shinigami's origin story, so I am kind of messing around and doing, a lot of research since we did not get enough of her to really know.

I am working with what we were given, okay? Which is her name, the fact that she no doubt has mythical powers, and looking into past TMNT stuff, mostly about Kitsune.

If you guys have any ideas, please share them.

[judgingbooksbycovers]

Japanese Tales

By Royall Tyler.

[that-cunning-witch]

Looking for Witchy Mutuals

Hi!! I really wanna make some witchy friends here on tumblr! Here’s some info about me:

My name’s Emma but you can also call me Zodiac

I’m 20 and I don’t feel comfortable befriending anyone that isn’t an adult, so please, no one under 18

I’m non-binary, so they/them pronouns only please, and I’m bisexual and on the aromantic scale/spectrum

I’m also disabled and mentally ill, having ADHD, social anxiety, and PTSD (I may have autism as well but it’s not an official diagnosis)

I’m a Sag/Libra/Sag and a Water Horse

I’m a folk witch, particularly in English/British folk magic (also called cunning folk magic)

I’m mostly white but I’m part Japanese, so I also am researching Japanese folk magic (I’m more Japanese than Gwen Stefani lmao)

My patron/patroness is Queen Persephone and I’ve been drawn to the Greek pantheon for a long time now, so that’s my main polytheism

However, I’ve also dabbled into the Celtic pantheon (Rhiannon)

I also have a unique connection to angels/archangels so communicating and working with them is also in my practice

I’m interested in working with Kamis but we’ll see where that takes me

I use tarot, herbs, crystals, and candles

Green magic, kitchen magic, folk magic, and astrology are my main magics

I’m currently in animation major in college

If you’re interested in any of these, please feel free to message me and maybe we can be friends!

Decolonizing/de-appropriating your practice and witchcraft in general

Folk magic

Greek pantheon/magic

Angels/archangels

Queer witchcraft

Research into magic/witchcraft

Mixing of herbal/holistic/alternative and modern medicine

However, if any of these apply to you, don’t bother!!

TERF/Radfem

Use the term “pagan” or “wiccan” to describe gods (i.e. “Hecate is a pagan goddess” no she’s not)

Anti-modern medicine (vaccines and modern medicine are a good thing don’t come at me with your abelist shit)

Believer in starseeds or that one thing where you write “magical” numbers on your wrist

A user/believer/practitioner of voodoo/hoodoo, kabbalah, etc. and you’re not of that ethnicity/race (appropriation is not cool my dude)

New Age believer

[who-is-muses]

[ suddenly accosted by Big Sleepy, but still thinking about Thoth and by extension different mythologies coexisting and interacting so. I give you this photo circa 1864 iirc of samurai posing in front of the Sphinx of Giza on their way to France. ]

[hobgobbin]

I’ve seen at least TWO posts in the tyr tag now pointing to his tattoos and being like OMG DO YOU THINK TYR WENT TO EGYPT?? 👀 👀 👀

yes bestie that was like. explicitly stated in the last game

[oennpellmell]

Since people are sharing. Why not adding more :)

This is why I read the reddit comments

[dreamconsumer]

Amaterasu.

[trans-li-ling]

.

[bones4thecats]

hello there!! I don't know if you write for anubis, but if you do can I request for anubis, Loki, qin shi Huang, and Tesla with a reader who have a Japanese porcelain doll-like pretty? She rarely talk and people often think she have a cold personality but she was actually shy and anxious (basically komi reader), thank youu!! :D

A/N: I have just started writing for Anubis, and other characters, you can find them on my Character List, which is linked on my Masterlist! Now, enjoy!

●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・

●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・

🐶 Anubis had first met you because of a Gods' Council meeting, boring I know!

🐶 He watched as Zeus introduced you

🐶 Your quiet and seemingly cold personality actually got him to be centered around you, as he wanted to see you smile so badly!

🐶 He tried getting you to smile so badly, and when he noticed how sweet and kind you were to a child who passed you by when running up and down the temple stairs, his heart fluttered

🐶 Every other God in his Pantheon was after your beauty, but he was after your personality

🐶 Anubis looked at you when you hid behind him, since Zeus was ogling you, again

🐶 Whenever this happened, he'd pick you up and take you back to his home where he would lay his headpiece on your head and let you play with his hair

●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・

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🐍 You and him were polar opposites

🐍 Everybody is very confused and wondering what the hell went wrong

🐍 Loki was the gremlin of the Norse Pantheon while you were the angel of the Norse Pantheon, it just didn't add up

🐍 While many, including you, believed that Loki was just into your looks and teasing you for sheer fun, you all quickly learned that he did genuinely care about you

🐍 Whenever you got nervous and didn't wish to be around people, Loki would hold you in the air with him as he people watched

🐍 He also enjoys to speak, so you don't have to worry about him not liking your silence, in fact, he quite enjoys it!

🐍 Normally after he played a series of pranks, he'd hike himself in a tree and take a nap, now, he finds his new napping spot in your lap, causing you to get flustered and hide yourself

●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・

●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・

👑 He adores your personality with a passion

👑 Qin is more of a social and extroverted person, so you being more of an introvert makes people question exactly how he managed to bag you

👑 And he loves to tell the story to anybody, willing or unwilling, to lend an ear for him to speak

👑 He had met you one day while walking through a market, and he watched you hand a fruit to a hungry child before paying for it, smiling as you patted their head

👑 It took a while, but when you guys got married, he showed even more care for you

👑 Qin would hold you in his lap, allowing you to hide your face in his neck whenever there were a bunch of people in a room

👑 He also enjoys having you design him new bandannas, and while he never wore them, as he feared they'd get damaged, he would hang them up in his and your room

●・○・●・○��●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・

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🧪 Tesla had been working on a special mechanism and called in one of his colleagues for some assistance on finding a special piece of machinery

🧪 He watched as he called you up and ordered the piece of metal, and he was wondering how much you knew about it all

🧪 And when you arrived and helped him place it in, giving short and very quiet recommendations, he realized how amazingly smart you were

🧪 Nikola and you connected on how much you enjoy quiet and calm environments

🧪 And all the time you guys spent together eventually led to you guys dating and getting married

🧪 Whenever he had to work, you would be either in the same room working on something yourself or at home doing something for when he got home

🧪 As he is a very busy man, he would be out of the house often, which he hoped didn't bother you, but, thankfully, it didn't

🧪 Your quiet personality and his stoic and quiet personality made a great mix, as whenever he was working, you'd just sit there and listen to his light comments as he worked

[kordeliiius]

A Cut From Every Cloth

Series of vintage photo mockups to commemorate Tarsier Studios turning 20 this year, featuring the main members of their pantheon in cultural clothing

Outfit descriptions and references below

Little Nightmares

Six - Japanese hakama, haori, and hair ornaments Mono - Swedish Dalarna suit Runaway - Embroidered Baju Melayu with headwrap

LittleBigPlanet Vita and Tearaway Unfolded

Sunshine - 19th-century Yorkshire dress with bonnet and lace shawl Atoi - Scottish tartan kilt and flat cap Sean - Regency-era suit with cybernetic motifs Flounder - Ringmaster uniform with Russian punk rock motifs Marianne - French folk dress with gothic accessories Otis - Appalachian denim overalls with decorative trim

The Stretchers, Statik, and Fists of Plastic

Red medic - Mexican serape wrap and sombrero Blue medic - Zoot suit with fedora and metallic accessories Dr. Ingen - Victorian pinstripe suit Hero - Hainanese bamboo dance costume

The City of Metronome

Ten - Irish-inspired coordination with walking hat and Galway boots New - Bai and Hmong Hoa-inspired outfit with traditional headdress and Hong Kong embroidery

[thebrookesnook]

okay call me crazy and I know the newest chapter of Wind Breaker just released like over an hour ago, but hear me out: I think I know the deity Nii Satoru used to represent Takiishi.

Part 2: Umemiya Hajime and Fudō Myō-ō

So let's talk about it. Spoilers for Chapter 150!

I believe Takiishi is being represented by a Karura (迦楼羅, かるら). Here's my evidence to this theory:

[Karura (Left) & Karura (Right) were sourced from the same page on Japanese Buddhist Statuary: A to Z Photo Dictionary]

According to my research, karura are said to be a race of mythical fire-breathing bird-men (demigods) originating from Hindu mythology and was later adopted by the Buddhist into their pantheon as a protector deity or in accord. to legends were converted into Buddhism by Buddha and are considered one of the Eight Legions.

While going through my research, I found some interesting connections that may or may not apply to what we know of Takiishi and the imagery of the deity depicted:

Bird-like figure = appearance wise, the deity's depiction looks very similar to that of the karura.

"In Japan, Garuda is an enormous fire-breathing eagle-man with golden feathers and magic gems crowning its head."

- Schumacher, M., Karura

"They are humanoid in appearance, with the heads and wings of eagles. They have red skin, and red and gold feathers. Karura are fearsome. They breath fire from their beaks. The flapping of their wings sounds like thunder, and creates gusts of wind so strong they can dry up lakes, knock down houses, and cover entire cities in darkness. Their gigantic wingspans are 330 yojanas wide, and they can leap 3,360,000 li in a single bound. (The lengths of one yojana and one li vary greatly from country to country and era to era—a yojana can measure anywhere between 1.6 km to over 13 km long, and one li can measure anywhere between 400 m and 3.9 km.)"

- Yokai.com, Karura

Fire symbolism = Karura are said to be fire-breathing creatures. In Takiishi's lastname (焚石), it consists of the characters that roughly translates to "burning stone" (焚, taki = to burn; 石, ishi = stone). Also, his hair. (Note: Need I say more?)

The original Hindu deity's name is Garuda (sanskrit: The Devourer). The name comes from the fact that karura are known for feeding on dragons, more specifically naga or malicious serpents who have not been converted by Buddha, due to a fued between Garuda's mother (Skt. Vinata) and her sister, mother to the naga. Relating this to Takiishi's bloodlust and extremely violent tendencies during fights, perhaps Umemiya is the dragon he wants to "devour", 🤔. (Note: @yellow-gardenia-48 made a really interesting point in the replies about Endo's signature animal being a snake.)

Conclusion: While I'm not 100% certain that this deity is the exact one the mangaka used for the panel, I'm 95% sure that it is. If anyone would like to add anything more in terms of connections between Takiishi and Karura, feel free to do so! Or disagree with me, that's also cool too. I definitely would like to see more discussions on the symbolisms and cultural references Nii Satoru uses in the series so if I can be a jumping point to that, I'd be happy to do so.

(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 in English and Japanese) and credit them accordingly. However, I am prone to slip ups so if there is anything that requires correction in my post, you may notify me directly through 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 )

[lexsssu]

Divine (Arjuna Alter | Berserker)

TAGS: Arjuna Alter/Dragoness!reader, pining, heats/ruts, pheromones, knotting, smut, oneshot Ao3 ver. | Ko-fi | Commissions (OPEN)

From the moment he is summoned in Chaldea to assist humanity’s last master, Arjuna ( Alter ), the culmination of the Indian pantheon and former opponent of said master knew what his purpose was.

He is a weapon against evil, nothing more and nothing less.

But…

“I know it’s not the same as back in your country, but I like to think my Japanese-style curry tastes pretty good. I made sure to make it extra spicy for you too!”

The god blinked at the tall pile of steaming curry rice placed in front of him, smelling the various aromatic spices and feeling the heat it gave off thanks to sheer amount of spice. Though he had no need to eat thanks to his divinity and also because he was a servant, the tantalizing aroma of the meal didn’t fail to tease his senses especially as you gazed up at him expectantly with those molten gold orbs of yours that shone and glittered like the finest of jewels. It also didn’t help that you unknowingly bat your lashes up at him as you pleaded with him through your gaze alone, the dark lush crescents emphasizing how even just a pair of eyes could hold unimaginable beauty.

You are breathtaking.

And that honestly scared him.

He, who had shed his mortal shell to embody almost every god in his respective pantheon, who had dedicated his existence to purging the world of evil, and now who’d found himself a servant to a master much more powerful than he or any servant was.

Though servants being attracted to their masters and relationships before formed between the two wasn’t anything new, Arjuna ( Alter ) of all servants felt that he himself would never be so imbecilic as to fall for his master…

And yet here he is.

Leaning forward as you’d taken it upon yourself to scoop up a spoonful of curry rice and feed it to him since he’d frozen up like a deer in headlights the moment you’d placed the treat in front of him.

“So...how does it taste? Is it spicy enough for you? Or maybe it needs more flavor? Or…?”

Normally you always wore a look of complete serenity, as if everything that has happened, is happening, and will happen was simply all part of your grand plan that no one is privy to aside from yourself...At least that’s how it looked to Arjuna and everyone else within Chaldea considering the inconceivable feats you so easily make into reality.

But now you’re gazing up at him, seemingly as harmless as a little lamb despite your ability to destroy entire worlds according to one of the other servants, Tathamet, who’d apparently been a blessed witness to all your feats before arriving in Chaldea. The primordial revered you as much as he feared you despite apparently being ‘ The Prime Evil, ’ further proof of your power.   

Despite his understanding of mortal behavior having been eradicated when he decided to ascend, there is no denying the heat that seems to engulf his whole body as you sit so close to him, serving him as if he weren’t the servant within this relationship.

“...Good. It’s...perfect…” Though an invisible lump seems to have formed in his throat, the former Lost-Belt King manages to utter the words you’ve been waiting for so patiently.

He swallows when his eyes take notice of how visibly you perk up, the ear to ear grin and the slight wagging of the glittering silver tail behind you making his own deep blue tail move ever so slowly in response to your reactions.

“Great! I was afraid that you wouldn’t like it since it’s not really the same as what you’re used to but I tried my best…” 

The bashful grin you grace him with only worsens the Berserker’s condition, his dark chocolate complexion seemingly gaining a reddish hue as he did his best to understand these confusing feelings you elicited from him.

Was this another facet of your limitless power? Or perhaps...was his body simply too weak to handle your sheer might even by just being in close proximity to you?

With the both of you off in your own world, most of the servants seem to have their gazes glued to the pair you made. Not that it was surprising, considering you were their venerated master and pretty much every servant and everyone else within Chaldea was sure you were some sort of eldritch being that came into existence and power long before any of the known gods and primordial entities did.

At this moment however, Arjuna’s thoughts have moved on from your undeniable strength and towards uncharted territory.

Namely...the reactions his physical body seems to be making in response to you.

Perhaps he should consult with someone more...adept with human emotions? Maybe it was about time he paid a visit to his brother, Karna...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“ KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! KNOT ME! ”

 This...was the last scenario he’d expected after consulting with Karna about the emotions you made him feel.

“ PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! ” 

He simply knocked at your door some days later after he’d digested his brother’s words, understanding for himself what his feelings meant before he made a move. So caught up in his own affairs, he didn’t notice how your natural scent seemed to become...spicier and almost cloyingly sweet until he’d fully entered your room only to be hit with your raw pheromones.

It all becomes a blur at that point, because the next thing Arjuna knows is that he’s pinning you down upon your bed in a full mating press, the entire length of his cock forcing your lower lips open as he sought to pour every drop of his potent seed into your fertile womb.

Though in human form, you were both very much in tune with your baser instincts and like any animal, there were certain times where your bodies went against your minds. 

The combined scent of your sweat and other bodily fluids made the former god purr from his chest, especially as your body secreted pheromones that told him how happy you were for him to be the one mating you. How you looked forward to the brood you’ll bear for him once his seed takes root within your belly.

“Good mate…” He rasps, ragged breaths hitting the shell of your ear when he shoved every last inch of his cock inside, the heavy knot at the base slipping easily inside your velvety depths as he began painting your hungry cunt with rivulets of white.