Saiunkoku: The Age of Silver: The Color of the Phoenix's Tail - Part One

[branchandroot]

Fic post from my archive.

The Color of the Phoenix's Tail: Part One

Seien works, sometimes reluctantly, at fitting himself back into the courts. So do some other people. Drama, I-3

Being heir seemed to Seien to be one trouble after another, but there were occasional good points.

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[lady-readwolf.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank gods! something to read! Fantastic; I'm saving this for when I get to work, and looking forward to it.
Do you have any other good recs for this series? Or is it really just too new for most of the English-speaking fans to have generated a strong fanfiction outpouring?

Re: more

[branchandroot]

*grins*

For thel most part there isn't much fic in English yet. If you check out saiunkoku_fic you'll find most of it. There's two other Emperor!Seien arcs in progress. Aside from that, mostly we just seem to have a handful of standalones here and there. As complex and unsettled as the storyline still is, I'm not all that surprised, I suppose.

Re: more

[lady-readwolf.livejournal.com]

[sighs] Not surprised, but still bummed out. Ah, well. I did start to check out saiunkoku_fic and that one Emperor!Seien--I guess I didn't go far enough back to hunt out the other arc. I'll give it another looksei.

As for the story (since it's second period now and I've already read it and the other Emperor!Seien fics I'd found to read today during first period), the image of Shuurei and Ryuuki helping out while Shouka-papa observes is so cute! Sai is the toupe-guy who's always causing trouble, IIRC, ne? And his undersecretary is the one who assigned Shuurei to toilet duty, no? If so, he seems like he would make a v. good advisor to Seien.

This is one of five parts...and it looks like we'll be seeing Seien build his support crew. I wonder how Shuuei and Kyouyuu will enter this picture...

Re: more

[branchandroot]

That's the Sai, yep.

*grins* He'll /meet/ his support crew; he doesn't get to /have/ most of them quite yet.

Re: more

[lady-readwolf.livejournal.com]

[laughs] oh! the wording of that just gets me... excited. ^__^ Looking forward to it, for sure. But it does make me think. Shou-conselor-weird-guy.... he started taking action again once he remet Ryuuki, ne? Working for an emperor he could stand for... so, I wonder just how much he's been there pulling the strings. Shouei and Kyoyuu, two very powerful houses represented there: Kou and Ran. Was he somehow behind that?

[written-in-blue.livejournal.com]

Oh, Seien. You think too straight. *pets him* And this is how he starts building his base, yes? *delighted*

[branchandroot]

*rueful* He really does; thinks with his sword, in a lot of ways, still. But Shou will bring him good people. *snerks* Though it'll take Seien a /long/ time to actually recognize that fact.

[katharos-8.livejournal.com]

I have to admit I collapsed into giggles at this line: he would give so much to be able to talk to someone about work and politics without all this interminable dancing around. Oh Seien, be careful what you wish for! You might just get them, beard and all. *grin*

I love Officer Ro here. Solid is such a nice why to describe him, as is 'uncorruptible.' He makes a good rock. And I love Seien noting everything especially what isn't obvious. He might not be good at thinking around corners but he is good at thinking deep.

And Kou/Shi family cuteness and Seien wishing he could roof-hop - all the little ways he doesn't quite fit back into his old mold are just lovely.

[branchandroot]

*claps hands, delighted* Oh, good, I was hoping that line would make people think of Ensei! *snerks* Seien is so going to wish he hadn't wished that.

Thank you, it's great to hear you liked this! This story is the one that shows Seien finding ways to fit back in, and it's slow going for him, poor thing.

[majochan.livejournal.com]

Seiennnnnnnnn.........<3

OMG, marriage proposals.......Something that I've thought about a time or two. And with Sai too.......*cackle* Poor Seien.

The Kou Family of Cute continues to strike, I am a melted puddle of happy waffy goo. Brilliant genius children too, I fear them when they get older (Seien probably can take it easy once Shuurei and Ryuuki get old enough...I can't imagine much that can stand in the way of their combined determination/intelligence/craftiness)...

Loves and squees,

majo

[branchandroot]

*hearts* Thank you!

Ryuuki is so unspeakably adorable in his determination to help Aniue, I just squish all over the boy. Shuurei has a bit of detour to take, first, which I find extremely amusing, since I'm convinced that her determination to find her own job and not tell the men about it is a product of puberty.

It's fun to be evil.

Seien agrees with this, which is why he, too, is looking forward to the time he can turn Ryuuki and Shuurei loose on his court. And probably laugh.

[grey-damaskena.livejournal.com]

Evil is, indeed, good. I'm hoping for a good deal more from the younger set; no one will be able to stand in their ways! I will be anxiously waiting to see what you decide to do with them.

[branchandroot]

*grins* Well, the next thing is to introduce Shuuei and Kouyuu, fresh from their exams...

[sparrow-wings.livejournal.com]

"You shouldn't encourage him to be careless, Seiran--" AAAAAH, THE CUTE, IT BURNS.

I like the setup -- Shou delighting in being an old bastard, Ro possibly on his way to another unwanted promotion, Seien hopefully about to discover that the Court isn't entirely made up of backbiting vipers.

[branchandroot]

*grins* She's such a responsible little thing.

Thank you! Ro probably is going to get a promotion when he least expects it, though it'll probably be left to Reishin again; Seien appreciates him enough to let him alone. *snerks*

[grey-damaskena.livejournal.com]

Books and swords certainly aren't the only treasures kept in the archives these days. Adorable Ryuuki and Shuurei for the win! For Ryuuki, this is doubtless the first time he's ever had a friend close to his own age. Does Shuurei order him around the way she tends to in-series? ;-) It seems so, from the way she scolds Seien . . .

Shameless fan or the adorable that I am, that section was naturally what caught my attention. I can't resist it at all . . .

Sai is always good for causing trouble and generally providing laughs. He's not a particularly intelligent villain, but he certainly is a handy one. It looks like Ro's promotion is going to come rather sooner than it does in-series.

Seien's going to have to re-teach himself court manners, it seems, along with everything else. Since straight-talkers like Ro are few and far between.

Incidentally, Shou amuses me very much. His comment about the fish ponds is great. :-)

[branchandroot]

I'm really growing very fond of Shou. Sly old thing. ^_^

Thank you! The cuteness is really what keeps me writing this, I swear. And Shuurei /totally/ orders everyone around; part three has an even better example.

Seien is having a hard time, that's for sure. His old ways of fitting in don't quite fit any more and he's having to work out new ones. *grins* The ones he finally settles on entertained me greatly. Though, curiouly enough, he seems to be leaving Ro in peace for now; I suspect Shou's hand in this, since it's Shou who eventually fetches advisors for Seien--much to Seien's suspicion!

At some point I am going to take great enjoyment in squashing Sai. Oh yes.

[hidden-gems.livejournal.com]

*melts into a puddle of Happy Goo*

There's so much wonderful stuff packed in there that I wouldn't know where to start!

You evil, evil person; you're making me want to draw Seien now!! >.

[branchandroot]

*hearts* Thank you!

Oo, more Seien drawings are always a good thing. ^_^

[hidden-gems.livejournal.com]

Well, the only portrait I've attempted so far looks strangely wrong. I mean, there's no really obvious mistake, but it's *not* Seien... I should keep working on that Ryuuki, though, because even if it's not perfect, at least the pencil sketch looked like him.

[branchandroot]

Hey, sketches are even better. *wry* I'm one of those odd people who loves sketches and line drawings better than most finished pieces. I imagine Seien /is/ hard, though; he has more subtle expressions than Ryuuki and his proportions seem a bit unusual.

[visenya.livejournal.com]

Just wondering how old Ryuuki and Shuurei are supposed to be in this piece?

It's nice to see Seien has to readjust to the court. Makes it more realistic. Have I mentioned how much I love you for writing Emperor Seien AU? And I can't wait until he meets Shuuei and Kouyuu. *calls to mind your other fic about Shuuei being thankful Seien wasn't emperor*

[branchandroot]

Ummmm, I think they're about 11 and 14, here. Possibly late 10 and 13.

Thank you! He's been away for so long, and was tossed out so traumatically, it's definitely a whole nother world for him now. *pets the poor guy* *grins* Shuuei and Kouyuu are up next!

[masqueer11.livejournal.com]

Oh goodie, a new chapter! Shuurei and Ryuuki are little bundle of delights. For now, they behave. Seiran's nemesis better watch out, two little smarties teaming up isn't good for anybody or the country.

[branchandroot]

Glad you liked it! *grins* They really are little terrors, both of them so precocious.