It's Just Ann

Prologue: Misplaced Fairy-Tale

A/N: This story takes place from Summer (July 2015, where BBB ends) onwards. On the multimedia a picture of how I imagine Ann to be like, played by Japanese actress Sakata Rikako. The rest of the cast will be revealed as they appear in the story.

That said, happy reading!

-:-:-

Prologue - Misplaced Fairy-tale

      I’m English, born and raised in London, England but I’m also half-Japanese and half-Scottish and I was named after a Chinese character. Talk about mixture.

My grandfather and grandmother came to England after WWII in 1948 seeking for better opportunities a year after they got married. Grandpa was from a very wealthy family and they supported him and helped him to start, but not for long. Both Grandpa and Grandma were extremely hardworking and responsible, they got on their feet very quickly and made a living with a very successful Japanese restaurant without having to ask for a hand, even with a baby in their care. In 1950 Tachibana Jun, my father, was born. Well, as he was born in England, I guess I should introduce him as he’s known here: Jun Tachibana… or Mr Tachibana, as everyone addresses him. He was born in a house where only Japanese was spoken, but outside, and especially in school, he spoke English. Completely bilingual he was also hardworking like his parents and brilliant. He outsmarted everyone in school, won a scholarship for Oxford where he didn’t only study business; he also studied cinematography, combining both his passions. At 25 Dad was an Oxford graduated and was starting his business with Grandpa as his biggest investor. That’s how Tachibana Productions was born, a company that started small, independent but that in 40 years has grown till it’s become one of the biggest producers in the market and without a doubt, the biggest one in the UK. That’s my father’s company. Talk about accomplishments.

Dad met Elaine Jones, an actress in one of the films he produced: Scottish, beautiful and 20 years younger than him. I don’t know if she was attracted to his money first or his success, because by the time they met he was already a very successful man. If that was the case, it doesn’t matter. I know she loves Dad know and she’s a good woman, not the brightest cookie in the jar, but with a good heart and I think that’s what matters the most. They got married in 1995 and two years later, on the twenty-eighth of November, I was born: Mulan Tachibana. I love my Mum, she’s very loving and sweet, funny and warm, but she’s very clueless, even about her own husband or other things. I mean, she named me after a Chinese character because she really got it wrong.

This is the story of how I got my name:

When Mum was pregnant she got obsessed with collecting fairy-tales for her little girl, she wanted to name me after a princess and the only Asian one was Mulan, so she thought it was perfect. She kind of did a research to find a popular one and she found Mulan from some old plays and films, and a year later Disney released the animated version, from which Mum was aware was in the making. She has never told me how she knew that. However, she forgot the little detail —note the sarcasm there, please— that not all Asians are the same, not because we share some similar features like monolid eyes we can all be confused. Chinese and Japanese look a lot different and we have different languages and cultures. My father wanted to name me Sakura but Mum convinced him to name me Mulan and well, Father is weak when it comes to Mum and will always please her so now I’m named Mulan when I don’t have a drop of Chinese blood in my body.

“Mum, are you aware Mulan is actually Chinese?” I asked her one day, tired that everyone assumed I was Chinese at school and started singing different songs of the movie. I wasn’t respected or anything like Mum dreamt of, I was constantly teased. Not that I really minded, but still, it was annoying more than hurtful.

“I know,” she accepted with shame. “I didn’t back then and I thought that it would be a beautiful name. She’s such a brave and brilliant heroine. I thought it would be inspiring for you and I thought it was fitting because you even look like her.”

I don’t know how similar I am to the real Mulan, though, besides the black, straight long hair, brown monolid eyes and the typical features that everyone recognises as Asian, and well, I’m the only daughter and we do live with our Grandma, but I don’t think that’s enough. The character is brave, intelligent, resourceful, honourable, strong, and sensible whereas I’m none of those. I get startled quite easily and after watching horror films I can’t sleep with the light off. Where my father got scholarships and universities fighting for him, I barely managed to pass my courses. I didn’t even consider going to uni because my grades were laughable. I just finished college with a technical degree in film production because I do like films and well, it’s in the family, but I’m not qualified to work at Tachibana Productions. And as I’m not clever, I can’t ever come up with solutions on my own when I’m facing some complicated situation. Honourable? I don’t even know, I’ve never had the chance to prove that. I don’t have physical strength and I don’t even want to shame myself more and talk about my emotional strength.  I always make the wrong choice, usually bringing shame to my father to the point he doesn’t even take me to events now, he leaves me with Grandma and only takes Mother to dinners and parties, even if other investors take their children. He’s just scared I might humiliate him again with my behaviour.

I am really a shame to my family and I know that’s a real issue for Dad now because his health is poor and I’m the only heir to Tachibana Productions so I should inherit the company, but I’m not capable of doing so and I know that torments him every day because his legacy will be lost, someone else will have to take the reins, someone who doesn’t carry the honour of the Tachibana surname. I know he’s disappointed in me, that he can’t trust me or lean on me for this, that I’m so mediocre that my only real friend is lizard —another attempt by Mum to make me feel more like Mulan, but my pet is not Mu Xu. But I want to make him proud, I want him to look at me and smile, happy that I’m his daughter and not embarrassed. I want him to say “Good job, my daughter.”

So no, being named after Mulan hasn’t been a blessing or inspirational because I can’t go to war instead of my father or just take his place in today’s society. I would be caught the moment I set foot wherever I go and would shame my family even further. Plus, my father is so known that I can’t pretend to be him. Most people don’t remember he has a daughter, but there are some that know so I couldn’t pretend to be a son because they know he’s only had one child, a girl. I can’t be like Mulan even if I want to, the name is just a burden so please don’t call me that. Spare me the shame, because it’s just Ann.