Ophi :: IC Contact

[andnowistandalone]

[There's no message, you just get a beep.]

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[note_taking]

L? This is Tsukito Totsuka, or Tsukuyomi--if that is what you know me better by.

I did not realize until recently that I forgot to mention a few other details about Father's escape from Yomi-no-kuni. I do not know if you already know this through the stories humans passed down, however.

[andnowistandalone]

[This is more than expected, he didn't think that there would be further contact - though he's pleasantly surprised more than anything else, truly.]

I remember who you are by any name, but I welcome you to further my knowledge. What I don't know could sincerely change many outcomes. Please continue as you wish without concern of what knowledge I may or may not have. I will listen.

[note_taking]

Again, these are all things that I heard by word of mouth from the other Japanese gods.

As Father fled, Izanami sent Yomotsu-shikome ahead of her to pursue him. From what I was told, Yomotsu-shikome was a hag of Yomi-no-kuni.

Father was able to evade by giving her all sorts of distractions. He threw down his headdress, which turned into grapes and the hag paused to eat them. When she pursued him again, he broke his comb and cast the pieces, which turned into bamboo shoots, slowing Yomotsu-shikome again as she pulled them out and ate them. That was all my father had to throw, though.

The hag continued pursuing him, but by that time she was joined by an army--1500 strong--led by thunder deities of Japan. Even when Father brandished his sword, they still followed. But once Father reached the entrance to Yomi-no-kuni and threw three peaches at them, they finally retreated. All except Izanami.

After Izanami swore to kill a thousand humans each day, Father swore that a thousand and five hundred humans would be born each day.

That is all I can recall hearing from the other gods.

[andnowistandalone]

[He's more or less soaking in the information, if it is or isn't part of the lore that he knows, it's confirmation of some sorts and he's always been one to relegate if he could or couldn't believe a story. There's no gain to tell him this out of the blue and there's no malice in including information that Near's been seeking with, again, no gain to be had. There's no haggling for information before giving it and he can draw from conclusion easily, even without it that this is likely the truth as this man knows it.]

Coming forward with this to me is appreciated. This information correlates well with what information I've been gathering myself on the subject. Do you know, at all, if the taking of a life prematurely enables the God, or Goddess, to be able to continue their own life-span or if their lifespan itself is unending? If your Father threw them food, for what reason do they need sustenance or was it purely distraction— as I am considering the bowels of Hell do not have such remarkable farming irrigation.

[note_taking]

Thinking back to the gods who were present as I was being raised, I do not think so. I myself have never been required to take a life in order to extend my own. In Izanami's case, however, I cannot say. Most believe she made that vow to spite Father, but hearing you inquire such things... It makes me wonder if Izanami had other motives besides offending Father.

[He was told that Izanami was like a rotting corpse the last time Izanagi laid eyes on her, due to her having eaten some of the food of the underworld. So maybe, by killing those thousand humans she was keeping herself from deteriorating any further? If only he could ask Hades since he might have known more about such matters.]

It must have been for distraction. Yomi-no-kuni does have food, but as you said, it is not even of fair quality. It was the food of the underworld that Izanami ate after her death, making her one with the land of the dead and destroying her beauty. Beings like us do not really need to consume food to survive, but we can if we wish for the sake of simply enjoying how it tastes. Though, I actually had no interest in food until I was summoned to Zeus' academy.

[Mainly, because his body began to act like a human's would from lack of food and Tsukito ended up collapsing one day because he'd eaten so little and hardly slept. With the mention of Zeus' academy again, it may or may not make Near wonder why Tsukuyomi--a Japanese god--was summoned there--by a Greek god--in the first place.]