Hiya kids !
Anyway, I've been trying to squeeze writing time for
three different fanfics and an original story and essay
for the local literary magazine, then this thing came
back and struck me.
Over a year ago, I started a project that was never released
on the FFML.
Now a year later, a sidestory idea came into my head as
the Muse got into her knife-sharpening mode.
And the trouble is the sidestory is almost finished while
the main story is still a vague collection of research notes,
character profiles and Tokyo City survey maps.
The project?
Imagine a world where the anime we watch is live-action,
where the animated people we watch in this world, are
actually played by actors...
Welcome to Behind The Scenes...
There will be a few arrangements for the physical universe
that this is set in. Do not ever think of this as live
action. Think of it as the anime characters themselves doing
it, with suitable modifications
************
Meeting Haruka
A Behind The Scenes side story
By Elsa Bibat
*************
The shooting stars streaked across the sky as the
four Outer Senshi were in Haruka's car, by the ocean looking
up at the stars.
"A shooting star."
"What did you wish for?"
"It's a secret. What about you?"
"It's a secret."
"They're going home."
"They aren't shooting stars. They are great stars that
shine in the night sky."
"What did you two wish for?"
"There's nothing I need to wish for. We're at our
happiest now. Right, Haruka?"
"Yeah."
**************
Elisabeth Gaffney, known the world over by the name of
Haruka Ten�ou a.k.a. Sailor Uranus, sighed a little as the
director shouted cut. Everyone on the set clapped as the four
actresses got out of the car and took a bow to the set crew.
Then, they all smiled and posed for the publicity
photographer.
After that they went off the set as the crew started to
dismantle the lights and all the other stuff they used for
shooting on location. Elisabeth sighed as she looked over the
bay. So beautiful, and a damn good place to end the show.
�A penny for your thoughts, �Haruka-chan�,� Fujiko
Sadamoto, better known to the world as Setsuna Mei�ou a.k.a.
Sailor Pluto, said with a smile, calling her by the set name
that managed to catch on somehow among the cast and crew of
the show Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon.
�I was just admiring the gentle waves as they
restlessly move under the twinkling mantle of the stars,�
Elisabeth poetically responded in fluent Japanese as she
pointed to the scenic view of the bay, with a playful wink at
her companions.
�Always the poet, Lisa-chan,� Michiko �Michiru Kai�ou�
Ishikawa said with a smile, calling Elisabeth with her normal
nickname when she and the so-called �Senshi girls� went on a
girl�s night out.
�Can�t help it. I am a literature teacher,� Lisa
commented as she stretched her arms a bit to get out the
kinks. "How I ended up acting on this show is still a mystery
to me."
"You once told me it was dumb luck, Takeuchi-san's
persistence and a little talent," the young girl who played
the part of Hotaru Tomoe, Sayuri Kadokawa, said as they
walked towards the small coaster bus they rode on when
going to on-location shoots.
"Yeah, that might be it," Lisa said with a bemused
expression on her face. She sighed. "I never knew acting
was this tiring until I started on this show."
�What will you be doing after this Gaffney-san? Any
projects lined up?� Sayuri asked in English. The younger girl
was practicing her English since she was signed up for a deal
with Warner Brothers to guest star in a few of their Batman
episodes. A seasoned professional at the age of thirteen, she
was a skilled actress, pulling off varied roles in an
incredible number of shows like Kaitou St. Tail, Sakura
Taisen and even a part in the all-time favorite Ranma �, all
of them with her in heavy make-up and costumes that only a
very sharp person would notice that all of them were played
by the same person. The press had dubbed her as the girl with
a thousand faces and she was quite proud of it, though not
letting the fame get to her head.
�Well, �Hotaru-chan�,� Lisa smiled as she called
the child with her set nickname. Everyone called her that,
though she had shared the role with two other girls in the
entire run of the show. �I�m thinking of going back home to
Ontario for awhile. It�s been a grand time here in Japan and
I�d miss it a lot, but I�m starting to get homesick after
seven years. Besides, one acting job is going to be enough to
last me a lifetime.�
Michiko smirked as she heard the last statement. �It
_will_ be enough to last a lifetime, considering how popular
the show is,� she said in Japanese as she took the ocean-
green wig off her head, revealing brown hair cut short in a
mannish style. �So, Lisa-chan, doing anything tonight?�
�Michi-chan, you know I love you, but what would your
Sachi-chan think?� Lisa joked as she arched an eyebrow.
�Oh, she won�t mind,� Michiko said playfully as she
winked at her suggestively.
�Oh, I think she will,� a voice said behind the four
friends as the rest of the so-called �Senshi� showed up. �Ami
Mizuno� had a slightly annoyed expression on her face as she
gave Michiko a light bap on the head. Miki �Usagi-chan�
Kurosawa, with the trademark odangos let down, was currently
on her cellphone talking to her boyfriend. Yuka �Rei-chan�
Nakahito was tying her hair up in a ponytail, while Sakuya
�Mako-chan� Yoshikawa and Eiko �Mina-chan� Yamada were
discussing some of the new projects that they were being
offered, a remake of Bubblegum Crisis and something about a
mysterious play. They were all dressed in civilian clothing
and looked like their age, somewhere in their mid-twenties.
Elisabeth still wondered how the fans could believe that they
were all supposed to be still in high school, considering how
well-developed their bodies were. Down, girl, Elisabeth
thought to herself, you�ve been staying in-character too
long.
�It�s the final day and you still can�t stop flirting
with Lisa-chan here,� Sachiko �Ami-chan� Matsumoto said as
she gave her a lover a kiss and giving Elisabeth a view of
the redder part of her tongue, more in play than in
annoyance. Her natural blue hair was under a black beret
since she had changed into her street outfit: a pair of jeans
and a t-shirt with the words �I Love Ami-chan� printed in
bold letters in the front. She said it made fans think she
was just one of them and helped her wriggle out of those mobs
that often showed up whenever they had a public appearance.
Elisabeth smiled. If only the fans knew everything
about the actresses who played the parts of their favorite
skimpily dressed warriors of love and justice. Michiko had
been auditioning for the Haruka part herself, until Takeuchi-
san saw Elisabeth walking down the Ginza in a pair of pants,
a polo shirt and a jacket. Dumb luck that those clothes were
the only ones she could borrow from the kindly old landlady
of hers when her entire laundry got tossed in with someone
else�s at the laundry mat.
Naoko Takeuchi glanced at the sandy-haired gaijin and
saw Haruka Ten�ou in the flesh. Takeuchi-san just stepped up
to her and asked if she could act. She wouldn�t take no for
an answer and followed Elisabeth for the rest of the day,
even to the school where she was teaching at. Saying yes to
the constant begging of the writer was the only thing that
helped to shut her up.
And the rest, as often said, was history. The S season
was acclaimed by the critics as the best installment of the
entire series. Takeuchi wanted to end the show right then
since she thought the concept had already gone dry, but
company pressure forced her to cobble up the Super S season
resulting in the worst season ever, except for a few bright
moments. Lisa wasn�t in on the debacle, since she only signed
on for a single season and a movie.
The fifth season was a return to form as the company
sent contracts to all three of the former �Outer Senshi� and
went out to look for the perfect Sailor Saturn, someone they
found in Sayuri, who was coincidentally the S season Saturn�s
younger sister. Now that everything was wrapped up and Naoko
vehemently refusing to write a sixth season, the company
wisely decided to end it. At least I got a pretty hefty
talent fee and a percentage, Lisa thought to herself as she
settled into her seat in the bus and promptly decided to nap
for the trip home. I get to keep the great costume they made
me, too, Elisabeth thought to herself as she looked out the
bus window and gazed at the stars.
*****************
Well, yeah, I'm going to send Elisabeth Gaffney back home
to Canada, and she'll get to meet someone special from the
FFML. I've already asked permission from him and he's supplying
me information on the area near and around Toronto, so it's
going to be fine. Though I still have to ask Sean if I can give
him a Canadian relative. ^_^
A clue to the plot of the story is the fact that this was originally
titled "Marrying Haruka". ^_^
Anyway, I need a little help... again. I've gotten back into a
Behind The Scenes writing mood, so anyone out there who can
give me a good enough RL chronology of anime releases so I can
fix a few dates for continuity purposes. And please tell me
if the anime mentioned above is incongruent with the dates,
this is a draft teaser and can still be fixed so I have to have
people who'll help me out here.
Thanks! And now to get back to writing _four_ fanfics and the
stuff I have to give to the Lit. magazine.
Ja Mata Ne!