Inoko

From his throne in the celestial paradise of heaven, Emperor Yu oversaw those who had earned the right to an eternity of bliss. However, as time passed, he grew lonely; how he longed for a friend and assistant to be by his side! Fielding thousands of creatures was far too arduous a task, but a competition would provide him with both a clear winner and a means of entertainment. After some thought, he selected one candidate each from twelve creature families and presented them with a challenge... with one twist. Each creature was free to find their own unique way of showing off their merits to him. To level the playing ground, Emperor Yu bestowed upon each of them a common form—a humanoid appearance—and sent them all to the world of humans. The competition is on! When Boar awoke, she immediately knew that she had to make up for her perceived "disadvantage" from her animal traits. She was headstrong and defiant, but so were some of the others; she needed to stand out! After spending some time studying the human ways of vanity, she decided to become the most beautiful creature to catch the Emperor's eye. With brush and powder in hand, Boar named herself Inoko, and began her work. No one had ever quite seen anyone like Inoko. Her bold and brash style captivated hearts and drew wide-eyed stares, but it was one unfortunate soul in attendance that evening who roused the belligerent beast from the beauty. Brandishing her enormous smoking pipe, Inoko snarled, and all hell broke loose. One of the twelve creature candidates sent down to the world of humans in a competition to become the celestial Emperor Yu's assistant, Boar was determined to win him over with breathtaking beauty. Naming herself Inoko, she dressed in the finest silks and meticulously preened her appearance. As she relaxed on an antique stool, her perfect coiffure and impressive outfit was the talk of the night. That is, until a well-dressed, rather snobby noble arrived with his entourage and demanded she give her seat to her social betters. Inoko flew into an explosive rage. The flush on her face was as red as her rouge. She snarled, all pretence of her civility dissipating like the smoke from her pipe. How the servants trembled at her booming voice! How she planted one defiant foot on the stool and barked at this impudent man, flaunting his status! Inoko chased every last shred of verbal evidence with the ferocity of her original self. As she continued her scorching tirade, the crowds began to whisper. Fearing for his reputation (and his ringing ears), the noble fled the scene, leaving Inoko snorting in derisive laughter. Some found the new side of this fuming fashionista rather jarring, but many simply pointed out it was part of her charm. A calmer, less emotional person couldn't have pulled off the sheer intensity that is Inoko. These days, Inoko has become a regular sight in her favorite part of town—the teahouse where she charged the noble down. In honor of that memorable night (and, some whisper, her hidden, tender side), a sweet treat in the shape of a cute boar piglet has become their most famous dessert, attracting patrons far and wide.