I've had an idea for a magical girl manga banging around inside my head for years, but since I can't draw to save my life it'll probably turn into a novel someday. Although keep in mind I'm still hammering out the details for some of it.
Avatar of Tiamat
What I'm basically doing is combining the myths and magic of Babylonian, Celtic, and Shinto tradition. The main focus is on Tiamat, but all the spells will be in a Celtic style and many Shinto gods/goddesses will make appearances. They can all be connected.
The Babylonian creation story tells the tale of Tiamat, who with her husband Apsu gave birth to the gods and goddesses, who in turn mutltiplied. But the younger generations grew rowdy and disturbed Tiamat and Apsu, who then planned to destroy them. But they escaped after killing Apsu, to which then an angered Tiamat raised an army with her new consort against them. But the god Marduk, in exchange for sovreignty over the universe, fought back and killed her. He then created the earth and sky from her body.
Fast forward to the present, where a red moon has passed over Mount Fuji. This unleashes a slumbering god, who for unkown reasons begins to wreak havoc with its minions. Thus the highschooler Yuri finds herself seeing strange sights, although she attempts to pass them off as fatigue. When she comes home one day she finds a little dragon in her room. After appropriately freaking out the dragon tells her that he is the guardian dragon of her family, descendent from a priestess of Tiamat, and now that she can see him he will awaken her dormant powers to combat the god and its minions. However, to defeat such a god they have to summon the powers of Tiamat the Chaos Dragon herself, which requires a pagan ritual ceremony with the proper tools and the presence of the 4 Elemental Dragon Kings who led her army against the gods. He gives her an amulet to use magic with and gives her a proper priestess uniform (that he sewed himself) to disguise her identity. Now she has to destroy the monsters plaguing Japan and find the human incarnations of the 4 Elemental Dragon Kings so she can summon Tiamat's powers.
Cast of characters:
Ryuuzawa Yuri
Although a generally nice person Yuri often feels isolated and "left behind" from her peers since she doesn't have any real true friends, only people she hangs out with in school. She feels closer to animals than she does to people. She used to have a close relationship with her father, but her parents divorced and he died soon after, leaving her with her mother whom she has an strained relationship with. Having nobody to talk to about her problems have given her a bit of an apathetic attitude, despite being very emotional and compassionate at heart. Her new role as a protector and a priestess presents her with the opportunity to change herself, even if she doesn't realize it. Her true self begins to emerge as she meets with the divine beings around her and finds the Dragon Kings, including a slowly developing relationship with Hajime.
Yamamori Hajime
The earthy reincarnation of the Earth Dragon King Grael, Hajime is still recovering emotionally from the death of his mother five years ago. A year older than Yuri he's about to finish high-school and isn't sure what he wants to do with his life. Hajime is stubborn,reserved, yet knows how to laugh like he means it. He tries to be a source of stability for those around him, even if he's the one who needs a shoulder to lean on. He is the first Dragon King Yuri finds, and after meeting her he opens up more and has to deal with growing feelings for her as he acts as one of her guardians.
Shinsei Hisaki
The earthly reincarnation of the Fire Dragon King Fafnir, Hisaki is an explosively violent, brooding, and slightly disturbed young man who is being raised in a Buddhist temple. Most of his anger stems from his mother who shunned him and eventually abandoned him to the monks. His anger hides the warm person inside and prohibits him from seeing the beauty in things. When Yuri finds him he refuses to help in any form, and usually will only fight monsters because it amuses him. This presents a problem since the sword of the Fire Dragon King is an essential part of the ritual . . .
Unabara Ken
The earthly reincarnation of the Water Dragon King Naelyon, Ken is refined, quiet, and intuitive. He comes from a rich family and thus isn't very comfortable at first with being in the real world. He loves his mother very much, but she is usually away or rather distant from her son, who can't find the courage to try and spend time with her. When he joins Yuri in her mission he finds the hidden compassion and joy in himself and begins to truly enjoy life. He comes out of his shell even more when he's around Yukio.
Tanikaze Yukio
The earthly reincarnation of the Air Dragon King Sairyss, Yukio is cheerful, inquisitive, and WELL out of the closet. He is also half American, but has been disowned from his family for being openly gay. Despite all this he keeps a cheerful countenance, and tries to enjoy life as best he can. He is ecstatic to meet Yuri and the others, as they give him a sense of family that he has lost. Although he is the most approachable of the bunch, when he's angry he is scary beyond belief.
Tyl
The little guardian dragon of the Ryuuzawa family, he acts as a guide for Yuri and the boys, teaching them spells and tells the tales of the gods. Yuri's recurring reluctance provides him with no end of exhasperation, he may one day go bald from shedding scales in fits of frustration. He has a great love for apples and shiny things that often cause Yuri trouble. His hobby is sewing.
I'm basically trying to create a magical girl story that doesn't follow every convention. Namely, NO GENKI GIRLS. In it I want to discuss and explore the nature of motherhood, since it is tied to the legend of Tiamat. Yuri herself will have to discover her own innate "motherness" as she goes on her adventures. There will be a lot of Celtic magic and traditions, but I want the Shinto gods like Inari to be present as well, as helpers and watchers of Yuri. However, I'm still doing research and this will probably not be written for a long long time.