"Hey, everyone, the summer is truly kicking and things are heating up at Ao Guang Island. And the Quasi-Raccoon Cuties are here to tell you about it."
==========
"And to start things off, we're talking with the owner and manager of the Dragon King Palace herself, Aiko," said Naya, "So tell us, Aiko, what are the plans for these other palaces?"
"Well, there are four heavenly beasts that stand at the four cardinal points," said Aiko, "Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea, is often conflated with the Azure Dragon of the East."
"Why is it Azure?" asked Naya.
"Well, the Chinese have one word and character that means both blue and green and several Asian countries that use Chinese characters tend to reflect that. So the Dragon of the East could be either blue or green, so it's generally referred to as azure," said Aiko.
"And the other three are the Black Tortoise of the North, the White Tiger of the West, and the Vermilion Bird of the South," said Naya, "Also, why Vermilion in particular?"
"That, I can't answer you," said Aiko, 'Though there's also supposed to be a Golden Dragon in the center."
"And what about the Palaces?" asked Naya.
"That's actually still a point of debate right now," said Aiko, "As big as this island is, there's a limit to how much space can be used here. Perhaps they'll be built on separate islands. There's bound to be some unclaimed islands in the South China Sea. I'm not sure what to do about the north and west."
"Perhaps the Turtle Prince's Palace could be built on that new Dinotopian island. What was it called again?" asked Naya.
"Well, I believe it was initially reported to be called 'Sutōnburēdo Island', but I believe that was a mistranslation," said Aiko, "Some Japanese translations are less a direct translation and more of a phonetic interpretation of foreign words. The more accurate translation for 'stone blade' would 'Ishi no ha'. As such, the island's name is actually Ishinoha Island."
"That does sound better," agreed Naya, "And do you think Ishinoha Island will be hosting the Turtle Prince's Palace?"
"Well, I think that's up to the residents to decide. Of course, that doesn't settle where the Tiger Lord's Palace will be built. But as I said, things are still in debate right now," said Aiko.
==========
"And here we have one of the residential areas on the island, the ROSE House," said Tani, "Though there's some question of how residential this area is. Sappho, is this really a place for people to live permanently or is it more of a vacation home?"
"Well, for some, it's a vacation home," said Sappho, "Susan and me weren't planning on settling down here. But for others, it's a permanent home, especially as more lesbians and trans women convert."
"And how many conversions have there been?" asked Tani.
"Enough to start building up a population," said Roimata, "Such as my new mate." She indicated another mourning gecko Animalian. She was a lot similar to Roimata in body structure, but the main difference between them was that she had a pixie cut of black hair, indicating she was human.
"And what's your name?" asked Tani.
"Well, I'm going by Pekoe now," said Roimata's mate.
"Pekoe the Gecko," said Tani, "I bet you get that a lot."
"I'm starting to," said Pekoe.
"And what made you decide to become a mourning gecko?" asked Tani.
"Well, while Chinese society has held men in the superior role for centuries, I never really felt right in it. I didn't think there could be another way out until I heard about the ROSE House here on Ao Guang Island," said Pekoe, "And now I feel like who I'm truly supposed to be. And I'm thankful I have someone who will accept me for that."
"Of course I do," said Roimata, hugging Pekoe.
==========
"And of course, Ao Guang Island is becoming a hotspot for honeymooners," said Date, "Though we don't have any of the Five Elements having their honeymoon here yet, we do have a few notable celebrities here." The camera panned over to show Sarah and Malice with their new husbands, Travis and Simon. "First of all, I'd like to say congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Truman and Mr. and Mrs..." Date paused and asked Travis, "What's your last name?"
"I'm just taking Sarah's family name," said Travis.
"And don't call me Mrs. Wesley just yet," said Sarah, "That's my mother."
"Fair enough," said Date, "So, why did you come here instead of Mieni Atoll?"
"Well, it's not that Mieni Atoll isn't great, but we've been there plenty enough times," said Malice, "We wanted to do something different for our honeymoons."
"Did anyone else go to Mieni Atoll?" asked Date, "I notice none of the other members of Animala Ambassadoria are here."
"Actually, Sophie and Roland went to Hawaii," said Simon, "They're using the sponsored vacation they won from the Year of the Dragon competition."
"Hawaii?" asked Date in surprise.
"Yeah, they wanted to go someplace that isn't an Animalian colony for once," said Sarah, "And Jessica and Roger went with them as their plus ones."
"What about the others?" asked Date.
"Abby and Samson went to Aeaea," said Travis, "Doubtlessly to take advantage of the Mediterranean climate."
"And JC and Pauline went to Costa de Cabra," said Simon, "Since Heather is good friends with the Countess, it was easy to arrange it. Apparently, that vacation was originally planned for Sophie and Roland, but they had other ideas."
"It sounds like you've spread out a lot," said Date.
"True, but I'm sure we'll all be back in time to celebrate Animalia's birthday," said Sarah.