#keiko miura.

[soranatus]

Keiko Randa & her (surrogate) Son By Concept Artist & Illustrator, Ren Gomos

[ashesrebirthed-a]

"That… is probably a conversation whose details are best saved for another day," Keiko began, hesitantly. After all, how does one go about telling a ghost about titans? Should she even do so to begin with? "But think less classic supernatural, more, um…"

This time, it was Billy who swooped in when Keiko floundered. "It’s, uh, not so much the stuff of horror movies or urban legends that we usually chase after, more like - cryptids. Sort of. Have you ever seen those, those deep sea creatures that really look like they should be aliens, but they're not?" he asked Jackie, tucking his gadgets away haphazardly before stepping closer to them both. Keiko didn't miss the way Lee nearly moved to hold him back too, though he stopped himself short with a heavy, resigned sigh. "Well… there's a lot more out there than just sea creatures that are like that, too."

"Yes. Thank you, Billy." Keiko shook her head, half exasperated, half fond, before turning her attention back to Jackie.

Jackie, who promptly busted out a 'kids these days' line of her own, and Keiko couldn't help but laugh. It was the most Jackie had sounded like her actual chronological age all night long. In some respects, maybe ghosts weren't quite as stagnant as most thought. Still, she could only imagine how odd it must feel, being eighteen and thirty-two all at once like that.

"They do, in a way," she agreed, amusement lacing her tone. And that change had only gotten faster with the sharp pace technology increased at now - yet another thing Jackie would need introduction to, eventually, if she managed to stick around. Maybe Keiko would understand teenagers again in a decade or so, when Hiroshi inevitably picked up on at least some of it, but for now it wasn't her world any more either.

Something about the girl's emphasis on being useful didn't quite sit right with Keiko, but any possible protests died on her tongue at the mention of Shauna and their old experiments. "You remember those?" Jackie had only shown up a handful of times during them. In the wake of everything else that had happened to her since, those few stolen memories felt near insignificant in comparison. Then again, it was only Keiko who had been given the grace of time to grow up beyond them. "I suppose it is, in a sense. It's... sweet of you to want to help, thank you."

Keiko's words made her pause. Everyone used to say Jackie was selfish, self-absorbed, singular. Of course she hadn't been thinking of the others who died in the capacity of whether or not they were restless ghosts. She didn't know what made her special, and maybe she didn't want to be. It certainly wasn't any more of a mercy than what the others experienced. In fact, she didn't know who else may have died after she did, but wherever Laura Lee was, Jackie hoped she was at peace. They all were, weren't they?

Everyone except her.

"Whoop-de-doo," she said half-heartedly. Jackie wasn't mad at Kei, but it was a cruel sort of irony, to be told again that she was special. Always on a pedestal, just out of reach. Now separated by the spectral bonds of a life just barely after. She was a legend, she was a whisper. Everyone had their tales of Jackie Taylor, and once again the cycle repeated itself -- when would she ever get to decide who she was, herself?

The dead girl followed Keiko's directions to wait. After all, she had nothing but time, even if time didn't always have her.

"So how much supernatural are you used to?" Jackie never had a mind for most of that stuff. She wasn't a fan of slashers and she didn't share Shauna's affinity for how sad and mopey and misunderstood Frankenstein was. No Exorcist, no Texas Chainsaw. The darkest she ever got was seances and sleepover games (light as a feather...). But even her taste for that had soured in the wilderness, however shortly she was exposed to Lottie's delusions.

"Strong emotional significance... yeah, I guess," she said, looking around at the school hall, loath to acknowledge the truth of Shauna's hurtful words. Jackie wondered, if Keiko and her friends here did decide to banish the ghost girl entirely... would she even know it? Maybe it'd be painless, like falling asleep in the cold all over again. "I get it. I'd still be... dead. But I guess it would be nice not to be stuck with all these dweeb-age boys. I know I'm still eighteen or whatever, but it's like these kids speak a totally different language sometimes."

But it wasn't the kids that made her want to get away... did walking free mean she could... would anyone else actually see her? Like, really see her? Well, maybe not all of them would be as calm and collected as Kei. But it was worth a shot, right? It wasn't like Jackie could be any more dead and alone than she was.

"Well, glad I'm not totally useless, probably," she said, trying not to get her hopes up about anything (god, did Jackie still have hopes?). "I'm sure you can tell, but I don't exactly have a whole lot left to lose here. If you need a hand with the research, I guess I'm your girl. It'll be just like what you and Shauna used to do after school, yeah?"

[gaal-dornick]

Come on, time for some science shit.

MONARCH: Legacy of Monsters | 1.01 and 1.02

[booasaur]

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters - 1x09

[leotanaka]

MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS (2023 - ) S01E01: Aftermath | S01E10: Beyond Logic

[ashesrebirthed-a]

Callie. It's a cute name for a cute girl, but Keiko simply files that information away for later - especially in the face of Taissa's surprise. "No, I haven't. We haven’t been back for long, and I’m... not always in town," she answers, carefully dodging around the heart of why that is. This sudden reunion has been surprisingly pleasant so far, more so than Keiko would have expected, but she still doesn't know Taissa like that. Hasn't quite forgotten the barbs she used to hurl Natalie's way, especially, back in high school. What she did to Allie for not being good enough. Time very well may have reshaped Taissa since then, but Keiko has had more than enough unwanted judges pass through her life already; she doesn't need to willingly open herself up to another one.

The mention of work right after does draw a chuckle out of her, though. Maybe Taissa would understand, after all. Before Keiko can ponder on it for too long, however, the words my wife have her expression softening. "Your wife? That’s lovely." Keiko has been with women before, here and there, but it had never quite clicked before now that marriage could be an option on the table. In her defense, it still isn't, not exactly - not here nor in Japan, anyway, and she hasn't stayed anywhere else long enough for it to be a true consideration.

(Or with anyone else. There had only been one, and the fragile string left connecting their hearts after that damn crash already took away so much had been severed before things truly had a chance to begin. Too many ghosts haunt Natalie. Haunt Keiko now too, maybe, but the reasons why don't matter any more; as long as she has Hiroshi to put first, she can't go back.)

Regardless, it's another thought best left for later. Now certainly isn't the time to grill Taissa on the intricacies of homosexuality - not that Keiko particularly wants to do that with her of all people, anyway.

"But yes, I do know," she redirects instead. "Mm. We’re still young enough, there’s plenty of time for it all. Children aren't going anywhere, especially once you actually have one," Keiko adds with another chuckle, fingers gently prodding at Hiroshi's stomach until he giggles. Redirecting her attention to Taissa once he's settled back down, her expression smooths over with sincerity when she adds: "As long as you want whatever you're pursuing, that's all that matters in the end."

she beams at hiroshi, genuinely happy for her old classmate. taissa does remember the way the way they used to treat each other - always very much in a competitive way, but she also knows that she's grown. she may still be that same girl in so many ways - but she wasn't going to hold a grudge from high school. not after what she went through. "i'm very happy for you."

it was true that taissa and shauna weren't always close. she almost forgets for a second, until she notices keiko's reaction. if there was anyone that she would have stayed in contact with without question - that was always going to be shauna anyways. "her name's callie." it was hard to admit that after everything, it was hard not to look at callie and not think about being in those woods. she can't imagine what her mother felt. "you haven't run into shauna yet? i'm surprised. not a lot of the girls on the team really stayed here except for her." for good reason, too.

taissa shrugs her shoulders at the question, as if she doesn't know exactly why she's so busy. every waking moment consisted of things for work - she was surprised she even had enough time off to watch callie. "oh you know, work. left college and became a lawyer. normal stuff. my wife and i ..." it was still weird to say that, taissa and simone had been lucky enough to travel to canada to get married as soon as they were able to. "we've just decided to focus on building our careers first. everything else can come later."

[appletvdaily]

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters 1.01 Aftermath

[billy-crudup]

MARI YAMAMOTO as KEIKO MIURA Monarch: Legacy of Monsters | 1.09 "Axis Mundi"

[ashesrebirthed-a]

A few days had already passed down here, by Keiko's estimation. Only the lightening and darkening of the sky gave any indication of time, even the sun itself hidden behind whatever haze lit up the air. The insectoid MUTOs that had dragged Keiko down here to begin with ultimately hadn't become a problem; it seemed all of them had been scattered apart by whatever they fell through, landing in different locations than Keiko herself. Food, however, had. Thankfully the plants here were largely the same as back home, though Keiko didn't know if she could rely on that source forever.

So had shelter. Sleeping near completely out in the open could only safely last for so long, especially in a world where creatures much more powerful than even the most dangerous of Earth's common predators lurked. Crafting a rudimentary bow and arrows hadn't been too terrible - Lee had taught her how to years ago, alongside some quip on how you should know this stuff in case worse ever comes to worst out there, Doc, and your gun-toting neanderthal can’t be around to watch your back - but there was only so much that could do against some of the things she had seen, were they to find her vulnerable.

Earlier in the day, she had finally spotted signs of a cave in the distance. The walk there had been long but relievingly easy, not much of anything living crossing her path at all. It wasn't a guarantee, but it was promising.

That was, until she came across tracks. Tracks at least as massive as the print they'd found in the Philippines. And... was that a scale?

Crouching down, Keiko examined it closer, fingertips running over frosted-looking edges. It was huge, far bigger than her own hand; she could only imagine the size of the creature that had left it behind.

Reddish flecks marred the edge of it, though. Grabbing it firmly and flipping it over, Keiko drew in a sharp breath at the sight of dried blood. The rational thing to do here would be to leave, to run in the other direction of whatever caused this and not look back - in fact, she could hear Lee's voice clearly in her head, shouting at her to do just that right now - but... she couldn't. Not when a new discovery was so close, she could practically taste it.

So it was with fear and awe both coursing through her veins in equal measure that Keiko nocked an arrow into her bow, drew the string back, and pushed forward. Slowly and quietly, she took careful steps until she finally reached the mouth of the cave she'd seen - the same one these tracks led right towards.

Even that couldn't prepare her for the sight that awaited her inside of it.

A dragon-like creature laid prone on its side, neck mangled and red. It was at least the size of Godzilla, if not larger, majestic even in this terrible state. Keiko felt a thrill run through her again as she took the sight of it in: the feeling of being dwarfed by something larger than life, something she still couldn't fully understand but desperately ached to.

This time, however, that feeling was mingled with deep concern. "Oh, my god," Keiko breathed, bow and arrow lowering - but not put away completely - as she crept closer. There was no military here to harm this creature, no Lee to hold Keiko back. Only time would tell what sort of difference his presence could have made. "What the hell happened to you?" // @frcsttitan + plotted starter!

[brotherconstant]

MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS (2023-) Keiko, Billy, Lee (& Hiroshi) + NEGATIVE SPACE

[jeon6yeon]

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023) Episode 10: Beyond Logic

[richardgrimes]

I'm a scientist. I believe what the evidence tells me to be true. MARI YAMAMOTO as Keiko Miura/Randa in MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS | Season 1

[ashesrebirthed-a]

When Natalie's compliment quickly devolves into a nervous ramble, Keiko can't help but laugh. "It's fine, I know what you mean. Thank you," she says, genuine despite the levity that lingering laughter imbues into her tone. It's certainly one of the nicer things that's been said about her name here, and Natalie is just so sincere, even in her awkwardness. It's endearing, really, to be on the receiving end of.

"Oh, um - an A," Keiko answers, smile dimming somewhat when Nat continues. She's not a huge fan of her time being offered up for her, but she's also not about to bite the hand that literally just helped her. Given how they just met, she doubts Natalie means anything by it - so she'll just talk to her about it another time, if she proves to still be serious then. "Or something, maybe," she answers noncommittally for the time being, shrugging slightly before rerouting.

"But history's just, you know - a matter of rote memorization, really. At least, it is to pass a history class. It's a pain, but you could probably do it, too," she points out, head tilting towards Nat as she speaks. "Plus, that one in particular had a lot on Japan's role in World War II. My family lived through that, one way or another, so... it's a different perspective, over here, but not really a new story." A very different perspective, but she gets it, she supposes. It's not as if Japan had been innocent either, and Americans don't even seem to learn the worst of that.

Before she can get too lost down her own derailing train of thought, Nat's answer reels her back in - and brings her grin back out in full force with it. "Oh, yeah?" She can only imagine the hot water she would land in if she ever tried to do the same, even if only with her parents. Not that she doesn't understand the temptation. Natalie has the right kind of edge to get away with it, though; the sort that Keiko doubts she herself will ever posses. "That's pretty badass. And sounds worth it, honestly. I guess I have to thank you for already doing the dirty work for me there, then, hm?"

NOT HER FAULT, NO. BUT NAT WASN'T THE TYPE to just stand around and let other people get bullied for no reason. Not if she could help it, anyway. She'd been on the other side of that kind of confrontation most of her life growing up and maybe that was partially what hardened her as she got older. People like those boys reminded her too much of her father - another bully - and it made her skin crawl and boil with rage. ❝ Kei, I like that. It's pretty. Not that Keiko in general isn't pretty. ❞ She says while offering a friendly smile in the midst of rambling on unnecessarily.

The compliment about her in P.E. almost makes her blush, maybe a bit too obviously under her pale complexion. Never thinking anyone ever really took much notice in her outside of maybe soccer and even then, she was just another head among the crowd in comparison to her other teammates; Lottie or Tai specifically, Jackie too who was always recognized for her good looks. Nat didn't like to compare herself to the others, but she couldn't help it in most cases regardless.

It was hard not to do when in a sea of beautifully athletic ladies who were better than she was in every which way or at least, as far as Nat was concerned. ❝ Thanks, really the only subject I'm actually decent at. ❞ Said with a slight roll of her eyes ( mostly at herself ) and a light chuckle. ❝ Oh, but yeah… I think I remember you being the first one to finish that horrendous history test last week. What did you end up getting on that, by the way? ❞ It had actually been a pop quiz, but that little detail wasn't important.

Nat barely made it out with a C grade, which will only be embarrassing should Keiko counter the question. She hopes that she doesn't, but then Nat was the one to open the door on that subject matter in the first place so, she couldn't very well be surprised either way. She decides instead to just offer it up herself as if it was no big deal, ❝ I got a C, ❞ said with a nonchalant sort of shrug, ❝ maybe you can help tutor me or something. ❞

When Keiko steps closer in that silent sort of notion, Nat turns on her heel to lead the way back towards where Kevyn still stood in his usual awkward sort of manner. A light scoff at the question that brings them back to the conversation which introduced them together in the first place. ❝ I guess. They used to fuck with me a lot when we were younger, but I just learned to stand my ground after a while. Punched one of them in the face back in the day and they've laid off me ever since. ❞ At least that was something to be proud of in some strange, fucked up sort of way.

[gaal-dornick]

⋈ MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS (2023)

[cowtiekentos]

MARI YAMAMOTO as KEIKO MIURA Monarch: Legacy of Monsters

[julianavalds]

Yeah. She died when [Dad] was little.

MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS (2023) 1.01 | "Aftermath" // 1.09 | "Axis Mundi"