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bibliophilismP L A Y E R I N F O R M A T I O N
Your Name: Auste
OOC Journal:ditz
Under 18? If yes, what is your age?: No. 23.
Email + IM: psycholocked[at]gmail[dot]com | AIM: truthstealer | Plurk: auste
Characters Played at Ataraxion: Larry Butz |biffail
C H A R A C T E R I N F O R M A T I O N
Name: Michelle Cheung
Canon: R.O.D the TV
Original or Alternate Universe: Original.
Canon Point: Middle of Episode 12 (Twilight of the Papers 1), after entering Dokusensha to rescue Nenene Sumiregawa.
Number: 012 > 025
Setting: The events of R.O.D the TV take place in the years 2006 (episode 1-10) and 2007 (episode 11-26), in a world much like today's, with marked breakthroughs in technology, cloning and genetic modification well ahead of our time. Advanced computer systems, cellphones projecting holographic maps and videos, a sound system that creates ultrasonic and subsonic pitches as well as dissonance, and even a machine that aims to raise a person's intelligence quotient have been seen and used in the series. Certain people possess powers such as altering one's own refraction index, control over paper, or phasing through objects. Some of these abilities are hereditary.
In the 19th century, England longed to prolong the life of its great leader and father, called "Mr. Gentleman" and sought remedies, especially from the East, to keep him from aging. This led to strained relations between England and China, and covert struggles between the two countries fought with super-powered agents. When the middle of the 20th century rolled around, a new plan was formulated, in which Mr. Gentleman's knowledge would instead be transferred to a new host vessel. Unfortunately, no ordinary person would have the capacity to house such vast knowledge. They turned to the I-Jin, or famous historical people with adaptable minds of strong personality. Genetic samples were collected from them and kept by the British Library and British Museum, to be used to cultivate vessels for the new Gentleman.
In 2000, when the Department of Dominant Gene Preservation was attacked, almost half of the I-Jin genetic samples were stolen and the facility was severely damaged. Genetically regenerated I-Jin with new powers began to appear, and the British Library Special Operations Unit had to deal with the so-called "I-Jin Incident". In the eyes of the British Library, the culprit was Dokusensha.
Dokusensha was originally composed of civilian officials in the service of China's emperors, who safeguarded the imperial library and enriched themselves with knowledge in various fields. They disappeared when the last dynasty fell, but in 1994, the organization opened its first bookshop in Beijing and began regaining power through its bookstore chain and patrons. In 1997, when Hong Kong reverted back to China, Dokusensha took this opportunity to build a Hong Kong branch that would pave the way for further expansion, to control the world and destroy the British Empire. The British Library and Dokusensha clashed more frequently.
Because of the I-Jin Incident and the loss of the facility and genetic samples, a new plan had to be utilized to revive the Gentleman. This entailed compiling his mind and personality into seven books until a suitable vessel was found for him. In 2002, a candidate was discovered in Junior, a boy with the power to phase through walls and other objects, and the son of two I-Jin. His heritage amplified his physical and mental skills.
During a terrorist attack on the British Library, one of those books and preserved DNA were stolen, and this event wreaked havoc on England's diplomatic relations. Yomiko Readman, a Paper Master and an agent of the British Library Special Operations, vanished during the fire at the British Library. A year later, the country withdrew from the EU and was expelled from the UN, and declared bankruptcy. The remaining six books and the key (which would later be used to bring the Gentleman into his intended host) were entrusted to chosen staff members sent out of England as it worked to strip the UN of its power over the nation.
Joseph Carpenter, alias "Joker", a member of the British Library Special Operations Unit, offered information on the Gentleman's books to Dokusensha while carrying on negotiations on important issues. Working on a perfect language system, the Chinese became interested in the books, and thus Joker penetrated the organization. The British Library managed to reclaim the books and the key, however, when Dokusensha's Hong Kong branch was destroyed.
The British Library is currently working to create a worldwide information system that will allow everyone access to a knowledge database in the hopes of uniting all nations and bringing peace. Needless to say, their attempts to control knowledge and the pursuit of it have been furthered by extreme means such as confiscating books from bookstores and attempting to revive a great leader by making him live on in someone else's body. Their idea of unity is a union of wills and ideas - that is, the Gentleman's will and ideas.
History: Michelle is a Paper Master genetically modified by Dokusensha using stolen material from the British Library. Her memories had also been modified, and she, Maggie Mui (another Paper Master of Dokusensha), and Anita King (a failed attempt by the British Library to create a Paper Master without a love for books, and who was likewise taken by Dokusensha) were set up to meet each other in line with the organization's plans. Because the genetic splicing left Paper Masters psychologically defective in certain areas, they were made to live and operate in units.
Not knowing that they were being strung along the entire time, Michelle and Maggie first met on Christmas Eve on a mission that took them to a church with a hidden underground room supposedly full of old books. After realizing that the books sealed within were actually newer than expected and that it was a setup, the two women encountered Anita, who asked them whether they are Santas or thieves. When Michelle answered that they're technically thieves, Anita asked if she could tag along to stay alive as she had no parents and nowhere else to go. Michelle discouraged her from leading a thief's life before she and Maggie leave. Eventually both of them decided to buy Anita presents for Christmas Day - and Michelle and Maggie bought the same book. Michelle then proposed that the three of them become sisters and live together, because if two heads were better than one, doing things as a trio would be a breeze.
Two years later, Michelle and Maggie were employed as tour guides for Nenene Sumiregawa, a famous Japanese author in Hong Kong for a book signing and for the movie production of her novel. But when the hotel Nenene was supposed to be staying in exploded, the sisters instead bring Nenene to their home (where they run their detective agency) after volunteering to protect her (or rather, Maggie will, as Michelle put it). At the book signing, a frustrated author confronted Nenene and planted a bomb close to her, but the sisters managed to detonate it away from everyone with their paper powers. Unfortunately for Nenene, none of them knew her friend, Yomiko Readman, who was another Paper Master and who had been missing for four years.
Their job didn't end there. Michelle discovered that the author's manuscript was actually comprised of two styles of handwriting, which meant there were two writers. The sisters then pursued Nenene's plane back to Japan. While Anita dispatched the second writer and made sure Nenene was safe, Michelle and Maggie guided the plane to safety. Lee Linho, Nenene's editor, then designated the Paper Sisters, as they were known in Hong Kong, as Nenene's bodyguards. Though they were given their own place, they wound up living with Nenene instead. At one point, Michelle took an opportunity to check out Jinbocho, where instead of looking for Nenene, she bought so many books, leaving many stores with empty shelves and making some shop owners believe that Yomiko, an equally avid bibliophile (if not more avid), had returned. She even left her sisters behind - Maggie to succumb to fatigue after wandering around on her own, and Anita to actually actively search for Nenene.
In order not to arouse suspicion from the neighbors, Nenene proposed that Anita begin attending school. On Anita's first day, Michelle decided to check on her, even though Maggie pointed out that Michelle probably just wanted to get out for a while. She climbed over the wall and spoke to Anita, masquerading as an older student. While both sisters were at the school, a man named Mr. Richards went to the library to hide one of the Gentleman books, where he was attacked by a masked Junior. Anita first engaged Junior in battle and hid the book, and eventually Michelle arrived to shoot the gun out of Junior's hands. He escaped. Michelle and Anita would later meet and befriend Junior, not knowing that he was the one in the library and that he worked for the British Library.
To pay for Anita's tuition and other related expenses, the Paper Sisters took on jobs from Dokusensha retrieving rare books, which are actually the Gentleman Books. While Nenene was out chasing a possible lead on the missing Yomiko, the sisters traveled to Romania, where they faced Professor Weber and his arsenal of sound frequencies, and retrieved one of the books from him. In a succeeding mission, Michelle was separated from Maggie and Anita in a city that turned out to be a giant set for actors who only wanted to act (which Michelle discovered before finding her sisters again), and their failure to retrieve the book was chalked up to bad intel. Another mission also ended badly when they wound up running into Nenene (who knew nothing of the sisters' jobs) and pursued their target into some old ruins, where said target was mercilessly killed by another Paper Master of Dokusensha, Sonny Wong.
A year passed, and Nenene and the sisters returned to Hong Kong for the premiere of the movie based on Nenene's novel. Lee Linho declared that the sisters' job as bodyguards was done, considering that things had eventually quieted down. However, their arrival was spoiled by the arrival of Dokusensha agents, as Lee Linho revealed himself to be a contractor working for the organization. Nenene was kidnapped "to write the greatest story ever told" and to have an Ultimate Language system installed in her brain. Despite being paid so handsomely for their stint as bodyguards (and apparently also for inspiring Nenene to start writing again), which would mean living the rest of their lives well, Michelle, Maggie and Anita headed for Dokusensha's headquarters to save Nenene, now considering her as a friend. They quickly penetrated the building, fighting off robotic sentinels and soldiers, but they separated - Maggie to duel Sonny Wong, and Michelle to hold off any other enemies while Anita searched for Nenene.
Though they all escaped, they end up wanted as terrorists for the destruction of Dokusensha and the sinking of Hong Kong. Nenene and the sisters then fled back to Japan, on the run from authorities. While contemplating their next move, they discovered orders from Dokusensha hidden in the lighter Nenene had given Lee Linho as a gift, which pointed to "The Book of the All-Seeing Eye", a hidden bookstore in Jinbocho called Toto Books, and the Paper a.k.a. Yomiko. Nenene and the Paper Sisters quickly went to that bookstore, where Anita had found Nenene before, only to have the owner tell them that he can't reveal where Yomiko lives. After much pleading and abuse from Anita, he at last broke his promise to keep the secret, and pointed to the National Diet Library. There, Yomiko and Nenene were reunited, and they met Nancy Makuhari as well, who lived with Yomiko. Their reunion was spoiled with the arrival of Joseph Carpenter, or Joker, who headed the British Library Special Operations Unit and who wanted Yomiko back on the team, an explanation as to why she had disappeared, and the final Gentleman Book. The girls all escaped with the book, only to witness a terrible spectacle in Jinbocho - the British Library confiscating books and then eventually burning them in the street. With help from Drake Anderson, and some bookstore owners, everyone fled to Saitama, to a house owned by Yomiko's parents.
There, Michelle, Maggie, Anita, Nenene, Yomiko, Nancy and Drake settled in, only to be interrupted by Junior, who had followed them and who had discovered that he could not escape from Nancy's grip with his usual phasing abilities. When Junior pointed a gun at Nancy, Yomiko revealed that Nancy was Junior's mother, and Michelle shot the gun out of Junior's hands (again) with a paper arrow. After that, Yomiko locked herself in a room with Nancy, not coming out for a long time and leaving the others to entertain themselves while waiting. She came out again to tell her story of the events that led to her flight from the public eye regarding Mr. Gentleman, the great power behind England, about Nancy and Junior's past, and about how Junior was groomed to be the next Gentleman, but when Junior phased into the Book of the All-Seeing Eye, everyone had a first-hand look at the confrontation between Yomiko and Joker that would lead to the fire at the British Library, where a younger Anita was also present. After they had returned to their house, Anita ran into the woods, pursued by Michelle and Maggie, who reassured her that no matter what happened, what mattered was who Anita was today.
After an encounter with the Mirror Man, one of the British Library's agents, Junior took a helicopter with Michelle, Maggie, Nenene, Nancy and Drake all loaded on board and all asleep, leaving Anita and Yomiko to deal with the Mirror Man. After pointing a gun at his copilot, everyone was off-loaded before Junior extracted the tracker within his body and likewise escaped. Michelle, Junior, Drake and Nancy hid in an old house in an abandoned village, but when soldiers arrived on the scene, Junior took Michelle with him and ran. While with him, he told Michelle what he had learned about her and her sisters from the Book of the All-Seeing Eye - everything about Dokusensha modifying their memories and setting everything up to go according to plan. Needless to say, she was shocked, so when she, Maggie and Anita were reunited in Nenene's residence after learning the truth, Anita promptly denied them despite their relief at seeing her alive. While Anita and Michelle argued over what was real and what wasn't, and while both younger sisters started crying, Michelle joined them at last to cry, declaring that it was unfair that they both got to cry and scream, and that though their memories had been faked, their life together wasn't, and she believed in it. The sisters then decided to be sisters again, and to pursue the British Library, which had captured Nenene and Junior. Together with Yomiko, Drake and Nancy, they put a stop to their plans to create a new world order in the Gentleman's image, and kept Junior from becoming the next Gentleman.
A few months later, Michelle was seen watching over Junior in Saitama while his mother was in India, keeping in touch with Maggie, who was at Nenene's place and in charge of Anita. But toward the very end of the final episode, the friends are shown together at Nenene's again, judging from all the pairs of shoes outside.
Personality: Michelle, at first glance, would not seem like anyone's big sister, let alone a reliable one. She is often seen as a slave to her own whims (which are often book-related) who has to be disciplined in order to remember her priorities and that some things just don't work the way she thinks they should, like tokens of appreciation from her being paid by the person they are for. Possessing a flair for the dramatic, she is excitable especially when it comes to books, little children (who are suddenly "adopted" as additional siblings and smothered in hugs), and meeting famous authors, and tends to react in exaggerated, over-the-top and sometimes age-inappropriate ways by pinning Anita to the floor when the latter makes a rude gesture at Nenene, or by twirling around and making a flowery speech during their first visit to Jinbocho before being spotted racing on a cart full of books she had just bought. She is also fond of having a "three sisters' vote" or a vote in general in just about every situation, from allowing Nenene to spend the night at their detective agency, to voting on beating up every man from the British Library in the vicinity, almost always with a smile on her face.
Her almost childlike optimism and cheer shine through in just about any situation. Whether she is facing a bookstore, or showing off paper tricks in front of children, or even while on the run from authorities or in battle, Michelle is often seen smiling. And not just smiling; she always has a reassuring word for anyone, sister or no. Even on a dangerous rescue mission, Michelle found the time to comfort Anita and encourage her to move on while she held off the rest of the bad guys. She tells anyone that everything will be okay, will turn out fine in the end, and they're not just empty words. She means them, and when she can, she will make sure they reach fruition.
But when someone is clearly in the wrong or is taking a potshot at someone else, such as Junior denying his mother or Anita calling Maggie a burden, Michelle doesn't hesitate to take charge, step up and discipline the offender. She has been seen slapping and scolding Anita, and slapping Junior in both instances, all traces of optimism gone. However, she only slaps or scolds when she must, reserving her anger for situations that truly merit it, especially when it comes to hurting her sisters or her friends, and when her relationship with them is at stake. Basically, it takes a lot to arouse Michelle's temper (becuase she usually lacks one), and when it is aroused, it can be a force to be reckoned with.
In battle, though she maintains her cheerful disposition for the most part instead of becoming a cold war machine, Michelle becomes a different person. She is the levelheaded leader among her sisters, who always has a plan and is never known to panic even when all seems lost or when all her paper seems lost. All theatrics are set aside for strategy and for focus, to finish a mission or to rescue a friend. It almost seems as if she only has common sense in combat, but not for real life or anything outside the battlefield. Experienced in combat with paper weapons, especially a bow and arrows, Michelle is fearless and will go all out, supporting her sisters and whoever else fights with her along the way. Anyone she cares for will always be protected, no matter what dangers lie ahead.
Michelle has a self-centered streak; she can and will spend money on books without a care for what they will eat later on or that they are short on money. She can be a little tactless too with how she observes and describes people, but calls her sisters out on being rude. In the very first episode, she described Maggie as "quiet, unsociable, and very tall"; a normal person would most likely not use the term "unsociable" outright. And yet, despite being easily distracted by what she wants and what she likes, she does deeply love her sisters and makes it a point to let them know that she's there for them. Yomiko herself has even told Anita that despite having read tens of thousands of books, she has yet to read anything that would come close to the love the Paper Sisters share, lack of blood ties notwithstanding. Though she may not have much in the way of common sense, she more than makes up for it with her enormous heart.
Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations: Michelle is a Paper Master, and as such, she has power over paper and she can manipulate it as she sees fit (creating walls of paper, making origami birds glide, turning a sheet of paper into a blade, and the like). Her preferred tactic is creating a bow and arrows out of paper, and her aim is very good. For example, she can shoot at and hit a bomb, which is instantly wrapped in paper as soon as the arrow makes contact, and she can easily knock a gun out of someone's hand with one shot. In combat, she is the cool-headed leader who supports both her sisters and makes the strategies.
In episodes 5 and 16, she has been shown to have a high threshold for ultrasonic and subsonic sounds, due to her emotional stability; at one point she was the only one not cringing or in pain after a giant woofer was used to demolish a wall of paper. Even when her sisters or anyone she knows are in danger, she does her best to keep her cool, maintain optimism and figure out the best strategy to save them. She is calmer in the face of battle than when confronted by the bookstores of Jinbocho, and because of her powers and these qualities, she has proven to be a skillful bodyguard to Nenene Sumiregawa.
She also supposedly does translation work; Anita credits her proficiency in Japanese to Michelle and Maggie teaching her. Because the sisters come from in Hong Kong, it is assumed that they speak fluent Chinese as well as English. Overall, Michelle is pretty clever, even if she doesn't look it at first. She always has an idea or two to offer, and judging from the mental skills she has shown in planning and strategizing, she may have been a relatively competent investigator (or rather, finder of lost people, books and cats) as one-third of the Three Sisters Detective Agency.
Though she is very focused in battle, Michelle can be easily distracted by her ultimate weakness - books, books and books. She has often been scolded for spending money allotted for basic needs on books, and many bookstores in Jinbocho closed because she bought all of their wares. As they say, common sense is not always common; she often ends up putting her love (or rather, obsession) for books above all her other priorities and must be reminded to keep some cash for food and other more important things. One might say she is self-centered in this aspect, managing to overlook even her sisters' needs as well as her own in favor of new books to read.
Her strategic prowess does not always carry over into more everyday things, however. Once, when she and her sisters were going hungry, she tried to remedy the situation by placing cookbooks on the table instead. Michelle has also been told that she is a bad cook. And as part of a "token of appreciation", she presented a meal that she actually ordered and expected reimbursement for, and she set up a fake diary that humiliated Anita (because Michelle didn't want to be embarrassed herself, Anita was passed off as the so-called "writer" and she didn't sound like she was joking when she mentioned this to her little sister). Michelle's dramatic tendencies, which are largely absent in battle, can also go overboard to the point that one would wonder how serious she really is about certain matters.
While her emotional stability shines through many circumstances she and her comrades find themselves in, that doesn't mean she is a completely indestructible pillar of strength. When she, Maggie and Anita met again after facing the reality that fake memories had been implanted into their brains and their first encounter was actually a setup, Michelle broke down at last as she desperately tried to keep everyone together. Of course, she would pick herself up later on. Her sisters and her relationships with them (and possibly also with the people close to her in general) are two things that can break her emotionally.
Regarding Michelle's powers, I would like to request that they remain at their current strength, if possible. She will already be restricted by the amount of paper she will have on hand, as well as the fact that any paper she uses can still be rendered useless by water, and certain sound frequencies can nullify her binding abilities. If that's not allowed, at the very least, they can be limited to a point where she can no longer pierce or cut through thick, reinforced steel (she was seen in episode 1 shearing off the wings of an airplane with a chain of paper) or any part of the Tranquility's structure.
Inventory: Michelle's clothes consist of her black leotard, bordered with green, which she usually wears for battle or missions, as well as a pair of black shoes. Over her leotard she typically wears clothes made of paper; they will turn up in her locker as a stack of papers without her binding powers. She will also arrive with a metal briefcase full of the paper she and her sisters use in battle.
Appearance: Here and here.
Age: 25
AU Clarification: N/A
S A M P L E S
Log Sample: Michelle walked - or rather, hurried into the library, expecting to find great towering shelves of books - books she would know, and books from the passengers' and crew members' other worlds. She grinned, giggled and clapped her hands with glee. At least she could curl up with a good book, or seven. And perhaps she could take some back to her room -
Her smile slipped a notch, and the excited glint in her large brown eyes dimmed to a slightly more uncertain look. There were shelves, all right, but instead of looking at numerous and multicolored spines of books, all she could see were flat rectangular shapes, all the same color, and appearing to glow with a faint blue light. She cocked her head to one side, just standing several steps away from the threshold. This library was not like any other library or bookstore; it gave off an imposing aura of power, of great progress, of the future. But Michelle was here to read, not to be intimidated by the large chamber that was supposed to be the ship's repository of knowledge and stories. And if this place was called a library, then surely there must be something to read.
The woman approached the nearest shelf, and peered at its contents closely. Knowing that she was on a spaceship eons ahead of her time, and knowing that everyone had told her that this was the library, she could come to only one conclusion.
"Maybe they're...digital books. Futuristic books," Michelle mused, squinting as she pulled out one of the records. Looking over it, she was disappointed, but not surprised, to see that she could not read anything from it. The record felt cold to her touch - cold, distant, nothing like the familiar cover of a book. There wasn't a power switch, or any means of plugging it into her communications device. Still clutching it, she walked around, searching for a way to find out what the record said; was it a story? Or was it an account of a crew member's stay on the Tranquility? Fueled by curiosity, she quickened her pace until she found a datapad on a table.
That had to have something to do with this record.
Needless to say, it didn't take long for Michelle to figure out how to work the datapad and the record. She was just that eager to start reading, even if the records seemed so strange.
Comms Sample:
[Michelle is smiling when the transmission begins; it is a natural, nice smile, almost childlike. Before her are several folded paper cranes, and she fixes one while speaking in her usual bright, clear voice.]
Since it looks like I'll be here for a while, I guess it's time for me to get a job. Back home, my sisters and I organized the Three Sisters Detective Agency, and then we became bodyguards for Miss Nenene Sumiregawa, a famous author. Besides that, I have done some translation work.
Do we get paid on the Tranquility, by the way? I know there aren't any bookstores, but who knows? We might pass by one on a distant planet! I wouldn't miss the chance to read books from another planet, would you?
[Her eyes light up and she laughs, examining the paper crane she has just fixed before setting it back down with its fellows.]
So, does anyone need a bodyguard?
Your Name: Auste
OOC Journal:
ditzUnder 18? If yes, what is your age?: No. 23.
Email + IM: psycholocked[at]gmail[dot]com | AIM: truthstealer | Plurk: auste
Characters Played at Ataraxion: Larry Butz |
biffailC H A R A C T E R I N F O R M A T I O N
Name: Michelle Cheung
Canon: R.O.D the TV
Original or Alternate Universe: Original.
Canon Point: Middle of Episode 12 (Twilight of the Papers 1), after entering Dokusensha to rescue Nenene Sumiregawa.
Number: 012 > 025
Setting: The events of R.O.D the TV take place in the years 2006 (episode 1-10) and 2007 (episode 11-26), in a world much like today's, with marked breakthroughs in technology, cloning and genetic modification well ahead of our time. Advanced computer systems, cellphones projecting holographic maps and videos, a sound system that creates ultrasonic and subsonic pitches as well as dissonance, and even a machine that aims to raise a person's intelligence quotient have been seen and used in the series. Certain people possess powers such as altering one's own refraction index, control over paper, or phasing through objects. Some of these abilities are hereditary.
In the 19th century, England longed to prolong the life of its great leader and father, called "Mr. Gentleman" and sought remedies, especially from the East, to keep him from aging. This led to strained relations between England and China, and covert struggles between the two countries fought with super-powered agents. When the middle of the 20th century rolled around, a new plan was formulated, in which Mr. Gentleman's knowledge would instead be transferred to a new host vessel. Unfortunately, no ordinary person would have the capacity to house such vast knowledge. They turned to the I-Jin, or famous historical people with adaptable minds of strong personality. Genetic samples were collected from them and kept by the British Library and British Museum, to be used to cultivate vessels for the new Gentleman.
In 2000, when the Department of Dominant Gene Preservation was attacked, almost half of the I-Jin genetic samples were stolen and the facility was severely damaged. Genetically regenerated I-Jin with new powers began to appear, and the British Library Special Operations Unit had to deal with the so-called "I-Jin Incident". In the eyes of the British Library, the culprit was Dokusensha.
Dokusensha was originally composed of civilian officials in the service of China's emperors, who safeguarded the imperial library and enriched themselves with knowledge in various fields. They disappeared when the last dynasty fell, but in 1994, the organization opened its first bookshop in Beijing and began regaining power through its bookstore chain and patrons. In 1997, when Hong Kong reverted back to China, Dokusensha took this opportunity to build a Hong Kong branch that would pave the way for further expansion, to control the world and destroy the British Empire. The British Library and Dokusensha clashed more frequently.
Because of the I-Jin Incident and the loss of the facility and genetic samples, a new plan had to be utilized to revive the Gentleman. This entailed compiling his mind and personality into seven books until a suitable vessel was found for him. In 2002, a candidate was discovered in Junior, a boy with the power to phase through walls and other objects, and the son of two I-Jin. His heritage amplified his physical and mental skills.
During a terrorist attack on the British Library, one of those books and preserved DNA were stolen, and this event wreaked havoc on England's diplomatic relations. Yomiko Readman, a Paper Master and an agent of the British Library Special Operations, vanished during the fire at the British Library. A year later, the country withdrew from the EU and was expelled from the UN, and declared bankruptcy. The remaining six books and the key (which would later be used to bring the Gentleman into his intended host) were entrusted to chosen staff members sent out of England as it worked to strip the UN of its power over the nation.
Joseph Carpenter, alias "Joker", a member of the British Library Special Operations Unit, offered information on the Gentleman's books to Dokusensha while carrying on negotiations on important issues. Working on a perfect language system, the Chinese became interested in the books, and thus Joker penetrated the organization. The British Library managed to reclaim the books and the key, however, when Dokusensha's Hong Kong branch was destroyed.
The British Library is currently working to create a worldwide information system that will allow everyone access to a knowledge database in the hopes of uniting all nations and bringing peace. Needless to say, their attempts to control knowledge and the pursuit of it have been furthered by extreme means such as confiscating books from bookstores and attempting to revive a great leader by making him live on in someone else's body. Their idea of unity is a union of wills and ideas - that is, the Gentleman's will and ideas.
History: Michelle is a Paper Master genetically modified by Dokusensha using stolen material from the British Library. Her memories had also been modified, and she, Maggie Mui (another Paper Master of Dokusensha), and Anita King (a failed attempt by the British Library to create a Paper Master without a love for books, and who was likewise taken by Dokusensha) were set up to meet each other in line with the organization's plans. Because the genetic splicing left Paper Masters psychologically defective in certain areas, they were made to live and operate in units.
Not knowing that they were being strung along the entire time, Michelle and Maggie first met on Christmas Eve on a mission that took them to a church with a hidden underground room supposedly full of old books. After realizing that the books sealed within were actually newer than expected and that it was a setup, the two women encountered Anita, who asked them whether they are Santas or thieves. When Michelle answered that they're technically thieves, Anita asked if she could tag along to stay alive as she had no parents and nowhere else to go. Michelle discouraged her from leading a thief's life before she and Maggie leave. Eventually both of them decided to buy Anita presents for Christmas Day - and Michelle and Maggie bought the same book. Michelle then proposed that the three of them become sisters and live together, because if two heads were better than one, doing things as a trio would be a breeze.
Two years later, Michelle and Maggie were employed as tour guides for Nenene Sumiregawa, a famous Japanese author in Hong Kong for a book signing and for the movie production of her novel. But when the hotel Nenene was supposed to be staying in exploded, the sisters instead bring Nenene to their home (where they run their detective agency) after volunteering to protect her (or rather, Maggie will, as Michelle put it). At the book signing, a frustrated author confronted Nenene and planted a bomb close to her, but the sisters managed to detonate it away from everyone with their paper powers. Unfortunately for Nenene, none of them knew her friend, Yomiko Readman, who was another Paper Master and who had been missing for four years.
Their job didn't end there. Michelle discovered that the author's manuscript was actually comprised of two styles of handwriting, which meant there were two writers. The sisters then pursued Nenene's plane back to Japan. While Anita dispatched the second writer and made sure Nenene was safe, Michelle and Maggie guided the plane to safety. Lee Linho, Nenene's editor, then designated the Paper Sisters, as they were known in Hong Kong, as Nenene's bodyguards. Though they were given their own place, they wound up living with Nenene instead. At one point, Michelle took an opportunity to check out Jinbocho, where instead of looking for Nenene, she bought so many books, leaving many stores with empty shelves and making some shop owners believe that Yomiko, an equally avid bibliophile (if not more avid), had returned. She even left her sisters behind - Maggie to succumb to fatigue after wandering around on her own, and Anita to actually actively search for Nenene.
In order not to arouse suspicion from the neighbors, Nenene proposed that Anita begin attending school. On Anita's first day, Michelle decided to check on her, even though Maggie pointed out that Michelle probably just wanted to get out for a while. She climbed over the wall and spoke to Anita, masquerading as an older student. While both sisters were at the school, a man named Mr. Richards went to the library to hide one of the Gentleman books, where he was attacked by a masked Junior. Anita first engaged Junior in battle and hid the book, and eventually Michelle arrived to shoot the gun out of Junior's hands. He escaped. Michelle and Anita would later meet and befriend Junior, not knowing that he was the one in the library and that he worked for the British Library.
To pay for Anita's tuition and other related expenses, the Paper Sisters took on jobs from Dokusensha retrieving rare books, which are actually the Gentleman Books. While Nenene was out chasing a possible lead on the missing Yomiko, the sisters traveled to Romania, where they faced Professor Weber and his arsenal of sound frequencies, and retrieved one of the books from him. In a succeeding mission, Michelle was separated from Maggie and Anita in a city that turned out to be a giant set for actors who only wanted to act (which Michelle discovered before finding her sisters again), and their failure to retrieve the book was chalked up to bad intel. Another mission also ended badly when they wound up running into Nenene (who knew nothing of the sisters' jobs) and pursued their target into some old ruins, where said target was mercilessly killed by another Paper Master of Dokusensha, Sonny Wong.
A year passed, and Nenene and the sisters returned to Hong Kong for the premiere of the movie based on Nenene's novel. Lee Linho declared that the sisters' job as bodyguards was done, considering that things had eventually quieted down. However, their arrival was spoiled by the arrival of Dokusensha agents, as Lee Linho revealed himself to be a contractor working for the organization. Nenene was kidnapped "to write the greatest story ever told" and to have an Ultimate Language system installed in her brain. Despite being paid so handsomely for their stint as bodyguards (and apparently also for inspiring Nenene to start writing again), which would mean living the rest of their lives well, Michelle, Maggie and Anita headed for Dokusensha's headquarters to save Nenene, now considering her as a friend. They quickly penetrated the building, fighting off robotic sentinels and soldiers, but they separated - Maggie to duel Sonny Wong, and Michelle to hold off any other enemies while Anita searched for Nenene.
Though they all escaped, they end up wanted as terrorists for the destruction of Dokusensha and the sinking of Hong Kong. Nenene and the sisters then fled back to Japan, on the run from authorities. While contemplating their next move, they discovered orders from Dokusensha hidden in the lighter Nenene had given Lee Linho as a gift, which pointed to "The Book of the All-Seeing Eye", a hidden bookstore in Jinbocho called Toto Books, and the Paper a.k.a. Yomiko. Nenene and the Paper Sisters quickly went to that bookstore, where Anita had found Nenene before, only to have the owner tell them that he can't reveal where Yomiko lives. After much pleading and abuse from Anita, he at last broke his promise to keep the secret, and pointed to the National Diet Library. There, Yomiko and Nenene were reunited, and they met Nancy Makuhari as well, who lived with Yomiko. Their reunion was spoiled with the arrival of Joseph Carpenter, or Joker, who headed the British Library Special Operations Unit and who wanted Yomiko back on the team, an explanation as to why she had disappeared, and the final Gentleman Book. The girls all escaped with the book, only to witness a terrible spectacle in Jinbocho - the British Library confiscating books and then eventually burning them in the street. With help from Drake Anderson, and some bookstore owners, everyone fled to Saitama, to a house owned by Yomiko's parents.
There, Michelle, Maggie, Anita, Nenene, Yomiko, Nancy and Drake settled in, only to be interrupted by Junior, who had followed them and who had discovered that he could not escape from Nancy's grip with his usual phasing abilities. When Junior pointed a gun at Nancy, Yomiko revealed that Nancy was Junior's mother, and Michelle shot the gun out of Junior's hands (again) with a paper arrow. After that, Yomiko locked herself in a room with Nancy, not coming out for a long time and leaving the others to entertain themselves while waiting. She came out again to tell her story of the events that led to her flight from the public eye regarding Mr. Gentleman, the great power behind England, about Nancy and Junior's past, and about how Junior was groomed to be the next Gentleman, but when Junior phased into the Book of the All-Seeing Eye, everyone had a first-hand look at the confrontation between Yomiko and Joker that would lead to the fire at the British Library, where a younger Anita was also present. After they had returned to their house, Anita ran into the woods, pursued by Michelle and Maggie, who reassured her that no matter what happened, what mattered was who Anita was today.
After an encounter with the Mirror Man, one of the British Library's agents, Junior took a helicopter with Michelle, Maggie, Nenene, Nancy and Drake all loaded on board and all asleep, leaving Anita and Yomiko to deal with the Mirror Man. After pointing a gun at his copilot, everyone was off-loaded before Junior extracted the tracker within his body and likewise escaped. Michelle, Junior, Drake and Nancy hid in an old house in an abandoned village, but when soldiers arrived on the scene, Junior took Michelle with him and ran. While with him, he told Michelle what he had learned about her and her sisters from the Book of the All-Seeing Eye - everything about Dokusensha modifying their memories and setting everything up to go according to plan. Needless to say, she was shocked, so when she, Maggie and Anita were reunited in Nenene's residence after learning the truth, Anita promptly denied them despite their relief at seeing her alive. While Anita and Michelle argued over what was real and what wasn't, and while both younger sisters started crying, Michelle joined them at last to cry, declaring that it was unfair that they both got to cry and scream, and that though their memories had been faked, their life together wasn't, and she believed in it. The sisters then decided to be sisters again, and to pursue the British Library, which had captured Nenene and Junior. Together with Yomiko, Drake and Nancy, they put a stop to their plans to create a new world order in the Gentleman's image, and kept Junior from becoming the next Gentleman.
A few months later, Michelle was seen watching over Junior in Saitama while his mother was in India, keeping in touch with Maggie, who was at Nenene's place and in charge of Anita. But toward the very end of the final episode, the friends are shown together at Nenene's again, judging from all the pairs of shoes outside.
Personality: Michelle, at first glance, would not seem like anyone's big sister, let alone a reliable one. She is often seen as a slave to her own whims (which are often book-related) who has to be disciplined in order to remember her priorities and that some things just don't work the way she thinks they should, like tokens of appreciation from her being paid by the person they are for. Possessing a flair for the dramatic, she is excitable especially when it comes to books, little children (who are suddenly "adopted" as additional siblings and smothered in hugs), and meeting famous authors, and tends to react in exaggerated, over-the-top and sometimes age-inappropriate ways by pinning Anita to the floor when the latter makes a rude gesture at Nenene, or by twirling around and making a flowery speech during their first visit to Jinbocho before being spotted racing on a cart full of books she had just bought. She is also fond of having a "three sisters' vote" or a vote in general in just about every situation, from allowing Nenene to spend the night at their detective agency, to voting on beating up every man from the British Library in the vicinity, almost always with a smile on her face.
Her almost childlike optimism and cheer shine through in just about any situation. Whether she is facing a bookstore, or showing off paper tricks in front of children, or even while on the run from authorities or in battle, Michelle is often seen smiling. And not just smiling; she always has a reassuring word for anyone, sister or no. Even on a dangerous rescue mission, Michelle found the time to comfort Anita and encourage her to move on while she held off the rest of the bad guys. She tells anyone that everything will be okay, will turn out fine in the end, and they're not just empty words. She means them, and when she can, she will make sure they reach fruition.
But when someone is clearly in the wrong or is taking a potshot at someone else, such as Junior denying his mother or Anita calling Maggie a burden, Michelle doesn't hesitate to take charge, step up and discipline the offender. She has been seen slapping and scolding Anita, and slapping Junior in both instances, all traces of optimism gone. However, she only slaps or scolds when she must, reserving her anger for situations that truly merit it, especially when it comes to hurting her sisters or her friends, and when her relationship with them is at stake. Basically, it takes a lot to arouse Michelle's temper (becuase she usually lacks one), and when it is aroused, it can be a force to be reckoned with.
In battle, though she maintains her cheerful disposition for the most part instead of becoming a cold war machine, Michelle becomes a different person. She is the levelheaded leader among her sisters, who always has a plan and is never known to panic even when all seems lost or when all her paper seems lost. All theatrics are set aside for strategy and for focus, to finish a mission or to rescue a friend. It almost seems as if she only has common sense in combat, but not for real life or anything outside the battlefield. Experienced in combat with paper weapons, especially a bow and arrows, Michelle is fearless and will go all out, supporting her sisters and whoever else fights with her along the way. Anyone she cares for will always be protected, no matter what dangers lie ahead.
Michelle has a self-centered streak; she can and will spend money on books without a care for what they will eat later on or that they are short on money. She can be a little tactless too with how she observes and describes people, but calls her sisters out on being rude. In the very first episode, she described Maggie as "quiet, unsociable, and very tall"; a normal person would most likely not use the term "unsociable" outright. And yet, despite being easily distracted by what she wants and what she likes, she does deeply love her sisters and makes it a point to let them know that she's there for them. Yomiko herself has even told Anita that despite having read tens of thousands of books, she has yet to read anything that would come close to the love the Paper Sisters share, lack of blood ties notwithstanding. Though she may not have much in the way of common sense, she more than makes up for it with her enormous heart.
Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations: Michelle is a Paper Master, and as such, she has power over paper and she can manipulate it as she sees fit (creating walls of paper, making origami birds glide, turning a sheet of paper into a blade, and the like). Her preferred tactic is creating a bow and arrows out of paper, and her aim is very good. For example, she can shoot at and hit a bomb, which is instantly wrapped in paper as soon as the arrow makes contact, and she can easily knock a gun out of someone's hand with one shot. In combat, she is the cool-headed leader who supports both her sisters and makes the strategies.
In episodes 5 and 16, she has been shown to have a high threshold for ultrasonic and subsonic sounds, due to her emotional stability; at one point she was the only one not cringing or in pain after a giant woofer was used to demolish a wall of paper. Even when her sisters or anyone she knows are in danger, she does her best to keep her cool, maintain optimism and figure out the best strategy to save them. She is calmer in the face of battle than when confronted by the bookstores of Jinbocho, and because of her powers and these qualities, she has proven to be a skillful bodyguard to Nenene Sumiregawa.
She also supposedly does translation work; Anita credits her proficiency in Japanese to Michelle and Maggie teaching her. Because the sisters come from in Hong Kong, it is assumed that they speak fluent Chinese as well as English. Overall, Michelle is pretty clever, even if she doesn't look it at first. She always has an idea or two to offer, and judging from the mental skills she has shown in planning and strategizing, she may have been a relatively competent investigator (or rather, finder of lost people, books and cats) as one-third of the Three Sisters Detective Agency.
Though she is very focused in battle, Michelle can be easily distracted by her ultimate weakness - books, books and books. She has often been scolded for spending money allotted for basic needs on books, and many bookstores in Jinbocho closed because she bought all of their wares. As they say, common sense is not always common; she often ends up putting her love (or rather, obsession) for books above all her other priorities and must be reminded to keep some cash for food and other more important things. One might say she is self-centered in this aspect, managing to overlook even her sisters' needs as well as her own in favor of new books to read.
Her strategic prowess does not always carry over into more everyday things, however. Once, when she and her sisters were going hungry, she tried to remedy the situation by placing cookbooks on the table instead. Michelle has also been told that she is a bad cook. And as part of a "token of appreciation", she presented a meal that she actually ordered and expected reimbursement for, and she set up a fake diary that humiliated Anita (because Michelle didn't want to be embarrassed herself, Anita was passed off as the so-called "writer" and she didn't sound like she was joking when she mentioned this to her little sister). Michelle's dramatic tendencies, which are largely absent in battle, can also go overboard to the point that one would wonder how serious she really is about certain matters.
While her emotional stability shines through many circumstances she and her comrades find themselves in, that doesn't mean she is a completely indestructible pillar of strength. When she, Maggie and Anita met again after facing the reality that fake memories had been implanted into their brains and their first encounter was actually a setup, Michelle broke down at last as she desperately tried to keep everyone together. Of course, she would pick herself up later on. Her sisters and her relationships with them (and possibly also with the people close to her in general) are two things that can break her emotionally.
Regarding Michelle's powers, I would like to request that they remain at their current strength, if possible. She will already be restricted by the amount of paper she will have on hand, as well as the fact that any paper she uses can still be rendered useless by water, and certain sound frequencies can nullify her binding abilities. If that's not allowed, at the very least, they can be limited to a point where she can no longer pierce or cut through thick, reinforced steel (she was seen in episode 1 shearing off the wings of an airplane with a chain of paper) or any part of the Tranquility's structure.
Inventory: Michelle's clothes consist of her black leotard, bordered with green, which she usually wears for battle or missions, as well as a pair of black shoes. Over her leotard she typically wears clothes made of paper; they will turn up in her locker as a stack of papers without her binding powers. She will also arrive with a metal briefcase full of the paper she and her sisters use in battle.
Appearance: Here and here.
Age: 25
AU Clarification: N/A
S A M P L E S
Log Sample: Michelle walked - or rather, hurried into the library, expecting to find great towering shelves of books - books she would know, and books from the passengers' and crew members' other worlds. She grinned, giggled and clapped her hands with glee. At least she could curl up with a good book, or seven. And perhaps she could take some back to her room -
Her smile slipped a notch, and the excited glint in her large brown eyes dimmed to a slightly more uncertain look. There were shelves, all right, but instead of looking at numerous and multicolored spines of books, all she could see were flat rectangular shapes, all the same color, and appearing to glow with a faint blue light. She cocked her head to one side, just standing several steps away from the threshold. This library was not like any other library or bookstore; it gave off an imposing aura of power, of great progress, of the future. But Michelle was here to read, not to be intimidated by the large chamber that was supposed to be the ship's repository of knowledge and stories. And if this place was called a library, then surely there must be something to read.
The woman approached the nearest shelf, and peered at its contents closely. Knowing that she was on a spaceship eons ahead of her time, and knowing that everyone had told her that this was the library, she could come to only one conclusion.
"Maybe they're...digital books. Futuristic books," Michelle mused, squinting as she pulled out one of the records. Looking over it, she was disappointed, but not surprised, to see that she could not read anything from it. The record felt cold to her touch - cold, distant, nothing like the familiar cover of a book. There wasn't a power switch, or any means of plugging it into her communications device. Still clutching it, she walked around, searching for a way to find out what the record said; was it a story? Or was it an account of a crew member's stay on the Tranquility? Fueled by curiosity, she quickened her pace until she found a datapad on a table.
That had to have something to do with this record.
Needless to say, it didn't take long for Michelle to figure out how to work the datapad and the record. She was just that eager to start reading, even if the records seemed so strange.
Comms Sample:
[Michelle is smiling when the transmission begins; it is a natural, nice smile, almost childlike. Before her are several folded paper cranes, and she fixes one while speaking in her usual bright, clear voice.]
Since it looks like I'll be here for a while, I guess it's time for me to get a job. Back home, my sisters and I organized the Three Sisters Detective Agency, and then we became bodyguards for Miss Nenene Sumiregawa, a famous author. Besides that, I have done some translation work.
Do we get paid on the Tranquility, by the way? I know there aren't any bookstores, but who knows? We might pass by one on a distant planet! I wouldn't miss the chance to read books from another planet, would you?
[Her eyes light up and she laughs, examining the paper crane she has just fixed before setting it back down with its fellows.]
So, does anyone need a bodyguard?
