Finally read that last section of the story #10. It's really good. Good explanation of Moon Healing power -- it kind of reminds me of my own theological questions on what Heaven is like.
Just to prove that I haven't abandoned you all, here's a bit of a story I've been working on. I actually got the idea from Rob about a month ago while I was on vacation -- if we're going to talk about her so much, she really needs a backstory. And uh, then I went a little off the deep end.
Hard Press is a josei manga classic that just doesn't happen to exist in our universe -- in fact, it's absence is one of the reasons the josei genre isn't quite as big as it should be. Well, relative to other Earths.
Minkao Jinguuji was born into a life of privilege, the daughter of a Japanese father and a Hong Kong socialite mother who married to cement a business alliance. As heiress to the fortune, her future was all but assured.
Until one day, it wasn't. Disgraced and despairing, her parents took their own lives rather than suffer the humiliation of trial and imprisonment. That's what the official investigation concluded, anyway. But Minkao-chan, she knew better.
Sent away to live with a distant relative in the country, with nothing remaining of her life of luxury, she swore that one day, she would uncover the truth of what happened to her family, and those who did this to her. But not as a member of the useless police -- but by becoming Japan's greatest reporter.
Her entry to the journalism industry is another series of hard knocks for Minkao, but eventually she learns that she doesn't just deserve her place atop the news -- she has to earn every byline. She makes fast friends, but can't quite open herself up to love -- she's too driven to her goals, to the level of an unhealthy obsession. And every story is one step closer, one step deeper, into the dark world of the yakuza, triads, and zaibatsu politics that ruined her family.
I'm not really sure what Minkao looks like. She's pretty, of course. Probably blonde and wears a upon her head a ... blue ribbon, lol. Sort of a mashup of Chitose Fujinomiya and Nanami Kiryuu in her adolescence, being forced to give up that attitude by real life, and moving towards Sumire Iwaya and possibly Saeko Nogami. With a little of Bob's version of Lisa Vanette thrown in for flavor.
Just to prove that I haven't abandoned you all, here's a bit of a story I've been working on. I actually got the idea from Rob about a month ago while I was on vacation -- if we're going to talk about her so much, she really needs a backstory. And uh, then I went a little off the deep end.
Hard Pressed Wrote:Brent wandered into the common room of Aria House, currently occupied by three people: Tomo and Yomi partaking of the latest library acquisitions, and Akari typing away at her computer.
She was having a bit of writer's block at coming up with the next topic for her blog post, and had sought out a different atmosphere than her room, to maybe get a different perspective on writing. It wasn't working. She sighed, and opened up her email for a distraction.
Brent asked, "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing. I just can't come up with anything to write about today."
"It's okay, you don't have to write. It's just for fun, right?"
"Actually, we get some of our best customers through the website. It's not like Neo Venezia, where undines are a part of local life. We have to make our own following, and our own traditions here. It's really very exciting!"
"Oh, well, keep at it then. You must be doing something right," Brent offered.
Her computer made a small ding sound, that of new email arriving. "Oh, cool. We got another interview request. Someone from from the newspaper named Minkao Jinguuji wants to do a story on Aria Company."
"Oh my God, you're going to be interviewed by Minkao Jinguuji?" Tomo jumped on the couch, then over the back of it, and rushed over to the table where Akari was set up.
"Sure, I guess?" Akari thought that Tomo was making a bigger deal of it than normal.
"You're really hitting the big time now!"
"Wait, who?" Brent asked.
Yomi clarified, "Minkao Jinguuji, you know, from Hard Press?"
"Is that like a talk show?"
Tomo held out her hand in front of Brent expectantly. "I'm going to need you to surrender your otaku card now."
"Geez, okay. So I don't know about one little manga."
Tomo gasped.
"Um, Hard Press is kind of a big deal." Yomi explained. "You've really never heard of it?" Brent shook his head. "Akari, can you search the web for Minkao Jinguuji?"
"Hahi!"
Leaning over Akari's shoulder, Yomi corrected, "No– not Minako. Pretty common typo."
"I don't think this is what you're looking for, Yomi-san."
She read down the page, and didn't find anything for the manga, or the anime, or even the live-action movies. Not even a single image. "What the heck, it's all bylines."
"Does that mean she's native to this universe? Wow! Best dimensional jump ever!" Tomo concluded.
"Is she native though?" Yomi perused the search results on the holographic screen hovering above the physical screen. "I'm not seeing anything older than October here."
"And why is she taking on a feature story like the gondoliers here?"
"An early-career fluff piece?" Yomi posited.
"Or maybe she's onto us."
"Yes. That makes sense."
Brent noticed Akari's slack jaw and blank expression. "Hey, don't look at me, I have no idea either."
Yomi turned to Brent and explained, "She knows the undines are from another universe."
Tomo added dramatically, "And she's going to blow the story wide open."
"That doesn't sound good for us." Brent shuddered.
Yomi shook her head, "She probably won't do that to us. Remember Ryosuke. And the Green Dragons."
"What about the Ibis incident?"
"That was just early installment weirdness."
To Akari, Brent mumbled, "Do we always sound this weird when discussing fiction?"
"Um, yes?" she returned sheepishly.
Tomo countered, "That just means that early-career Minkao would do anything to succeed. We could be dealing with the young, win-at-any-cost version before she matured."
Brent covered his eyes with his right hand.
Hard Press is a josei manga classic that just doesn't happen to exist in our universe -- in fact, it's absence is one of the reasons the josei genre isn't quite as big as it should be. Well, relative to other Earths.
Minkao Jinguuji was born into a life of privilege, the daughter of a Japanese father and a Hong Kong socialite mother who married to cement a business alliance. As heiress to the fortune, her future was all but assured.
Until one day, it wasn't. Disgraced and despairing, her parents took their own lives rather than suffer the humiliation of trial and imprisonment. That's what the official investigation concluded, anyway. But Minkao-chan, she knew better.
Sent away to live with a distant relative in the country, with nothing remaining of her life of luxury, she swore that one day, she would uncover the truth of what happened to her family, and those who did this to her. But not as a member of the useless police -- but by becoming Japan's greatest reporter.
Her entry to the journalism industry is another series of hard knocks for Minkao, but eventually she learns that she doesn't just deserve her place atop the news -- she has to earn every byline. She makes fast friends, but can't quite open herself up to love -- she's too driven to her goals, to the level of an unhealthy obsession. And every story is one step closer, one step deeper, into the dark world of the yakuza, triads, and zaibatsu politics that ruined her family.
I'm not really sure what Minkao looks like. She's pretty, of course. Probably blonde and wears a upon her head a ... blue ribbon, lol. Sort of a mashup of Chitose Fujinomiya and Nanami Kiryuu in her adolescence, being forced to give up that attitude by real life, and moving towards Sumire Iwaya and possibly Saeko Nogami. With a little of Bob's version of Lisa Vanette thrown in for flavor.
"Kitto daijoubu da yo." - Sakura Kinomoto