BHSDeskShattered Skies is apparently notorious in some circles for its grimness, and lauded in others for its action scenes... but one of the things I'm proudest of in the story is the way that the relationship between Yayoi Kise and Yui Nanase has developed.
In truth, I didn't create the YaYui ship. That was the doing of my longtime friend K, and it was through his fanfics that I realized what an amazing couple they would make. Think about it! Both are talented artists, both have adorkable nerdy fangirl moments, both are shy and timid at first but passionate once you get to know them, both have problems with self-confidence, and both overcome those problems in spectacular ways... It seemed only natural to ship them together, and I encouraged K to write more of them.
Unfortunately, due to complicated circumstances, K had to cut their relationship entirely from his story when he revised it. Me being me, I semi-jokingly swore I would get back at him for depriving me of my YaYuis by writing the couple into Shattered Skies. Initially I intended to give them a star-crossed romance fraught with obstacles and anguish, like I had with Kagami and Homura in Stars Above. Then when I started writing their scenes together, a funny thing happened: I couldn't bring myself to bring the pain. Them finding each other and being happy together in the midst of the multiversal apocalypse added something to the story that I couldn't bear to take away.
So the scene depicted here from Chapter 33, where they share their first kiss while watching a romantic reunion between two girlfriends in Bodacious Space Pirates... though it doesn't have any action or horrible monsters, it's one of my favorite things that I've written in the story. It thrills me that I can use Koikatsu to finally bring it to life with my own hands. I love them so much, and I promise to keep them safe.
Yayoi model by 一方、褥点在至る user/59669141
Yui model modified from a card by an unknown artist, I'll update if I find their information.
Scene composition and posing by yours truly, using Koikatsu CharaStudio
You can read SHATTERED SKIES: THE MORNING LIGHTS on AO3 (https://archiveofourown.org/works/2449097/)
2021-04-19 18:02:56 +0000