OOC: After much deliberation, I've decided to take a hiatus. My life has become too busy, too stressful, and too chaotic to try and keep up with my muses. I lack the energy and enthusiasm to write the answers to the prompts, though I greatly wish to do so. My mind is so bogged down with other happenings and issues I currently have in my own life, and so it leaves little to no room for my pups and their voices.

I do hope that this funk I find myself in won't last for too long, but even if it comes to me withdrawing my pups from the communities I am involved in, I truly enjoyed writing to and with all of you. But don't get too comfortable without me; I hope to be back shortly.

Maryalice.
(Mun for Mia Dickerson: CSI Las Vegas, Alma Del Mar: Brokeback Mountain, Hatsumomo: Memoirs of a Geisha, and Lisa Rowe: Girl, Interrupted)

(cross posted to:)
_mia_dickerson
trusting_almadm
playing_villain
theatrical_fen
elitemuses_ooc
rotm_fen

Talk about something you inherited. (It could be an object, a physical attribute, a belief, etc.)

Is it not obvious? I inherited my Mother's beauty.

Though, I have always been told that she could barely hold a candle to me. But even so, she was a beautiful being, even as a little girl. From an early age, the prospect of the life of geisha was dominant, no matter where she went. Various okiya around Japan often tried to convince her to come to them; they all wanted to host the protégée geisha, one that surpassed all in beauty.

But the life was not for her. She preferred a life with my father, raising a family. And thank goodness she did! If she did not choose such a life, I would not have come into existence. And the world would have been robbed of such a pristine specimen. I know you all agree with such a statement; there is no need in even asking.

However, between my father's handsome features and my mother's beauty, I was destined for great things. Especially things that involved talent which was solely based upon the physical attributes of a person. Like becoming geisha. No one had any doubt that I would go on to do great things, and become very successful.

I do not think, however, that anyone foresaw a geisha even more, dare I say it, beautiful than I. And I could do nothing but let her destroy me.

Muse l Hatsumomo
Fandoms l Books/Movies (Memoirs of a Geisha)
229 Words.

Did you get something you wanted? Good. Now thank the person who gave it to you.

My Dearest Koichi,

I know that our parting was not on good terms. And .. you have told me that leaving was something you to do, for both of our sakes. And I know that my attitude towards you since you left has not been the kindest. But I wanted to thank you for something you showed me during the times we were together.

As geisha, we are told from an early age that we are never to love. Our hearts are not ours to give, nor are they made of anything but stone. They are not there to help us fall in love. Such a thing is forbidden, and rarely talked about, if ever. And so, I kept my heart caged like a bird. I clipped its wings and forbade it from flying. And then you came, and opened up that gate. My heart floated like a crane on the breeze. And there was no taking it back, nor convincing it to be caged again, now that it was free. You had taken my heart from me, and I did not protest.

Though Mother had stepped in the way of you and I, I had replaced the void left where my heart had once been with an imposter. You had the real one. But I convinced Mother than the counterfeit I had placed within the cage was true, and genuine. But I think that both you and I knew that it was yours for the taking.

And so, I wanted to thank you for releasing my bound and caged heart from its twine. I wanted to thank you for opening me up to love, and to friendship. I wanted to thank you for giving me a purpose, other than entertaining men who were merely in lust with the idea of me, not with who was truly behind the mask. I wanted to thank you for letting me feel every emotion a human can feel, that geisha are restricted to feel.

I love you, my gentle Koichi. Even if I have not always told you so.

Muse l Hatsumomo
Fandom l Memoirs of a Geisha (Books/Movies)
346 Words.

What is the lamest excuse you've ever given for something you've done?

This kind of answer depends on what situation we are discussing. For, as any woman knows, we are an infinite source of excuses that we are able to use at any particular point in time.

There were many times where I dismissed my duties as geisha when I went off with Koichi. At the time, I did not know that Mother knew very well where I was, despite the fact that she never said anything to me.

My most frequent and perhaps "lamest" excuse I gave for those situations was that I had to stay at the tea house until dawn. Though those kind of situations really did occur seeing as I was extremely popular and desired, they happened a little too often. And I know that Mother picked up on that.

Even the most popular and prominent geisha does not stay at the tea house until dawn four nights in a row. Every other night is more likely and more reasonable. But I did not care. My only concern was to be with Koichi, and to be with him any way that I could.

It was when Pumpkin and Chiyo-chan ratted me out that my excuses caught up to me. I was forbidden to see him ever again. A geisha is not meant to fall in love. We do not have feelings, nor do we pursue them even if they are present within us. The world wonders why we paint our faces, but it is so they cannot see our pain.

Muse l Hatsumomo
Fandom l Misc. Books/Movies (Memoirs of a Geisha)
252 Words.

Fear.

I had known great fear throughout my life. The fear of being a child, being ripped from the comfort of your home and the warmth of your family, and being sold to an okiya you knew nothing about .. for many years, that fear stayed with me in the back of my mind. I could no longer run to the safety of my mother's arms. I no longer had the strength of my family to rely upon when I needed it. I was completely severed from all I had known and come to love as a child.

But that fear was quickly abandoned with my success as geisha. I realized then why I had been stolen sold to the Nitta Okiya. I was destined to become famous, both for my skills as geisha and for my ability to entertain and perform. I was lavished with gifts and affection, both which I utilized to their full advantage. But that bliss was not to last.

The second wave of fear that I felt rush over me was when Pumpkin was not adopted by Mother. I realized that my life, everything I had ever known, was going to be, yet again, ripped out from my clenched hands. Mother blamed my act of insanity on my spoiled and selfish nature. She was blind to the fact it was because I was afraid. I admit it freely! My life was going to be taken from me, except I did not have a place to go to, as I had been able to before. I knew that my life would end with me on the streets, maybe in the Pleasure District. It was a fate I did not want to face. I had refused to lower myself to that. Prostitutes were some of the lowest forms of life that crawled the face of the earth. To reduce myself to their way of life was all too horrible to even consider. But I had to stay alive any way I could.

Fear is being suspended, like a seed on the breeze, unsure of whether you will land in the sea to drown, in the desert to shrivel, or in the forest to thrive. We have no choice in where we land, but the choices we make once we do.

Muse l Hatsumomo
Fandom l Memoirs of a Geisha (Books/Movies)
382 Words.

How would you like to be molded? By whom?

To be molded is to be created and changed, like the running waves of the tide. A boulder can be molded by the rain, by the wind, and by the sun in order to become a pebble.

For me, I have been molded by my life as geisha. The winds of time have worn down my skin, which is why I paint it white. The suns of change have bleached my lips, which is why I paint them red. The rains of grief have taken my skin, which is why I cover my body with my kimono. Though my life has been molded from a very early age, the scultpor has changed over time.

When I was still attending school in order to learn how to become geisha, my creators were my teachers. They showed me the skills I needed in order to become successful. Their dances foretold what would be my life through movements. Their songs lulled my other dreams to sleep, so that the dream of being geisha was all I could remember. They instilled a drive in me, one that continued pushing me along until I was much older.

When I was a maiko, my sculptor was my Big Sister. She trained me in the real world of geisha. School had prepared me for what was beyond those doors, but it was my Big Sister that fully immersed me in the life. I shadowed her, trying to take her own attributes and habits as my own. I modeled myself after her: smiling, laughing, talking, pouring tea, and holding conversation as she did. I projected her onto myself in the hopes of impressing enough men so that I could become a full geisha.

And when that dream was finally obtained, my creator was Mother. Though I defied many of her wishes, without the okiya, I would have been useless. No matter how important or prominent a geisha is, without a home, they are as pathetic and pointless as every other being without shelter. Many of the things she asked me to do were "forgotten" or blatantly ignored, however, I always bit my tongue when I knew I was pushing things too far. I could not anger her enough to throw me out onto the streets.

My entire life has not been my own, but rather has belonged to all of those who shaped me along my journey. I started as a boulder as a child, and was slowly worn down to become a beautifully stunning geisha that was envied by all of Kyoto. And then, I had become a pebble, floating in a sea of other worthless rocks, unsure of where the tide would bring me.

Muse l Hatsumomo
Fandom l Memoirs of a Geisha (Books/Movies)
448 Words.

If ..

If Chiyo-chan never came to the okiya, I would have died in infamy. It would have been my name that was known all over Kyoto and Japan, rather than Sayuri's. My clients would have stayed faithful and loyal to me. They would have adored me, lavished me with gifts, and called upon me at all hours of the day and night. Pumpkin would have been adopted by Mother and the okiya, and I would have had a place to live out my days. I would not have been forced out onto the streets because of that rat's fame.

If Chiyo-chan never came to the okiya, I would still have Koichi in my life. I would have had his love and his affection for the rest of my life. Or at least until we grew tired of each other. Our relationship would have never been exploited and forbidden by Mother if Chiyo-chan had not ratted us out.

Perhaps Chiyo-chan's arrival was Fate's doing. And perhaps none of us could have changed that. But if there is an event that took place in my life that I wish I could have undone, it would be being sold to Mother and the Nitta Okiya. If I could have avoided the life of geisha all together, I would have been spared the suffering I went through. It is glamorous from the outside, and at various points inside, as well. But I found it unfulfilling. There was no true joy in performing, always pretending to be beautiful, content, and willing to please. The life behind the white paint of geisha ..

If I could, that is what I wish I could undo.

Muse l Hatsumomo
Fandom l Movies/Books (Memoirs of a Geisha)
277 Words.

South

Kyoto is located in southern Japan. We are slightly southwest of Tokyo, the capital. So, for me, the South has been home to me for what seems like my entire life. Originally, I was born further north, in Niigata, which is along the western coast of the main island. However, I was sold to the Nitta Okiya hat a fairly young age, and I remember little of my days up north.

The word South provides a certain image for me, though I am not sure how to explain what the image is. There is a certain warmth, and comfort when I hear that word. Bits and pieces of what I remember about the Okiya, about my room, about my life are all scattered about this image. I am reminded of the blissful existence I had before Chiyo-chan came and took away everything that I knew. My rage and jealousy has not gotten the better of me. I am prominent geisha, with adoring clients falling at my feet. Koichi and I are in love, and we steal as many moments together as we can behind Mother's back. My life is generally content, successful, and useful.

It is when I am reminded that that image is no longer reality. Chiyo-chan became Nitta Sayuri-san. In a fit of madness, I nearly burnt the Nitta Okiya to the ground. My life as geisha was destroyed and forgotten. Koichi has left me forever, never to return. And I am without a home, without a place for sanctuary. It is then, when I remember that my life has been in shambles, that the word South conveys a different kind of feeling.

Muse l Hatsumomo
Fandom l Memoirs of a Geisha
275 Words.

What makes you angriest?

My first answer for this question would simply be Nitta Sayuri-san. She was at least half of the reason my life fell into ruin. But I do not think it was merely her that caused my downfall.

I do not blame myself. The things that happened to me were beyond my control. My life was in the hands of Mother, Auntie, and the clients who wanted me to entertain them. When things started to slowly decay, I looked to them for help and guidance even though I did not need them. They turned their backs to me in order to fawn over the dreadful Chiyo. And I was left to fend for myself in a world that I had not been allowed to understand on my own.

So, I believe that my answer to this question would be humanity in general. All of the lying, cheating, stealing, betraying, misleading filth of this world .. they are what make the greatest anger in me. That is not to say that I did not partake in my share of lying, cheating, or stealing. I do believe that every person is susceptible to such behavior. But I also believe in limits, though I have found that they are limits no one ever heeds.

Muse l Hatsumomo
Fandom l Misc. Books/Movies (Memoirs of a Geisha)
210 Words.

What is your favorite retreat from the world?

Back when I was successful, my retreat from the world was my room in the okiya. It was large, and beautiful; decorated by all of my worldly possessions that I prized. I had room to do whatever I pleased. My favorite thing to do, however, when I found the world was too heavy for me to handle was to light incense. I had many flavors and scents of it, of course. But my favorite was Jasmine. There was such a soothing scent about it that any of my days could have been somewhat improved by burning a stick.

I would sit close to it, so the smoke coiled and curled around my face. It would seep into my skin and my senses until I could feel nothing but the scent. It was ultimately sublime. Everything washed away, and I was able to find sanctuary there.

That, of course, was taken away from me when Sayuri became prominent as geisha. I was sent to a much smaller room, and she cluttered up my room with her useless trash. All of it carried an odor of fish, in my opinion, which was something she had carried from childhood. And so my safe-haven was gone. I no longer had my only place of tranquility. It was one of the many things stolen from me over the course of my life, and one of the most important.

Muse l Hatsumomo
Fandom l Misc. Books/Movies (Memoirs of a Geisha)
233 Words.