Vaster Than Empires by Ayezur (NC-17)
Title: Vaster Than Empires
Fandom: Rurouni Kenshin
Pairing: Himura Kenshin/Kamiya Kaoru
Categories: Arranged Marriage, Historical AU, Romance
Length: Super-Epic (163 000 words)
Warnings: Violence, Character Death, Non-con Type Things, Suicidal Ideation, Ugly Choices, Captivity, Power Imbalance, Canon Age Difference
Author’s Summary:
Alternate Universe. Early summer, 1601. The Western Army is defeated; the country stands, uneasy, under the hand of the Tokugawa. Kaoru Kamiya, whose family was on the losing side, has been sold into marriage for the sake of peace. Her new husband is a legend, a demon bound in human form, marked by his blood-lust and his bright red hair...
Review:
Vaster Than Empires is a historical alternate universe (of Rurouni Kenshin canon, which is an anime set in the Meiji Era). In 1601, the civil war that engulfed Japan in turmoil has just ended and everyone is busy recovering from the horrors and adapting to the new political realities.
While most of the characters are in a parallel positions to that of canon, the ramifications of those positions are sometimes unavoidably different. Samurai are the mainstay of society, rather than outdated and often impoverished. Foreigners are worryingly influential, but also rare enough to be mysterious aliens. Women have little say over any part of their lives unless their male relatives grant it.
The “arranged marriage” premise harmonises with this setting very naturally. Vaster Than Empires is set in a culture where arranged marriages are normal, especially among the nobility, and marriage is often more akin to slavery than partnership. Age mismatches and treaty-sealing brides abound. Kaoru being duty-bound to marry a much older former enemy is presented as unfortunate, but very normal (and to an extent admirable) rather than shocking or horrifying. We get to see a range of reactions to her misfortune and a couple of comparable background situations.
On an entirely related note, the warnings are there for good reason. While the fic doesn’t wallow in any specific horror, it very much reflects that it is set in a time and place where suffering and death happens often and rarely for good reason. Main characters are not immune to this.
The story is intended to be intelligible to people unfamiliar with the culture and, as an AU, takes the time to establish the nature and drives of the main characters. This makes it unusually accessible to readers unfamiliar with canon.
Vaster Than Empires on AO3
Vaster Than Empires on ff.net
Fandom: Rurouni Kenshin
Pairing: Himura Kenshin/Kamiya Kaoru
Categories: Arranged Marriage, Historical AU, Romance
Length: Super-Epic (163 000 words)
Warnings: Violence, Character Death, Non-con Type Things, Suicidal Ideation, Ugly Choices, Captivity, Power Imbalance, Canon Age Difference
Author’s Summary:
Alternate Universe. Early summer, 1601. The Western Army is defeated; the country stands, uneasy, under the hand of the Tokugawa. Kaoru Kamiya, whose family was on the losing side, has been sold into marriage for the sake of peace. Her new husband is a legend, a demon bound in human form, marked by his blood-lust and his bright red hair...
Review:
Vaster Than Empires is a historical alternate universe (of Rurouni Kenshin canon, which is an anime set in the Meiji Era). In 1601, the civil war that engulfed Japan in turmoil has just ended and everyone is busy recovering from the horrors and adapting to the new political realities.
While most of the characters are in a parallel positions to that of canon, the ramifications of those positions are sometimes unavoidably different. Samurai are the mainstay of society, rather than outdated and often impoverished. Foreigners are worryingly influential, but also rare enough to be mysterious aliens. Women have little say over any part of their lives unless their male relatives grant it.
The “arranged marriage” premise harmonises with this setting very naturally. Vaster Than Empires is set in a culture where arranged marriages are normal, especially among the nobility, and marriage is often more akin to slavery than partnership. Age mismatches and treaty-sealing brides abound. Kaoru being duty-bound to marry a much older former enemy is presented as unfortunate, but very normal (and to an extent admirable) rather than shocking or horrifying. We get to see a range of reactions to her misfortune and a couple of comparable background situations.
On an entirely related note, the warnings are there for good reason. While the fic doesn’t wallow in any specific horror, it very much reflects that it is set in a time and place where suffering and death happens often and rarely for good reason. Main characters are not immune to this.
The story is intended to be intelligible to people unfamiliar with the culture and, as an AU, takes the time to establish the nature and drives of the main characters. This makes it unusually accessible to readers unfamiliar with canon.
Vaster Than Empires on AO3
Vaster Than Empires on ff.net