#sekiraku

[blueallihc]

[satohqbanana]

I still can't get over Youko "I named this era after our names, Rakushun!" Nakajima. I'm pretty sure that if her trusted servants and ministers see how Rakushun writes his name, they'd spy the familiar character, look at their queen and her "friend", and go, "OH."

[clangenrising]

beautiful battle!!!! the explanation of why leaders can lose multiple lives "at once" and Goldie watching her own ghost lives is just *chefs kiss* Sunstar making an effort to guide Odd to them... also seeing just how Razor treats Scorch when he's pissed/talking to others... "I love her!" while shrieking in rage... it really makes sense as to why Scorch doesn't like hearing Goldie say it. The gaslighting and blaming Scorch is so horrible... intentionally pricking at those insecurities. these cats have a long way to go still but I'm delighted to see them overcome this hurdle!! 💜💜💜

Oh yeah. All of this, well said.

The scene where Razor pokes at Scorch's insecurities is actually based off of a story I love on A03 called Sacrifice by @sekiraku

If you enjoy my stuff, especially Razor and his relationship with Scorch, I recommend reading Sacrifice because it is SUCH a beautiful exploration of abuse and how we move on from it. Be warned tho, there is smut haha. It's in the first chapter too, I think. But if you don't mind/enjoy that, it will be well worth the read.

[relivereuge]

«Se cuenta que en la primavera del sexto año de Yosei, en el reino de la Emperatriz Jokaku, el taiho Keiki cayó gravemente enfermo por el shitsudou y las calamidades empezaron en el reino. La capital, Gyouten, fue arrasada por el fuego y la pestilencia. El gobierno estaba sin orden y la corrupción y el soborno estaban presentes. Entonces la gente estaba desesperada y se lamentaban, diciendo que los Dioses de la Muerte habían venido a destruir a Kei. Fue durante la quinta luna de ese año que el Rey Glorioso conocida como Emperatriz Jokaku, se postró en Houzan y abdicó de su trono. De esa forma, falleció y fue enterrada en Senryou. Su reino duró seis años. Después de su muerte, se le conoció con el nombre de Yo por toda la eternidad. Una vez fallecida la Difunta Emperatriz Yo, la impostora Joei ocupó su lugar. Reclamando el título de Rey Glorioso, entró a Gyouten y el caos se esparció a través del reino, las miserias del pueblo se hicieron mayores. Y entonces, durante la séptima noche del séptimo año, la Emperatriz Youko, el nuevo Rey Glorioso, recibió el trono. Al ser el apellido de la emperatriz Nakajima, su insignia imperial sería Sekishi, o la Niña Imperial o Niña Roja, que había nacido como taika del otro lado del Mar del Vacío. En la tercera luna del séptimo año, regresó de la tierra de Hourai y llevó a cabo su rebelión contra la impostora Joei en el séptimo mes con el auxilio de Shoryu, el Rey Eterno de En que accedió a su petición de ayuda. En la octava luna de ese año, en la Montaña del Ajenjo, recibió el Mandato del Cielo y se convirtió verdaderamente en el Rey Glorioso y fue reverenciada por su gente y entre los dioses. En Gyouten, la nueva emperatriz volvió a enterrar a la Difunta Emperatriz Yo y nombró a seis nuevos oficiales y muchos gobernadores para traer orden a la tierra. La era de su reino fue conocida como Sekiraku o la Era de la Alegría Roja, por el primer carácter de su insignia imperial y el nombre de su amigo y confidente, Rakushun. Y de esa forma, el reinado del Rey Rojo empezó» —El Libro Rojo de Kei.

Sombra de la luna, mar de la sombra

Tsuki no Kage, Kage no Umi

[queenmultiverse]

Am currently through about 183 out of a staggering 266 chapters of Sacrifice on ao3 by @sekiraku and had to pause to give drawing Hanyu and Antony a try out of undying affection. Absolutely in love with these two and all the nonsense they got going on <3

[roughdrafthero]

i’ve followed you everywhere and read everything you’ve put out or recommend for years now! i love your work and your mind, and can’t wait for update week!

meanwhile i saw this fic on ao3 that’s very reminiscent of your work. it’s so long already and still not completed, and i’m not even a quarter through it yet, but i’m so excited so i’d like to recommend it anyway. it’s been great so far! it’s titled Sacrifice by Sekiraku.

synopsis: “Hanyu is a human who has been delivered as a sacrifice to one of the powerful seafaring beings his people worship as gods. Antony is a bored vampire looking forward to a simple meal and a quiet new servant. Neither gets quite what he is expecting. But as old enemies resurface and the old order proves unsustainable, they might just find in each other exactly what they need.”

i hope you like it!

Wow, this looks really interesting--thanks for the rec! (And i'm sure everyone else appreciates the rec too heh).

[its-ya-boi-cade]

Asao and Antony from @sekiraku​‘s amazing story Sacrifice <3 I love these characters so damn much 

[rowanfalls]

@sekiraku oh look its Eiji

[on the verge of having a complete breakdown] i need to make some kind of list or perhaps sort things into categories

[blueallihc]

[satohqbanana]

A couple of thoughts on SekiRaku, Youko and Rakushun, and their questionable age gap - and by a couple I mean a multitude.

Canon Says

As reference, Youko is canonically 16 and Rakushun 22 (iirc).

On the more canon side, Youko's romantic feelings - if any - for Rakushun feel quite one-sided. Though she tries to be bolder through her words (e.g. "I consider you a prince of Kei"), he tends to dodge, deflect, or even scold her (perceived) declarations of affection (e.g. He told her "[not] to indulge in personal whims like you're naming a pet" in regards to naming her ruling era as "Sekiraku").

Add to that, Rakushun still keeps his Kou citizenship, pours his time into studying (which could take up to two full decades! - meanwhile Youko is eternally 16), and maintains that they live in different realities and are far from each other. He literally thinks he doesn't deserve to be treated so handsomely for picking up the then-unknown ruler of Kei. He's very mindful of their statuses and social ranking. Rakushun's actions make me think he's actually actively pushing for the gap between the two of them - whether he acknowledges her affections for him or not.

I think it's also good to consider that Fuyumi Ono mostly ever does shiptease for these two but confirms little, since she likes to write politics, warriors, and philosophies after all.

Shipping Says

That said, on the shipping side, Youko is eternally 16 - for a few years now. Counting the actual years, she is technically already of age, and even if she "waits" she'll never really "be" "older". Then again, she's already a deity, so the rules that apply for her have since changed. As the Imperial Kei, she can't even be married via ceremony to another; she would only have a common-law marriage with any partner she might want to bring into the court.

Also, if anything, I think it would bring massive relief to the anxious Keiki to know that she holds affections for someone else who is not him.

On Rakushun's side, it's harder to imagine what he feels towards Youko as a person and not just as a King. He needs more character development for a romance to bloom between them. But I see why his more humble views of himself makes him an attractive, non-aggressive option as a partner.

My Opinion

Is it dodgy? Yeah. I admit I forgot that Rakushun was 22. Do I ship it? I sure do.

Like I said, no matter what happens, Youko is 16 - eternally. (And it's Keiki's "fault" he even came to get her at 16. By him making her the King of Kei, her age stopped forever.) She's no longer human - if she wants her godhood to end, she literally has to die. (Compared with Shoukei and Suzu who can get in and out of humanity and demigodhood via the Registry of Wizards.)

Despite so, shouldn't we apply our rules of age of majority on her? I'm not so sure. I think she's at the age where she would be dreaming of finding someone to spend her life with. I imagine Youko getting upsetti spaghetti over it. Besides, given the themes Fuyumi Ono intended for her to tackle (and that is young girls going against tradition), I think Youko just disregarding her age gap and other whatever social gaps with Rakushun would be on-brand and in-character for her, even if we (or Keiki) disapprove.

And like I said, for the relationship to actually happen, Rakushun needs a massive character upgrade. He constantly talks himself down in his POV.

Besides, they're legitimately happy to be in each other's company. Their conversations are amusing to follow. They're cute together and they treat each other as actual persons and not as Imperial Kei or hanjyuu - even if they do consider those things once they're not in front of each other. I like that.

Fuyumi Ono however would likely not touch upon this more, though. Besides, 12K is a political high fantasy novel. TBH I want more stories of the other kingdoms - Dreaming of Paradise (Sairin and her first emperor) tore my heart out and Blue Orchid (very early Shouryou En) still has the most beautiful catharsis in the series for me.

What-Ifs

Now, if I had to answer how the ideal SekiRaku romance would go, I think I'd like it to tackle the following.

Youko's perspective should explore the age gap thing and her identity as a deity. There will be a lot of embarrassing conversations. I think we should also get more worldbuilding stuff on courtship - I don't know, maybe have Suzu and Shoukei receiving gifts or proposals, or even Shouryou giving unsolicited advice and even dodgier life stories. I would also want to see how Youko perceived/perceives romance as a 16-year-old, both from when she was in Japan, and now as she is a King of Kei.

I would also like to have Keiki's opinion on this matter - mostly because of his constant comparison between Youko and Jokaku, and also because he does acknowledge Rakushun as someone important to Youko. I would also like to know if kirins actually understand romantic love; all I get from reading Keiki's perspective on Jokaku is that he couldn't understand her (romantic) love for him even if he indeed already (non-romantically) loves her.

Rakushun also needs to get over his hanjyuu complex. As realistic his views towards society could be, his relationship with his hanjyuu identity is unhealthy. (I think he's been dehumanized to the point he has to shun clothes - a basic commodity - to manage poverty.) I think he should spend more time getting comfortable in his human form - that is still himself, after all!

TL;DR

Yeah, I see why you wouldn't ship them and why Fuyumi Ono wouldn't write them as an actual couple, but I still ship them for reasons beyond the age gap thing. Also I need their ship to answer a couple questions beyond what makes a legitimate romantic relationship, and yes, by a couple, I mean a multitude.

But yes, it's mostly just wishful thinking.

[sekiraku]

Hi sekiraku, hope you're well. Do you do OC asks on this blog? :)

Hi there! And sure, sounds like fun! :)

[rowanfalls]

@sekiraku

Putting your vampire fuckbuddy into the sauna to reach normal body temp before sex so their ice cold hole doesn't kill your boner

[secondhandjokess]

@sekiraku I had a thought about what's going to happen when Hanyu seems Asao and I had to draw it

[criaturamonocromatica]

もふもふ

[iyozero]

“I don’t keep any[one] I don’t like.” 💛 #vampires #pirates

Check out the fantasy story written by Sekiraku on AO3 !!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21340168/chapters/50826994

[ashleyrowan]

Get to Know Me

Tagged By: @suborbitalrailgun (answering on my art blog)

Rules: tag ten people you want to get to know better!

Relationship Status: Happily dating the most amazing lady in the world @agirlwithswords

Favorite Colour: Red I think. Or black. Or gold. Listen they're all good.

Three Favourite Foods: Buttered Noodles, well seasoned beef, uhh Cherry Jelly Beans

Song stuck in my head: Saint Bernard by Lincoln

Last song I listened to: Hello My Old Heart by the Oh Hellos

Last thing I googled: the artist for Saint Bernard XD

Time: 2:39pm

Dream trip: Me and the girl want to take a trip to see the place we might move to and that sounds fun. I don't really like traveling though.

Anything I really want right now: To not be very poor haha i need to see a doctor

Tags but no pressure at all yall: Oh God, lets see if i can do 10 @lesserideafountain @hereliesjade @aviandakota @thottimuspride @sekiraku @astral-mechanical @agirlwithswords and thats it im tapped out haha