History Literature / TheirBrightAscendancy

* ObliviousToLove: Mutually, between Shizuka and Shefali. Shizuka doesn't put two and two together about Shefali taking Shizuka riding on her horse, despite that being something only married couples do in Qorin culture, even after years living with the Qorin; Shefali doesn't notice the significance of Shizuka, who has powers that let her heat things and start fires at will, constantly claiming she's cold in order to snuggle with Shefali. [[TheyDo They work it out eventually.]]

* AwesomeEgo: Shizuka. Even ''her wife'' describes her as amazingly arrogant. She gets less arrogant [[TheWoobie (and more troubled)]] by the present timeline, but she's still very cocky in public.

* ComfortingTheWidow: How [[spoiler: Otgar and Alshara's relationship is implied to have started. PlayedWith in that Alshara wasn't actually Shizuru's widow, but ''was'' deeply in love with her, and that Otgar didn't know Shizuru at all. Also, [[{{Squick}} Otgar is Alshara's niece.]] ]]

* DealWithTheDevil: Shizuka makes two deals with malicious supernatural entities, both of which backfire on her. [[spoiler:The first is when she gives up her ability to shed tears to the blackblood-corrupted river goddess Mizuha in exchange for safe passage across the Kirin River. The second time she lets the Spider eat her heart in exchange for Shefali being spared, and Rikuto kills Shefali immediately afterwards.]]
* DeityOfHumanOrigin: The Mother, the Daughter, the Sister, the Father, the Son, the Grandfather, and the Grandmother are deities revered by Hokkaran culture, [[spoiler:and in the third novel they are revealed to be reincarnating entities who apotheosise. Shefali -- an incarnation of the Grandmother, is deified as the Warrior Moon; and Shizuka -- an incarnation of the Daughter, becomes deified as the Heartless Sun]].

* IntimateHealing: Midway through ''The Tiger's Daughter'', Shizuka comes down with a nasty fever and, afraid she might not live through the night, has sex with Shefali -- who notes in her retelling of the incident that Shizuka shouldn't have engaged in such strenuous activities in her condition. When Shefali's mother enters the ''ger'' the next morning, Shefali tries to pass off Shizuka's nakedness as them simply sharing body heat, but everyone sees through it. Alshara is unamused, but Otgar is impressed and teases Shefali over it.

* MeaningfulName: Qorin are given a second name when they become adults and it usually reflects their deeds or personality; Shefali's is Barsalai, meaning 'tiger-striped', because she slew a tiger at age eight. Shizuka also has one; it's Barsatoq, meaning 'Tiger-Thief', because the Qorin consider she [[KillSteal stole Shefali's kill]].

* OfficialCouple: Barsalai Shefali and Minami Shizuka.

* TheVirus: The blackblood. If a demon or infected's blood mixes with yours, you die in horrible agony over the course of three days, being tormented by demons, and rise as a deformed monster. [[spoiler:Unless you are yourself a god. Then it takes a few years.]]

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Burqila Alshara was already the daughter of a clan chief, but she became Kharsa by beating everyone who challenged her.

* DarkSkinnedBlond: Shefali, as is normal for the Qorin, has pale hair and dark skin.

* FishOutOfTemporalWater: In ''Warrior Moon'', due to the HourInsideYearOutside nature of the land beyond the Wall of Flowers, Otgar and Sakura find their homes drastically changed when they return to them. [[spoiler:Otgar is disgusted and outraged by what she sees as the degeneration of Qorin culture in Alshara's absence, and forcibly brings the renegades in line. Sakura, meanwhile, falls into a depression upon realizing everyone she knew and loved from her past has either died or moved on, with only Shefali and [[ShipTease Otgar]] to comfort her.]]

* OneHeadTaller: UpToEleven; Shefali is, according to WordOfGod, at least a ''foot'' taller than Shizuka. Shizuka states at one point that Shefali can, when Shizuka's in the saddle of her horse, kiss her without taking a foot off the ground.

* TheStoic: Shefali's pretty stoic, being pretty quiet and reserved when she's not around Shizuka and not speaking much. Her mother takes it UpToEleven with a vow of silence that she's only broken a handful of times.

* {{Retcon}}: In the first novel, it's indicated that the demons are particularly powerful blackblood and that at least some of them were once humans -- with Leng and Steel-Eye being examples. By the third book, most of the demons are {{yokai}} -- with a ''tengu'' and ''jorogumo'' appearing, and {{kitsune}} being mentioned -- with only those who chose to serve the Traitor being afflicted with blackblood.

* {{Yokai}}: {{Kitsune}} (referred to as Fox Women) are mentioned throughout the series, with Shefali teaming up with one in her [[NoodleIncident journey to the Shadow's Mouth]]. Of the demons that appear in the series, Rikuto -- one of the Demon Generals of the Traitor -- is a ''tengu'' (referred to as a Lightning Dog), and another is a ''jorogumo'' referred to as the Spider.

* EyeScream: [[spoiler: Poor Shefali has her left eye torn out by a demon. She gets it replaced by a steel one, which eventually becomes part of her body.]]

* {{Foreshadowing}}: The demons all refer to Shefali by the name "Steel-Eye" even from a young age. It only becomes clear what that means by the end of ''The Tiger's Daughter'', when one of Shefali's eyes is torn while she's in demon-form by another demon, rendering her unable to regenerate it, and she's given a steel prosthesis. By the time she returns to Hokkaro, she's become able to see out of it like it's a real eye.

* GenerationXerox: Barsalai Shefali, the silent and terrifying Qorin, so much like her mother, Burqila Alshara. Minami Shizuka, the hot-headed, impetuous lady warrior, so much like her mother, Minami Shizuru.

* MasterSwordsman: Shizuka. Also her mother. And their legendary ancestor, Minami Shiori.

* DarkSkinnedBlond: Shefali, as is normal for the Qorin.

* DemonOfHumanOrigin: In ''The Tiger's Daughter'' it's indicated that the demons that serve the Traitor are particularly powerful blackbloods, though the second and third novel somewhat retcon this, establishing the at least some of the demons are {{yokai}} -- with only those that chose to serve the Traitor being imbued with the blackblood. Shefali herself becoming a demon called Steel-Eye after contracting the blackblood; and by the time of the second novel she has claws and fangs, her skin has turned grey and her ears have become pointed, and she can transform into a monster at will -- though as the Traitor's influence over her grows she starts losing control.

* TheExile: Poor Shefali is exiled ''twice''. First when [[spoiler: she loses control and tears a group of bandits apart]], her mother exiles her from her clan and the Qorin people (a fate usually reserved for horrible criminals and kinslayers) and again when [[spoiler: she kills a demon in front of the Emperor with her bare hands]]. This second one is a step down from [[spoiler: the execution that would otherwise have happened]], but it's still on the condition that Shefali [[TheQuest retrieve a Phoenix feather]], which takes her the fill time between then and the 'present' timeline.

* LoopholeAbuse: There's no law saying a marriage between two women isn't valid in Hokkaro. Specifically, such marriages are valid and legal (although non-practiced) in Xian-Lai, and no-one ever bothered to make them illegal throughout the rest of the Empire. [[spoiler: this means that Shizuka and Shefali's marriage is completely legal, and thus Shefali is a member of the Imperial Family and cannot be executed]]

* MeaningfulRename: When Shefali [[spoiler:is exiled due to the blackblood]], her mother renames her Barsalyya Shefali Alshar. Barsalyya is contrasted with her previous name: where Barsalai means 'Tiger-Striped', Barsalyya means [[TitleDrop 'The Tiger's Daughter']]. This is especially hurtful, since the 'yya' prefix is a matronymic, meaning Shefali has been stripped of the right to formally be called Alshara's daughter, and thus has been essentially disowned. [[spoiler: when she returns, she gets a MeaningfulRename ''back'' to Barsalai Shefali Alsharyya due to having mastered her affliction and completed many heroic feats during her adventures.]]

* OneWingedAngel: When Shizuka is injured by a group of bandits, Shefali's blackblood infection progresses in response to her extreme rage and she develops claws and fangs. When Shizuka's face is mutilated by [[spoiler:a demon possessing Kagemori]], Shefali fully turns into a demon.

* IncestIsRelative: Midway through ''The Tiger's Daughter'', it's revealed that [[spoiler: Burqila Alshara is sleeping with her niece, Dorbentei Otgar. Otgar is the same age as Alshara's son, and it's implied this relationship has been going on for three years or so. Shefali, Alshara's daughter and Otgar's cousin, is majorly squicked out, especially since [[SecretRelationship they don't appear to have told anyone]]. ]]

* TurnOutLikeHIsFather: Shefali turns out to be much like her mother: a quiet, badass warrior, Minami-fixated lesbian.

* TheUnperson: In the third novel, it's revealed that [[spoiler:those destined to become deities suffer this fate upon their apotheosis, with their mortal lives being conflated with their predecessors' or forgotten about entirely]].

* BrokenPedistal: By the end of ''Warrior Moon'', [[spoiler:Baoyi feels nothing but contempt and anger bordering on hatred for her once-beloved aunts Shefali and especially Shizuka; due to them having not only taken [[YearOutsideHourInside years]] to stop the Traitor God, but having let the Traitor God and his army of blackbloods run rampant in the capital -- which got countless subjects and her father killed as a result]].

* AgentPeacock: Shizuka's childhood imperial nickname is the "Peacock Princess".

''Their Bright Ascendancy'' is a series by newcomer K Aresenault Rivera set in a fictional fantasy world [[FantasyCounterpartCulture inspired by East Asia]]. O-Shizuka is the privileged empress of Hokkaro, and as a child she was bound by fate to Shefali, the quiet daughter of the leader of the nomadic Qorin people. Both of them were born with two pine needles marking their brows, and both of them are destined to be gods. North of Hokkaro is the Wall of Flowers, the only thing keeping the Traitor God from invading into the land of the living, and whatever else happens, it is Shizuka and Shefali's fate to go north and face him. While it is a fantasy epic, it is primarily a love story between the two women.

* DeityOfHumanOrigin: The Mother, the Daughter, the Son, the Grandfather, and the Grandmother are deities revered by Hokkaran culture, [[spoiler:and in the third novel they are revealed to be reincarnating entities who apotheosise. Shefali -- an incarnation of the Grandmother, is deified as the Warrior Moon; and Shizuka -- an incarnation of the Daughter, becomes deified as the Heartless Sun]].

* BadassGay: Shizuka, Shefali, [[spoiler: Burqila Alshara, possibly Dorbentei Otgar as well]].

* CheerfulChild: Lai Baoyi is ''very'' cheerful and ''very'' cute. [[spoiler:At least until she grows up, becoming embittered and frustrated with the state of the empire and her predecessor.]]

The first book, ''The Tiger's Daughter'', is a hybrid-epistolary novel that tells the story of how Shefali and O-Shizula met and became friends and, eventually, lovers, told through a letter written by Shefali to Shizuka, now Empress many years after they last parted.

* BizarreAlienSenses: As a blackblood, [[spoiler: Shefali]] can smell people's histories and personal backgrounds.

%%* BreakTheHaughty: What Shizuka goes through in particular.

* CunningLinguist: While Dorbentei is a capable warrior, this is her true value to the Burqila clan. Not only can she read and write both Qorin and Hokkaran by the age of ten, she can interpret Burqila Alshara's sign language (which even Alshara's daughter can't do), and can speak several other languages, including one that ''she's never met a speaker of''. Unlike many other Qorin warriors, who wear braids for their deeds in battle, Dorbentei wears a braid for each language she speaks.

* FantasyPantheon: An interesting case in that even the main characters claim to be gods. [[spoiler: The deities appear to all be mortals with godly souls. It's speculated by the characters that the world's past gods were all deified mortals who sought some sort of claim over their powers, and that all of the gods in the past were people just like them -- which is eventually confirmed in the third novel.]]

* {{Foreshadowing}}: The demons all refer to Shefali by the name "Steel-Eye" even from a young age. It only becomes clear what that means by the end of ''The Tiger's Daughter'', when one of Shefali's eyes is torn while she's in demon-form by another demon, rendering her unable to regenerate it, and she's given a steel prosthesis. By the time she returns to Hokkoro, she's become able to see out of it like it's a real eye.

* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: There's an undercurrent of this to Shizuka's reign before [[spoiler: she reunites with Shefali]]. She's not a bad queen, but her servants fear her.

* IntimateHealing: Midway through ''The Tiger's Daughter'', Shizuka comes down with a nasty fever and, afraid she might not live through the night, has sex with Shefali -- who notes that Shizuka shouldn't be engaging in such activities in her condition. When Shefali's mother enters the ''ger'' the next morning, Shefali tries to pass off Shizuka's nakedness as this.
* InvoluntaryShapeshifting: What the blackblood eventually does to people (well, if they count as people after the blackblood's got to them). [[spoiler: Shefali also struggles with avoiding this.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Shizuka has shades of this.

* LoopholeAbuse: There's no law says a marriage between two women isn't valid in Hokkaro. Specifically, such marriages are valid and legal (although non-practiced) in Xian-Lai, and no-one ever bothered to make them illegal throughout the rest of the Empire. [[spoiler: this means that Shizuka and Shefali's marriage is completely legal, and thus Shefali is a member of the Imperial Family and cannot be executed]]
* LoveAtFirstSight: Heavily implied for both Shefali and Shizuka.
* [[MasterSwordsman Master Swordswoman]]: Shizuka. Also her mother. And their legendary ancestor, Minami Shiori.

* MeaningfulRename: When Shefali [[spoiler: is exiled due to the blackblood]], her mother renames her Barsalyya Shefali Alshar. Barsalyya is contrasted with her previous name: where Barsalai means 'Tiger-Striped', Barsalyya means [[TitleDrop 'The Tiger's Daughter']]. This is especially hurtful, since the 'yya' prefix is a matronymic, meaning Shefali has been stripped of the right to formally be called Alshara's daughter, and thus essentially disowned. [[spoiler: when she returns, she gets a MeaningfulRename ''back'' to Barsalai Shefali Alsharyya]]

* ReligionIsMagic: All notable magic powers seem to belong specifically and exclusively to those born as gods every few generations (e.g., Shizuka is immune to heat and fire and can make plants grow, Shefali can shapeshift into a wolf and generate cold, the Traitor [[spoiler:has mind control powers]]).
* {{Retcon}}: In the first novel, it's indicated that the demons are particularly powerful blackblood and that at least some of them were once humans -- with Leng and Steel Eye being examples. In the third book, the demons are {{yokai}} -- with a tengu and jorogumo appearing, and {{kitsune}} being mentioned -- with only those who chose to serve the Traitor being afflicted with blackblood.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: O-Shizuka is the Royal Niece, and later Empress, of Hokkaro, while Shefali is next in line to be Kharsa (warlord) of the Qorin.

* ScarsAreForever: Shizuka gets one in a duel for her hand in marriage.

* ShoutOut: To WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender. Shizuka references a popular Qian-Lai song called "Four Seasons, Four Loves."
* SingleStrokeBattle: One of Shizuka's many nicknames is "One-Stroke Shizuka."

* TookALevelInBadass: Shefali was already badass, [[spoiler: and then she got the blackblood]].

* TurnOutLikeHIsFather: Shefali: quiet, badass warrior, Minami-fixated lesbian.

* TheUnperson: In the third novel, it's revealed that [[spoiler:those destined to apotheose into deities will have their mortal selves be forgotten and only be remembered as a deity]].
* TheVirus: The blackblood. If a demon or infected's blood mixes with yours, you die in horrible agony over the course of three days, being tormented by demons, and rise as a deformed monster. [[spoiler: Unless you are yourself a god. Then it takes a few years.]]
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Shefali can turn into a wolf. Apparently, this is due to her divine nature, not her affliction.

* DemonOfHumanOrigin: In ''The Tiger's Daughter'' it's indicated that the demons that serve the Traitor are particularly powerful blackbloods, though the second and third novel retcon this, establishing the demons as {{yokai}} -- with only those that chose to serve the Traitor being imbued with the blackblood. Shefali herself becoming a demon called Steel-Eye after contracting the blackblood; and by the time of the second novel she has claws and fangs, her skin has turned grey and her ears have become pointed, and she can transform into a monster at will -- though as the Traitor's influence over her grows she starts losing control.

* FantasticRacism: The Hokkarans look down on the Qorin, the Hanjeon, and the Qian Lai.

* BigBad: The villain of the setting is the GodOfEvil known only as the Traitor, who has unleashed a mutagenic supernatural disease called the "blackblood", and assembled an army of demons and formerly-human monsters afflicted by it.
* BigEater: Shefali was one [[spoiler: until the blackblood]].

* CameBackStrong: Shefali is [[spoiler:eaten by a ''jorogumo'' in ''Warrior Moon'', but makes a deal with the Mother to come back apotheosized into a full-fledged goddess. As a deity, she is able to change at will into a giant wolf and is seemingly immune to the blackblood, letting her eat the Traitor's servants with impunity]].

* DemonOfHumanOrigin: In ''The Tiger's Daughter'' it's indicated that the demons that serve the Traitor are particularly powerful blackbloods, though the third novel retcons this, establishing the demons as {{yokai}} -- with only those that chose to serve the Traitor being imbued with the blackblood. Shefali herself becoming a demon called Steel-Eye after contracting the blackblood; and by the time of the second novel she has claws and fangs, her skin has turned grey and her ears have become pointed, and she can transform into a monster at will -- though as the Traitor's influence over her grows she starts losing control.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: Read the first two books and try to convince yourself the third is going to be okay. This series is depressing. The only thing we have going for us is that it's a queer author who hopefully wants to subvert BuryYourGays. [[spoiler:Shefali is killed by a ''jorogumo'' in the thrid book, but comes back from the dead as the new moon goddess after making a deal with the Mother]].

* {{Yokai}}: {{Kitsune}} are mentioned throughout the series, with Shefali teaming up with one in her [[NoodleIncident journey to the Underworld]]. Rikuto -- one of the Demon Generals of the Traitor -- is a ''tengu'', and another one of the Demon Generals is a ''jorogumo''.

* [[AndImTheQueenOfSheba And I'm The Queen Of Sheba]]: Shizuka is prone to this when anyone insults Shefali or the Qorin. She doesn't need to state her title most times, as most people already know who she is, but when some traveling guards don't recognize her and don't take her oath of honor that the Qorin won't harm anyone at face value, she puts them soundly in their place.

* AuthorAppeal: K Arsenault Rivera is an admitted huge fan of east Asian culture and Japanese anime in particular, and Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena was a huge inspiration for her.

* BerserkButton: Hurting Shizuka in front of Shefali or Shefali in front of Shizuka. Likewise, insulting Shefali in front of Shizuka.

* CheerfulChild: Lai Baoyi is ''very'' cheerful and ''very'' cute.

* TheCorruption: The blackblood.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: Read the first two books and try to convince yourself the third is going to be okay. This series is depressing. The only thing we have going for us is that it's a queer author who hopefully wants to subvert BuryYourGays.

* TheEmpire: Hokkaro and Her Children.

* EveryoneIsRelated: [[spoiler: The Traitor is the first Emperor, Shizuka's ancestor.]]

* EyeScream: [[spoiler: Poor Shefali has her left eye torn out by a demon. She gets it replaced by a steel one, but still]]
* FacePalm: Happens often enough.
* FamedInStory: Shefali notes people are retelling stories of the legendary Tumenabayar with Shefali as the protagonist.

* FantasyPantheon: An interesting case in that even the main characters claim to be gods. [[spoiler: The deities appear to all be mortals with godly souls. It's speculated by the characters that the world's past gods were all deified mortals who sought some sort of claim over their powers, and that all of the gods in the past were people just like them.]]
* FirstEpisodeTwist: The very beginning of ''The Tiger's Daughter'' reveals that Shizuka is the empress, long before we learn how she even came to the throne.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: The demons all refer to Shefali by the name "Steel-Eye" even from a young age. It's made apparent much later what that means.

* TheGreatWall: The series has ''two'': the Wall of Stone, based on the Chinese Great Wall, between Hokkaro and the steppes where the Qorin live in the east, and the Wall of Flowers in the North, raised by a goddess to keep demons and blackbloods out. [[spoiler: The Wall of Flowers slowly fails across the series, but Shizuka raises a new one]]
* GreenThumb: The other major part of Shizuka's powers. She can grow whichever plants she wants wherever she wants, with flowers, herbs, and plum trees all being seen. [[spoiler: it's due to being a reincarnation of whichever living god raised the first Wall of Flowers, a feat she replicates in ''The Phoenix Empress''.]]

* TheHighQueen: Yui Minami O-Shizuka is an interesting aversion. She has almost all of the qualities of TheHighQueen, except the calm demeanor. She's attempted to cultivate it as an affect, but at her heart Empress Yui is hot-headed, tempestuous, and demanding. But her demeanor aside, Shizuka is good and bright, spreads hope to the people around her, connects to others easily, fights for everything that is good and right in the world, and generally otherwise fits the trope of The High Queen.

* IHaveManyNames: Minami Shizuka, Empress Yui, the Phoenix Empress, Daughter of Heaven, Light of Hokkaro, Celestial Flame, Flower of the Empire, etc, etc.

* IncestIsRelative: Midway through ''The tiger's Daughter'', it's revealed that [[spoiler: Burqila Alshara is sleeping with her niece, Dorbentei Otgar. Otgar is the same age as Alshara's son, and it's implied this relationship has been going on for three years or so. Shefali, Alshara's daughter and Otgar's cousin, is majorly squicked out, especially since [[SecretRelationship they don't appear to have told anyone]]. ]]

* LittleMissBadass: Both Shizuka and Shefali by age eight.

* PlayingWithFire: Shizuka never gets cold, doesn't ever need to worry about being burned, can start fires, and can [[FlamingSword set her blade on fire]]

* [[TurnOutLikeHIsFather Turn Out Like Her Mother]]: Shefali: quiet, badass warrior, Minami-fixated lesbian.

* [[WhamEpisode Wham Chapter]]: When Shefali and Shizuka fight their first demon together.

* FirstEpisodeSpoiler: The very beginning of ''The Tiger's Daughter'' reveals that Shizuka is the empress, long before we learn how she even came to the throne.

The two main books in the series are

* ''The Warrior Moon'' (forthcoming)

* ''The Tiger's Daughter''
* ''The Phoenix Empress''

----

* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Demons and blackbloods. [[spoiler: They are this way because the Traitor's control over their minds wills them to be what he wants.]]
* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: Shefali towards Shizuka.

* BadassArmy: The Bronze Army and the peasant army of Xian-lai.
* BadassBoast: Thy name is Minami Shizuka.

* BreakTheCutie: What Shefali and Shizuka go through is absolutely anguishing.
* BreakTheHaughty: What Shizuka goes through in particular.
* BrokenBird: Shizuka, in ''The Phoenix Empress''.

* [[WhamEpisode Wham Chapter]]: When Shefali and Shizuka fight their first demon together.

* SpiritedYoungLady: Young Shizuka.

* ColorCodedPatrician: Each of the noble houses of the Hokkaran empire has its own associated heraldic colors, e.g. Xian-Lai is purple and green.