| Ghanima Jones | |
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| Portrayed By | Liv Tyler |
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| Gender | Female |
| Date of Birth | February 12, 1980 |
| Age | 27 |
| Zodiac Sign | Aquarius |
| Aliases | Nima, Nim, Neems (only by Lee), Izar Kumari, qwnage |
| Place of Birth | New York City, NY, USA |
| Current Location | New York City, NY, USA |
| Occupation | Owner of The Secret Lair; Otaku no Miko |
| Known Relatives | Billy Jones (father; missing), Mary Jones (mother; missing), Leto Jones (twin brother) |
| Significant Other | None, unless her cat and dog count. |
| Known Abilities | Fangirldom (+27) |
| First Appearance | Do You Get Combat Pay For That? |
Nima Jones is the owner of long-time East Village comic/gaming/collectibles shop The Secret Lair, which used to be owned by her parents. She's friendly, easy-going, creative, fun, a little bit cheeky, and a whole lotta geeky. Most people are shocked to discover that Lee is not only her brother but her twin. They do, however, play together in an electrosynthpop band called Mobius Ouroboros.
History
Billy and Mary Jones loved comic books, fantasy and science fiction. They met at a sci-fi convention, had a Starfleet wedding, and their family business – a comic book and gaming store called The Secret Lair – was their pride and joy. What the world didn't see in these two eccentric young folks, though, was an obsession. A dangerous one. Maybe it was an encounter earlier in their lives with the Evolved still hidden, or a particular twist in a strand of acid they dropped at a Lord of the Rings-themed party, or a misplaced government document that ended up mimeographed in their hands, but both of them had become convinced that superpowers were real.
Their whole lives were dedicated to this obsession, to obtaining such power for themselves – and when that proved unlikely or impossible, gaining them for their children. With the hard-white light of their madness visible like a beacon, they – and their twins Ghanima and Leto, named after the twins in Frank Herbert's Dune series – became the catspaws for much more serious and nefarious forces.
The Joneses subjected their children to strange and dangerous experiments, like dropping them off buildings into securely fastened firefighter nets. There were unusual medicines, herbs, and supplements. (This only resulted in Nima developing an interest in homeopathy.) All the additives that mom put in their food merely ended-up in the kids just thinking she couldn't cook. (Subsequently, Nima went on to become quite the wiz in the kitchen.) Even simple family games involved tests of psychic ability. (It was a shock to learn that Candyland isn't ordinarily played with Zener cards rules.) By any objective measure, the Joneses were mad beyond belief.
The kids never saw it, though, thinking their parents merely eccentric, when they were old enough to understand. By the time their memory was sequential enough to realize what was normal and what wasn't, their parents had, after years of constantly trying, given up their more extreme methods of awakening super-abilities. The obsessions of Billy and Mary were disappointed. Crushingly disappointed. Though, like the obsession itself, they hid it well from their children, and they certainly had sufficient and genuine love for their twins that their upbringing was only a few degrees off from normal.
At first, Nima and Lee saw their parents’ foibles about comics and superheroes and assorted überpowers as a shared interest. As time went on, Lee came to find it to be an embarrassing, mortifying mark of social outcast, whereas Nima enjoyed martial arts training and playing D&D. She saw learning Quenya and Klingon – which their parents insisted upon for both kids – as no less worthwhile than learning Spanish (a must-have growing-up in NYC). At her parents prompting, she even joined the track team, and still is an avid runner, even if she lacks the super speed and enhanced jumping skills they hoped might be triggered.
Billy and Mary never did give up on the idea of their children becoming more than human, though, and were always trying this or that behind their backs. One day, in 2004, the debt from one of their Faustian deals came due and they disappeared without a trace.
When it happened, Nima was nearing the completion of her final year at NYU's Stern School of Business, where she was getting an MBA. Lee continued to rebel against the family ways and went as far away as he could muster – UCLA – and ended-up getting a Masters degree in something, ironically enough, impractical. Even so, they came together to grieve a loss that, still unsolved and unresolved, they never really understood.
Since then, Nima has honored her parents memory the way she felt they would have wished, turning her considerable business skills to saving the old, musty shop that had been the center of their lives. Lee, by contrast, wanted nothing to do with the comics that had always driven him crazy. Despite moving back to NYC, he has nothing to do with the shop, other than denounce its uselessness in a variety of snarky ways. All differences aside, the twins remain very close and harbor much love that is laced with their bickering.
As for herself, Nima couldn't be more content. She loves the shop, her quirky friends, the music she plays, and all her assorted hobbies. Life is good. Even though the comics and collectibles business certainly doesn't afford anything remotely akin to a life of luxury, her schooling and innate problem-solving skills have gotten The Secret Lair out of the red – although there's not much of a profit margin, especially with the increase in rent due to gentrification, as well as what she sinks into paying-off her student loans. It's all worth it, though, when she gets to test drive new RPGs, or whupp the boys at HALO, or let everyone know why Artesia is the biggest badass in graphic novel history.
If only Lee found some semblance of happiness, then she would be truly delighted.
Timeline
Pre-Game
February 2007
- Lee nearly dies in a fire at John Philip Sousa Junior High School, #142. With two batches of überfudgey, made-from-scratch brownies and her cheeky brand of affection, Nima does her best to comfort her beloved brother, who is clearly and uncharacteristically rattled. The weirdness of the event that he explains leaves her concerned for his mental health and emotional well-being. Plus, being a twinless twin would totally suck.
- Nima takes Lee to get some stitches. She also helps him get Bekah's phone number. Then she discovers that when he fell out of his bed, which caused the injury, it appears that he hit the ceiling.
March 2007
- Showing up at Cass' place for their weekly Trash TV Night ritual, Nima meets some unfamiliar faces and finds herself more concerned with seeing if bitchy skank New York's fake hair will catch on fire during a double-date in a hot air balloon. Sadly, not even a singe. Somewhere during all the weave watching, Cass tries to explain about the Company.
- Lee asks Nima for her opinion about several uncanny — and even unsavory — recent events. For the most part, she just thinks he's being a jackass.
- Nima thwarts a seeming burglary of the store. After a somewhat amicable interrogation of the perps, she finds herself in need of a new front window, some improved security measures, and more than likely drawn into a muderous mystery that involves a search for the Philosopher's Stone.
Quotes
"Dude, you've just been qwnd. That's a whole letter more of pwnage. That's enough pwnage that you could be leased out to someone."
"Mmm. Twizzlers."
"That's the thing about hawt seXX0rs: they make even the smartest of people dumb."
"Yeah. Just what we need: serial killer fetishists with a kink for arson."
Trivia
- Shortly after Return of the Jedi was released, Nima and Lee got a border terrier that was named Wicket W. Warrick. A good and true companion, he died in May of 1999. Panthro, the Russian blue cat, arrived in January of 2003. Chewbacca, the large mutt of shaggy brown, joined the family in August of 2005.
- Nima has a great talent for costuming and always places in the costume contests at the conventions she attends, often winning Best of Show. Yes, she's made Princess Leia's slave outfit, Uhura's 1967 Star Trek uniform, and a wearable replica Samus Aran's armor from Metroid Prime.
- In addition to Spanish and Japanese, Nima fluently speaks Klingon and Quenya (Tolkien's High Elvish). Thanks to four years of French in high school, and conversing with Lee, she's rather proficient.
- Jones brand green apple soda, for the win!
- 98 St. Mark's Place is most famous for being on the album cover of Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti. It can also be seen in the video for the Rolling Stone's song "Waiting On A Friend". Nima has lived her entire life in an apartment on the 3rd floor of a building that is one block west.
- Currently holds sandan rank in Kyokushin karate and Qinghu - si duan rank in Wushu.
- An active member of New York Jedi, her persona, Izar Kumari, is a Teräs Käsi master and Jedi Knight.
- First crush was Han Solo. Second crush was Westley from 'The Princess Bride'. Totally <3 Mark Hamill for his voicework, even more than for being Luke Skywalker.
- Huge fan of Kaiju Big Battel.
- qwnage is her Xbox Live user name. Part of a team called Karmageddon, which also includes members MyLittlePwny and nyninja1116.
- For over a decade's worth of holidays, Nima has brought homemade baked goods to the local fire station and police department. She's on a friendly, first-name basis with a lot of Ladder 3 and the 9th Precinct. In her book, members of the FDNY and NYPD are real heroes.
- Has been named a Reader Babe at Seanbaby.com. In her acceptance speech, she thanks The Jumping Bomb Angels.
Themesong
Pop Will Eat Itself - 'Can U Dig It?'
('Wise Up! Sucker' video is an extra bonus, although it really has nothing to do with Nima.)