HOURAI "OKINAWA" ARAGAKI (FINISHED)

[/color]:[/b] ARAGAKI, Hourai (新垣 鳳来)
Nickname/Alias: Okinawa (沖縄県), Okii-chan(沖ちゃん), Hourai (蓬莱), Okyuu
Gender: Female
Character Type: State/Prefecture
Country or Country of Origin: Japan
Canon or Original: Original
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[/color]:[/b] Maroon
Hair: Black
Height and Weight: 5'06"; 137 Lbs.
Other Distinguishing Features:
Long, black hair, often wearing an attire that looks like a (sleeping) gown that reaches to the ground, white ribbon on her collar & hands always hidden by sleeves of her attire.
Overall Appearance:
With black hair and peach skin, Okinawa is the personification of an elegand and courtesan-like female in the modern society. Despite being older than most prefectures, and probably one of those battle-worn ones, she seems to have a delicate-looking skin and a youthful appearance which also makes it clear that she lives longer despite her seemingly-flawless appearance. With her long hair that reaches at her lower back and bright, maroon eyes, it's no wonder how many seem to lure to her charm (if it weren't of her habits, of course).

Most of the time, she is seen wearing her fuschia-colored top (with her hands hidden by the oversized sleeves) and magenta skirt reaching to the floor, though there are times that she is seen wearing a kimono on festivals or a formal attire if it calls for it. She doesn't seem too picky with her clothes, though it is noted that she seldom wears anything aside her normal attire most of the time considering she stays practically 3/4 of her existence inside her house doing whatever she is doing in there.

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Festivals - Not as much as some, but Okinawa still fancies attending to these gatherings once in a while.
Trading - It's Okinawa's specialty, being a prefecture at the end of Japan
Nature - It's nice to walk around once in a while.
Watching TV - She likes the shows
Music - Traditional or modern, Foreign or local, Music is something she likes and is good at.

Dislikes:
Moving too much - Too much hassle
War - She's just a small prefecture, give her a break
People making fun of her dialect - Okinawa Dialect is a great dialect, get off her back!
Her place being used as a base - She's pointing at a certain power-house country in the west That means you, America.
Outside - Well... she DO go outside from time to time, but she doesn't go out ALL the time.

Strengths:
Courtesan-like charm - She's a very refine and polite prefecture
Experienced - Well... she's a bit older than she looks, so you can tell she's as experienced as her 'brother' Japan.
Good with trades - Despite not going out MOST of the time, she's pretty good with trading, bartering and pretty much provide the freshesh of ingredients.
Self-defense - Ok, she doesn't look like it but Okinawa is pretty much good with Karate.
Patience - Fortunately, she's a patient person and doesn't seem easy to anger. That's a good point.

Weaknesses:
NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) - Mostly because she doesn't like to move much, but she always blames it to America for turning her from a once-noble prefecture to nothing more than a rural prefecture who have been used as a base once upon a time, such and such. Sadly, she's now proud of being one.
Traditionalist - Especially when it comes to folklores, stories, some culture such and such.
Misunderstood - Japan (or any of the prefectures/cities) seem to greatly misunderstood her, one of the reason is due to her dialect (though that's a lesser reason).
Lazy Simple-minded - Okinawa is a simple-minded prefecture. That's it.
Spends MOST of her time inside her home - God knows what she's doing in there; watching TV, eating, sleeping, playing video games, etc. She rarely goes outside.

Fears:
Running out of food
Another war in the nearby country and her place being used as a base - Again, pointing fingers at America and Vietnam, but mostly America
Tsunami - She is very prone to that kind of thing
Japan finally forcing to drag her pretty little posterior out in the sun - It could happen
Her culture waning out

Secrets:
- Okinawa is a NEET; despite her being a trading prefecture and filled with wonderful nature and sights, she likes to stay at home and do what she does best (asides trading); watching TV, playing computer games or sleeping.
- Doesn't look like it, but Okinawa, despite her gentle appearance, can pretty much know Karate and break your bones if you're not careful.
- She can beat you to a Video game. Hand's down. Don't ask.
- Unlike Japan, Okinawa can still see the deities, ghosts and all the folklore creatures. Can also see England's 'imaginary friends', though Japan doesn't seem to know about that fact.
- Nobody knows it but she still swore she'll kick America one of these days for using her place as a base from the Vietnam war. He thought she's cool with it. No, she is not.
- She's secretly a Yandere-type of character. And a passive-aggressive person, so if she starts spurting out darker words....

Any Quirks/Habits:
- She talks in a soft and gentle tone most of the time.
- Can sing pretty good, if given the opportunity.
- Likes to drink green tea and eat fish. It's one of the reasons why she's healthy despite her... er... not-so lifestyle as of recent.
- Relies from time to time to Japan.
- Actually a economical spender.
- As the embodiment of Okinawa, Hourai would sometimes caught speaking in a Okinawan language called Uchina Guchi (complete with authentic, Okinawan Dialect), more often within her lands than anywhere else. One of the reason why people outside Okinawa sometimes misunderstood her.

Overall Personality:
Hourai Aragaki, Okinawa, is a mild-mannered and courteous prefecture. Due to being a cluster of island as a prefecture, it is noted how she seems to be slightly older than the other prefectures with her rich culture and booming trade, though it doesn't seem to show to her appearance. Like her 'older brother' Japan, Okinawa talks less compared to most females, oftentimes speak when necessary and observe. However, she is not 'old' to the point that she is wiser beyond her years; she is only a tad mature in a sense but, otherwise, there is still a youthful glow within her. She smiles when she needs to and rarely gets angry, Okinawa is a female with few words and actions, though that is mostly on what other nations see of her.

Of course, a few could see what she trully is, and Japan and the rest of the Prefecture seem to know what she really does outside her courtesan-like charms.

In reality, despite being a prefecture good with trade, culture and such, she is a self-proclaimed NEET, oftentimes staying at home, watching TV or playing Video games or even using the internet as a means to get outside. Due to her experience with WWII, as well as the extended experience with America (using her place as a base for that blasted war, eating everything in her fridge, messing up her house) she grew a distinct, passive-aggressiveness with America (or anyone involve with the WWII to begin with) at the point that she'll blatantly be a tad cruel and mildly cynical (comical sense or otherwise) whenever they're around with no one else. She is also mistunderstood, being one of the few who can see spirits, deities and other supernatural beings, though she share the same bond and interest with England from time to time. She rarely goes outside (most of the time) though if there is a festival she's interest with, she'll go.

Nevertheless, Okinawa is a mild-mannered but very polite and nice prefecture, willing to help Japan and aid him (and her fellow prefectures/capitals/etc.) in any way possible, financial or otherwise, while trying to win a high score in her solitaire game and waiting for that Japanese soap opera she have been egging for weeks.

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The first mention of the word Ryukyu was written in the Book of Sui. This Ryukyu might refer to Taiwan, not the Ryukyu islands. Okinawa was the Japanese word depicting the islands, first seen in the biography of Jianzhen, written in 779. Agricultural societies begun in the 8th century slowly developed until the 12th century. Since the islands are located in the center of the East China Sea relatively close to Japan, China and South-East Asia, the Ryūkyū Kingdom became a prosperous trading nation. Also during this period, many Gusukus, similar to castles, were constructed. The Ryūkyū Kingdom had a tributary relationship with the Chinese Empire beginning in the 15th century.

In 1609, the Shimazu clan, which controlled the region that is now Kagoshima Prefecture, invaded the Ryūkyū Kingdom. The Ryūkyū Kingdom was obliged to agree to form a tributary relationship with the Satsuma and the Tokugawa shogunate, while maintaining its previous tributary relationship with China; Ryukyuan sovereignty was maintained since complete annexation would have created a conflict with China. The Satsuma clan earned considerable profits from trades with China during a period in which foreign trade was heavily restricted by the shogunate.

Though Satsuma maintained strong influence over the islands, the Ryūkyū Kingdom maintained a considerable degree of domestic political freedom for over two hundred years. Four years after the 1868 Meiji Restoration, the Japanese government, through military incursions, officially annexed the kingdom and renamed it Ryukyu han. At the time, the Qing Dynasty of China asserted sovereignty over the islands of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, since the Ryūkyū Kingdom was also a tributary nation of China.

Ryukyu han became Okinawa Prefecture of Japan in 1879, even though all other hans had become prefectures of Japan in 1872.

In 1912, Okinawans first obtained the right to vote to send representatives to the national Diet which had been established in 1890.

A quarter of the civilian population died during the Battle of Okinawa. he dead, of all nationalities, are commemorated at the Cornerstone of Peace. After the end of World War II in 1945, Okinawa was under United States administration for 27 years. During the trusteeship rule the United States Air Force established numerous military bases on the Ryukyu islands. During the Korean War, B-29 Superfortresses flew bombing missions from Kadena AFB over Korea and China.

In 1972, the U.S. government returned the islands to Japanese administration. Under the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, the United States Forces Japan (USFJ) have maintained a large military presence. 27,000 personnel, including 15,000 Marines, contingents from the Navy, Army and Air Force, and their 22,000 family members are stationed in Okinawa.

Since 1960, the U.S. and Japan have maintained an agreement that allows the U.S. to secretly bring nuclear weapons into Japanese ports, and there is speculation (see below) that some nuclear weapons may be located in Okinawa. Both tactical and strategic weapons have been maintained in Okinawa.

Between 1965 and 1972, Okinawa was a key staging point for the United States, in its military operations directed towards North Vietnam. Okinawa, along with Guam, also presented the United States military a geographically strategic launch pad for covert bombing missions over Cambodia and Laos.

In 1965, the United States military bases, earlier viewed as paternal post war protection, were increasingly seen as aggressive. The military build up on the island during the Cold War increased a division between local inhabitants and the American military. The Vietnam War highlighted the differences between the United States and Okinawa, but showed a commonality between the islands and mainland Japan.

The United States military bases on Okinawa became a focal point for anti-Vietnam War sentiment. By 1969, over 50,000 American military personnel were stationed on Okinawa, accustomed to privileges and laws not shared by the indigenous population. The United States Department of Defense began referring to Okinawa as "The Keystone of the Pacific". This idea was even stated on U.S military license plates.

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Sitting on her futon mat, the raven-haired prefecture seems quite content on her current situation considering that the trade she have conduct went just as planned. She'll have to report it to Japan and then to their boss, and after that they're out of her back for a while, which gives her time to finish off that game she have been playing.

"It's not like I'm not being productive," She said to herself, picking up an orange and peeling it. "Though I do like to take it easy." Popping in a piece of orange to her mouth, the female sighed before opening the television to see what's currently on the news. Recently, with what happened to Japan thanks to that Tsunami, Okinawa has been helping non-stop to help the nation recover himself, even going as far as to force herself to get out to the sun just so she could conduct a trade with the other foreign nations (even going as far as to do one with America, though she's not gonna admit that she's finding that a little difficult to her comfort), but nevertheless it was a good run.

"I do hope Japan-niisan is well."

Switching the channel, the gentle Prefecture resumed to her daily life of taking it easy, only waiting for any further instructions for her to do. Maybe she'll offer a prayer in the shrine to the gods for giving her a wonderful harvest, probably mingle with the people once in a while, but mostly she'll just stay at home and watch some TV.

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[/color]:[/b] Iccha
Timezone: +8:00

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