Another outstanding piece by  Atherra this time of Sakura in her duties as Shrine Maiden- could be in Portland, Hawai'i, or the couple of other Shinto shrines on the West Coast.

I largely wanted to get this picture done for two reasons. One, I realized that Sakura is the lone character I've created so far that I haven't had Atherra draw yet.

Two is the big one. I know I joke around about Sakura being flirty and sexual but I wanted to prove that's not the defining trait of the character. Yes, she's sex-positive and open with her body, but she is deeper than that. Not just a heroine either, she's very spiritual, even if it has softened like most Japanese in the modern day and age. She takes Shinto seriously (after all, being a Kistune, she's deeply entrenched in it), which is why her miko outfit isn't some slinky fetish gear. She does realize that modern mikos are more figureheads and symbols compared to where they were when she was a youth, but she still takes it reverently and avoids fetishizing it as much as possible. She won't even role play as a sexy miko or one being "ravaged by an invader", since there's already plenty of porn of that out in the world.

So this is a side of her that few really see unless they go to the shrine, her meditative, spiritual side. The rock from which she builds from.

Art ©  Atherra
Sakura © Me