[ATS 4] Yasue-mama
All Their Sins, Chapter 4
Yasue-mama
Alright: time for obscure manga references!
I needed a character that wasn't wholly evil to great Nami upon her arrival in Shang-tu. What I was trying for, I suppose, was to have a character that would embody what the brothel means to its working girls: a cruel master, but by far not the worst option. Yasue-mama grew out of Nami's own character - the practicality, manipulation, and greed - and somehow took on certain characteristics I attribute to Cologne (Ranma 1/2) - everything that says 'crazy old lady'.
'Poppet' and 'ducky' and so forth come from my scary old high school art teacher and some mostly-forgotten character from CS Lewis's 'The Silver Chair'. Can't remember who, and can't be bothered to check. I may even have gotten the reference wrong.
Yasue-mama is named after a minor character in Gokusen (the manga and anime, not the drama) who owns a club. The manga's portrayal of yakuza as honorable and virtuous really struck a note with what I was trying to show here. Plus the instant association for me (because they both oversee girls working in the entertainment industry) made the choice an obvious one.
Yasue-mama
Alright: time for obscure manga references!
I needed a character that wasn't wholly evil to great Nami upon her arrival in Shang-tu. What I was trying for, I suppose, was to have a character that would embody what the brothel means to its working girls: a cruel master, but by far not the worst option. Yasue-mama grew out of Nami's own character - the practicality, manipulation, and greed - and somehow took on certain characteristics I attribute to Cologne (Ranma 1/2) - everything that says 'crazy old lady'.
'Poppet' and 'ducky' and so forth come from my scary old high school art teacher and some mostly-forgotten character from CS Lewis's 'The Silver Chair'. Can't remember who, and can't be bothered to check. I may even have gotten the reference wrong.
Yasue-mama is named after a minor character in Gokusen (the manga and anime, not the drama) who owns a club. The manga's portrayal of yakuza as honorable and virtuous really struck a note with what I was trying to show here. Plus the instant association for me (because they both oversee girls working in the entertainment industry) made the choice an obvious one.