#akyuurei

[lllightcha]

Reiakyuu kiss

I don't know why it took me so long to make one of them like this but done! Maybe more at some point in the future.

[amemenojaku]

Akyuu/Reimu for the ship ask, please

hi I um. turned this into akyuurei manifesto. sorry

How differently do they think of each other now compared to when they first met?

I just reread Memorizable Gensokyo and some of the FS chapters where they interact (+the bit at the end of SoPM) back-to-back and it feels like they’ve come to really respect each other. When they first met properly in MG Akyuu tried so hard to impress Reimu, who looked amused by Akyuu’s work but didn’t seem to take her very seriously… I suppose that’s partly because they were younger then. I like that small panel in MG where Reimu introduces herself and Akyuu’s like “:O!!!”… By the time we see them together again in FS, they talk as equals. Reimu acknowledges Akyuu’s authority (she’s still super blunt about the chronicles but that’s Reimu for you lol), and Akyuu trusts Reimu to get the work done when it’s needed. They know they can rely on each other. I’d even go as far as to say Reimu treats Akyuu with a bit more softness than she does a lot of characters… She worries about Akyuu walking all the way up to the shrine in a latter FS chapter, she doesn’t chastise Akyuu for organizing the symposium in SoPM despite how pissed she is at the other participants (although I do think she was still hurt… more on that below), etc. As they are now they see each other as individuals more than roles I think, which is an important part of their dynamic (and also of Reimu pairings in general imo).

What do their friends/family think of their relationship?

They’d be the type to go in circles for a while before committing to something. Take their time with it. Past a certain point Marisa and Kosuzu start scheming to get them together (much to the concerned parties’ annoyance). When it finally happens they’d be teasing but supportive. I think the relationship would be kept secret for a time… Some people still manage to sniff it out though, Yukari for example; she’d be satisfied with it. Two people she has a weird close situationship with, together? That works. There might be some gossip about them… But if/when they make it official to everyone, I honestly think they’d be blessed by most of the village – it’s the Hakurei shrine maiden and the head of the Hieda clan after all! Might break a few nameless village women’s hearts though…

How do their personalities/skills complement or contrast with each other?

They have a ton of parallels (human but not quite; role directly tied to the survival of the world they live in; bridge between humans and youkai, etc) but also a few differences both symbolically (Akyuu doesn’t fly (she’s grounded to (a relative) reality), Reimu is literally the power to fly (transcends reality); Reimu is the “eternal shrine maiden”, Akyuu doesn’t live past 30 (but even that can be turned into a parallel with Akyuu’s reincarnations*), etc) and in terms of personality (Akyuu being calmer in general and displaying better social skills). Imo it’s one of the relationships with the most interesting balance between contrast and similarities… They’re the same girl but they’re also on two different sides of the same coin and the pining that comes out of it is SO good.

*if you look too hard into this like I do you’ll see the child of Miare’s reincarnation gimmick as a parallel to how it’s implied that the past Hakurei shrine maidens were replaced often (died quickly?)

What is their favorite aspect of each other?

In canon, I’d say it’s how reliable they find each other. They’ve worked together/consulted one another a few times in FS for matters related to the human village, and despite some differences in opinion they’re on the same wavelength on a lot of issues. Now, with my yuri goggles on…. I think it’d be really sweet if they could make each other feel normal. If their similarities brought them together on a level different from their other friendships, where they can understand the weight of each other’s role and that whole “human but not quite” thing they share, and be able to completely treat each other as ordinary. I really really like it when a character with a lot of obligations gets to just be themselves, and I also love it when two characters who’re both special or generally “apart” from everyone else grow close thanks to that, so I’m just mashing things I enjoy lol

Do either of them have pet peeves about each other?

I like to think Akyuu has a healthy lifestyle and her days go like clockwork (except when she’s close to a writing deadline), so she’d probably find some of the situations Reimu ends up in very frustrating. I think that fits well with the fact that Akyuu doesn’t always realize how high her quality of life is and can sometimes act a bit inconsiderate towards people who aren’t as rich as her. Meanwhile Reimu’s a very honest, very blunt person who struggles with keeping secrets for long (see Forbidden Scrollery’s ending), so she probably wouldn’t like some of the secrets Akyuu keeps at times. But Akyuu’s an important figure to the human villagers and she does take her role as a chronicler seriously, so there must be moments she has to prioritize her obligations over honesty. I think that kind of contrast is very interesting.

How would each reconcile with each other after a fight?

They’re both stubborn… But I see Reimu as the first to try to reconcile most of the time. Her soft spot for Akyuu would take over her natural pride imo. So she makes the first move. Akyuu takes longer, but her apologies are sincere.

Buuut there’s one time I can imagine Reimu completely withdrawing into her shell and refusing to even acknowledge that she’s really upset at Akyuu until confronted about it: SoPM. I won’t ever be able to explain it better than que-de-metal did right here so I recommend reading it!!

What would be their ideal vacation getaway together?

Hot spring resort. Quiet, relaxing and good for Akyuu’s health! And plenty of time for Reimu to laze around and read mystery novels. (I’m projecting… I miss onsens…….)

Think of a new way (AU, different situation, etc.) they could have met for the first time.

I’m honestly a bit upset that Memorizable Gensokyo is when they first met proper, even though there’s no way the Hieda family isn’t regularly in contact with the Hakurei shrine maiden. I think it’d be cute if they met when they were both kids and Reimu was in training with her predecessor and they were both called at the Hieda mansion for something. Extra points if Akyuu was intrigued by Reimu’s natural powers and that’s where her desire to impress her in MG comes from, and if Reimu barely remembers that meeting (like with Alice in PCB).

[que-de-metal]

You wrote what?

Touhou Ship Week 2023 - Day 1 : Confession / Legacy

Hey when your crush is also the biggest fan of your anonymous work should you tell her about it or lie to keep the magic alive? Asking for a friend.

[fukinkitty]

ive not posted here in a little i forgot. anyways akyuurei doodles

[que-de-metal]

YESSSSSSSS OH MY GOD THANK YOU SO MUCH it really is AkyuuRei year 😌Thank you for drawing my niche fave pairing.

It's so sweet and I like the way you used all the prompts to make a little story, they work really well together I feel like you really got where I was going with the prompts 😭 The composition of the first panel with the concert in the dark is so dramatic and so cool and you drew Kyouko with an undercut just the way I like her aaaaaahhhhhhh

I love the expressions, I love the panels getting more colorful as they are closer to seeing each other, it's all so so so sweet, thank you so much for drawing this for me <3

Hi @aulula / @avlvla, I’m your @touhousecretsanta for this year! 

Reimu/Akyuu is an interesting pairing, so I went ahead and draw a short comic on them! I took some liberty and mishmash the prompts that you provided

Happy holidays, hope the new year is a good one for you!

[amemenojaku]

For the rarepair suggestions, maybe AkyuuRei (I'm a broken record) or Tsukasa x Sanae ? :>

[lllightcha]

All my Reiakyuu (or akyuurei) art compiled.

I love this pairing so much, Reimu and Akyuu various thing in comune I'm surprised there isnt more art of them together.

[que-de-metal]

Touhou Ship Week 2023 (Oops! All AkyuuRei) - Day 3 : Creativity / Adventure

If I'm honest with myself flying with Reimu is probably uncomfortable as hell but as a treat I'd like to imagine it all airy and delicate like in Howl's Moving Castle...

[que-de-metal]

Touhou Ship Week 2023 (Oops! All AkyuuRei) - Day 2 : Sweet / Pride

Give them something to talk about ;)

[que-de-metal]

Touhou Ship Week 2023 (Oops! All AkyuuRei) - Day 5 : Trust / Performance

If you're a youkai at a Choujuu Gigaku concert and you see the Miare girl being obnoxious and catching Raiko's drumsticks for the fifth night in a row first of all mind your own business and second of all do NOT try to drag her into the mosh pit because the Shrine Maiden will kill you

[fukinkitty]

AHHHH AKYUUREI

[que-de-metal]

Touhou Ship Week 2023 (Oops! All AkyuuRei) - Day 4 : Habits / AU

Historical fantasy writer / Main character that came to life

[que-de-metal]

Touhou Ship Week 2023 (Oops! All AkyuuRei) - Day 6 : Commitment / Conflict

The scene where Reimu barges in the Symposium has an unbelievable grip on me. Its intended purpose surely wasn't angst when Zun wrote it but it makes me so emotional.

I've talked about it before but I feel like the five years after MoF (SA, UFO, TD) are the games in which we see the grimest version of Reimu. They're the ones where her "carefree" descriptor from earlier in the timeline completely ceases to be relevant and she sounds very angry in most of her dialogue. I've always headcanoned this as a reaction to Kanako, Byakuren and Miko showing up back to back. before them religion in Gensokyo was pretty straightforward, and so Reimu had a set role to play. It must have been extremely hard to spend your entire childhood and early adulthood training for a job that you thought you were meant to do, only to find out that other options existed and you could have lived literally any other life you wanted and AAAAH I'm going to stop before writing a wall of text but I can't be the only one to see this right? That there's definitely an era of Touhou games where Reimu is NOT OKAY...

And the fact that all of these new and potentially scaring things culminate in a summit where Reimu wasn't invited and the fact that this betrayal was orchestrated by MARISA her best friend and AKYUU the one other person who JUST LIKE HER had her lifestyle and job assigned to her by the structure of Gensokyo without having a say in it... It is gut-wrenching to me and actually it was re-reading SoPM with that in mind that got me to ship AkyuuRei in the first place! Reimu and Akyuu having similar relationship to humanity and destiny is already good, but the fact that we get canon betrayal echoing these two themes makes it SO MUCH BETTER

also hi this is my first post under this new url but it should NOT be hard to figure out who I am lmaoo

[que-de-metal]

Touhou Ship Week 2023 (Oops! All AkyuuRei <- not this one you guys are free at last) - Day 7: Free Day (aka Follower Request day!!)

@freshlybakedspiderbread requested KutaSaki + Hobbies (thank you for the prompt!!!)

Because of their respective positions I don't really think they can see each other publicly in their usual domains... But to me they both feel like the camping type so it ends up okay :) Little nature getaways around the Sanzu banks and all.

[que-de-metal]

🎇2023 Fanfic Favourites🎆

Hi guys! I wanted to share some recs before the year ends! I have an inspiration blog for sharing original art (@qululq), a personnal blog for sharing fan art (ask off anon for url if you want) , but fanfiction is harder to share since it's on a separate platform. So here's a round-up of some of my most beloved stuff I read this year (not all of it was published this year, some are older fics! I also only picked one fic by author but do check their other works <3)

Things that can be read without knowing a particular fandom:

benefit of broken hearts - Hilarious and sweet rom-com about immortality based on the song Beach House by Carly rae Jepsen

Something Else Woke Up Inside Me - Short horror story based on the visuals of Monster by Red Velvet. One of the coolest monster concepts!

At This Point, Don't Let Go - (gift for meeee) Experimental story about body swapping based on this Perfume MV.

Coffee Realists & Tea Dreamers - (another gift for me. technically read in 2022 but since the author reveals were this year i'm including it!) Short story with all original characters in the universe of Werewolf the Apocalypse. The eeriness of areas that toe the line between urban and rural.

Touhou fics (for this it was really hard to only do one fic by author lol):

Longing That Transcends Memory (by @freshlybakedspiderbread) - Various stories about love centered on Akyuu, based on the TH ship week prompts and exploring so many fun concepts and aspects of her character.

The Immortals (by @mimicteruyo) - Diary of Mokou long after the fall of Gensokyo, about eternity and the fates that befell a big cast of long-living Touhou characters.

Erin Yagokoro Says Nothing (by @yukareimu) - Pre-canon pre-Eientei TeruEri fic. I feel like saying too much would spoil it. It's short and brilliant so go see for yourself!

The Cicada Shell Diary (by @littlejustices) - LittleJustices strikes again with another amazing diary-format AkyuuRei fic. Really creative and elegant take on the ship.

Various other fandoms:

[LoZ: Majora's Mask] A World Reborn (by @theseventhsage) - A few days in Cremia's life after the world didn't end, with a focus on her unrequited love for Anju who reunited with Kafei.

[Tiger Tiger] Among the roses - Luck/Ludovica from the POV of an outsider noble as Ludo reappears in the public eye!

[Yellowjackets] An Unofficial Anthology of the Online Fandom for the Yellowjackets Tragedy (warning: doesn't work on mobile) - Fake internet pages from the Yellowjacket universe and its true crime community and Yellowjackets RPF writers. Super fun.

[early Dreamcatcher MV continuity] Room 808 - A short take on the events of the Chase Me MV. This was my intro to K-pop MV fanfics and to Dreamcatcher!

If you know the tumblr handle of one of the writers tell me so I can mention them. Likewise, if you're one of the writers and would like me to remove your fic/handle from the list tell me too!

I hope you find a fic that you love in there! What were your 2023 favourites? (I don't want to turn this into a tagging game but I'd love to see more recs <3)

[que-de-metal]

I know you have big akyuurei feelings but I also want to know like every character you might ship akyuu with too 🔍 (but if you also want to talk about why akyuurei's great I'm always all ears too...)

Trying to switch the AkyuuRei brain off for three seconds to answer this because they really are my favourite Touhou ship of all times so if I started talking about them I'd never get to the other ships 😭

I reread Forbidden Scrollery recently. It cemented the fact for me that while there's so many Akyuu/Kosuzu fanworks that I love, it's really one of these ships for me that's more appealing as one-sided (which is a compliment because unrequited love is my favourite type of romance 😅). Lately a configuration that has been on my mind is the "unrequited switcharoo" kind: Kosuzu having feelings for Akyuu for a very long time but Akyuu relegating it to friendship completely and closing herself off to relationships with normal humans due to her curse's nature > Forbidden Scrollery happens and Akyuu realizes Kosuzu is so much more than a fragile fleeting human and allows herself to see her more romantically > unfortunately Kosuzu has already moved on to other things (youkai).

I like stuff that juxtaposes AkyuuRei with YukaRei and I think it could work as a 3-way ship. There's also something interesting about Akyuu/Yukari in general. The Writer/Editor dynamic is something super intimate but the fact that the Editor is the one in power makes it really unique… It's always been my headcanon that when Yukari makes an edit to the Chronicles, it affects the memories of the next reincarnation, so there's an almost psychological horror feel to romancing someone whose memories you can rewrite at will… I don't really see this ship in a healthy and fluffy configuration but if I'm looking for toxicity that's where I would go.

Like I said before I'm interested in the consequences UDoALG could have on the curse of Are. Since while the hierarchy of Hell didn't care too much about Gensokyo Eiki was the one enforcing it, but now that Zanmu's eyes are on Reimu I feel like Akyuu's next death is being put in a completely different spotlight than the one she's used to. I think you could nicely pepper some Akyuu into ZanHisa in that context.

Kind of an older one because I haven't thought about this for a long time but I used to have some Akyuu/Yuuka feelings. They're related to the way fandom talks about Yuuka: I see a lot of discussion that's like "What are Yuuka's REAL powers? Her power is supposed to be flower manipulation but she's also canonically mega dangerous and mega powerful and violent. Truly there has to be something more" but the source of her being extremely dangerous is PMiSS, which is written by Akyuu, who has asked youkai to self-report their threat level. I've always been a "Yuuka is not actually that powerful, she exaggerates her abilities to be feared and left alone in a self-isolating way" truther, and that implies Akyuu having a front-row seat to that kind of self-destructive behaviour. So I'd love to see her react to it.

These are the big four I have thoughts about (well five since ZanHisa/Akyuu would be 3 people). But this is Touhou so you can always come up with more…