#WE COULD WATCH SAILOR MOON TOGETHER IT WOULD BE SO FUN

[leslieseveride]

"guess what!!! i got projector for my backyard so you need to come over and we can have a campfire and we can watch old cartoons in my backyard!" - melissa to titus in their tiktok live 2/1(?)

[nemo-of-house-hamartia]

While watching Sailor Moon with my daughter (we are deep into the 5th season of the 90s Italian version), I am remembering more and more why I shipped Usagi with Seiya.

I never particularly loved Mamoru, to be honest, mostly because in the anime he was kind of a inconstant dick to Usagi and, despite the whole "reincarnation/destined to be together" thing they had going on because of the connection between Silver Millenium and Golden Kingdom (which is absolutely one of my favourite trope ever), I failed to appreciate the romance they had.

I very much preferred Seiya with her, instead, because he seemed to make her happy and to make her laugh more (plus, lemme be honest, I also had a huge crush on Seiya and Haruka when I was a child, so that could also be why I was SO ON BOARD when both of them were flirting with Usagi. Like, YES GIRL, GET IT).

Like, the whole dynamic of "Two idiots that are just so good together it's a sin they are not" was everything to me.

It was fun to see them together, and dear gods, I remember wanting to see Usagi happy finally, fml.

LIKE LOOK AT THEM.

LOOK AT THEM.

FUCKING HELL.

like, fml, I wish I had enough mental spoon to spare because I would love to write about them together. And you know me: I SO RARELY ship canon characters together, so you know how huge they were for me.

I need to give myself WHAT THE ANIME AND MANGA DIDN'T GIVE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

[tumblingxelian]

For the Salty Ask, any fandom:

#1 What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?*

#6 Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?*

#11 Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

(Smashes a glass bottle on my face) Let's fucking do this!

#1 What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?*

Gosh there are too many to list in a single post, and a few may get me targeted assassins XD

I'm quite lukewarm on Rei & Mina from Sailor Moon, maybe reflecting that I wasn't super into the manga & only watched some of the live action stuff but still.

Reylo, obviously. Other Star Wars would be Obi-Wan/anyone really, and also the fact people actually treat Anakin and Padme as romantic or like they could have a functional relationship scares me.

If we do a quick drive-by on ATLA, I really don't get why Azula & Aang became so popular, or Zuko & Katara. Or more, the best explanations I have for them still leave me going :/ at best. So there's that.

In Warcraft we have Thrall & Jaina, which is just 100% a case of, "Wow, they sure are standing next to each other" as far as ships go. Also for WOW is Jaina & Sylvanas, I only get it aesthetically, kinda.

Felix & Kagami from ML has me like ???? I didn't watch past S3 though so ??? Also that people treat Gabirel & Emile or Gabriel & Nathalie as like.. healthy is just... What!? I get the ships, I don't get the fanon spin on them.

In Dragon Ball, this one also draws targeting fire, but I never really got Vegeta & Bulma, which is canon I know, but still. A fling is one thing but an actual relationship just leaves me head-scratching. Also not sure if this is still the case, but I recall Gohan & Piccolo as being weirdly popular back in the olden days, and like, what!?

In DC, oh boy, gonna piss some people off with this one, but:

Bruce & any long term relationship, I don't care if its Selina, Talia, Clark, or Diana, or Harvey. This is not a man who can commit to another human being, because he's committed himself to staling the utterly uninterested Gotham City. Anything claiming otherwise is positively incomprehensible to me.

Also I don't grasp why Dick & Babs is so popular, or Tim & Steph, or Tim & Jason. The former has some history, but it so often feels like crow-barring two former high school crushes who have moved on together against their will. The latter is just like,... No, just no.

Within RWBY, if we are strictly going by popular pairs then I really don't get Weiss & Jaune, or Ruby & Jaune. I'm not even talking about like, V2 behavior or whatever, they've all grown, but I don't see how they've grown in a way that leads to these being popular ships. I had a similar stance on Blake & Sun when it was a major player; like attraction can be there without me thinking it works as a ship.

Also Ironwood & Glynda is just like... She could not be more utterly not into him if she tried, why are you people forcing it? Same with Winter & Qrow, their dynamic doesn't even have a fun rivals to lovers vibe to it.

Also as I believe you mentioned but Oscar & Ruby doesn't click with me. Again, I can sort of follow the logic, but I always end up at, "Why is this what you want?" Because to get to it, at least when it comes to the more intense advocates, it usually involved ripping out all the interesting stuff from their dynamic and characters for hurt comfort fic material.

You're gonna kill me.

But I have similar feelings about Ruby & Penny. I can see it more than Oscar & Ruby, but at the same time I just... It doesn't click with me and most stuff I see of it removes all the interesting character drama and dynamics so I get bored outside of a purely aesthetic appreciation level.

#6 Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?*

Sort of an interesting spin on this, I kind of tricked myself into enjoying a ship I previously didn't like through fandom.

Specifically when writing a Sailor Moon fanfic, I tweaked Usagi & Mamoru's dynamic to be a bit more like their mutual antagonism from the early anime, but cos both were on equal footing, I found their banter really enjoyable to write & started vibing with it.

There might be others but I am drawing a blank right now ><

#11 Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

Yamcha.

Always Yamcha, forever Yamcha, my poor sweet victim of character desolation, Yamcha!

He's introduced in the comedic part of the series with this premise being that he's a powerful and dangerous bandit, who is chronically shy around girls and is deeply romantic, wanting a family.

He's shown to be a skilled fighter who developed powerful techniques on his own with zero training. He knows tons of martial arts lore, was a nice mix of sensible but brave and basically Goku's big brother.

But he kept getting used as the WORF and then after being killed via kamakaze after stepping up to protect his younger friend from such a fate, he is memed to death by the fandom. & is later characterized as a cheater despite having been nothing but loyal to Bulma across the series. Has his desire for a married life & family surgically removed & given to Krillin, & basically gets treated like trash for the rest of time.

Outside of DB...

Pretty much every character, creature or faction I find interesting in Warcraft is hated or regarded with indifference so that's fun XD

As to specific characters from other series:

Chloe of ML, people hating on an already hated in universe 14 year old whose neglectful, corrupt father left her to be raised by he staff in a room that makes a dentist surgery look homey & who otherwise only taught her the worst lessons imaginable. Along with an emotionally and verbally abusive mother & who was actively groomed by the main villain of the series who has known her since she was a child are just... For fucks sake she's 14.

Lila of ML, she's a messy, confusing ass character cos it seems the writers don't have a solid idea for her. But like, within the first three seasons at least, she's still a 14 year old who has two adults with cameras plated in her room manipulating and controlling her.

Azula of ATLA, another 14 year old who was treat like shit by the adults in her family. She's a weapon to her father, a monster by birth to her mother, "Crazy" to an allegedly kind old uncle who has killed infinitely more people than her & only felt bad when it impacted him. Seriously, fuck all those doing Azula hate. She's a better villain than Ozia, a more merciful and skilled general than Iroh, and seems to have at least some actual loyalty to her family unlike Ursa who only cared about Zuko.

Mai of ATLA, People hate her for her dead pan affect and the fact she's not cradling Zuko's sof lil baby head, and or between him & the ship for him they like. Fuck off again, Mai's fun.

Cinder of RWBY, villains are meant to do bad things. Villains like Cinder do not appreciate being blackmailed. Villains like Cinder don't appreciate people who know their secrets, like using the Lamp, being around to hold it over her head later. She's not stupid, some people just lack media literacy.

Harriet of RWBY, while I get that she's not super popular, I tend to find the level of vitriol she gets uncomfortable at best. Like, it often feels less like people not getting the characters role & more like, some people running will with the chance to be unrelentingly hostile towards a fictional black woman. Elm gets some of this but is more often forgotten.

Talia of DC, there is so much racism both in canon and fanon and its heartbreaking.

[smartzelda]

Might I have some of your finest beyondtsuda or mikamatsu (is that their ship name?) headcanons on this joyous day?

Oooooh hoo hoo

Anon I would be delighted

ㅤ

Beyondtsuda

Okay so when it comes to Beyond Birthday ships, one of my favorite things is him finding little pieces of A in the people he likes. However, with that all being said, I actually don't see Matsuda as being incredibly similar to A (personal A headcanons and all that), so I'd like to think that BB grasps on to some of those little things he can find that reminds him of A, but he also...actually has to get to know Matsuda

With that all being said, because of how far removed they are physically in canon, I generally headcanon their meeting to be something by chance. In a canon setting for example, perhaps they happen to cross paths on the street or in a shop or cafe because BB is tracking L and Matsuda is out (most likely to do something for L, or perhaps related to his brief manager duties). Or maybe they even meet in task force headquarters, because Matsuda just so happens to be the first person B runs into

Idk I guess to sum it up best, I think their first meeting would undoubtedly be one of chance (be at least somewhat L related), and I think while BB upon growing feelings would draw similarities between him and A he would ultimately realize how different they are

It's like the idea of "What if we were strangers? What if we didn't know each other because you aren't a mirror of me? What if we actually had to learn to know each other?" with a sprinkle of "I couldn't help but latch onto the ways you remind me of the person I once loved, but I know you are NOT them"

Okay okay perhaps I should add a silly headcanon in here for your enjoyment

Beyond and Matsuda would bond over mutual enjoyment of magical girl anime/manga. BB infodumps about Akazukin Chacha, Matsuda talks about Princess Tutu and Sailor Moon. They watch Madoka together.

ㅤ

MikaMatsu

Funnily enough, if I had to draw a thread between these two ships, it would be that Beyondtsuda share the capacity to bond over L and Mikamatsu share the capacity to bond over Light. Dunno why that trope has me in a chokehold. Anyhow

I like to think that Matsuda would have visited Mikami in prison (in the manga canon setting) before Mikami "mysteriously died"

The Kira reveal was a *lot* for the two of them in different ways, and given how they were narratively placed as opposites ("the man Light chooses as his most devoted pawn and could successfully rely on, who only knows Light as Kira the god" vs "The man Light thought would swing to his side, who he thought he may be able to rely on in the end, who knew Light as Light Yagami the man, son of Soichiro Yagami and L's only friend"), I quite like the idea of them...wondering what it was like for the other

I like the idea of Matsuda being curious despite everything, unwilling to really write the man he'd trusted off as wholly bad and seeking to know the man that Mikami knew. And Mikami, while yellow box and the shock of his "god"'s apparent humanity leads him to grapple over the idea of 'renouncing the false god' or possibly even twisting truth for the sake of his own mind (so he doesn’t have to contend with his actions possibly servicing "bad"), I think at heart he too would be curious as to the Light that Matsuda knew. Ultimately, I would headcanon their first real meeting, their getting to know each other, as a tragedy. No matter how close they manage to grow, whether they are open to or even can understand each other, in the end Mikami will die

Now, on a less angsty (but still a bit so) note. One of my favorite headcanons is the idea of them becoming roommates post L's death during the timeskip. It's just hilarious to me to imagine Gevanni investigating Matsuda's roommate, and it's fun to imagine how they would be as roommates. Ultimately, I actually headcanon that Matsuda can decently cook, so I think it would be interesting for them to start out as roommates who barely interact, but then become the kind of roommates who collaborate on dinner and teach each other different skills and air out some of their frustrations. I also think it adds even a tad bit more complexity to Matsuda's own feelings about Kira if he's stuck between a rock (Mikami clearly being a Kira supporter) and a hard place (being a part of the Kira task force, which is full of quite a lot of heavy anti Kira people). And while I think it's more realistic that they would grow some manner of feelings for each other (not necessarily ones they can pinpoint as romantic or sexual at this time, but not exactly platonic either) but any realization of feelings would be overshadowed by their current duties/goals and their separate devotion to Light (and their own feelings for him), I think it's also fun to imagine them as sort of a...roommates with benefits situation

Okay okay now for something a lil silly

I personally headcanon Mikami as aroaspec but also gay, but I think it would be insanely funny if Teru Mikami just found himself at a random time completely down bad for Touta Matsuda. Like, while he's not 100% sure of the nature of any of his feelings nor do I think he takes the time to think about this, at least him being down bad for kami-sama makes sense to him, but when it happens regarding Matsuda? I think he would just think in his head randomly "Why him? Kira is someone whom I respect and adore, someone who I feel a connection to. Why can't I stop thinking about this dude??"

ㅤ

Anyways, thank you very much, anon! Your ask has made this day much joyous for me!!

[littlemisstoast]

what’s your dream blunt rotation?

OKAY IVE THOUGHT ABT THIS FOR SO LONG!!!! i think that if u got all the funny women that are a little too relatable and chaotic together it'd b so fucking stupid like-

misato katsuragi (evangelion)

girly we are abt to talk so much shit abt our dads its not even FUNNY

2. usagi tsukino ofc (sailor moon)

the yap session we could b having..... the snacks we could consume..... endless possibilities......

3. toast (bee and puppycat)

i live for the chaos she brings and i fear i will never b on her level of insanity but also girl............................................ we gotta talk abt how gay u are...................................................... its hard to watch LMAO

i feel like this rotation is too chaotic and my wife would never let us all in the same room together LMAO

literally i have so many more people to add to these but i decided to go w a theme to narrow it down LOL maybe next time ill do danmei characters??? because i had so many of those and then scrapped them all

btw theres something all 3 of these women have in common and if u can guess what it is you can have a smooch ໒꒰ྀིᵔ ᵕ ᵔ ꒱ྀི১

ty for asking btw!!! this one was really fun to think abt ♥

[mycoolwritingcorner]

The Crib

Written for Sailor Moon LGTBQ+ Week.

Day 4: Metal.

Ami and Makoto are about to become parents!

@smlgbtqweek

----

CLANG!

“No, no, that’s not it… maybe if I-”

CLANG!

“Okay, not that… but-”

CLANG!

“Grr… okay, but… wait a second… have I been reading this upside down this whole time?!” Ami exclaimed, looking at the instructions for the crib she had been trying to put together for the last hour.

Her very, very pregnant wife simply chuckled as she watched from up on the couch, “You’ve got this hun, I believe in you.”

“Thank you, sweetheart. It’s fine. It’s fine. Now I just have to-”

CLANG!

“DID QUEEN BERYL HERSELF DESIGN THIS THING?!” Ami let out, about at the end of her rope.

“Y’know, Rei and Mina did just put together a crib for their little one a few months ago… you could always go to them for help.” Makoto suggested.

“I reprogrammed a supercomputer from outer space when I was fourteen years old! I can put together a crib!” Ami insisted, trying to jam one piece into another, “It’s fine! I just have to-”

CLANG!

“DAMMIT!” She shouted, throwing the metal pieces down in frustration, before rubbing her face with her hands, “Sorry… I’m sorry… here you are barely able to move and I’m throwing a fit over a crib.”

Makoto patted the seat right next to her on the couch, signaling for Ami to sit there, to which the blunette obliged, “I get a funny feeling this isn’t just about the crib.” Mako said, placing a hand on Ami’s shoulder.

“Well, don’t get me wrong, the crib sucks but… no, I guess it’s not.” Ami conceded, hanging her head a bit, “My father walked out on us when I was little. And my mother… bless her heart, she tried, but she was so consumed in her work that we barely had a relationship. I just… how do I know I’m not gonna screw it up like they did?” She asked, turning to look at Mako.

“I suppose you don’t. Neither of us does. Neither did Rei and Mina when they adopted Noriko. But-”

“I just… I’ve read all the books, asked Rei and Mina for advice, went to some night classes on parenting, it’s like…” Ami said, looking down at the scattered pieces of the crib, “... I feel like I have all the pieces, I just have no earthly idea how to put them all together…”

“Well, clearly none of those night classes discussed ‘not cutting off your pregnant wife before she’s done talking’.” Mako said with a smirk, putting her hand on Ami’s cheek and pointing her head back toward her.

“Oh, sorry.”

“As I was saying… no one knows how they’re gonna do as a parent. It’s not something you can ever really be prepared for… but, I have known you for over twelve years now. And we’ve been together for nine of those years. And you have never failed to make me feel loved, no matter what got in your way.” Mako said, taking Ami’s hand and placing it gently on her stomach, “And I have no reason to think that it would be any different for our little baby Yuu.”

Ami smiled before looking down at her wife’s stomach, “You’re right… you’re always right.” She said, planting a gentle kiss on her tummy, “We are gonna give this little girl all the love in the world… but first…” she said, standing up, determined, “We need to give her somewhere to sleep.”

“Go for it babe, you’ve got this!”

“Thanks Mako… for everything…”

----

Fun fact, the name of Ami and Mako’s daughter, Yuu, and the name of Rei and Mina’s daughter, Noriko, are taken from two of my other favorite anime, Bloom into You and Gunbuster. So that’s fun.

Anyway, please come back tomorrow for Day 5: Destiny. Hopefully the Reinako fans don’t think I forgot about them...

But until then, please let me know what you thought! Comments, reblogs, likes, etc. are much appreciated!

And until next time, take care everyone!

[fortysevenswrites]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love ❤

Tagged by @astarkey! Thanks!

Hopefully writing about this will give me the kick in the pants I’ve been looking for the last week to finish one of my current SK WIPs….😬😬😬

1 we don’t make the future, we just know it (pre-canon SethKate)

Look y’all, this came to me while I was in the shower and is cracky and absurd and one of the best things I’ve ever written. Two and a half years later and I’m still obsessed with this ridiculous little fic. It’s insane. It’s hilarious. It’s ALSO TECHNICALLY CANON. And I love it so much. It never fails to bring a smile to my face.

2 Good People, Bad Beer (post S3 SethKate)

Seth and Kate bonding over shitty beer and making out against the back of a car after surviving Matanzas, what more can you ask for? I re-read this one A Lot. It’s so good. I love it so much. Seth being dumb about them while Kate is sitting there super certain about them both is one of my favorite dynamics to write for them.

3 not the same (post TPS2/DDS3 Kastle)

Maria gets a pass out of the afterlife and uses it to browbeat her erstwhile husband into committing to get a better apartment and matchmaking him and Karen. Because of course she would. Maria Castle totally ships it, and it works because I said so and it’s not like anyone in the comics actually stays dead anyway.

4 watching over someone from afar (post TPS2 Kastle)

This was a BEHEMOTH inspired by a Sailor Moon quote and it’s such a delight. There’s nothing I love more than putting Karen together with the Lieberman family, and especially with Sarah. The dramatic scenes between Karen and Frank, especially the one right after Frank called David freaking out because he thought she was missing when she was really just snowed in at their house was just so much fun to write and it’s a beast of a fic but so much fun to go back to. Also fun to throw in those bits of Karen traumatizing Foggy on purpose.

5 There Is No Easy Way To Explain (post TPS1 Kastle)

“Karen, I know you kind of got thrown in to the whole paralegal thing, but did Matt and Foggy not teach you a thing about ethics? Specifically, the ethics of not sleeping with your client? Especially the clients on trial for almost forty fucking homicides.” - okay but like, this fic has some of the best one-liners I’ve ever written, and Marci’s POV is SUCH a fun sandbox to play around in. She’s just like..how do you LIVE and Karen’s like…hot marine with an eight-pack ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Honorable mentions, because I could not resist: what died didn’t stay dead (you’re alive, you’re alive in my head) SethKate, post S3 and Seth just does not understand how Kate is alive because he’s in awe of her, which, duh. Chapter 4 of The Strongest Stars one-shot RebelCaptain, Jyn and Cassian aren’t easy to write and this was just a fun bit of banter, It Often Rhymes Damerey takes a jaunt to Naboo and I choose not to care that Force Ghosts don’t work like that, Going Through The Unimaginable Damerey, post TLJ and they're all stuck on the Falcon and was just really fun to write, Three People, Two Reunions, One Room In Medical (RebelCaptain, post ANH - it’s a crime that Jyn and Leia never got to interact outside of some of the comic canon)

Tagging: @myletternevercame, @tuntematonkorppi, @the-restless-brook, @heidiamalia, @ninzied, @152glasslippers, @theputterer and basically anyone who wants to partake. Congratulations, consider yourselves tagged!

[jeannedarkterraguard]

HoloAdvent Debut Reactions

So we're finally getting another HoloEN generation and Lisa and I decided to fuck up our sleep schedule (I mean not that there's gonna be much of a sleep schedule left once BG3 comes out next week) to watch the Debuts live and I'm gonna write down my thoughts about them so lets get to it...

first up Shiori Novella

-this loading screen is somehow comfy and spooky at the same time... weird

-wow... not the voice i was expecting from that model

-"Age: eye-don't-know"... oh god we have another Ina

-well that was... certainly a story...

-i literally never heard of any of these books... but to be fair i only ever read like 15 books if you don't count the ones that i was forced to read in school

-hey, i recognize some of these cartoons... well i recognize blues clues... and I've heard of courage and south park

-so she likes harvest moon huh

-i also don't recognize any of her husbandos, anime or games... am i old or are these just very niche (I'm old... the answer is I'm old)

-eating with scissors... why?

-story-driven games... that's interesting could we finally have another Kiara?

-would you look at that... my phone finally got the notification that her debut stream is starting... thanks YouTube...

-Lisa: "oh god she dresses like me when i was 16"

Me: "well, let's be real you tried that for like a week before you decided it was too much work and went back to wearing sweatpants and t-shirts"

-everything at 9pm CST... sometimes i hate living in Europe...

Koseki Bijou

-so will Shiori do the intros for all of them?

-she already sounds like a gremlin

-okay, cool little animation

-140cm? So we continue the tradition of every hololive member being short...

-dislikes mushrooms... i can relate

-what the fuck is interactive food?

-oh ok she means annoying food...

-man i really have no idea what any of these anime are... then again i haven't watched any anime that hasn't aired on TV here in Germany... and we only really got the absolute most popular ones like one piece, dragon ball and naruto...

-long streams... by what metric? Kiara long or Kaela long?

-oh 3+ hours... that's... just regular hololive numbers

-play as herself... pretty sure holocure will take care of that

-okay I'll admit it... i don't get this joke... are gems one of these things that people want to eat despite them being non-edible like cattails or sea-foam?

-interesting segment...

-those times are not better... why can't we have someone in hololive stream at European times?

So those two were pretty fun now back to sleep and then the other two Debuts tomorrow...

Nerissa Ravencroft

-okay I like her voice

-is it just me or can her model turn around pretty far compared to other vtubers... it almost seems like that already is a 3d model

-175cm... we have a new tallEST Hologirl... we still don't have a TALL Hologirl...

-pepperoni + pineapple pizza... i'm okay with either of those on its own but not both of them together you should never mix savoury, sweet, sour AND spicy (wait I just remembered americans mean salami when they say pepperoni... that's fine)

-doesn't like underwear... artist are gonna have a field day with this...

-doesn't like mushrooms... likes Zelda, Mario, FF7... she's quickly becoming my favourite

-she's also the first one where I know at least two of her favourite anime, Naruto and sailor moon

-i mean who doesn't like binge watching (if I have to wait a week for the next episode I will forget what happened in the last one)

-500.000 subs... well she's already halfway there...

-ah Keffiy-papa should have known

-aaaand there it is... 7 pm CST...

The Twins

-not sure about these overly cute voices

-okay maybe it's the sleep deprivation but i'm having a hard time following what they're talking about

-fuwa likes cute girls... I can relate...

-mococo also likes cute girls... oh and black licorice... again I can relate

-IT'S THE BGM! THE BGM IS TOO LOUD! That's why I can't understand them...

-okay what's a pon-de-ring?

-nice song... but that's all I can really say about that... i'm not really a big music girl

-wait 16:00 GMT... that's... almost a good european time... no wait that's just their morning streams not their main ones... Fuck

Well that was fun. Out of all five girls I think nerissa is my favourite but we'll see how that works out in the future... kinda hard to tell in just 45 minutes... anyway i'll need to get ready for work now so I can't write anything more detailed...

bye

[a-cup-of-fantasy]

just for fun, snippets of three fics I’m working on below the cut (all of them sailor moon, since that’s been the current fixation for over a year now). they’re not edited, but I wanted to share them for anyone interested, and since I can’t decide which to focus on first

first, a story about the moment the shitennou left endymion in the golden kingdom:

The whisper at his ear was so soft he barely registered it before he was pushed down to his knees.

“I really am sorry about this.”

Kunzite’s hand on his shoulder was heavy, and all Endymion could do was twist around to try to look at him, to see—he didn’t know what he wanted to see, just desperate to find something that would explain this madness.

“What are—?” Endymion tried to ask, but found that he stopped despite himself when he saw Kunzite’s face. There was no emotion in it he could discern, just dull grey eyes and an expression as blank as a block of stone or a wall of ice. People often compared Kunzite to such, but it had never been true. Even without his powers, Endymion always had been able to see the feelings on his face, although it may have been subtler than most.

And, when Endymion tapped into those powers and focused on the feelings he should have been able to sense through the weight of Kunzite’s hand holding him down, it was as if there was simply no one there at all.

---

second, a continuation of the last chapter of What Dreams May Come:

When he looked up, the stranger was looking at him again, with a strange expression on his face. “Are you sure we haven’t met?”

Sasha shook his head. “I don’t think that’s possible. I mean, I only just moved here, so it would have to have been in the past couple of weeks, and I think I would have remembered meeting you. Although…” He couldn’t shake the feeling that they had met somewhere, somehow. “You do seem familiar. Ever been on TV? Maybe I saw you there.”

That got a laugh from the man sitting across from him. “God, no. That’s not the life for me, I prefer to stay out of the spotlight when I can help it.”

You’ve certainly got the looks for it, Sasha thought, but didn’t say, because that would be too weird to say to the man who he’d only met not half an hour ago. Instead, he said, “Guess it’s déjà vu.”

“I suppose it must be. Or we met in a dream.”

Sasha laughed. “Yeah, maybe that’s it.”

---

third, a snippet from the third chapter of the shitennou time travel au I started last year:

“I have no idea why she cared about him so much. I mean, she didn’t care if we killed any of the Sailors, so why did she want us to bring Tuxedo Mask to her so badly?”

Kunzite blanched as Zoisite spoke, and Jadeite watched as his eyes widened as if he’d had some horrible epiphany. His grip on Zoisite’s arm must have tightened, as Zoisite turned to him with a questioning expression. “...Kunzite? Is everything okay?”

“She called him Endymion.” Kunzite’s voice was a hoarse whisper, and the words he spoke spilled from his lips like they were being forcibly drawn out of him. “She brought him back… Metallia made him her puppet like she did us, and she called him Endymion.”

---

okay I lied here’s a fourth, a snippet from a dark kingdom kunzoi getting together fic that is probably fluffier and sillier than it should be:

The Dark Kingdom was not a place for love. It was not a soft place, not one that valued affection, not one where it was safe to care for another, for you were always too aware that the next day could bring a sentence of death in its myriad of forms. Love, affection, trust: all weaknesses to one’s place in the order of the kingdom. And yet somehow Kunzite had found himself falling anyway. He, the man with the heart of stone, the ice king, Beryl’s most loyal general, had fallen madly—and it truly must have been a madness—in love with his fellow general, a man with a tongue sharper than the blades he fought with and a temper to match.

This was unacceptable.

---

other sailor moon fics I am currently working on include: a fic of the moments beryl took control of each of the shitennou, a few different kunzoi short fics, a full golden kingdom story, and my college au that isn’t actually a college au, it’s complicated. the last two of these I have been very slowly plotting out over the last year and I have So Many Thoughts on them

[magicalyaku]

I forgot what I wanted to write as introduction (again), but who cares. To everyone’s surprise, I did read books in December!

Reverie (Ryan La Sala): To prepare for the end of the year I took a look at the TBR I posted in January and realised there's still quite a few books on it I did not touch this year, ahem. Reverie was one of them! It was an interesting read. Like not my favourite but damn, I am so starved for everything speculative fiction. So I ate it up. When I read in the author's bio at the end that Ryan La Sala watches anime and started out with Sailor Moon, suddenly a lot of the book made sense. The friends group with magical powers, the over-the-top battles, the flashy villain(ess). Very anime. But I like anime, so all is well.

Too Like the Lightning (Travis Beaudois): For Christmas I wanted to give my friend a cheap little gay ebook as a bonus to the other gift. On her wishlist though was only some strange book, apparently written by a 12-year-old and unedited and maybe it's still good, but I felt I'd rather give my money to a person who actually has taken the time and effort to edit their book. A while ago I read a recommendation for Too Like the Lightning here, so I picked it up to check if it might be something my friend might like. It's a cute book. Nice characters, nice development, really feel-good atmosphere. I liked it! But I also know my friend reads for the porn und I honestly couldn't remember the smutty scenes afterwards. 8D I mean, there were some. And they weren't bad. My ace-brain just does not remember. Cute book, though.

In the Middle of Somewhere (Roan Parrish): I decided against Lightning for my friend and thought about what other book I could pick instead. A review of Lightning compared it to Roan Parrish which was one incentive for me to buy Lightning in the first place because I really liked the one Roan Parrish book I read before. But that was vol3. Gifting vol3 would be weird. I should go with vol1. So I borrowed it from the library to test-read. xD And damn, it was good. Definitely a lot more spicy and intense that Lightning, but also funny and real nice to read. Daniel was more interesting than he appeared to be in vol3. And aw, when Leo had his first appearance! And then Will, too! That was fun. While reading Lightning and Middle of Somewhere back to back I noticed how weird it is to have stories with just two characters interacting and no one else around. Consequently my favourite scene of the book was when Daniel, Rex, Leo and Will spent Halloween together.

Where we left off (Roan Parrish): Afterwards I told my other friend how I'm done with the dirty books for the year and of course I lied, because the next day I started rereading the 2nd sequel to Middle of Somewhere. What choice did I have? I just like Leo and Will! (as in together but also as separate characters) D: This is an interesting one though, because there's so much character work going on. Leo is thinking and reflecting and learning about all these things like physics and yoga to the point he's able to apply something he learned there to something else in his life. Good boy. Also he has an actual group of friends to balance out his obsession with Will.

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels (India Holton): Well. I read this because of a recommendation. It was interesting and entertaining. For a while. I like how it just rolls with the absurd ideas and behaviours. But it also uses a lot of words and at some point I was like "There's still 150 pages left?!" I was getting very impatient. The romance didn't help. For the first 6 chapters I was so confused. There's a bunch of badass ladies around, why would she fall for a man? And then I remembered, that this isn't a queer book at all. uAu" Wasted opportunity. And I hated the smut scene! Why was it even necessary?! Changing the perspective three times? Ugh. So yeah, entertaining for a while, but ultimately not my cup of tea.

I’ll be home for Christmas (Mason Deaver): A bonus story to I Wish You all the Best, hardly qualifies as a real book. But. I bought this in summer after finishing the main story and put it off to read it in-season. And then I almost forgot. uAub It’s cute and short and a nice follow-up.

Mirrored in Evergreen (B. Pigeon): This one was a little odd. In the beginning I was slightly confused to the order of events and wtf is going on but it's a short book so with just a little patience things are set in order. I did like the characters. The way Rowan is so no-nonsense about everything was very unexpected and welcome. Rosemary was also nice. And I definitely liked the overall atmosphere. That sort of despair, melancholy, nostalgia. That's what it felt like for me anyways. I don't think I understood everything. I'm surely still blind to half of the characters’ motives, but overall I did enjoy reading the book. And because of that remaining sense of mystery I can totally see myself rereading it in the not-so-far future.

Howl (Shaun David Hutchinson): Earlier this month I started reading You've Reached Sam because I had a hot melancholic second where I felt like I could use a little bit of pain so we can suffer in sympathy. The next day I was already over it und shelved the book because I didn't want to deal with the suffering. And then I picked Howl for my last book of 2022 and guess what I got! It's SD Hutchinson so it's not as straightforward and also not about the romance so it's easier to read for me, but goddamn the SUFFERING! Why can people be so shitty? Ugh! I do like his stories though and the way he tells them.

And that’s it! Stay tuned for my Best-of that I still have to compose (effort) and TBR (too easy)!

[izupie]

I got tagged in this like a bazillion years ago but I only just now remembered about it aaaa - thank you for tagging me @microsuedemouse I do love answering these sorts of things <3

------------

1. three ships: ok here we go

Destiel (Dean/Castiel) - don't boo me I'm right - it's the angel/hunter frenemies to friends to lovers pipeline. theyre cute theyre messy theyre besties theyre fighting theyre risking it all to save each other again. *chefs kiss*

Albether (Albedo/Aether) - boyfriends with secrets and emotional scars find comfort in each other. the quiet one with the bubbly one dynamic. plus they just look cute together im sorry

Izuocha (Izuku/Ochako) - pure fluff. supportive and adorable. theyre uncomplicated to me and make me smile

---

2. first ship ever: oooooh !! let me cast my mind back.... back...... oh no why is this so far back........ okay!

The first time I can remember wanting two characters to be together is probably when I was a teeny tiny Izupie watching Sailor Moon while I was in primary school, maybe year 3/4 I think? (UK school system - I have no idea what the equivalent would be in the US) (I could google it) (but I don't wanna)

I was obsessed with Sailor Moon every morning on tv. I watched the dub though - back when I had no idea these things were even dubbed over at all. I loooooved Serena and Darien - I'm sorry I know their dub names can give people hives, but I have so many fond memories of them I'll love them even if nobody else does asdfghjk

the whole he's really secretly tuxedo mask thing broke my tiny little mind and I was like gaaasssppp ! and I wanted them to be together even more - their initial I like you/you annoy me dynamic probably informed a lot of my ship preferences going forward

Every time there was an episode focusing on their relationship I would get so invested. they were my first real 'ship' for sure

3. currently listening: I'm not really listening to any particular music rn - I listen to the radio a lot though! Just a popular music station that plays all the latest hits

---

4. Last movie: I can't believe this is legit going to be Tinkerbell and the Secret of the Wings lmaoooo - it's a comfort film and I needed some cheering up after a long hard day at work last week, so I booted up disney plus and on it went. Literally the lowest stakes you can imagine, just lots of pretty visuals, sparkly wings, fairies, upbeat pop songs and a happy ending. ultimate comfort film.

---

5. currently reading: soooooo much fanfiction. so. much. fanfiction. a shameful amount of fanfiction. but it's sooooooo good.

Destiel has the most fics on AO3 guys. there is so much to choose from. it's glorious. if you can think of ANY trope you enjoy there will be pages of fics for it. I am so spoilt for choice and I'm having so much fun with it

---

6. currently watching: *looks at the screen like I'm in The Office*

SUPERNATU*gunshot noises*

---

7. currently consuming: nothing right now but I'm hungry and I'm going to make some dinner soon. I've been snacking on a lot of the chocolate I got for christmas recently ahaaaa

---

8. currently craving: a hug. which is bizarre because I would describe myself as not-a-huggy-person but I had a dream that I hugged someone the other night and I woke up like. I WANT A HUG. but like. not just a hug. I want a HUG. rib crushingly tight with an even tighter squeeze thrown in there. chins over shoulders. noses in necks. closed eyes. breathe deep. step apart but still holding on. That's a HUG. that's what I want.

Universe - get on that please.

---

here's the Tagging part, but I'm not sure I want to tag anyone at the moment - so this is a ~free tag~ to anyone reading this that just wants to answer some fun questions! yes, you there!

[andersonpress]

Hot Fam Summer: 10 Summer Activities to do with your Chosen Family

May 1, 2022

ICONS like the CareBears, Dragon Tales, My Little Ponies, Digimon, Captain Planet and Sailor Moon are all powered by friendship 🌸🌟🥰😍😻🌈☀️🍓✨! Ever since I was collecting beanie babies I was obsessed with having thee best group of friends around. I was a extroverted and very social little gaybie. Also coming from a strict religious household, I was never really allowed to be alone with my friends or hang out with them without my parents or an adult. Whenever and wherever my friends and I could get some "just us" time, we took advantage. I have such vivid memories of making music videos, creating raps, taking pictures at the ice cream shop, writing stories, and creating fake parties and scenarios alllllll day with my friends at school, in basements, both under tight supervision and in our alone time.

Chosen family has always been my choice of family dynamic tbh. Little Tay knew. No one should feel "stuck" with anyone. Friends are the family we choose. They then become the ones who really work to make the difference in your life! Especially for folks like me with complicated relationships to biological family. It's important to develop all of your relationships especially your non romantic ones. Friends are the ones I call when I am in trouble or when I just need a listening ear. The ones who I feel like I can have the most fun with and who I take "family vacations" with.

1) Pride

Now this is FIRST on my list because I loved going to Pride when I was straight - deadass! It's always somewhere in the Summer and has a very inclusive line up of events. (Depending on where you live events are different.) No matter your friends all are welcome at Pride Festivals and often have a variety of adult, child, or family centered events for you and your chosen family to choose from. The beautiful part of Pride is anyone can live their fantasy! Love yourself in the skin you're in! Wear something that makes you feel beautiful, fully realized - think of yourself at 100%, what would you look like? Celebrate your identities and what makes your friendship so unique, so loving, so real.

2) Themed Movie Night

I love a theme. Tik Tok, Instagram, and Pinterest really work as great search engines for examples, ideas, and instructions on themed movie nights as well as parties. One trend I have been seeing more is a group of friends each dressing as a liquor brand and matching their outfit to the aesthetic of the liquor bottle. Ideas like this allow each friend to bring their uniqueness to their outfit, tailor drink choices according to their likes, and make everyone feel equal parts unique and part of a group. In terms of finances everyone can agree on a price to spend on drinks, activities, and outfits so it is a cheaper way to come together and have a good time. Instead of theming outfits around drinks pick your favorite movies or shows and center that in your gathering. If you want to take things outside of the house my friends and I LOVED heading to the $1 movies and sneaking in snacks. Pack a sandwich, some cookies, and a Ziploc of popcorn - it's time to binge.

3) Porch/Living Room Party

Got a porch or a living room? Well you HAVE a party! Focusing the party on one room in your home de escalates the amount of money and supplies needed to have a full on house party. I had a stoop Summer get together with a bunch of friends as a way to meet while cases were on the rise. We were able to mask, chill, watch TV on my stoop and eat food! It was super cute and really open with some people walking up and down the street, taking photos in the street, and even playing with the neighborhood kids in the street. Offer a variety of activities that can be done like cards, board games, bubbles, hula hoops! It's fun! If you have pets that is always a plus!

4) Road Trip

Ok. Pick somewhere reasonable. I always go for someplace within 3 hours of where we all live. Once you all have finally settled on a destination go ahead and pllllaaaannn. The planning for a road trip (to me) is the most fun part. Everyone looking up places to go, cities, landmarks, museums, and weird quirks to check out. Make sure you pick places and stops on the way that relate to the needs of your chosen fam. You don't want to be on a trip where everyone's overlooks your views and ideas so - keep it cute. Pack up everyone's favorite snacks; make a collaborative playlist; and have LOTS of podcasts, movies, and juicy conversation to keep everyone awake. In the past my friends and I have gone to a beach, random Amish country, Vegas, and lots of trips to concerts right outside our state.

5) Self Care Days/Afternoons

This idea is one that I institute with the gwurls at minimum once a month. Plan a day where everyone can come over and bring over their favorite pampering products and just have a relaxing ass day. It's giving face masks, seltzer water, nail polish, hair maintenance, and even dying hair! If you're that close and have experience add some pimple pops and waxing to the list. Talk about intimacy.

6) Weekday Check In Mixer

It's like Happy Hour - at the damn house. The purpose is not to network or generate anything but mores allow time to vent about their week and just blowing off steam! Have the fam pick up takeout or fast food on the way in and eat dinner together. Talk about how the week has gone so far, where you hope it can go, ask questions, and just laugh! If time allows play a card or a board game. I love a check in get together so I can get all the good gossip, tea, and updates during the week.

7) Art Party

8) Staycation

Go halfsies (or sixies) on a local rental home or hotel. Pick a fun nighttime and daytime activity that everyone can participate in. Everyone can split the costs for food to be delivered or groceries to cook up a feast. Additional points to the chosen families that match or coordinate outfits and pajamas.

9) House Party

Celebrate something babe. Someone's promotion, a personal goal you know your friend met, or y'alls own holiday. Create a playlist or if you have the pull get a DJ (y'all deserve it)! Party hard. Dance all night! Let loose!

10) Group Class

GROUPON GAYS STAND UP! Sit back on the couch and look up classes offered for groups in your area on Yelp, GroupOn, and Instagram! Make sure to keep it affordable and accessible and fun! Some ideas would be yoga, cooking, crafting, and art workshops. For example, ask everyone in your group what "blowing off steam" means for them and survey the answers.

[laundrycolour]

my feelings (okamoto hina; 25.03.2024)

#hinadaniblog; #okamotohina

25.03.2024

good evening.

born in aichi, japan, 20-years-old,

i am okamoto hina.

these days, i’ve been working hard, practicing for sailor moon every day~

this is roughly my first try in terms of acting, so there are many things that i don’t understand, but challenging new things is really fun all the same.

[for] the 12th birthday live,

to everyone who came to the venue,

to everyone who watched the broadcast,

truly, thank you very much.

um. where should i even begin.

there are so many things i want to tell you about.

while we were preparing for the birthday live, i’d wake up, go to rehearsals, take a power nap at night and memorize the choreography every day. it was very challenging, and i genuinely don’t think i would’ve been able to stand on that stage, if it hadn’t been for the support of my family and genmates, senpais and staff-san alike.

the two of us were together almost every day 🐼

during the rehearsals, i practiced with the senpais every day, which helped the distance between us get shorter.

tamura-san stuck close to me.

she smells very nice ☘️

yuna-san told me, with an angelic smile,

��you’re really beautiful, aren’t you~ (◍´꒳`◍)” ah, there also was a moment [with yuna-chan], where i thought “i love you so much that i could cry~”

during ‘jikochuu [de ikou!]’, there’s a part of the choreography that’s meant to be performed in pairs, and i didn’t have one, so yakubo-san and ayatii-san told me “it’d be lonely to do this [part of the choreography] by yourself, so let’s do it together!”

when they told me that, i thought to myself that i, too, would like to be such a wonderful senpai.

they really are like an elder sister and mother to me 🫣

thank you very much for the beautiful flowers (you prepared) for this time’s live show, too. before the live starts, before i go up the stage, admiring (the flowers) is my routine. 🌼.*

i love them.

if i had to name any regrets [that i was left with after the live], i wish i would’ve been able to sing 'barrette’ without crying. [in terms of this song,] i was teary-eyed ever since the rehearsals, but when the intro to it began playing and i was faced with the concert’s psyllium-filled scenery, my tear glands broke down and i burst out crying..

this was a song by my favourite senpai, whom i admire.

when i thought that, thanks to many coincidences and miracles that happened all at once, i now stood on the stage that i had been longing for, my tears couldn’t stop flowing.

i was thrilled with the costumes, too.

i found one of the heart petals that were used during the performance and had fallen on the floor, and i took it home really carefully-!!

someday, some other time.

i want to perform this song to my satisfaction.

furthermore, this was my first time performing 'against’, which is a song i’ve always said i’ve loved.

i did my best to dance to this song, despite clinging to riria-chan in tears [during the rehearsals]… riria-chan taught me each step, one by one, with a smile on her face 🫶

recently, we made a promise to go out again together 🎀

having difficult choreography is an essential part of cool songs, right~

i wanted to recreate the way everyone in 1kisei-san danced.

with that feeling in mind, i watched past videos [of this song being performed] over and over again.

i wonder how many more times i’ll be able to perform 'against’ while being part of nogizaka46.

i’d like to do so, many times over.

this is marika-san’s costume 👗

i was thrilled from the moment i put my arms into the sleeves…!!

i’m really sorry that it ended up taking me so long to write this blog 😭

to the people who’ve prepared flowers. i’m truly sorry to have kept you waiting so long for photos [with them]… 😭

it’s been some time now since i’ve returned [from my hiatus].

my body has started adapting to the tough schedules, and i’m a little proud of myself for working hard every day.

from now on too, i’ll continue running up the slope

thank you very much for reading until the end!!

let’s meet again

[hogoshoku]

my feelings (okamoto hina; 25.03.2024)

my feelings #hinadaniblog; #okamotohina

25.03.2024

good evening.

born in aichi, japan, 20-years-old,

i am okamoto hina.

these days, i've been working hard, practicing for sailor moon every day~

this is roughly my first try in terms of acting, so there are many things that i don't understand, but challenging new things is really fun all the same.

[for] the 12th birthday live,

to everyone who came to the venue,

to everyone who watched the broadcast,

truly, thank you very much.

um. where should i even begin.

there are so many things i want to tell you about.

while we were preparing for the birthday live, i'd wake up, go to rehearsals, take a power nap at night and memorize the choreography every day. it was very challenging, and i genuinely don't think i would've been able to stand on that stage, if it hadn't been for the support of my family and genmates, senpais and staff-san alike.

the two of us were together almost every day 🐼

during the rehearsals, i practiced with the senpais every day, which helped the distance between us get shorter.

tamura-san stuck close to me.

she smells very nice ☘️

yuna-san told me, with an angelic smile,

"you're really beautiful, aren't you~ (◍´꒳`◍)" ah, there also was a moment [with yuna-chan], where i thought "i love you so much that i could cry~"

during 'jikochuu [de ikou!]', there's a part of the choreography that's meant to be performed in pairs, and i didn't have one, so yakubo-san and ayatii-san told me "it'd be lonely to do this [part of the choreography] by yourself, so let's do it together!"

when they told me that, i thought to myself that i, too, would like to be such a wonderful senpai.

they really are like an elder sister and a mother to me 🫣

thank you very much for the beautiful flowers (you prepared) for this time's live show, too. before the live starts, before i go up the stage, admiring (the flowers) is my routine. 🌼.*

i love them.

if i had to name any regrets [that i was left with after the live], i wish i would've been able to sing 'barrette' without crying. [in terms of this song,] i was teary-eyed ever since the rehearsals, but when the intro to it began playing and i was faced with the concert's psyllium-filled scenery, my tear glands broke down and i burst out crying..

this was a song by my favourite senpai, whom i admire.

when i thought that, thanks to many coincidences and miracles that happened all at once, i now stood on the stage that i had been longing for, my tears couldn't stop flowing.

i was thrilled with the costumes, too.

i found one of the heart petals that were used during the performance and had fallen on the floor, and i took it home really carefully-!!

someday, some other time.

i want to perform this song to my satisfaction.

furthermore, this was my first time performing 'against', which is a song i've always said i've loved.

i did my best to dance to this song, despite clinging to riria-chan in tears [during the rehearsals]... riria-chan taught me each step, one by one, with a smile on her face 🫶

recently, we made a promise to go out again together 🎀

having difficult choreography is an essential part of cool songs, isn't it~

i wanted to recreate the way everyone in 1kisei-san danced.

with that feeling in mind, i watched past videos [of this song being performed] over and over again.

i wonder how many more times i'll be able to perform 'against' while being part of nogizaka46.

i'd like to, many times over.

this is marika-san's costume 👗

i was thrilled from the moment i put my arms into the sleeves...!!

i'm really sorry that it ended up taking me so long to write this blog 😭

to the people who've prepared flowers. i'm truly sorry to have kept you waiting so long for photos [with them]... 😭

it's been some time now since i've returned [from my hiatus].

my body has started adapting to the tough schedules, and i'm a little proud of myself for working hard every day.

from now on too, i'll continue running up the slope

thank you very much for reading until the end!!

let's meet again

[runimanio]

2024 Game Clears #23 X-Men Arcade and Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon Arcade

Putting these together because my friend Jacob and I played these back to back and not because I once had a fever dream where I found a unpublished Marvel Vs Sailor Moon comic from the nineties in my attic for some reason and then started getting assassination attempt by Marvel comic collector.

Starting with X-men, like a lot of people right now X-Men 97 really has given me mutant fever and now i'm X-Men stuff I always wanted to get to but never had time, Reading Dark Phoenix, rewatching the Fox movies for the first since I was kid and yes playing Konami's X-Men arcade game. As a kid my rural town randomly had a 2 player cabinet in the bar, my parents never would give me quarters but I still would mash the buttons and pretend I was playing during the attract demo.

And yeah playing it 20 year later, it's a fun classic Konami brawler! It does have some weird oddities like the designs being from that Pryde of the X-Men 80's pilots, Magneto having a sentinel army is kind of strange but non of that detracts from it being a great time also shout out to being able to wail on downed enemies

On the Sailor Moon side... This game is so pretty all the sprites and animations are so nice... well I could do without Mercury's throw animation which is just a prominent upskirt you just gotta accept with 90's Sailor Moon sometimes unfortunately look at Usagi's desperation attack, I love how she just flails around

I think X-Men is probably a better game, its a little less repetitive and has less of the retro beat-em-up game design tropes that kinda bother me such as X-men only having friendly fire on throws while SM it can genuinely kinda hard to not get in each other way but I do think Sailor Moon looks nicer and I think I liked this a bit better then the consoles Sailor Moon beat-em-ups.

its hard to write about brawler like this because I can be like "oh it's just kinda just a button basher" but who cares about that, grab a friend and launch one of these up and you'll have a fun time for hour

(also playing Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon™ (Arcade Game) made me what to watch Sailor Moon again Toei when are we getting Cosmos over here what's taking so long?)

Jacob's Note: "I had a fun time raging out as Colossus lol

(should logically with that note end the post with a gif of Colossus screaming but that too much flashing light so uhhh here's Usagi gaming instead)

[severeearthquakebanana]

ALLLL RIIIGHT Friends! I've made it through Sailor Moon S (aka season 3) and I'm just going to give up on my comments about Sailor Moon R/Season 2. Season 3 was just superior. There's a couple reasons for that.

First off, I ADORE Haruka/Sailor Uranus and Michiru/Sailor Neptune. They are so incredibly cool!! Like Sailor Neptune's "here to fight with elegance"?! The entire sequence that is Sailor Uranus' 'World Shaking' attack?!? !!! idk how they are animating that, i think it's just they aren't including as many frames so it makes her arm movements seem more sharp but wowee is it cool!! Gotta be my favorite part. Additionally, I really like their voice actors! Sailor Uranus is much more serious most of the time, and I really appreciate her contradiction to Usagi's naivete. They not only were told to be on a higher level than the rest of the sailor guardians, but it was actually shown! Sometimes I feel like in these long running shows a character gets real talked up and then don't ever do anything to show for it. Not the case with Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune! They really did feel stronger and more informed, like they had a specific mission, and they accomplished it. Very Interesting. Also their transformation music KICKED ASS omg it's my second favorite transformation soundtrack, after the original one from the first season.

Secondly, i just liked the villains more this season. As I said in earlier posts, Mimette was just hilarious, I love her dearly. And the monsters of the week were so creative! I really enjoyed seeing what new creation the design team cooked up, and how they chose to weave it into the story. One of the later ones was inspired by gambling, so she had a face of a queen from the card deck, her torso was a die, and her arms were chess pieces. And then she captured the guardians in glass playing cards! Truly, a fun fun time.

Thirdly, I liked Chibiusa SO MUCH MORE this season. I think my dislike was cause of the whole 'fighting over Mamoru' plot point that they had in season 2, i just could not stand it. In the slightest. Like Chibiusa's big character point is that she is an incredibly lonely little girl. It's why her friendship with Hotaru this season was so important. Not only did we get more time with the two of them together just being friends (in comparison to Crystal), but I truly believed they were friends and cared deeply about each other. I may never have been alone like Chibiusa is, but I understand deep friendships, and the anime executed. Additionally, like I said before, her 'pink sugar heart attack' never working correctly was absolutely a highlight and in the last episode they just had her shout the words then run into the villain and it was excellent lol I laughed every time it happened.

Fourthly, the pacing. As is expected from the '92 anime, the actual plot points again came kinda out of left field at the tail end of the season. I would say this was handled much better this season, but it was more that I felt they used the 'crisis make up' way too much. Like to me, the 'crisis make up' to become Super Sailor Moon was a big deal. So why are we upgrading ourselves for the monster of the week? I really didn't get that. I mean it sorta made sense considering episode 125, but honestly I just felt like they could have kept the big attack sequence the same. But I also understand having even an extra 10 seconds of stock footage for a weekly anime can be the difference of hours of work, so I will never fault that. Jumping back to the pacing and plot points, perhaps it's cause i watched this season more in chunks cause work was busy during week days, but I felt knowing the plot points from Crystal was not a negative comparison! While Crystal obviously integrated the setting of Mugan school much better because it was more streamlined, I feel like I actually got to know Sailor Neptune, Sailor Uranus, and Hotaru so much more as characters within the '92 anime. And I felt the integrated Mugan as a decent setting early enough that it wasn't that bad. idk, I think i just found season 2 to not have as strong of a final few episodes.

Fifthly, Sailor Pluto. Sailor Pluto was absolutely my favorite character to come out of Crystal, her voice actress is stunning and Pluto's role as Chibiusa's friend was just beautifully executed. Her sacrifice in season 2 of Crystal and subsequent return in season 3 was so meaningful and absolutely crazy. In the '92 anime? There was absolutely no exploration of Pluto and Chibiusa's relationship outside of Chibiusa calling her a nickname, and Pluto looking at her fondly. Useless. AND Pluto was only in like an episode and a half of all of Sailor Moon R! She didn't even sacrifice herself for Chibiusa! So her appearing in Sailor Moon S was nice, but really lacked the punch Crystal had. However, they definitely did a much better job with her character in S, so I put it as a point in Sailor Moon S's favor.

Finally, episode 125. Boy oh boy episode 125. I have never been more annoyed at a character more in my life. Usagi's ass got saved by the plot. Yes, she was still Hotaru, and her belief that Hotaru was still in there was valid. But she literally did nothing but stand there, look sad, give up the McGuffin, be upset about giving up the McGuffin, block an attack with her person, and then scream/cry until the plot worked in her favor. At least in Crystal, the final powerup was from everyone voluntarily giving their power to her, not just the tiaras glowing and coming to the main character's aid. Despite all of that, despite my annoyance, I was still quite moved by the whole situation. Stephanie Sheh, Usagi's voice actress, is seriously amazing. She had so much anguish in her voice, and i have since learned i'm watching the Viz 2014 redub, so apparently Stephanie's Usagi has a higher pitched voice that 'sounds like she inhaled helium' but I think it's just fine considering she's supposed to be 14, but ANYWAY the emotion in Stephanie's voice, plus the background music, it all sold it for me. And they didn't show the fight, they just showed the ball of energy be defeated, and the music box version of the main theme (which they would previously play in season 1 when anything serious happened) played as everyone emerges from the wreckage with ripped clothes and all looking worse for wear. Quite a success in setting tone and everything. Also I liked how the sailor guardians all made a shield with their persons/power to keep the evil energy/daimons from getting into the city. Great callback to how they protected Crystal Tokyo in Sailor Moon R, and gave them something to do more than stand around looking worried. Yeah, episode 125 was really great.

So yeah! Sailor Moon R was kinda meh, but Sailor Moon S was very good! I'm a sucker for elegant characters like Michiru, and the friendship between Chibiusa and Hotaru was so incredibly wholesome and beautiful, it made me happy. Completely unrelated, but Sailor Jupiter's main attack 'sparkling wide pressure' is basically thrown like a baseball and it gives me LYFEEEE omg like i'm sure its leaning into the tomboy stereotype Mako embodies BUT I DON'T CARE I still like it.

Now we get to step into Sailor Moon SuperS, which is brand new territory! Crystal as a tv show only made it through the third arc, and there is a movie covering this fourth arc and another movie that came out at some point this year that covered the fifth arc, but honestly i may as well just stick with the '92 anime. I really love the softer art style, and with work picking up the monster of the week format is really quite relaxing and a fun way to unwind in the evenings. So yeah! Very excited to see what's next. On to Sailor Moon SuperS!