#onk 79

[wurm-food]

oh god oh my god oh fuck oh ahhhh

[hotshitno2]

I’m actually hoping that we get a several chapter long backstory of Kamiki and Ai, because for some reason I am so invested in their relationship 😭

[yuseirra]

HEY!! I think the gods REALLY have to do with Ai and Hikaru!!! (theory)

I've been looking into Ame-no-Uzume, Amaterasu and Sarutahiko's lores as of recently and the gods Ame-no-uzume and Sarutahiko have really similar dynamic with Ai and Hikaru right...

Well, remember that time in onk when the characters all went to pray at the Aratate shrine in Miyazaki for good luck? That shrine worships Ame-no-uzume, and it's mentioned in CH 74 and 79. When it's mentioned the first time, Aqua's reaction towards the name Amenouzumeno-mikoto is rather weird... he says he knows about her "really well"... why is he like that towards the name? That bugged me when I first read it and it still does too. Since he's aware of the gods actually being in existence, he could have encountered things that have to do with her, wouldn't it?

Anyway, I looked up the name of the shrine and guess what??

That region is associated with all three gods, Amaterasu, Sarutakhiko and Ame-no-Uzume. It's where the legends related to them took place, and the shrine HAS to do with not just Amenouzume but her Husband, they are worshipped together in that particular shrine. The place is also where the twins lived and passed and where the hospital Gorou worked in's located. This could be why the names "Amaterasu" and "Ame-no-uzume"'s been brought up, they really have to do with the story in some way.

Here's the description of the shrine found from the link below:

"A shrine that is often visited by celebrities, Aratate shrine is said to bring good fortune in show business and marriage. This shrine is dedicated to Sarutahikono-mikoto and his wife Amenouzumeno-mikoto who gave directions to Ninigino-mikoto the grandson of the sun goddess upon his descension from the heavens."

This must have some significance to the story.

Yeah, I bet Hikaru's name came from that god who's the husband of Amenouzume, and I looked more into this god, he's always worshipped with his wife. There's another shrine that's dedicated to him in the Ise region:

"Sarutahiko-JinjaShrine is also located within the precincts of Sarutahiko Shrine, facing the main shrine. Amenouzume-no-mikoto, enshrined at Sarume-JinjaShrine, is known as a god that brings good fortune in the entertainment industry and marriage, and is visited by many celebrities."

The common aspect these shrines share with one another is that they bless the people in the entertainment industry. More like Sarutakahiko blesses the land in general, with his wife bringing good fortune to the people related to the arts since she's the god of the arts. Anyhow, they seem to be really close, huh, it's kind of cute to see people always allowing them to be together and dedicating a place for her in his shrines.

And what Sarutahiko does or is supposed to do is to "guide things in the right direction".

I brought the original text for this in case the auto-translation gets off:

猿田彦神社にまつられている猿田彦大神（さるたひこのおおかみ）は、古事記や日本書紀にも登場する神様です。

天照大神（あまてらすおおみかみ）の孫である瓊瓊杵尊(ににぎのみこと)を地上の世界まで道案内したと伝えられ、物事のはじまりに道しるべとなって、何事も良い方向へと導いてくださる「みちひらき」の神様として知られています。

It translates to this:

Sarutahiko is the deity enshrined at Sarutahiko Shrine, and is mentioned in the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters) and Nihonshoki (Chronicles of Japan).

He is said to have guided Ninigi no Mikoto, a grandson of Amaterasu no Mikami, to the earthly world, and is known as the god of “Michi-Hiraki” who guides us in the right direction at the beginning of things.

So he's supposed to be the god that maintains order.

Ring a bell? I've mentioned this in the other theories I posted yesterday, but if there is really a god that deals with "absurdity and unreasonableness", this is the guy they would try to get at. He's the one that'd get in their way of things.

I think Ai really could be "Amenouzume", she's the one who's brought Ruby to her new life, the way that goddess brought Amaterasu out from the cave she retreated into. And if she's amenouzume, or at least is an incarnation/blessed by her, she has to be paired with her husband who's always worshipped together with her. Ai has a boyfriend she had children with, and his name just awfully screams he has to do with a god in some way, especially the one that deals with light. Sarutahiko EMITS light. His other name (I'm so sorry for saying this for like 100th time in a row) is "god of the bright lights". It seems like they have a loving relationship from the lores I read about them.

If you look at it from a neutral standpoint, Hikaru's life's been a series of suffering just one after another. And I keep looking at him, his personality actually still doesn't seem that twisted after all he's been through. He's too meek. I was really keen on how this guy'd turn out to be like because he was really suspicious right? but every time he makes an appearance, it does seem like he has something on his mind but it doesn't seem like he is even capable of showing any type of aggression to the extent it feels almost surreal. Why doesn't he show any anger towards others when he's clearly been continuously mistreated? It's sad because maybe people could be like that, but I still feel the level is very extreme. He should have resented people. He could have turned bitter. Distant. Selfish. He should have screamed and lashed out but he only smiles and accepts and stays quiet. I don't sense any negativity or hostility towards other people in the way he acts so far and I studied psychology. I have a feeling Ai's really chosen a super sweet guy to love. This guy is awfully kind in nature. Am I going to be wrong about this? But I want to get it out there, he seems like a genuinely good person. Too kind for his own good. If that is what's so, then the reason WHY Ai would want to help him makes a lot of sense to me. It's strange... At this point it'd make more sense for me if he REALLY turned out to be some god.

I think something's really after him to disrupt balance, wouldn't THAT be a good reason to force the gods to step in? The plot of onk must be involving/related to these three gods at a minimum. There's been SOMETHING that's been thrown out there, it's been brushed off or unthought of because it's too absurd and fantasy-like, but I think it can be important!!

There is also another thing I noted: yesterday I found Ame-no-uzume belongs in the "Amatsukamis", 天津神(あまつかみ). The gods from the skies-

Her husband Sarutahiko isn't. He belongs in the "Kunitsukamis" 国津神(くにつかみ) and belongs on the land.

If Ai is compared to a "star", He's been compared to a "jewel". That analogy makes sense, actually, since jewels belong on the land even while they shine. So he's actually NOT a star in essence like Ai. If Ai returns to being a star, he cannot reach her from where he is because they originate from different places. Hence, the lyrics of Mephisto starts making a lot of sense. No matter how hard he tries, she's out of his grasp.

So I'm guessing he could have been tricked or lured into the hopes of being allowed to meet Ai again/that she could be brought back to life by ANOTHER "STAR". Probably a god that belongs in the Amatsukami category.

It all clicks really well for me but I wonder if the writers really thought of all this.. Of course, whatever they'd thought up would be way more detailed and in-depth than I, but I mean in terms of the direction of the story. I could be way off about this, but it actually works!! This idea that even if they were to be gods, they STILL wouldn't be able to meet if they returned back to where they came-that's a really clever set-up, if their lore really has to do with this. I'd be impressed if that's really what's been going on.

Anyhow I'm pretty sure Hikaru's been doing something to bring Ai back... I really want that to be discussed if that's really what's been happening. In that case, he gave up on what he'd been desiring for over a decade, on the spot, to respect her wishes. That's selfless of him... but just how many lines did he cross? How much wrong did he commit?? I need this guy to be expanded upon but will it? I guess if that happens he could take all the spotlight so, but I still want to know what's going about around him. There's so much weird stuff that's been happening around this guy and it doesn't seem like a coincidence.

That's it for now~ I'll draw something based on this idea! :) The lore between Amenouzume and her husband was very cute. When I look them up, the tour guides and stuff always seem to portray them as a happy couple and I like that. I like the fact she approached him first too~.. of course, I should do more research if I wanted to know about them better and I could be wrong, but.. I love reading about myths and folklores of different countries and I love seeing couples that get along well. They seem to have a lot of descendants too~

Those gods seem to love people a lot and do a lot of favors for them, there are purification rituals, protective spells, a lot of good fortune in general. They even bless marriages and you can actually get wed in the sarutahiko shrine, it says (well, the gods were married themselves so makes sense)

If Ai and Hikaru's really them, I see why they love people because that's how they've always been. Regardless if they are, or if they aren't.. I hope they will be happy somehow.

[rachelraygifs]

OnK Chapter 118 thoughts:

This manga is really just Aqua and Ruby getting hit with the “doomed by the narrative” stick alternatingly, huh?

That being said, I think this arc might finally resolve the Twin’s biggest secret from each other -- who they were in their past lives. I wasn’t sure if we would ever get to it, but with Serina’s mom showing up, and Ruby fixated on internalizing Ai and relating to her, there’s no way she’s going to handle seeing her well. If she reveals who she is to Aqua, I doubt he’d be able to not blurt out that he’s Goro. I think they’re already making up a little as of chapter 116, where Ruby realized that Aqua’s doing the movie for revenge, and I’m sure that reading the script has made her understand what he’s after much better than before. 

But I think that it’s definitely been alluded to, from the very beginning of the manga, that Ruby knows who Aqua is by the time the movie happens:

The whole “trust with my life” thing, assuming it’s not a fanciful translation, definitely makes me feel like she knows who he is. After all, she already entrusted her life to him once.

Anyway, something else was the reappearance of Crow Girl. Whoever she is, Aqua seems to have talked to her before, which made me reread chapter 79, and you know what? Contrary to my impression at the time of reading it, and I think the fan impression, it definitely doesn’t seem like that was Ruby’s first time meeting her. After all, she seemed completely unphased by her attitude, by her knowing where she got the Ai gacha, and just by her presence already.

 If I had to guess, off screen, both of the twins have met Crow Girl multiple times, especially since Aqua implies he knows that Ruby’s talked to her. 

That being said, I love this panel, a lot. It’s really eerie, and perfectly captures the vibe, I think, especially after crushing the fan theory that Ai maybe was reincarnated too: