How many of your read Terry Moore's Strangers In Paradise?
Is it too early to reveal the majour spoiler of the last few issues? The very last books in the series. A series that's been ongoing for the past fourteen-some years. (What is it with favourite literary series ENDING this year?!).
I will not spoil the story, but I DO feel like writing a little something about one of my favourite characters. A man whose presence within the SiP trio, (Katina Marie Choovanski (Katchoo), Francine Helen Peters-Silver and David Qin), is so pivotal that it is felt even when he's not there.
Well...It has to do with the character David Qin, whose birthname is Yousaka Takahashi.
David's what is known as a pure soul. Also an old soul. You could tell that from the moment you laid eyes on him. You knew he was "A still water that ran deep".
He's one who is most likely to read to you from his journal sappy love poetry while pic-nicing at a park under an oak in full green on a warm summer afternoon or disuss most passionately his unwavering faith in the Lord while allowing his best friend and the love of his life paint a nude portrait of him because he knows it will help to heal someone's damaged self-asteem.
David is someone who feels just as comfortable laughing and being silly with women as he is with being serious, stoic, an emotionally strong man with a wife and responisibities in his home land of Japan.
Here is what the official SiP website has about David:
~*~*~
Name: David Qin
DOB: January 5
Age: 24
Place of Birth: Los Angeles, CA
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 170 lbs.
Occupation: Art student Story:
DAVID made his debut in the very first issue of SIP, introducing himself to Katchoo in the Houston Museum of Fine Arts. From the beginning, David seemed determined to break past Katchoo's man-hating barriers and make a place for himself in her life, despite her frequent tirades and protests. After many ups and down, David's quiet demeanor and good heart won Katchoo over, and he's been a crucial part of her life ever since.
David showed up at a rocky time in Katchoo and Francine's lives. They had barely befriended him when it was revealed he was the younger brother of Darcy Parker, Katchoo's former crime boss/lover who was now stalking Katchoo (As seen in The Collected Strangers in Paradise Vol One and "I Dream of You") Since that stormy beginning, David has regained the trust and affection of Katchoo, even if Francine seems to remain a little cool and distant. A recent major upset occurred when David revealed to Katchoo he was a Christian. Katchoo was mad that David would keep something so important to him from her, especially because she was in need of answers in her life and he was keeping something from her that had assisted him in his time of need. This was the blowup that Katchoo accused of David of not telling anything at all about himself, and to date in the story that is true. We know very little about David, about his background, other than he appears to be the opposite of his malevolent sister whose dialogue in one scene hinted at a past incestial relationship with her younger sibling.
With the eventual death of his sister (in "Immortal Enemies"), David inherited her estate, valued at over a billion dollars, but currently he continues to live with Katchoo in her little rent house in Houston, attends art classes at the Glassell School Of Art on Montrose, drives an old used car and owns just 4 pairs of pants (three pairs of jeans and one pair of black Armani slacks). Clearly, for David, it's the little things in life that make him happy, especially when he can share them with the woman he loves, Katchoo.
Summary:
DAVID is our mystery date. He has gone to great lengths to be near Katchoo, enduring more than most men would bear. And even though Katchoo gradually warms to David's presence, it's a far cry from the classic love affair a sentimentalist like David seems to desire. Francine is jealous of David, but thinks he's cute. If there was no Katchoo in the recipe, she could easily fall for him. David writes poetry and reads it to Katchoo in a soft spoken voice. Why is he so smitten with her? What does he see in her that is worth the grief he takes from her? Can Katchoo ever trust him, as a man and as a relative of Darcy? David claims to be disassociated from his sister, but his connection to her brings everything he says and does into question.
~*~*~
 Katchoo and David by Terry Moore ~Ami
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