#skybright

[fallesto]

' you know, you have me. i won't leave you alone. ' // from sumiyoshi over @ skybright!

--- banishment.

Was there a more cruel fate than that, for those he had spent his adult life with, fighting for and teaching, to turn around and cast him out, as if he had committed the worst crime of them all. He had failed. It was a ill feeling within his soul, that he had failed to do what was right that night, he had the demon king at his mercy, he had him defeated, cut down and laying at his feet, but for the moment, he had stood there, he saw not a monster, but a man, wounded, hurt and scared. The demon king, called him a monster and lashed out at him. Maybe he was right, maybe his words are the truth, maybe one man was never meant to have all of this power.

He had not meant for him to escape.

A failure that had been thrown into his face and all his deeds, all of his actions, removed from him. His own brother, that sweet and kind man, that man who protected him, inspired him, who he loved so much, had become a demon, the final failure within his life, to mount on with all the rest. He was no longer a slayer, as he walked the land, moving through it to get as far as he can, away from everyone, remove himself from them all and he would no longer ne able to hurt anyone else. A fate, or destiny, maybe he was meant to be there that night.

When he had sensed someone in danger.

Quickly acting within the moment, not even thinking, body moving upon it’s own skills as he cut through the demon before it could hurt the innocents. Sumiyoshi. His friend. A chance encounter upon the road that had turned into something, important to him, but his life was one of pain and suffering, Sumiyoshi was kind, gentle and strong, so much stronger than he even knows himself, but he could not train him, teach him, how could he. Everyone was dead. Every single person he has taken under his wing and taught. A demon had found them and ended them, and he knew who it was as well, a demon that was his and his alone to deal with, when he could build up the courage, to kill his own brother.

“You have been, a good friend to me, I owe you such a debt young Sumiyoshi, but this is your family, it is not my own.”

As much as he wanted to remain here with him, his wife, his little ones, he could not. The demon king will never stop looking for him, he well send demon after demon to hunt him down and murder anyone and everyone who had aided him, seen him, so much as knew what his face was or dared uttered his name, the longer he remained here, the more he was putting Sumiyoshi and his family, in danger, and it was something he could not allow. He has failed too many people within his life, let them down, gotten them killed, he was not going to allow it to come to pass with Sumiyoshi.

“You have been a good friend.” A small nod of his head as he looked at him, a friend. He had a friend and oddly that made something strange happen to his face for the moment, a twitch with his lips as he kept his eyes on the ground. “Here …” The movement of his hand being pushed forward towards his, a turn around and opening of his fingers, as he placed the earnings down into his hand. He had already gifted his sword, back to the master who had made it, using another to protect himself, he felt as if, it was time to thank the people who have aided him, and Sumiyoshi had been nothing other than a friend to him.

“I want you to have them, you have earned them and they belong, to someone kind.”

[english-major-in-exile-blog]

Serpentine by Cindy Pon

Summary:

Inspired by the rich history of Chinese mythology, this sweeping fantasy is set in the ancient Kingdom of Xia and tells the coming of age story of Skybright, a young girl who worries about her growing otherness. As she turns 16, Skybright notices troubling changes. By day, she is a companion and handmaid to the youngest daughter of a very wealthy family. But nighttime brings with it a darkness that not even daybreak can quell. When her plight can no longer be denied, Skybright learns that despite a dark destiny, she must struggle to retain her sense of self—even as she falls in love for the first time.

This is another re-read, and one I’m glad of. I first read Serpentine after hearing Cindy Pon speak at NerdCon: Stories, and I’ve been looking forward to revisiting it since.

The thing that hit me the hardest about Serpentine was the way that Skybright’s half-demon heritage can function as an apt metaphor for the expectations placed on the shoulders of women. Her lower half turns into a red serpent’s body (a color not without relevance when we talk about young women), and her half-demon heritage immediately casts her as a wicked temptress, automatically sexualized and demonized at turns. She is forced to reveal her half-demon nature against her will in one particularly distressing scene. Even to those who don’t know Skybright’s heritage, her full breasts and seductive face are a subject of conversation. These expectations are a constant companion throughout the story, and as someone who developed early I can relate to the struggle of working through them in my younger years.

That is not to say, though, that the plot only works on a symbolic or functional level. This is a book about a girl who uses her demonic heritage to fight demons and hordes of the undead, after all. That’s where this book really shone for me, in the Chinese-inspired worldbuilding and the challenges that Skybright faces in trying to do the right thing despite the things people expect of her given her heritage. It’s a fun ride, with just enough action for my taste and a world that you can really sink into.

I have no love for love triangles, to be honest, so even the low-level love triangle in this book was as frustrating as it was relevant. Skybright’s first love is a type I’ve seen in fantasy before—the young man with a vow of chastity and a particular religious destiny as a driving force in his life—and she has a clear attraction to but no love for an immortal she runs into along the way. In a story where sexuality is so much a part of the landscape, these youthful passions and attractions function both as a classic love triangle and as a discussion of love, attraction, and the relevance of choice in each.

Speaking of sexuality, Zhen Ni, Skybright’s mistress and best friend from infancy, is revealed to be a little higher on the Kinsey scale than society would expect of her. Her sexuality and her love of one young woman in particular take up a good chunk of her role in the plot, and it made me a little uncomfortable. I know that youthful passions are intense and can be all-consuming, but Zhen Ni’s storyline felt a little too close to the U-Haul Syndrome stereotype for comfort. That gets better in the sequel, though, and I’ll talk about that when I’ve revisited Sacrifice.

I “read” Serpentine in audiobook format first, and I can say that it’s an enjoyable listen. There’s nothing too fancy about it, but it’s well-narrated and enjoyable.

Final Verdict:

All in all, Serpentine is a perfectly acceptable YA fantasy book, even if I do prefer the sequel. The worldbuilding is enjoyable, the characters interesting, and the love triangle actually functional in the story. Its Chinese-inspired setting is a refreshing change, and it’s well worth your time. 4/5

[demonslayed]

@skybright. → from here.

19. a kiss on the side of the neck.

❛ sanemi ... ❜

she can't help but laugh slightly when sanemi's lips press against her neck , soft violet eyes fluttering shut. it's soft , so unlike how she's seen him with anyone else.

perhaps she's just lucky to be able to see this side of him .

❛ is that all you came to me for ?? ❜

but the pillar is hardly complaining , head falling just to the side , baring the line of her neck to him with a slight grin on her face.

❛ you're sweet. ❜

her hand easily finds one of his own , lacing their fingers together with a pleased hum . not that she'd mind if he was less sweet , of course.

[demonslayed]

@skybright. → from here.

35. a kiss on the space between shoulder blades.

❛ genya ... ❜

it's more a pleased hum that leaves him as genya's lips brush between his shoulders , ruby eyes falling shut. he likes the quiet moments between them like this , shown in the way tension bleeds from his shoulders now , contented sigh leaving him.

❛ you're always so good to me. ❜

tanjiro's smile is fond as ever , one hand reaching back to rest atop the gunman's head , fingers idly brushing against his hair. admittedly , tanjiro couldn't remember the last time he really let himself relax , so he'd take advantage of this as long as genya would let him.

❛ will you stay for a little bit ?? i just ... wanna stay like this for a while. ❜

[kejito]

@skybright // sc.

' It isn't often I see one of you three alone.... Ah, but you're still in recovery aren't you? '

[dawnwalks]

@skybright​.      →     from here.

‘ we’ve come a long way, you and i. ’

the sun is setting in twilight town  ,  just as it always is.  the beach here is  different  than the shores of the islands riku grew up on  ,  the water is warm even now  &  the tide never  quite  makes it to his toes.  sand is stuck to the bottom of his feet  &  the back of his legs  &  somehow  ,  riku is  sure  it found a way into his hair  ,  which he  hates  the thought of digging out later.

but  ,  he thinks  ,  it could be  pouring  rain  ,  or they could even be surrounded by  heartless  &  there’s still no other place he’d rather be  ,  because he’s  here  ,  alive  ,  with someone he cares about  &  who cares about him.

it’s almost  funny  to him  ,  that it’s  roxas  sitting in the sand next to him  ,  popsicle half hanging out of his mouth as they watch the waves.  riku’s expression is  amused  ,  humming as he looks over at roxas  ,  popsicle now in hand as blue eyes meet his  ,  &  riku’s almost  surprised  to find his heart flutter a bit.

we’ve come a long way, you and i. 

‘ to say the least. ’

riku gives a quiet  snort  in response  ,  shrugging as he leans on his hands  ,  watching the sun   inch  below the waves that roll in.  he  certainly  never expected to have  this  with roxas: holding hands when they walk through town  ,  finding any  &  every reason to be close.  because if you had asked him a  year  ago  ,  the person riku would’ve wanted next to him was someone else entirely.

but things are  different  now  ,  &  riku’s almost happier it’s  not  sora next to him as he brushes roxas’ arm with his own. 

‘ i didn’t think we’d get here, like this. ’ 

under the sand  ,  riku settles his hand over roxas’  ,  not quite holding it  ,  but not so far from it.  &  it wasn’t as though riku had ever been  immune  to seeing bits  &  pieces of sora in roxas  ,  but they weren’t the same  ,  &  maybe that’s for the  better  .  his fingers curl around the blonde’s hand gently  ,  looking at him only out of the corners of his eyes  ,  smile softening slightly.  riku was never  good  with his emotions  ,  always feeling too much or too  little  ,  destructive in both his anger  &  his care.  it was no secret that  balance  was not his strong suit.

perhaps it made sense he wound up like this  ,  with someone just as unbalanced as him.

‘ not that i’m complaining about it. ’ 

if he can tell the slight color in roxas’ cheeks is from  more  than the sun  ,  riku doesn’t say anything  ,  not right now.  he closes his eyes for a moment  ,  listening to the waves crashing on the shore  &  the sea breeze blow around them. 

‘ another year like this....i don’t think it’d be so bad. ’ 

he’s  grinning  now  ,  &  fixes his gaze on roxas fully  ,  who looks away in  embarrassment  .  it’s so very  roxas  of him that riku can’t help but  laugh  ,  the hold on roxas’ hand loosening slightly  ,  if only for riku to lace their fingers together.  it’s  adorable  ,  &  riku can’t help the urge to lean over  &  press a kiss to his cheek with that same grin  ,  giving his hand a squeeze. 

‘ c’mon, we should probably head back.  i don’t wanna think about all the sand stuck to me anymore. ’ 

no  ,  riku thinks  ,  another year of this might not be so  bad  after all.

[leinad9496-blog]

[keeper-door]

2020-10-01

Nehehehe, it’s I! Back from the dead! This is my studio project for Art, and it’s of a book character named Skybright, please go read the books “Serpentine” and “Sacrifice” by Cindy Pon, they’re really good I swear.