#fighting for love and beauty || minako aino

[sorrowmarked]

Ship Bias !! pick 3 muses

I'm picking them at random then!

Asa Mitaka from Chainsaw Man

I really only have one for this. It's Asa x Denji. I'm like full on trash for it at this point and I don't even care that it's going to end painfully. They had a cute date at the aquarium, even though she like infodumped on him about every exhibit they went to he asked her on a second date. The war devil tried to kill him and he thought it was a fun way to say good bye. If they were in any other manga they'd be so happy together. Unfortunately, they're in Chainsaw Man so ... rip.

Minako Aino

Minako x Rei. They're literally Mars and Venus, like how much more poetic does it get? They're also like consistently there for each other, they get along really well. They have that "we don't need men" line from the manga they're leaning on each other. They're into each other.

Minako x Kunzite. Lovers from the past 2! They're both leaders, they understand the duty of protecting their prince / princess. Forbidden love. Enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers.

Yor Forger

Honestly only Loid. We've all agreed it's Yor and Loid right?

(Tbh I could crossover ship her with either of the guys from Buddy Daddies tho)

[adm-starblitzsteel-4305]

To be honest...

Ma. Celestina (OC) as Sailor Godzilla and Sailor Mothra

😳😉

Full description is here because I am tired of typing sheeesh.

There's a new ability I introduced for all of you guys:

"Titan Up! (insert Kaiju transformation)"

It is a mixed of Godzilla and Sailor Moon style I created. So how does it acquired with such magic?

I started the small concept about a small fusion: supposedly there was a girl who likewise have a powers like Godzilla and her transformation into a Godzilla themed style plus sailor fuku, but then I thought about this small concept will be the main course.

If you remember my human OC and main protagonist of POTM - Ma. Celestina (Celestia is her alias): yes, SHE is the ONE who will acquire the power of her Titan parents (Godzilla and Mothra) and with the Cosmic Brooch's superstitious magic. She can allow herself to transform into a magical superheroine girl.

BACKSTORY BEFORE MONSTERVERSE:

On the prelude of Sailor V, Ma. Celestina meets Minako Aino alongside Artemis who likewise senses her powers the same as Minako (who is the superheroine beauty called Sailor V), she allows herself to become a superheroine beauty like Sailor V, under the name as Sailor C. The two worked together to vanquished supernatural evils who steals energies of humans before Artemis reveals that they will have to find the other Sailor Guardians like themselves because he explains that Minako is the long lost Moon Princess of the Silver Millenium and that she wields the mystical Silver Crystal, which is the main reason why the Dark Kingdom was after for it. Minako posed herself as a student on Juuban High School (Usagi's school) while Ma. Celestina continues to search the Silver Crystal while gathering information about the Dark Kingdom's leader.

The two eventually met the other Sailor Guardians: Sailors Moon, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter, alongside a black cat named Luna, before they joined into many adventures and battles they encountered (I used the Sailor Moon Crystal Seasons 1 to 3).

After the battle with Pharaoh 90, Ma. Celestina coincides about staying with the Sailor Guardians, but her quest was not complete yet. She asked Sailors Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto to watch over Hotaru Tomoe (known as Sailor Saturn) while she is away, giving baby Hotaru a necklace emblazed a topaz star pendant, promising to return back from her adventures as they depart.

Ma. Celestina is currently absent on the events of Sailor Moon Eternal and Sailor Moon Cosmos.

IN MONSTERVERSE:

Short prequel from after the events of POTM, the now 18 years old Ma. Celestina - who is given a name Astra II after her Titan incarnated past - adjusts her life as a Princess and normal life with Godzilla and Mothra, her newly adoptive family alongside Mothra Leo and the reformed Titan-turned-human Battra. What's more even interesting is that her Cosmic Brooch allows its user to fused a being that is incredibly powerful. Astra II spliced Godzilla's radioactive heat ray and Mothra's cyan bioluminiscent dusts from her mystic celestial magic, allowing it to combined the power as one because she is a part human and part Titan.

As Sailor Godzilla, she wields a Radioactive Titan Staff which produces an immense amount of heat ray and conjuring a powerful god-like aspects (think about Sailor Saturn's Death Reborn Revolution, but much more powerful). It is also noted that whenever she feels angry, there's a certain transformation about becoming a Godzilla genes due to heredity that is not awakened in time. This is her yell:

"TITAN UP! GODZILLA!"

"I bring balance and justice to those who opposed the Earth! Sailor Godzilla! Here to fight, and bow before your Ruler!"

As Sailor Mothra, she wields a double-bladed katana engraved with gems and a symbol of Mothra (like Mothra's limbs). She can also created a similar god rays like Mothra to erased the storms, and a magical song to target the enemies' old pasts about their loved ones in order to surrender, or to fight. She is capable of using silk attack to struck opponents. Note that her moth wings has Mothra's patterns, but much likely resembles Ma. Celestina's moth wings. Her majestic form is alluring to humans and Titans. Plus, Mothra's ancient song can be played by two of Ma. Celestina's new Twin Priestesses, but added a bit magical to express the devotion of the Stars. Her yell:

"TITAN UP! MOTHRA"

"I am the Goddess of Peace, Giver of Life, and Protector of the Earth. A King needs his Queen. I, Sailor Mothra, shall cast forth upon your evil deed! Bow before your Ruler!"

So, what do you think of my OC's transformation?

And that's it. I hope you like my fusion as both Sailor Moon style and Godzilla style.

If I ever fused Rodan and Ghidorah, then that's my promise.

I don't own any Godzilla and Sailor Moon Characters. They all belong to their respective owners and rights.

I only own my OCs.

Game:

Sailor Moon Dress Up on Dolldivine.

[sorcerymuses]

Aino Minako, Love and Beauty Shock

Height: 5'3" Hair: Shoulder length, Dark Brown (while transformed as Sailor Venus/Sailor V, hair is waist length blond) Eyes: Brown (While transformed, eyes are blue) FC: Komatsu Ayaka Birthday: October 22

Minako awakened as a Sailor Senshi long before the rest of her team. Fighting as Sailor V, she was posing as the Moon Princess until Serenity awakened. She has a dream of becoming an idol after high school…

[juurensha]

Ship Meme: Senshi/Shittenou

Since people seemed to like my DabiHawks ship post, I thought I’d write some more! So for my second post, I’m going to do a throwback to baby’s first big OTP, Senshi/Shittenou from Sailor Moon!

Another panel that just spawned a thousand fics :DDDD

Are we cheating by just lumping all four pairings together in one post, shhhhhhh.

The Inner Senshi:

The inner sailor senshi, loyal protectors and closest friends of their princess Sailor Moon, Sailor Venus/Minako Aino, guardian of love and beauty, Sailor Mercury/Ami Mizuno, guardian of water and knowledge, Sailor Mars/Rei Hino, guardian of flame and passion, and Sailor Jupiter/Makoto Kino, guardian of thunder and courage.

My favorite is probably Mercury, because I’ve always got a soft spot for smart, quiet bookworms, but I really am fond of all the sailor senshi. Venus, bubbly and sociable, with a core of steel underneath it all, Mars, aloof but with a fire burning in her, and Jupiter, tomboyish but also with the most traditionally girly pursuits of them all.

They fight, laugh, love, and grow alongside Usagi throughout the series, and as the first magical girl squad ever, they really did form a good part of my childhood.

The Shintennou:

The four heavenly kings, Prince Endymion’s bodyguards later brainwashed by Queen Metalia into turning on him and the Sailor Senshi. There’s Kunzite, the serious leader of the Shitennou, Zoisite, cunning and crafty, Jadeite, psychic but a bit of a playboy, and Nephrite, astrologer and patient.

So first off, I will say that some of these personalities listed here are a bit of a mix of different canons (because the 90′s anime and the manga had very different takes sometimes) and fanon, but the essential fact of their backstory, I’m sticking with the manga.

They’re the starter villains of any Sailor Moon adaptation, but as soon as I heard their story of being Endymion’s brainwashed bodyguards, I really started liking them just for the tragedy of it all. They swore to protect their prince and their planet, and in the end they brought about the downfall of both. DDDD:

After the first arc, they pretty much either get killed or sealed in stones that Mamorou carries around for guidance, but I really think they had the potential to have their own arc! Mamorou could have had more friends, and it would have been an interesting parallel with all the Senshi.

Which of course brings us to ....

Senshi/Shittenou:

Sadly we have no other canon images of them together, so we’re just going to have to stick to these :(

So I will admit this pairing really hits all the tragic reincarnation romance tropes that I could want: protectors of a kingdom falling in love with their opposing counterpart, only for their love to betray them and their kingdom, forcing them to kill or be killed by them, and then they’re all reincarnated, and it turns out the traitors were brainwashed, but still, how do you forget all that? Can you forgive them? How do you guys manage to move on from all that???

It’s delicious with how every author goes about exploring that question, but what’s also nice is how each couple has a contrast in personalities. Venus and Kunzite are both the leaders of their group, but Venus can get Kunzite to loosen up, while Kunzite can steady her a bit. Mercury and Zoisite are both the strategists of their groups, but Zoisite can get Mercury out of her shell, while Mercury can soothe Zoisite. Mars and Jadeite are both the psychics of their groups, but the play of shrine maiden and aloof Mars against playboy Jadeite is pretty great. Jupiter and Nephrite are both the tanks of their groups, and Jupiter doesn’t have anything to prove with Nephrite, while Nephrite gets someone who will stand her ground against him.

There’s so many possibilities here, and I love all of them.

But juu, isn’t this pairing based on a lot of fanon?

Yeah of course the truth of the matter with a pairing with characters whose biggest appearance was when they were brainwashed, and whose history was only explored in one art spread by the manga-ka does mean that there’s a lot of fanon involved. Combine that with how the 90′s anime, the stage adaptation, the video games, and the manga all have different interpretations of the characters, and you get a slew of variety. Still, I don’t think that’s a bad thing! We all really like the interesting backstory here, and I feel like that’s one of the most important features.

Also, I think Kunzite/Venus is the one that has the least fanon since that one was explored a little more in the Sailor V manga.

juu, do you have a favorite Senshi/Shitennou pairing?

Yep! I really like them as an ensemble since I love seeing both the boys and the girls commiserating with each other over their troubles, but my favorite two ships are Venus/Kunzite and Mercury/Zoisite.

With Venus and Kunzite, you’ve got the senshi of love actually resisting the idea of love for herself, beating herself up over her own perceived failures as a leader, but gradually learning to forgive both herself and Kunzite, and you’ve got the stoic general of the shitennou pursuing the woman who had fascinated him and pursued him in a past life.

With Mercury/Zoisite, you’ve got Mercury, normally so level-headed and allergic to love, getting to come out of her shell a bit as Zoisite uses all his cunning to once again win his quiet lady’s heart. It’s very sweet! It’s very nice!

juu, do you prefer Senshi/Shittenou fic focusing on their past lives or their present ones?

While I do enjoy seeing the courtly romance and their first meetings, if you couldn’t tell from this post, I really like seeing them more in their present modern lives hahaha. It’s mostly because with the past lives romance, you still have the tragedy up ahead just waiting (unless this is an AU fic), while with the modern fics, there’s obviously a lot of angst, but there’s also a potential happy ending up ahead :DDDD

juu, do you have a favorite/preferred Sailor Moon adaptation?

So while the 90′s anime holds a special place in my heart as one of my first anime (it’s either that or Pokemon), the manga’s art is just GORGEOUS, and I am forever sad that the art books are out of print and now cost like 200 dollars a pop. I still have yet to watch the Crystal anime, but I am interested since I heard it’s closer to the manga’s plotline and characterization. I’ve watched some of the live-action shows and stage shows, and those are fun!

juu, what do you think about the pairings the anime came up with? Like Nephrite/Naru and Kunzite/Zoisite?

I think in the context of the 90′s anime, where the Shinttenou did not seem to have much backstory besides being Metalia’s minions, those romances worked out pretty well and was sometimes very moving. I still remember crying over Nephrite/Naru QAQ.

juu, what do you think of Mercury/Jupiter or Mars/Venus?

I think they’re popular pairings for a very good reason, especially Mars/Venus! They get so much bonding time, and Mars/Venus in particular has some very shippy moments in the manga, and Mercury/Jupiter has some in the anime, and I support them as well! I’m a multishipper, so I like these pairings as well, but Senshi/Shitennou holds a special place in my heart.

juu, do you have any fic recs?

So this was my first big OTP that I read fic for, so that was back in the days of fic archive websites that I think are mostly defunct now, or on ff.net, where also I think a lot of them got purged. But happily, I found one on Ao3 I really like! It’s this fic by winterbones, and it’s mostly a Kunzite/Venus fic, but the other Senshi/Shinttenou pairings show up as well! It focuses on the Shittenou reincarnating after the events of the anime, and how Venus is dealing with that.

Hope everyone enjoyed this! It certainly made me want to go hunt down more good fic for this pairing!

[real-life-senshi]

What are your thoughts on Minakos and Usagi’s relationship in PGSM? It’s very different from the manga/anime where they are different but potrayed more as “twins” (so to speak)

Thanks for the ask! :D

Without my own personal headcanon and interpretation going in, I think the first word that comes to mind in terms of Minako and Usagi's relationship in PGSM is "underdeveloped". hahaha

Of course, besides Rei, Minako had spent the most time with Usagi among all the Senshi during the year of fighting against the Dark Kingdom. But whenever Minako's with Usagi, we see her in her Senshi or idol persona more than just being "Aino Minako", unlike when Minako's with Rei, where she's more emotive, showing her competitive, serious side, and also mischievous and playful sides.

Even in Act 45 and 46, we see Minako showing her true self more in front of Makoto than she had done with Usagi, including teasing Makoto about Motoki before telling Makoto to stop her self-sacrificial act.

That being said though, I think Usagi and Minako's relationship is precious in PGSM! And I loved seeing how Minako warmed up to Usagi from Act 11 to Act 12, and how she kept in contact and catered to Usagi's fangirl-ness (e.g. Act 30, 32, 35) before Usagi found out about Minako's identity as Venus at the end of Act 35. In a twisted way, Usagi being Usagi pushed Minako to be warmer and willing to see the girls separately from their past-life selves in her mission-driven mindset, instead of chasing after the ghost of her comrades and princess she remembers from a millennium ago. While Usagi, in her worship over her idol, found strength, encouragement, and joy from Minako's music and general work while trying to fight her way through all the past life hardship.

I'm glad Acts 36 - 46 focused more on Rei and Minako's relationship, as the story is beautiful and deserves the level of detail and attention it was given, but I do wish we had more scenes between Usagi and Minako where Usagi got to acknowledge Minako's responsibility and efforts as Sailor V and Venus. Even in Act 40, they barely got to interact as a pair. As much as I love Rei and Minako's scene in PGSM, I do feel we got cheated a bit on the Usagi and Minako relationship towards the end. I wish we could have seen Minako treating Usagi more like a peer than a princess to protect.

Regarding Usagi and Minako's relationship in PGSM being very different to the "twin" like closeness and similarity in the manga (I can't really speak to the 90's anime or Crystal), yes, that's true. But I think that's just more to do with the fact that Minako IS written completely differently in PGSM! It would be weird for these two to be super close, even if Usagi and Minako were given more story and screen time within PGSM's timeline.

HOWEVER, as a content creator and fanfic writer, I love writing about Minako's relationship and dynamic with all the Senshi, not just reinako, because I think there's so much room for interpretation and creation in writing how Minako gets actually integrated into the Senshi group after Act 49.

Given what Act Zero showed, Minako definitely had a more manga-Minako-like personality before her past life memories got woken. You can even see how she approached being Sailor V with a lot more enjoyment and enthusiasm initially before it became solemn and mission-driven at the end of Act Zero after her encounter with Tuxedo Kamen. I think Minako's fun side would resurface post Act 49. We even see it peek out a bit at the start of Act 47, before her temporary departure.

Would I ever write PGSM Minako and Usagi to have a relationship like manga Minako's and Usagi's twin-like dynamic? Absolutely not! It doesn't make sense to me. Besides Rei and Minako, I think Minako would have a stronger friendship/comradeship with Makoto, given their shared understanding in Act 45 and 46. But would I write Minako and Usagi hanging out, having fun, and the two conspiring and pulling pranks together? Abso-fucking-lutely! Usagi would be the one to initiate and Minako being the one to provide the resource and perfect the prank. And when they get in trouble, Minako's also the one to bail them both out, even when it's Usagi's fault. XD

I certainly do think Usagi and Minako would have gotten much closer post Act 49. If you look at the Special Act, after the Senshi sans Rei finish being badasses and kicked Mio's butt into oblivion, Minako's the one who shoves Usagi into Mamoru as Mamoru got dragged in by Makoto once Usagi declares she and Mamoru are resuming with their marriage plans. You don't do that with someone you are not close with, especially in Japanese culture where their society is so big and fussy about honorifics, physical contact, and distances in respect to interpersonal relationships and hierarchical dynamics.

I hope this is an adequate answer! Sorry I ended up just writing an essay. hahaha

[docholligay]

SM rewrite: any of haruka's first times meeting the inners

EPisode 92! 1960 words, I hope you enjoy, I AM HAVING FUN TODAY

“He’s SO HOT, Mina.” 

Usagi was off on yet another one of her larks, talking about some guy she’d seen at the arcade. She’d thought, at first, that she was talking about Motoki, who Mina took to be her current obsession who was not Mamoru of the moment, but maybe that had been several moments ago. It was hard to tell with Usagi. 

People always took her and Usagi to be alike, and if that gave Mina the benefit of being underestimated, that was fine with her. And it was true, that they both liked attractive people, in a way, but Mina was more of a freelancer, moving from this flower to that like a brilliant butterfly with no particular link to any one person, while Usagi fell in love with every man she ever met. 

That too. Usagi was still under the impression that she was straight, and the delusion might yet follow her all the way to the wedding altar. That, in particular, was none of Mina’s business, who had realized since the age of 12 that attractive was attractive in her eyes, which became the fact that a bedroom was a bedroom, as she got older, and what it might say on someone’s driver’s license or facebook held little notice for her when it was time to go home. 

Dating, on the other hand--well, she wasn’t bold enough to tell Usagi to never date a man, if she had other options, not while she was still enamored of Mamoru, but she certainly thought it hard enough. Mina had learned that lesson quickly. Men were like riding a roller coaster, exhilarating and fun, for a quick ride, but eventually you just get sick. 

Usagi had not yet learned this, and it was in this that Minako allowed her to keep your youthful naivete. She had time yet to learn. 

“His name is HARUKA,” she swung her bag around, “I heard the cashier say it. Isn’t that dreamy?” 

Mina chuckled, “It’s one of the most popular names in Japan, Usagi. I go to school with like, 4 Harukas.” 

“Well, it seems different on him!” She gave a little scowl and a stomp of her foot, but then smiled brightly and whipped around, “Come to the arcade with me and see him!” She narrowed her eyes playfully, “We can compete to see who he’ll fall in love with.” 

This was the point at which Rei would have chimed in that Usaig had a boyfriend, if she had denied to leave off from her shrine duties and hang out with them after school, but she hadn’t, and Mina didn’t see why something like a boyfriend should get in the way of a good time. 

“Amazing. I hope you like losing.” Mina cackled as she swanned toward The Crown. She hadn’t been in a while, not for any particular reason, other than she was doing a bunch of back work for a hostess club, which she hoped would hire her as a hostess the absolute second she turned 18. Unfortunately, they were too above-board to hire her for anything at the front right now. It was less than a year. She’d live. 

Usagi rushed into the Crown, ever with the perfect idea of how to act casual, and gazed immediately over to the racing game in the corner, hand under her chin as she leaned against an old copy of Pacman. 

“There he is!!!” she stage whispered, hissing as she grabbed Mina’s hand. 

She sighed and turned to tell Usagi that he was going to hear them, but he didn’t look over even at all, and Mina’s brow twitched as she noticed it. His hearing must not be anything to write home about. He was wearing a blazer over the top of a sweater, over the top of a collared shirt, which seemed a bit like overkill to Mina, but hey, maybe he was cold. 

MIna walked over to him, Usagi half-tiptoeing behind in a way that Haruka would find either cute or incredibly unsettling, and based on that, Mina would change her strategy. It was all a sort of chess game, flirting and seduction, and with men maybe it wasn’t even chess. Checkers, or something.

“Hi!” Usagi popped up, “Good afternoon! We saw that you were playing alone here, and were wondering, you know!” 

Mina looped her arm across the back of the car seat, and leaned against it. “Care for a friendly game?” 

Haruka ruffled his hair, and looked up at her, and Mina nearly burst out laughing. She hadn’t noticed, with the bulkiness of the blazer and other entrappings, and she hadn’t looked hard enough when she’d been standing with Usagi, but looking now, there was no mistake. Haruka wasn’t a man at all. Oh, she was tall, and gangly, and even given the sweater probably fairly flat-chested, but there was the unmistakable fullness of her lip, the softness of her brow, the way she looked at Usagi and Mina. Mina was a bit of an expert, in these matters. 

She looked over to Usagi. No reason not to let this play out. Why not, she’d earned some fun. Maybe Usagi would have a moment of realization--Mina doubted she’d ever seen a butch lesbian outside of Takarazuka, and those women were made up to the high heavens, more drag than the genuine article. 

So she smiled. 

“Just a race or two.” 

Usagi started to stammer, and step in front of her, but Mina dodged it effortlessly. Why have one bit of fun, when she could have two? Besides, Usagi may have been wrong about Haruka being a boy, but she wasn’t wrong about a certain quality of rough handsomeness that she carried, that sort of young, gentlemanly way, with a touch of insecurity, that Mina sometimes found very winning about the younger butch set. She could have a worse time. 

“Sure,” Haruka smiled, and nodded, then added, “I always like to play with a pretty girl.” 

Her voice was deep, but not overly so, and Mina found the feminine lilt at the end of her sentences quite charming. She rather liked butches, when it came down to it. They had a habit of picking up the charming parts of masculinity while letting the rest rot where it belonged. 

MIna slid in next to her. She smelled good, like sandalwood and maybe a touch of motor oil, which Mina wouldn’t have thought would be charming. Usagi was salivating as they put their coins into the slot, but she stood and watched Mina. She’d played this game plenty of times, and beaten Usagi at it nearly every time, save when Motoki accidentally spilled a drink on her in the middle of a race. This wouldn’t be too hard, but she would be careful not to humiliate Haruka, and maybe even let her win in the last stretch--

She looked over to the map. Haruka was already out in front, her car on full manual and effortlessly gliding through it, swinging the wheel and tapping on the brake and gas at perfect intervals. 

Minako, for a moment, became just a little enraged. She hadn’t even wanted to win before this moment, but for her to be beaten so easily, by whatever putz of a nerd was too old to be hanging out in an arcade but clearly WAS hanging out in an arcade, on an afternoon, and didn’t she have a job or college or something to go to? 

She slammed down on the gas, trying desperately to catch up, to make a better showin, but Haruka just kept going and going, hitting checkpoints without a second thought, not even the slightest amount of wrinkle to her forehead. 

Besides all that, Usagi was laughing and clapping her hands like the damn fool she was. 

Mina tried to weave around the fake traffic in her way, but ended up broadsiding a bus full of fake schoolchildren, and she imagined their fake screams echoing her own as the Game Over flashed across the screen. She quite forgot her seduction, in the moment, as she slapped the middle of the steering wheel and laid her head down on it. 

“I can’t believe I lost that bad!” 

Haruka chuckled, “No, you actually did pretty good.” 

Mina straightened up, smoothed her hair, and tried to regain herself. 

“Sorry, it’s just,” she giggled, “I get so competitive. The uh….heat of the moment, you know what I mean?” 

Haruka looked at her with a slightly confused sideways grin. “Sure.” 

“Oh but I am sorry, Haruka, mother was forever at lunch, sometimes I swear she asks for things only to see the human limit of what a waiter will bear before smoke begins to run from his ears. It was never my intention to keep you waiting.” 

“Oh, that’s okay.” 

Mina saw Game Over flash across the screen a second time as Haruka looked at the woman who had just entered. 

She was unquestionably beautiful, with a delicately rounded face that suggested a touch of foreignness at the eyes, eyes in green or blue but also somehow both, shifting a bit as the tides. Her hair was elegantly curled to her shoulders, and her carriage was straight and practiced, a show dog out for the afternoon with all the regular mutts. She wore a finely tailored blouse of silk with a demurely pleated skirt, round toe leather on that fit her perfectly on her feet, a bag at her side that was the sort of designer you wore if you were too polished for garishness of advertising that you wore designer. The whole of her felt wrong in the crown, like placing Italian marble in a kid’s playplace, and she smelled of rose and jasmine. 

But none of that was what stopped Mina in her tracks, no, wealth and polish was not enough to frighten her off. It was the look Haruka gave her, that wide-eyed gaze like a tourist standing in front of some great masterwork, and the softness with which she had responded. Mina didn’t know if they were together, or if they weren’t but she knew one thing for sure: 

Haruka was desperately smitten. She could have competed with Usagi for stupid in love, at that point. She and Usagi were getting nowhere with this one. 

Haruka rose to her feet, taking her bag and tossing it over her shoulder in one motion. MIchiru turned to leave the arcade, and Haruka gave a nod back to Usagi. 

“Hey, uh, you with the buns,” She smiled and tossed her hair, “We should play next time.” 

Usagi’s eyes damn near became hearts, but Mina just gave a half-hearted wave and a nod. There were fights you could win, and fights you couldn’t win, and Minako Aino didn’t ever throw effort straight into a fire. She had more of a sense of self-preservation than that. 

Haruka turned to walk next to her companion, who gave her the smallest closed-mouth smile. 

“Well, aren’t we making friends so quickly today?” 

Haruka chuckled. “You jealous or something?” She looked at the woman with what Mina noted was a mix of hope and fear. 

“Oh, terribly.” she answered. This woman knew exactly what Mina knew.

Haruka shook her head, unable to keep up the ruse. “They’re high school girls,” she shrugged, “ They seem like such little kids. But they’re cute, right?” 

“As kittens.” Noted the elegant woman, as they breezed out the door. 

There was a pause for a moment as even Motoki stood beside them to watch them leave, the perfume still hanging in the air as if the entire place were surrounded by petals. Usagi put her hands on her hips. 

“Is it just me, or were they both ridiculously good-looking?”

[sailorfailures]

October 22nd is Minako Aino/Sailor Venus’s birthday!

So how can you celebrate?

♀ Rewatch or reread your favourite Venus-centric chapter, episode, or musical! She might’ve been the last of the Sailor Team to be introduced, but she was actually the first Sailor Soldier ever - Sailor V. Prominent 90s anime episodes include episode 036, one of the earliest Venus-centric episodes, where she take Usagi out for a haircut to cheer her up; episode 042, where we finally learn of Minako’s (anime-canon) past working in London as Sailor V with her mentor, Katarina; episode 078, where the rest of the Sailor Team falls ill with a mysterious flu and it’s up to Minako to “help” nurse them to health; episode 100, where an old unrequited flame gets Minako rethinking her life goals and considers quitting her duty as a Sailor Soldier; episode 114, where Minako gets a shot at becoming a real idol, but has to compete with the villain Mimete; episode 141, where Minako goes on two dates at the same time and reaps the reward of her own hubris; and episodes 175 and 192, where Minako gets even closer to realising her idol dreams with some industry experience.

Did you know Minako has her very own manga series? In fact, it was written before the Sailor Moon manga even existed! Codename: Sailor V is much shorter, more comedic, and action-oriented than PGSM, and elaborates not only on Minako’s character and role before meeting the other Guardians but also the history of the Silver Millennium and the Dark Kingdom. If you were disappointed with Minako’s under-utilised role in the 90s anime, now is the perfect time to give the 2003 live-action a shot, where she has a much more prominent and plot-heavy role.

♀ Sailor Venus has several official image songs across different canons you can play for her big day, particularly in the live action, where she is a professional idol:

90s anime: Anata no Yume wo Mita Wa [“I’ve Seen Your Dream”]; Setsunakute Ii [“It’s Fine Even if it Pains Me”]; ROUTE VENUS; Ai no Megami no HOW TO LOVE [”How To Love per the Goddess of Love”] Live Action: C'EST LA VIE ~ Watashi no Naka no Koi Suru Bubun [“C’est la Vie ~ The Loving Side Within Me”]; Katagoshi ni Kinsei [“Venus Over My Shoulder”]; ROMANCE; Kiss!² Bang!² [“Kiss! Kiss! Bang! Bang!”]; Sayonara ~ SWEET DAYS [“Farewell ~ Sweet Days”]; HAPPY TIME, HAPPY LIFE; I’M HERE Crystal: HEART ga Tonjau Sora Dakara [“As It’s the Sky My Heart Soared Through”] Musicals: TRADITIONAL THE GRACE ~Ai no Arashi~ [“Traditional the Grace ~Storm of Love~”] Her voice actress Rika Fukami also recorded a cover of Shocking Blue’s hit song, Venus, inspired by the Bananarama cover that popularized the song in Japan. The opening bars of their version were also referenced in many of Minako’s official video game themes.

Here’s a playlist of all these songs and other Sailor Venus BGM cues!

♀ Indulge in some of Minako’s favourite foods! Minako is living that carb life, as her faves are ramen, gyoza (potsticker dumplings), and curry rice. Order out or challenge yourself to cooking them from scratch - just don’t include any mushrooms, which are Minako’s least favourite food.

♀ Minako is a very goal-oriented person, even if she’s not always the most focused, and many of her hobbies revolve around her dream of becoming an idol. Topmost, of course, is singing! She’s loved to sing and dance ever since she was a child. Learn a new dance routine - YouTube is a great start - or go clubbing with some friends. Minako is also particularly relevant to karaoke in the live action; why not gather a group and hit a karaoke bar?

Minako’s pride and joy is her long, silky hair, which she takes great care of. If yours is in need of some TLC, treat it to a fancy hair mask, or make your own from simple ingredients. Alternatively, if you’ve been looking for a sign to make a drastic hairstyle change, chop, or colour, this might be that sign, as Minako is a huge advocate for how changing your hairstyle can change your outlook.

She might not seem the type, but Minako has also been shown to enjoy knitting. Maybe she uses these skills to contribute to her massive collection of stuffed toys? Pick up those needles and finish that project you’ve been putting off or learn how to start from some videos or a local meet-up. If you’re an expert, you could even try a Sailor Moon pattern.

Minako is a video game junkie, which makes sense, considering her alter-ego stars in one. She seems particularly fond of racing games, but also side-scrollers and fighting games; why not give a new indie title a try, or play as Minako herself in one of the many retro Sailor Moon games for the Super Nintendo and other systems? (Personally, my favourite is this arcade brawler.)

After being an idol, and (maybe) her duty as a Guardian, Minako’s highest priority is volleyball. She had an incredible talent for the game even before discovering her super-human abilities as Sailor V. Why not hire some equipment for a casual game with some friends on the beach? (Though Minako wouldn’t judge you if you just played virtual volleyball instead.)

♀ Dress like Minako for a day! She had the widest variation in fashion styles amongst the show’s characters, ranging from sporty, to preppy, to “cool”, to girlish, to eccentric high fashion. In colder weather she loved scarves and oversized jackets, but in warmer weather she opted for simple, breezy, minimalist looks. She favoured vests, and shorts/flowy, non-restrictive skirts so she was always ready to leap into action. The consistent element linking her different styles is her tendency to layer, layering jackets over vests over turtlenecks, layering necklaces over sun-dresses over summery blouses, etc.

Her one mainstay accessory was her iconic red hair-bow, though she actually did swap it out to coordinate it with her outfit at times, and it was a pale yellow when she was a Princess. She started wearing the ribbon to impress a boy, but after he turned out to be a monster - uh, literally - she decided to keep wearing it because she liked it; so if something you used to love wearing has been tainted by a toxic relationship, you can Love and Beauty Shock it into something you wear for yourself. (By the way, before she wore the bow, she used a simple red scrunchie.)

(Manga scan credits: sailormusic.net, MissDream.org)

As Sailor Venus, she started with simple yellow/orange studs that later became red and wore orange flats (often styled as d’orsays) with ankle-straps. Her nail polish was a fresh tangerine, and in her attack Love and Beauty Shock we can see she wears a pale orange/coral/peach lipgloss. Her image colours are orange, yellow, and a navy blue accent.

... And of course, Minako never missed an opportunity to go big or go home; so if you have an over-the-top campy stage costume just lying around...

♀ Match with your BFF twin for the day!

♀ Take up the sword!

♀ Line up a date. Or two. On the same day. (But don’t complain if you get caught!)

♀ Fav and read some Sailor Venus fanart and fanfic on sites like Pixiv, Twitter, and AO3 - or contribute your own new content! Don’t forget to tag!

Feel free to reply and reblog with your own ideas of how you’re going to celebrate Mina’s day!

Happy Birthday, Minako!

[sorrowmarked]

tag drop redux pt 1! 

[starlingsinclair]

hhttps://www.fanfiction.net/s/13623512/1/The-Cat-s-ElopementChapters: 1/1 Fandom: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga), Code Name: Sailor V Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Artemis/Luna (Sailor Moon) Characters: Artemis (Sailor Moon), Luna (Sailor Moon), Aino Minako Additional Tags: Fairy Tale Retellings, Fairy Tale Style, Silver Millennium Era, Planet - Mau, Sailor Mau - Freeform, Happy Ending Summary:

Based on the fairy tale "The Cat's Elopement," Artemis fell in love with the beautiful Luna Mond almost at first sight. Together they will fight the societal barriers of their home and to the forces of Chaos on distant planets.

This is the story of how Artemis and Luna left Mau and ended up where we know and love them.

FF dot net Version

So, this has been a bug in my brain for a while now, and I wanted to tackle it for @shnuggletea‘s @fairytalechallenge. Plus, there need to be more Luna and Artemis stories.

[master-ray5]

Fairy Tale Challenge: Miwako’s Bedtime Story

I finally got around to finishing my entry to the @fairytalechallenge​. This is one of my last few fanfictions. I have other projects which need my attention and sadly fanfiction is a bit of a distraction. Enjoy this little cute story. 

Picture source: http://fanartsailormoonbythaiartistfan.tumblr.com/post/135649421834/kunzite-his-child-he-embraced-his-daughter

Fanfiction link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13631011/1/Miwako-s-Bedtime-Story

***

First off, here is the‌ ‌guide‌ ‌for‌ ‌the‌ ‌names‌ ‌I‌ ‌use‌ ‌for‌ ‌the‌ ‌Shitennou‌ ‌in‌ ‌this ‌story.‌ As they are now married men, they have taken the names of their beloved wives. Jadeite=Hino ‌Taito‌ Nephite=Kino ‌Masato‌ Zoisite=Mizuno ‌Saitou‌ ‌ Kunzite=Aino ‌Shinn‌

Also, I’m using the daughters of the Senshi introduced in the “Parallel Moon” story but I will change their names. Frankly, I find adding Jr. at the end of the names was a tad lazy writing (not even addressing how the girls all look like tiny cloned versions of their moms). So the names I use will be: Minako Jr.=Miwako Ami Jr.=Mami Rei Jr.=Reina Makoto Jr.=Makino Kousagi is still the same as it fits in the style I’m going for.

O.o.O.o.O Miwako’s Bedtime Story O.o.O.o.O       Royal Advisor and Leader of the Shitennou, Kunzite had just finished a long day of diplomacy and aiding King Endymion. His wife, Lady Venus, was helping Neo-Queen Serenity with an ambassador, who was known to be very dry and boring, so his only concern for her safety was if she somehow managed to die of boredom. Despite his long day, he had managed to return to his wing of the place just in time. He had to see the other woman in his life.     He opened the door to the sitting room of his wing of the palace. Upon entering this area, he no longer thought of himself as anything other than Aino Shinn, a man like any other. He was surprised to find Hilda, the housekeeper, slumped out on the couch, looking exhausted as if she just climbed Tokyo Tower with her bare hands.     “Are you alright Hilda-san?” Shinn asked as he dropped his briefcase on a table and moved to check on the woman.     “Sir, I thought you and I had an arrangement,” Hilda began, draping her arm over her eyes as if facing the world was too difficult. “I would continue to assist with watching the young miss when you and Lady Venus worked late but in return, you promised me you would reduce said girl’s sugar intake.”     “We did,” Shinn chuckled, realizing the housekeeper was exhausted from attempting to keep track of his daughter. “She is just naturally full of energy. She gets it from her mother.”     “She is exhausting is what she is,” Hilda insisted as she pulled herself off the couch and began to head towards the exit. “I highly suggest you find a convent to send her, or else she will be nothing but trouble when she is a teenager.”     “Then she will be exactly like her mother. Good night Hilda-san,” Shinn snapped as he took off his jacket and undid his tie. He could tolerate Hilda insinuating his daughter was a handful but to insinuate she was anything more than a spirited child was where he drew the line. He knew very well Miwako was the spitting image of her mother and the energy she possessed would be one of her greatest gifts. Somewhat comfortable for the evening, Shinn made his way through the halls until he came across his daughter’s room. He knocked on the door before turning the handle and stepping in. “Miwako-chan, how are you?”      “Venus Love Me Chain!” A voice shouted before the snap of a whip slapped against the wall and inches from Shinn’s face. Before the weapon could recoil, Shinn stepped on it and kept it in place.     “Daddy! I’m trying to fight the evil guys!” Miwako insisted as she tugged at the whip to free it from her father’s foot. The comparisons to her mother were apt, as Miwako looked exactly like when Minako did as a child, even with her own red bow in her hair. Though her outfit didn’t look much like Sailor Venus, as the young girl had cobbled together a makeshift Sailor costume with an off-color skirt, part of her school uniform, and large sunglasses. “I need my weapon back!”     “That will be enough of that. Where did you find this?” Shinn asked as down looked at the whip, already knowing the answer to the question.     “In your and mommy’s room,” Miwako replied with a proud smile. “Do you have it in case some monsters show up before mommy can transform?”     “Yyyyyyyyyes!” Shinn lied through his teeth. “That’s exactly it, honey. You are so clever.”     “Ain’t I,” Miwako glowed as she continued to tug at the whip, still hoping her father would let her play with it. “Come on, let me play more.”     “Sorry my little love,” Shinn insisted as he reached down, grabbed the whip, and tugged it from her hands with ease. He vowed to find a better hiding spot for the item when he had time later. “Now, why don’t you get your pajamas on and I’ll tell you a story.”     “Really? MMMM….okay,” Miwako agreed before letting go of the weapon and rushing into the bathroom. In no time at all, Miwako had slipped into her pajamas, brushed her teeth, and hopped into bed. “I’m ready.”       “So you are,” Shin began as he pulled the covers over Miwako’s legs and took a seat on the bed. Making sure she was comfortable, Shinn reached up to her hair and untied the bow on top. “Once upon a time, there was a little girl who wore a…”     “Red riding hood,” Miwako interrupted with a smile. “I heard it before. What else you got?”         “Okay…,” Shinn groaned. “There was once a selfish prince who...”     “Beauty and the Beast!” Miwako yawned. Not from exhaustion but because she was not amused. “Next!”     Shinn did his best to maintain his composure but just like her mother, Miwako had a way of pushing his buttons. “A girl trapped in…”     “Rapunzel,” Miwako answered, not giving her father an opportunity to continue. “You need to learn some new stories, daddy.”     “Fine!” Shinn hissed before taking a deep breath and managed to regain his cool. “Let’s try this. I’ll make up a story for you. Feel free to just interject any suggestions you have as I go.      “Yeah,” Miwako agreed with a smile. “That does sound fun.”     Shinn cleared his throat and began. “Once there was a lady named…”    “Mommy!” Miwako blurted out. “Make mommy a part of the story.”     “Sure why not,” Shinn smiled, admiring how much his young daughter looked up to her mother. He couldn’t help but remember how when Minako was pregnant she had been worried that her daughter would have the same strained relationship she had with her own mother. Instead, Minako was blessed as Miwako had nothing but love and respect for her. “A woman named Minako who was working as a…”     “Housekeeper,” Miwako suggested. “Like Cinderella!”     “So you want me to tell you Cinderella except it stars your mother?” Shinn chuckled. “Now, who’s not being original”     “I’m sure we will find a way to change it,” Miwako replied as she snuggled into the covers and looked up at her father with a warm expression. “Just keep going.”     Shinn shrugged, leaned against the headboard of the bed, and pulled his daughter close. “So, once upon a time, there was a woman named Minako who was working as a housekeeper for her wicked stepmother. What should we name her?”     Miwako thought for a moment before she volunteered, “Beryl?”     “Beryl?” Shinn’s heart skipped a beat when his daughter said the name. “Where...where did you hear that name?”       “Mommy said it was the name of an evil queen who once kidnapped you, daddy,” Miwako answered as she snuggled closer to her father when she mentioned the word “kidnapped.” “They must have been really bad to kidnap you, daddy.”     “You have no idea,” Shinn agreed, his heart

O.o.O.o.O     The ringing of the bells of her alarm clock woke Minako up. It was a new device but the only reason she had been given such a high priced gift was to ensure she got up in time to get everything done before her stepmother, Beryl, awoke. With her father no longer around, Minako had become a slave to her widowed stepmother.     “Meow” Artemis called as he jumped on Minako’s bed. He was an old pure white housecat known for keeping the mice problem at bay. He nuzzled Minako in an attempt to get her to wake up.     “Oh Artemis,” Minako “How I wish you could talk, perhaps even give me a magical item which would allow me to turn into a warrior and fight for love and justice and someday even reunite with my soulmate. Oh well. I have no choice but to serve my wicked stepmother.”       Minako went to work getting herself ready for the day. She combed her hair, dressed, and put on her shoes. She made her way to the kitchen and after a breakfast of crusty bread and a glass of wine, she began her duty of servitude to her wicked stepmother. She cleaned the kitchen, prepared breakfast and made sure the tray was lined up  as she pushed it towards her step mother’s room.     She was just about to knock when she heard a voice on the other side.     “The prince is looking for a bride. I intend to use this opportunity to brainwash him,” Beryl cackled as she talked to her subordinate. “Soon Prince Kunzite will bow to me and then you will give the reward you so rightfully deserve.”     “Excellent plan my lady,” Adonis Danburite commented. He had been an advisor to the Kingdom but had become sick of the way the royal family seemed to ignore any of his advice lately. Adonis had feared for his livelihood and had decided to reach out to Lady Beryl, a woman known for her sinister ways, for advice.     “Oh no,” Minako gasped as she heard what her evil stepmother was planning. “I have to warn someone!”     “What was that young lady?” Adonis asked as he opened the door and stared at Minako with cold eyes. “Lady Beryl. I do believe your stepdaughter has been eavesdropping on our conversation. You discipline her better.”     “Your right!” Minako admitted. “I have heard what you are planning to do to Prince Kunzite and I won’t let you.”     “You have been nothing but a pain since your father died!” Beryl shouted, grabbing a vase from the nearby table. Minako ducked at the last minute as the vase shattered on the wall behind her. “And I never cared for your spinach puffs! Never! Now lock her in her room so we can go take care of the prince.”    Before Minako could make a break for it, Adonis grabbed her wrist and restrained her. With the help of Beryl, the two locked Minako in her room and left for the Castle. Minako tried to break down the door but no matter what she tried, it wouldn’t budge. Tired and discouraged, Minako fell on her bed and began to sweep.     “Oh Artemis!” Minako cried as she felt the cat jump onto the bed. “What am I going to do? The prince is going to be corrupted and I can’t do anything about it!”     “There is something you can do,” Artemis announced before he leapt into the air. In a flash of light, Artemis transformed into a man in a white suit with white long hair. “Hello Minako. I am your Fairy God Cat.” O.o.O.o.O     “This sounds too much like Cinderella,” Miwako interrupted as she shifted in bed. “Change it up a bit. Also can I have a drink of water?”     “Sure, one second,” Shinn replied as she got up, filled a cup in the little girl’s bathroom, and returned to the Miwako’s bed. “Also, did Cinderella have a Sailor scout in it?”     “No,” Miwako answered as she took a sip of the water.     “Then you haven’t heard this story before,” Shinn commented as he sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard, “Now where was I?” O.o.O.o.O     “My Fairy God Cat?” Minako wondered, still shocked by Artemis’ new appearance. “I wasn’t aware that was a thing.”     “Well it is. I am here to give you the power you need to defeat your stepmother,” Artemis explained as he snapped his fingers. In the palm of his hand, the transformation pen of Venus formed. “Here, take this. Holdit over your head and shout “Venus Power.” It will allow you to become a warrior capable of defeating Beryl. Or at least help you break out of this room.”       “If you say so. Venus power!” Minako shouted as she was surrounded by a shower of light. In the blink of an eye she transformed into Sailor Venus, but not one most people knew. Instead, she wore a yellow Sack-back gown, white gloves, white stockings, and orange glass slippers. “Incredible!”     “You have become the warrior of love, Sailor Venus. Now,” Artemis clapped his hands together, getting Minako’s attention. “Point at the door and scream, “Crescent Beam!””     “Crescent Beam!” Minako yelled, A blast of energy erupted from fingertips and created a giant hole in the center of the door.     “Impressive,” Artemis complimented, seeing how strong Minako was. “Now use one of the horses in the stable and ride to the castle as fast as you can.”     “Wait, aren’t you coming with me?” Minako asked, stopping herself before she ran from the room.     “No, I’m going to stay here,” Artemis commented as he shook his head. “That way it’s easier to tell this story. Less characters to keep track of.”   O.o.O.o.O     “Dad,” Miwako whined as she tugged at her father’s arm.       “Well it is,” Shinn shrugged. O.o.O.o.O     Making her way out of the house as fast as she could, Minako saddled her horse, Bbuttercup, and rode to the castle. When she arrived, she found the place on high alert with guards at every possible entrance. As she rode up, she was stopped by a guard with a spear.     “Halt who goes there?” The soldier asked, captured by the beauty of the rider.     “I am Sailor Venus, a warrior of love,” Minako announced. “I have come to save the Prince from a wicked witch who wishes to control him for her own gains.”     “You are too late,” The soldier announced. “The witch was here and made off with the Prince’s...with the prince’s…” O.o.O.o.O     “His smile!” Miwako suggested.     “The prince’s smile?” Shinn asked, unsure of where his daughter got such a suggestion.     “Yeah, I actually asked mommy once if a witch stole your smile,” Miwako admitted, as she snuggled closer to her dad. “You don’t smile that much daddy. When I asked mommy my question, she said “its because daddy is trying to be strong to protect us and only smiles when we are around.””     “Well yeah, I guess you're right,” Shinn agreed, a bit disheartened. He had heard the comments by social media and online articles. “Lord Kunzite is so cold.” “What does a warm person like Lady Venus see in someone like Lord Kunzite?” “Instant credits to anyone who gets a picture of Lord Kunzite smiling.” Saito had made the joke once, “You have a resting angry face.” He didn’t do it intentionally. It often became focused when at work and often forgot to smile. “Daddy will try to smile more around you and your mother.”     “It’s okay daddy,” Miwako insisted, resting her head on her father’s chest. “I don't mind. I know you have to be strong because you have to protect me and mommy from monsters.”     “Your mother has fought even more monsters, little Miwako, “ Shinn lamented as he thought about how many battles his wife had fought over the years and how it seemed he could only do so much to help. Yet, through all of it, she somehow managed to keep a smile on her face. It was part of what made them so strong as a couple. Kunzite helped his wife stay focused and Minako helped her husband find joy. “I will find a way to try and smile more. Anyways, let’s see, after she heard about the Prince…,”   O.o.O.o.O     “She must have escaped to the family cabin on the coast,” Minako announced as she rode as fast as she could towards her destination. “I will make sure to save the Prince.”     Minako made it to the coast in less than an hour and dismounted the horse on a hill which allowed her to look down at the cabin. She noticed a light in the window.     “Time to bust in and save the day,” Minako announced to herself.     “I hate to burst your bubble,” Adonis growled as she snuck up behind her, grabbed her wrists, and bound them with a chain. “But you are caught.”     “Oh come on,” Minako groaned as Adonish dragged her to the cabin. Soon, Minako was kneeling in front of her stepmother who sat in a chair by a roaring fire, holding a glowing pink gem.      “Welcome dear stepdaughter,” Beryl called as she caressed the gem with her fingers. “This is what you came for. The emotions of the young prince. His youthful energy and his very happiness is here in my finger tips.”     “Give it to me,” Minako demanded as she tried to struggle against her shackles.     “What are you hoping?” Beryl asked, shaking her head at Minako. “Give this back to the prince and he will fall in love with you at first sight? Such a way of starting a relationship will only end in dirovce or having a relationship with your riding instructor     “Well I thought I would use returning his happiness as more of an icebreaker, then maybe go for tea,” Minako speculated. “Take it one step at time, might try wine tasting,”     “Silence!” Beryl roared, “I don’t care to hear about your ridiculous plans which are never going to come true anyways. Now turn to stone!”     With a wave of her hand, Beryl cast a spell on Minako causing her body to slowly turn to stone. The spell started at her feet, moved to her legs, and had soon turned her lower half into stone. It looked like she was at the end of her rope. O.o.O.o.O     “Oh no!” Miwako cried as she sat up in bed and looked her father in the eyes with concern. “How is she going to get out of this?”     “Yes, how would she get out?” Shinn wondered aloud. Truth be told he never was one for creative works. He was more the logistic one of the group. Saitou had written a few novels and Taito managed to fill an entire wing of a museum with his work as a painter over the years. Shinn’s most creative work was when he had a chance to enjoy photography every once in a blue moon. Even then, they were mostly landscaping shots and times Minako felt photogentc. He was at a loss of how to save his wife in this imaginary story he was telling. “How would you end the story?”     “Well she needs help,” Miwako decided, putting a finger to her chin like she was truly contemplating what should happen next. “Someone who could save her. Um..I know! What if Mini Sailor Venus came to help.”     “Mini Sailor Venus?” Shinn chuckled, realizing Miwako was talking about herself. “So you are going to save your mom? Sure, why not.”   O.o.O.o.O     “Hold it right there Beryl!” A voice announced from the entrance to the cabin. Standing there was a smaller version of Sailor Venus. “I am Mini Sailor Venus! In the name of Future Venus, I’ll punish you with the power of love! Catch mom!”     “Mom?” Minako wondered as the smaller version of her threw a bottle. The projectile hit her stone legs, broke, and covered her with a glimmering blue liquid. The liquid instantly turned her legs back to normal. Able to stand, Minako leapt away from Beryl and Adonis and stood close to Mini Sailor Venus. “I never gave birth to you.”     “Not yet you haven’t,” Mini Sailor Venus explained as she pulled out a key she just happened to have on hand and unlocked Minako’s manacles. “I have come from the future to not only help you escape and return the prince’s happiness, but also I have come to help to tell you Beryl’s secret weakness.” O.o.O.o.O     “Secret Weakness?” Shinn asked, unsure of what his daughter was talking about. “I wasn’t aware Beryl had a secret weakness. What is it?”     “Shiitake mushrooms!” Miwako shivered at the thought of them. “She’ll eat them and immediately pass out because of the bad taste.”     “Shiitake mushrooms?” Shinn smirked as he shook his head. “You are so your mother’s daughter. Okay, Mini-Sailor Venus, having brought shiitake mushrooms, threw one into Beryl’s mouth with a single elegant toss. Beryl, overwhelmed by the terrible taste, fainted and was no longer a threat. Wait, how would they beat Adonis?”     “Simple! Twin Crescent Beams!” Miwako cried, bouncing to her feet, and recreating her mother’s attack. “Crescent Beam! BOOM! And then he explodes into a billion pieces!”     “Okay, okay settle down,” Shinn appealed, pulling his daughter to the bed and tucking her back under the covers. “So with Adonis and Beryl defeated, Sailor Mini-Venus returned to the future and Sailor Venus returned the prince’s happiness. Back to normal, Prince Kunzite was ever grateful to Minako. The two started dating, eventually leading to them getting married, and having a beautiful girl named Miwako. The end.”     “I liked that story,” Miwako admitted as she slowly started to fall asleep. The sudden burst of action to recreate the Crescent Beam had been the last of the energy the little girl had in her reserves. Her eyes fluttered in a desperate attempt to stay open. “Hey, papa...How was the real Queen Beryl defeated?     “She…,” Shinn stopped himself as he remembered witnessing the incident through a psychic sensation despite being locked in the form of a stone. The image of Minako plunging her sword into the witch's stomach. O.o.O.o.O     It was not until years after his return, on the night of their wedding she confessed her dark secret. After making love and consummating their marriage, a dark expression crossed his new wife’s face, as she felt the need to confess to her husband.     “There’s something I promised I’d tell you when we were married,” Minako admitted as she looked down and buried her face in her Shinn’s chest, a bit afraid of how he would react. "The fight with Queen Beryl. I...I was happy I killed her. I still am and I hate that I am."     “Never feel a shred of guilt or shame for ridding the world of that monster,” Shinn answered as she wrapped his arms around his bride. “You did what you had to. We are warriors. Our hands have to be dirty so the innocent will not have to suffer under the darkness. Also, I want you to remember, there is nothing you can ever do to make me stop loving you.”   O.o.O.o.O     “They beat her with teamwork,” Shinn answered with a little white lie. It was as much of an answer he felt Miwako was able to handle. It was half true as part of how the Sailor Senshi had been able to defeat Beryl. “All thanks to your mom leading the way.”     “Hmm, Mommy’s awesome,” Miwako hummed as she laid her head on her father’s chest and drifted off to sleep. Shinn stayed by the girl’s side and gently stroked her hair. He was so lost in the moment he didn’t even hear the door open or see a familiar figure approach until the newcomer was at the edge of the bed.     “I go away for the evening only to find you in bed with another woman,” Minako teased low enough so as not to wake Miwako. “Did you two have fun?”     “What can I say she has a hold on me,” Shinn admitted, as he admired how good his wife looked in the dinner gown she had worn when she aided the Queen. Part of him wanted to have some alone time with his beloved, but he didn’t dare move and disturb Miwako’s sleep. “A power over me I can’t and don’t wish to fight. Just like her mother.”     “She’s adorable,” Minako whispered as she slid into bed and snuggled against Shinn’s other shoulder. “She’s the only woman I could ever see sharing you with.”     “That makes you a better person than me,” Shinn whispered back as he wrapped his other arm around his drowsy wife and pulled her close. “I could never share you with another man.”     “Actually there is another man,” Minako sighed as she took a hold of his wrist. She brought his hand to her stomach and rubbed it affectionately in circles. “And you’ll meet him in a few months.”     Shinn’s eyes became wide as he realized what his wife meant but he made no response. He dared not wake the sleepy blondes in his arms. Instead, the stoic man laid his head back, pulled his family close and smiled wide, feeling blessed he lived in a reality where he was able to tell them Fairy Tales. O.o.O.o.O     In “Parallel Sailor Moon'' a few things were added to the mythology of the franchise. First off the girls getting married and having kids who look a lot like them (the Juniors). It is also implied in the comic, all of the men who married the Senshi took part in Mukoyoshi (Adopted son in law”) and took the family name of their wives when they got married. Hence, Shinn would become Aino Shinn. Also, I wanted to try and recreate that family picture that exists online of Minako, Kunzite, Minako Jr., and a tiny boy with white hair standing together as I really think it’s the ending Minako always deserved in the end.       Thanks to Knowall7 for being my Beta.

[slyreaderslibrary]

Ch. 6 Camouflage

AO3: Here

Fanfiction: Here 

Summary: Keeping a secret identity secret is normally hard enough but when you’re as beautiful as Minako Aino you’re bound to have all kinds of creeps and weirdo stalking your every move. Now there’s a cop hot on her trail and she’ll have to be quick on her feet if she’s to keep her identity on the DL. Just what is a gorgeous super-heroine to do?

"Are you trying to get caught?" Artemis hissed from the direction of her feet. She rolled her eyes and batted him away.

"I won't get caught as long as an annoying furball learns to keep quiet!" Minako whispered, trying to sound as threatening as she could without risking detection. She turned her attention back towards the two-story apartment building, adjusting the branches and twigs to give her a clearer view. "Now where are you Mr. Fox?"

"You are going to get caught, even without my help," Artemis huffed, "And what exactly are you wearing?"

Startled, Minako pulled away from the bushes and looked down at her clothes. Black leggings, trainers, a thin, grey—but super cute—sweatshirt and a matching beanie. "What's wrong with my outfit? I look like I'm going for a run. It's camouflage!"

Artemis squinted. "I didn't even know you owned so much grey."

Minako huffed and shoved him away. She didn't have time to get in an argument with him right now. Any minute she was sure tall, dumb and sexy would walk out the door and then it would be her turn to play detective.

"So what's your plan then?" Artemis asked her and then gasped when she didn't answer. "Please tell me you have a—"

Minako blindly reached for him and clamped his mouth shut.

"Not now!" she shushed him. Detective Koizumi had finally stepped out, decked out in his own running gear, and now was not the time for one of Artemis' lectures!

The detective took off down the street and she was relieved when she saw him head into the local park grounds. Getting caught was not an option but she had a better chance of being discreet with numerous trees and bushes around than she would if he had chosen to run around the block.

She waved goodbye to Artemis and took off after the detective at a moderate pace, keeping roughly a hundred feet between them. The park itself was pretty. The birds could be heard chirping away merrily and any noise from the outside world was kept to a minimum in thanks to the abundance of trees. It was...nice...but she also wished she could use her ipod. Running was just so boring without some good beats to listen to!

Keisuke's silver haired disappeared around a corner but Minako maintained her pace. She'd catch up to him eventually.

She glanced at her watch and noted that seven minutes had passed, making it 6:12. If the detective ran for thirty minutes, he'd get home around 6:40 which would give him enough time to shower and change before heading into work for an eight to six shift, that is, if he bothered going in at all. The detective could very well decided to pick up where he left off the other day, stalking innocent school girls.

"Not that he'd have any luck," She smirked.

Minako rounded a bend and spied silver in the distance, the detective's short locks reflecting the sun that managed to break through the trees shady barrier. It was a shame he kept it short, it would look really good long and if he wore a man bun? Minako blushed, liking the image more than she would ever admit to.

'He's the enemy!' Minako reminded herself. He was the enemy and she was on a mission. She needed to focus.

The detective disappeared again and soon after Minako came to a fork in the trail. She pursed her lips and chose the darker path. If he somehow ended up behind her, maybe the shade could help camouflage her bright golden hair. She crossed her fingers for luck and continued down the path a few minutes before coming down another split, this one with three options because of course it did. Minako frowned and took the darkest of the options again. Maybe she should have waited for him to return from his run. At this rate he would finish before her and she would never know.

Minako sighed and started to pick up her speed when she noticed two figures struggling a little way off the path.

"What the…"

She skidded to a halt and then tiptoed closer when a flash of silver—this one belonging to a six inch blade—appeared in the hands of one of the figures.

"Hey!"

Minako scooped up a nearby rock and beamed it at the assailant. "Don't you know playing with knives is dangerous!"

The rock struck its target with perfect precision, sending the attacker backwards with its force and causing him to bleed heavily along his temple. The victim—a woman and fellow runner if her clothes were any indication—shoved him off with as much force as she could and then scrambled over to Minako.

"Thanks," she gasped but then shrieked when her attacker groaned and rolled over, eyeing them both.

"I was going to settle for the other one," he grunted, wiping the blood from his face with his arm, "But you'll do much nicer."

He staggered to his feet and raised the blade out in front of him, taking a few threatening swings. Minako merely rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Look, I'd love to stick around and play with you but I've got things to do today."

"The only thing you'll be doing," growled the attacker, "is pleasuring me!"

He slashed through the air, aiming for her side but Minako was faster and knocked the knife from his hand with a single kick. She then twirled around—losing her beanie in the process—and landed another blow to his face, sending him flying into the closest tree.

She dusted herself off and then scooped up her hat.

"Why is it that men never listen?"

"I don't imagine he'll be able to do much listening now," answered a rich, deep baritone behind her.

Minako stiffened and spun around, coming face to chest with the detective.

Crap!

She took a step back, looked up and did her best to look shocked before pointing an accusing finger at him.

"You're the cop who ruined my game!"

"Remember me do you?" Detective Koizumi smirked, crossing his arms and inadvertently flexing deliciously toned muscles. Focus Minako! Focus! He nodded towards the—now—unconcious man. "That was some kick. Mine telling me what happened?"

Minako pouted, pretending to still be put out, and turned to the other woman who was trembling a few feet away.

"Hey," she whispered, reaching a hand out slowly to touch the woman's shoulder, "Are you okay?"

The woman nodded and smiled at them gratefully.

"Shaken but I'll be alright, thanks to you."

"Any time! Would you like an escort home?"

The woman looked prepared to argue but then must have thought better of it because her features relaxed and she nodded instead.

"Yes, please."

"Sure thing! Just give me one sec." Minako spun back to the detective only to be rendered mute at the glistening, bronzed and very naked chest before her. Dumbfounded, Minako stared as the detective carefully wrapped his shirt around his hand and then picked up the weapon, making sure the handle avoided the sweatier parts.

"You know," the detective said as he slowly turned around to face her, "I'm going to need a witness statement." He smiled and something about the image combined with the glint in his eye felt vaguely familiar to her. "Perhaps you'd be willing to drop by the Kojimachi station later today?"

Minako pursed her lips and nodded, "I'll see what I can do. I am quite busy after all."

"Yes I heard," Detective Koizumi's lips twitched and Minako almost believed he wanted to laugh. He then turned and addressed the other woman, "Ma'am, I'd like to hear your testimony later today as well, if you're up for it."

"Of course, officer. Kojimachi station was it?"

"Yes, that's right. Ask for Detective Koizumi."

"Alright. Thank you for all of your help."

"Anytime, although I did little to help in this case."

"Oh Detective Koizumi," Minako smiled, pressing one delicate hand against his bare bicep, "You're much too humble." She winked and then linked arms with the other woman, guiding her back onto the path to return her home.

"Until next time!" she called over her shoulder.

~~~

Keisuke watched Aino walk away knowing with almost a hundred percent certainty that he would not be seeing her again that day.

He sighed and glanced at the man lying unconscious on the ground, blood splattered all over his clothes. Aino had handled him a little too well in Keisuke's opinion. Almost as if she had experience fighting.

Keisuke looked back at the spot where Aino had disappeared wondering what exactly she'd been doing in his neighborhood.

He'd never seen her in the area before but if she'd been following him, she wouldn't have arrived at the scene of the altercation first. It could have been a set up, a trick to make her look like innocent and of high moral standing...but considering there was no guarantee that he would have ever seen the altercation, he doubted that was the case. After all, it had only been by chance that he had decided to cut his run short and doubled back close enough to hear something going on in the first place.

Keisuke frowned and rubbed the sweat from his eyes with his free hand. He should have asked one of the women to call for backup when they reached a phone. Oh well. Too late now.

He studied the weapon and then reached up and tucked it high up in a tree. After a quick check to make sure it was securely hidden, he walked over to the unconscious man and looped his arms around the attacker's middle.

"Time to go."

…

Keisuke dropped onto his couch feeling the abuse of his morning's haul all over his body. It had taken him almost an hour to drag the attacker's deadweight to the entrance of the park. Thankfully by that time a few junior officers had shown up and taken the perp into custody while he showed a more senior officer where he'd hidden the weapon. By the time nine o'clock hit, he'd barely managed to slip in a quick shower before arriving at his precinct, where Goto had gotten on his case after learning Aino had been involved in the altercation.

He'd barely managed to convince the Commissioner of his innocence on that one.

Groaning, Keisuke popped open his briefcase and grabbed his notes. If he had to back off Aino for awhile then he'd make use of the spare time by following up some other leads. He thumbed through the pages and noted the name Omura had mentioned, Ueda Satoru. Omura had said he'd figured out a pattern of some kind...it would be worth looking into.

He pulled out his cell and dialed the number printed just below Ueda's name, waiting patiently as it rang and then abruptly cut off as a light tenor voice answered the other end.

"Who's this?"

Keisuke raised a brow.

"Ueda-san?"

"Yes, yes." Ueda tsked, "Now who are you?"

"Ueda-san, I'm Detective Koizumi." He leaned back and stretched while still staring at his notes. "An associate of yours informed me that you've been researching patterns of the so-called youma epi—"

"It's not a 'so-called' anything detective," the other man scoffed, "I've seen one of those things in person. Radiation effects do not look like that."

Keisuke rubbed the ache in his temple.

"Yes, well...in any case, I was wondering if I could meet with you?"

There was a silence that stretched over the phone that Keisuke knew meant Ueda was deliberating.

"Very well detective. I'm free tomorrow around ten. I assume you have my work address?"

Keisuke nodded despite the fact Ueda couldn't see him.

"Yes, I'll see you then."

He hung up and tossed his phone onto the couch and then looked back at his notes, a photograph of Aino paperclipped to some other files resting on top. She really had quite a kick. She had rendered a grown man unconscious for several hours just with one blow. He could use someone like that on his squad. Half the time he was partnered with an idiot who couldn't land a punch if their life depended on it.

He sighed, closing the folder, and tossed it on his couch as well.

It was too bad she was probably a terrorist.

[sorrowmarked-a]

What is your underlying motif?

MINAKO AINO

the home

whether it’s your warm embrace, your unwavering reliability, your smile that says “welcome back”, your motif is the home. your the equivalent to coming out of the rain to the fire on and your slippers waiting by the door. your uncanny way of making people feel alright, you’re treasured in these trying times. i respectfully request you take care of yourself, the world will never been as kind to you as you are to it. anne lammott said “lighthouses don't go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining” and though unconventional, lighthouses are inhabited and your cup runs over with generosity. because you probably don’t hear it enough, thank you.

Tagged by: @bravespirits Tagging: @makubes​, @buckcap​, @nirgama​, @sunrizing​, @guiltycharge​

And Tiff if you were hoping for Julia, I did hers a while ago and its here. 

[naruseii]

Myu review 5: 1996 Sailor Stars . . First impression: Of course I was excited for this Myu!! I love the Stars arc and I felt this was gonna be really wild for some reason. • • • Impressions: Actors/Actresses

Anza Ooyama (Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon/Neo-Queen Serenity)- I have a somewhat divided opinion on Anza. There were times where I really liked her but sometimes, she was just being unnecessarily dramatic. Her Usagi was mostly good although she can be over dramatic at times. She kept Usagi’s personality consistent from the last Myu and I really liked that! She was also really funny as Usanosuke!! As Super Sailor Moon, she was a bit over dramatic but not too much. What I loved most was her Eternal Moon (again). I just think she pulls off that version of Moon the best and I don’t really know why. When she showed hatred for the first time, it really made me fall in love with Eternal Moon even more. Love her singing, still a great dancer and acting could be somewhat better!!

Ayako Morino (Ami Mizuno/Sailor Mercury)- Ayako was better as Mercury than Ami and I can’t tell if it’s because of the writing or not. I really dislike the “boy crazy” aspect that’s given to Myu Ami and of course, it bothered me seeing Ayako act it out. Ami’s overall vibe just felt different and seeing as Ayako is a bit more timid/soft spoken (in my opinion), she didn’t really suit her character. As Mercury, she did really well especially in her scene with Uranus. Singing and dancing wise, she’s still pretty good! Her acting is decent it’s just that it didn’t really suit her/her character.

Misako Kotani (Rei Hino/Sailor Mars)- Misako was WAY BETTER in this Myu than her last one. She toned down her Rei without completely removing the loud/sass aspect from her and, her Mars was more serious this time!! The scene with her and Hiroko (doing Akuriyo Taisan) and in Sorezore no Elegy really showed how she changed up her character! Her singing is still really good and she’s better at dancing as well!! She did really great!

Emika Satou (Makoto Kino/Sailor Jupiter)- I LOVE EMIKA. She didn’t really have that big of a role but she was still really good!! Not much for Jupiter but her Makoto was so cute! I think she had a good balance of her Makoto which made me like her a lot! She has a really nice voice, good dancing and great acting!! I love her!! 💚

Kanatsu Nakaya (Minako Aino/Sailor Venus)- Just like Emika, Kanatsu was pretty good for the little role she had!! She didn’t really do much as Venus but her Minako was great!! She wasn’t as fangirly as I hoped her to be but it wasn’t bad! I can’t say much on singing (no solo) but she harmonizes well with the others!! Her dancing wasn’t too bad and I think her acting is okay! She was good!!

Yuuta Mochizuki (Mamoru Chiba/Tuxedo Mask)- Okay for starters, he was gone for (almost) the ENTIRE Stage 1 so I’ll be talking about him in Stage 2. Even in Stage 2, he didn’t really do much. He still sings pretty well (A Knight For Sailor Soldiers) and still has good movement. His relationship/dynamic with Anza is still pretty good even if they barely got to interact. All in all he was great even if his role was small!!

Sanae Kimura (Haruka Tenoh/Sailor Uranus)- Sanae was…okay!! She had her moments but she wasn’t really “out there”. As Haruka, there was nothing much. As Uranus, she was doing pretty good until her death scene. I found it a bit bothersome that she wasn’t deeply affected by Neptune’s death than she should’ve. She also seemed to be saying her lines without really feeling anything. She still sings and dances well but her acting wasn’t at it’s best for this Myu…

Hiroko Tahara (Michiru Kaioh/Sailor Neptune)- I honestly loved her Neptune/Michiru!! She had a good balance of being kind and charming as Michiru but strong and elegant as Neptune. She definitely has a talent for singing because her voice sounded so beautiful!! She’s also a really good dancer and her acting was amazing! Although it was her first time to play Neptune, it looked like she had a connection with her Uranus which I thought was really nice! She’s the first Michiru/Neptune I really like so far!!

Rei Saitou (Setsuna Meioh/Sailor Pluto)- I LOVE HER!! She was SO AMAZING in this Myu. Her Setsuna was so motherly and had a great sense of humor! She was also protective which made her portrayal really good!! Her Pluto was sooo good. The scene where she bends time really showed how much she was into her character. Her singing, dancing and acting were all great!! I love Rei so much!! :(

Keiko Takeda (Hotaru Tomoe/Sailor Saturn)- Her Saturn is really good, I really like how she portrays her character!! However, her Hotaru kinda doesn’t work out since Hotaru is a bit younger in Stars and Keiko seems a bit mature. But it was clear that her Hotaru was playful and her Saturn was serious. Her singing is still great and her dancing got better!! I really love Keiko :( . 💜

Tamaki Dia Shirai (Chibiusa/Sailor Chibi Moon)- I did feel that Tamaki was better here than she was in the SuperS musicals but, she still didn’t hit it for me. She’s still great in singing and I liked her dynamic with Keiko but sometimes her acting fell short. It was better than before, but she sounded so fake/flat like you knew she was acting. This isn’t the first time she’s done this but I’m glad she got way better for her last performance! 💖

Sayuri Katayama (Seiya Kou/Sailor Star Fighter)- Sayuri’s Seiya literally stole my heart. Her Seiya was so cool and charming and her Star Fighter was brave and caring; she carried her role as a leader so well!! Her singing and dancing were amazing and her interactions with Usagi/Moon gave me flashbacks to the manga. I really love Sayuri!! 💙

Hikari Ono (Taiki Kou/Sailor Star Maker)- 👀 . I MEAN, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT ME TO SAY. My wig was stolen and I had the hardest time ever watching this Myu because of her. Taiki is kinda like a background character in the Stars arc (manga) but she really made her stand out more!! As Star Maker, she didn’t really do much but she was okay! Since she got to do more in this Myu, she really got to showcase more of her talents which were all amazing!! :(( I love my girl.

Momoko Okuyama (Yaten Kou/Sailor Star Healer)- Her Yaten was SO GOOD AND SO CUTE!! She really showed her cool side but she gave her a playful side as well. Her Star Healer was like an “anger child” in a way. She didn’t really do much as her so I can’t say a lot. Her singing and dancing were great and she did really well!! I love her!! 💚

Saori Sara (Sailor Galaxia)- I think she did pretty okay as Galaxia!! I honestly can’t blame her for not being in her element sometimes since Sailor Stars (the anime) hasn’t explored Galaxia’s character much at the time so some things wouldn’t make sense. I do think she had late reactions and no emotions at times but they weren’t so bad! I liked her!!

Shadow Galatica (as a whole)- they were interesting!! I was surprised to see Pewter Fox and Titanium Keroko in place of Aluminum Siren and Lead Crow but they really played their characters well! Iron Mouse and Tin Nyanko didn’t really have much to them. Out of the Animamates, I liked Pewter Fox the most! Shadow Bug, Bee and Mantis were also pretty good despite not doing much! MC Fly was amazing of course (and really funny). And Sailor Buttress was kinda annoying at times and highly reminded me of Yellow Pearl from Steven Universe. . . . The story: To be honest, my only problem with this is that the story was so messy. It was good but, it was so hard to keep up with sometimes that you can’t even remember what the main objective was. Anyways, let’s move on!

Stage 1: I love how it started with Overture and it’s transition into Chasin’ After You, it really reminded me of the manga! Later on, when Ami got really upset about Usagi singing with Seiya, I was quite annoyed. I understand why everyone would be jealous, except Ami. The next few scenes were somewhat manga accurate which I can really appreciate!! The rooftop scene with Usagi, Setsuna and the Starlights was really funny and probably one of my favorite scenes in this Myu! Chibiusa’s arrival was quite sudden and marked the beginning of the messy story line. The Sailor Busters segment was also really fun to watch! And the fight scene after was quite boring to watch for me and it got better when they sang Sailor War Supreme!!

Stage 2: The Shadow Galactica meeting is something I really can’t describe. But I liked how Anza got to play Neo-Queen Serenity even for just a short time! The music festival was really fun to watch since it really felt like you were there!! All the songs were great and really catchy! But then things go bad and this is where Pluto bends time which ends up separating all the Sailor Senshi from each other. Hotaru and Chibiusa’s scene in the Edo period was really cute! Then things got darker when Uranus, Neptune, Mercury, Mars, the Starlights and Usagi were wandering the maze. Jupiter and Venus died early on but Usagi got to watch Uranus and Neptune pass as well as Mercury and Mars (Sorezore no Elegy) which was a really striking scene.

Later on, Usagi was able to transform into Super Sailor Moon and broke into the Shadow Galactica base. Tuxedo Mask finally makes his return together with Chibi Moon, Saturn and the Starlights. Moon then expresses her hate for someone for the first time then transforms into Eternal Moon which really struck me as well. Then there was a fight scene and Shadow Galactica (except for Galaxia) got defeated through the Double Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss. And since this whole thing was long and quite traumatic for the Senshi, this is when they sing Densetsu Seitan which concluded the story really well. • • • Overall opinion: This was a really good Myu!! Despite the messy storyline, I really enjoyed it! The portrayal of the Starlights in this Myu really made me love their characters even more and I also wished they had a Kakyuu and Chibi Chibi with them!! The songs were really great (although some were kinda annoying) and the plot was very creative (just not presented well)! I really hope they get to fix some of these in the Kaiteiban and I’m really looking forward to it!! . . . THE MUCH LONG AWAITED STARS REVIEW. I’ve been working on this since December but I’ve just been so busy, I couldn’t get to finish it in time :^( . Anyways, did you guys like this Myu? Do we agree on some stuff?? Please feel free to leave your thoughts! ((Character profiles are from @myu-resource , screenshot is from Sea of Serenity on YouTube, posters are from vk.com))

[sittingoverheredreaming]

Ok this one is a lame au but the Outers show up in pgsm.

THIS ISN’T LAME THIS IS WONDERFUL TERRITORY AND I WENTTOTALLY OFF THE RAILS, THE ENDING IS DISAPPOINTING BUT CHRIST I WROTE WAY TOOMUCH.

I’m going to come from the second season angle, with thespecial act never happening. Also, I think there’s no Chibs in the PGSM-verse,because of Sailor Luna and also working in a world without the security ofCrystal Tokyo is interesting.

So that puts us with a Pluto who has not known friendship,who never fought or died for a sweet little girl. She becomes Setsuna andeverything is new, she gets to be with people for the first time.

Also, she’s aged down a bit. Only a little older than ourmain cast. She is so eager to befriend them and she doesn’t know how. And sheknows she is supposed to be there to warn them, but she wants so badly to beloved by them that she frets over her approach and dreads their impression ofher being such a bad omen.

Minako notices her, and confronts her, thinking she might bea fan going to far, showing up places they hang out and always looking a littletoo long. Setsuna transforms to assure her that’s not the case. She explainsthat there may be a time when additional soldiers are needed to destroy biggerthreats.

She also asks that Minako keep her a secret from the others.

Minako agrees, but she knows what it’s like to take on theburden of duty and memory alone, so she invites Setsuna along to hang out withthem.

(And as monster attacks start cropping up again, she makessure Setsuna is able to sneak away quietly instead of transforming. There’s notyet anything they can’t handle on their own yet anyway.)

There’s a nice little subplot of Rei getting jealous of thisnew, beautiful older girl Minako is suddenly chummy with.

She swears she’s not jealous, she explains to Ami one night,it’s just that she used to be the one person Minako connected to, and nowSetsuna’s new and shiny and she feels forgetten.

That’s jealousy, Ami says (she knows the feeling all toowell), but what did you say about premonitions of doom?

Rei says it’s probably nothing. Ami takes note while Rei isfocused on her definitely-not-jealousy.

Usagi, meanwhile, is causing Mamoru somedefinitely-not-jealousy as she spends time with a handsome stranger she met ina candy shop.

He of course doesn’t SAY anything, of course, but Usagi seessomething is wrong and mopes around the karaoke bar trying to figure it out.

Mako has NO PATIENCE for Mamoru’s shit, so she barges overto his place to find out what’s wrong. He caves and she’s just like YOU’RESTUPID USAGI LOVES YOU. Also, I think Haruka is about as threatening to you asa teddy bear, she cries over every animal video Usagi shows her.

Oh, is all Mamoru can say, and then he pulls his head out ofhis ass.

We then get just fun scenes of the girls (includingSetsuna!) hanging out with Haruka, trying on sunglasses, complaining aboutschool, all the usual stuff. She and Mako play basketball. A good time is hadby all.

Meanwhile, tho, the viewers get insight into the DeathBuster’s plans. Tomoe and Kaolintie (the baddies are streamlined a bit) hatchdaimons from various objects. They whisper about building up to hatching themost powerful daimon of all.

The daimons get more and more powerful, the girls fight moreand more. One day they get attacked while hanging out, and in order to protectHaruka, Setsuna is forced to reveal herself. And when she transforms, sherecognizes the hidden power of Uranus in Haruka.

The girls are surprised in the aftermath, but not shocked.Usagi is elated that both her new friends are senshi. She offers her hand toHaruka, eager to see her transform for the first time…

And is blown away by a blast of power.

“That girl will not become a senshi,” says a voice from the shadows.“You will not lead her down this path.”

The audience sees a shot of green hair, a glint of a mirror.

“We need her to awaken the messiah, should the need arise.”Setsuna says. She touches the garnet orb on her staff.

“Then the need shall not arise,” says the mysterioussoldier. “If she is with you, she is protected, is she not?”

Haruka wants to join the fight, but something holds herback. And when she asks, later, Minako is honest. Duty is hard. Duty ispainful. Whoever the mysterious soldier is, she is not wrong. Whatever reasonsshe has for protecting Haruka may be valid.

Rei, meanwhile, is not content to be left wondering. Shegoes to her fires with a question, and they give her an answer. The next dayshe tracks down the young heiress Michiru Kaioh.

“I know who you are,” she says, but Michiru does not falter.“And I know who you are, Mars. I know what you have seen. Pluto is wrong. Whenwe three awaken we bring destruction. I will not let that girl face that.”

“What is she to you?”

Michiru freezes. “Everything. But I am nothing to her.” Andshe takes her leave.

There’s several episodes of Haruka agonizing and the girlsfighting and Neptune watching from the shadows and Rei being weird aboutSetsuna and Minako and trying to decide if she’s relieved or more threatened bythe fact that she’s a soldier.

And finally one episode ends with a scared little girl lookinginto Tomoe’s laboratory, with more ominous talk of The Most Powerful Daimon.

We follow this little girl, Hotaru, next episode, see her goto school and be picked on for being sickly, see her avoid going home. Shemeets Haruka, who asks if she’s lost. She says no, but when Haruka asks if she’dlike to be walked home because it’s getting dark, she nods and takes her hand.

Of course, a powerful daimon attacks them.

Neptune appears seemingly out of nowhere to fight it. “Run,”she spits, and Haruka picks up Hotaru and tries but a second daimon appears. “Forgetthe girl and run!”

Haruka, of course, cannot, and if she cannot run, she mustfight.

The power explodes out of her and she transforms. Michiruwatches in despair.

Uranus immediately kills the monster she faces with hersword, and turns to make sure Hotaru is okay.

But Hotaru’s glowing purple, and in a voice not her own shedemands the third. Where is it? She needs the third.

Michiru drops her transformation, and yells at Haruka to dothe same. Hotaru returns to normal with no memory of what happened.

“The three of us must never be transformed in the sameplace,” Michiru says quietly. “Lest the messiah of silence awaken.”

“You don’t have to be alone though,”Haruka says. (Shecarries Hotaru, who has fallen asleep, on her back.

Michiru insists it’s too risky. She would rather Haruka staysafe, but Haruka smiles and says she’s in this now. She asks why Michiru caresso much, and she avoids the question.

All the senshi, minus Michiru, have a meeting in the karaokeparlor. Rei states what she knows, and so does Haruka. The incident with Hotaruworries Pluto. She explains that the three of them are supposed to call forththe holy grail, which empowers Serenity.

Usagi quietly says that every power that can do good can dobad just as easily.

It silences them all for a long moment. Then Haruka suggeststhat Hotaru seems troubled, and maybe the best option would be to find out moreabout what might be going on.

They form a plan. Ami signs up to be a tutor at Hotaru’selementary school. She meets Hotaru, but learns nothing. Hotaru is troubled bybullying, that is clear, but there’s something deeper Ami can see but can’tdefine.

Then, without notice because she’s not one to be behind thescenes, MINAKO AINO makes a surprise visit to the elementary school! All of thekids go nuts, asking for autographs and songs, but Hotaru hangs back. Ami takesher chance and asks Hotaru what’s wrong. She’s been bullied too, she assuresher, and she won’t tell anyone anything Hotaru says.

Hotaru is painfully ready to trust people. She tells Ami hermother died, but now her father has brought home a woman and the woman won’tleave. Ami nods, thinking it’s a stepmother situation, but then Hotaru whispersthat they spend all their time in the basement laboratory, saying things thatscare her, and sometimes she wakes up at night sure someone has been in herroom.

There’s whispers in her dreams, words she doesn’t understand.Daimons. Does Ami know what a daimon is?

Ami lies and says no. As soon as she can, she takes out herphone and makes a call.

Haruka, luckily, knows where Hotaru’s house is from walkingher home. The two of them expect to do a stealth attack (figuring there is notime to gether the others), but Kaolinite knows Hotaru has talked. She meetsthem at the door and announces they are too late.

She turns and shoves Hotaru forward, announcing the mostpowerful daimon is complete.

The wind rises around Hotaru. Haruka whispers that this isn’thow she went strange before.

Michiru runs past everyone, untransformed. As she is aboutto throw herself on Hotaru, Haruka grabs her arm. “What are you doing?”

“Killing the girl will save us all.”

“How can you say that? She’s a child.”

The fight is cut short by Hotaru hatching into MistressNine.

The being that was once the little girl Hotaru looks at herhands, shrieking with laughter at the joy of being alive. The sky darkens aboveher. She smiles before lashing out.

Michiru shields Haruka from the blow, looking so small incomparision to tall, transformed Uranus.

Mistress Nine knocks back Mercury, declaring them not worththe fight. She calls for Tomoe and Kaolinite, declaring that they must protecther, they’ve brought her into a body still to frail to handle her power. Shecannot yet call Pharoh 90.

And then Hotaru collapses, a girl once again. Tomoe andKaolinite take her up and disappear.

There’s a few quieter episodes. Haruka visits Michiru in thehospital, and Michiru confesses everything. How her visions had led her toHaruka, and while she’d already planned on stopping her from awakening, themore she watched, the more she wanted to protect Haruka’s smile. It wouldn’t befair if Haruka had to face a soldier’s life. She never wanted Haruka to facedown killing a little girl for the sake of the world.

Once she’s out, everyone comes together. Setsuna somberlyannounces her thoughts—based on what Haruka saw, Hotaru bears the soul ofSaturn, the soldier of destruction. Michiru agrees, stating the extent of hervisions. She’s seen that they are between a rock and a hard place—destruction bySaturn or destruction by Pharoh 90.

Setsuna sees things differently. Saturn’s power razes the earthas a fire might raze a crop, ensuring the soil is renewed so that it can growback stronger. Destruction by the likes of Pharoh 90 is a plague, poisoning theearth so that nothing shall rise up in its wake.

They should awaken Saturn to force out Mistress Nine.

Minako agrees. Rei very emphatically does not. They havefought for their lives. This life. She’s not prepared to sacrifice it. She andMinako fall into old patterns of subordination and accusations of being badsoldiers.

Usagi stops them. They will awaken Saturn. But she will stopthe destruction. She will not hear that it’s not how it works.

They draw out Mistress Nine once more, and this time she is successfulin calling to her master. Pharoh 90 appears in the sky, slowly descending toconsume the earth.

The soldiers worry they are too late, but they follow theplan.

The Outers all transform, and Mistress Nine begins to morph.There is a war inside Hotaru’s body, and Saturn wins.

She raises her glaive to reset, but Princess Sailor Moonsteps up, blocking the glaive with her sword.

“I will not allow destruction of things I love.”

“You are too late. I will birth this world anew. I amdestruction incarnate.”

“So was I, once.” Usagi fades into her regular Sailor Moonform. The Holy Grail appears before her, and she takes it. “We don’t have to bethe things we were made for.” The grail opens and light washes over her. Shehas become Super Sailor Moon. “I destroyed my kingdom in pain, and I was wrong.”

“I am not motivated by pain, only duty.”

“A very good friend of mine felt the same, once. But shefound out duty isn’t all there is.”

“There’s nothing else for me!” Saturn yells, sounding muchmore like Hotaru. “This is something I can do, this is the only thing that’sright!”

“No, we can do something else, together.” Usagi holds out herhand, and Hotaru takes it, just as she took Haruka’s hand before. Together theyface Pharoh 90, the power of Super Sailor Moon lifting them up to meet him. Theydisappear to fight him from the inside.

Usagi emerges, the holy grail cracked in two at her feet,and Hotaru, once again an ordinary little girl, in her arms.

[docholligay]

Holding Hands, Reinako

For Fluffvember! 1100 words, i hope you enjoy!

The world was a different place now, wasn’t it? The magic had disappeared from it, with one stroke of Mina’s sword, the stroke that changed the galaxy forever. 

The world was safe now, and the future was assured now, and now Mina was the normal girl she had always longed to be. 

It was a different place, but in some ways they were the same people in it, and she thought this intensely as she and Rei sat in the park, the dim, hazy lights softly illuminating the path beside them. Rei was stubborn, and Rei was fierce, and it was a certain quality of her inability to concede a battle that had them out here. 

Mina didn’t blame her. These last months had been hard for all of them, in one way or another. Rei had thrown herself as hard into adaptation as Haruka had fled from it. What was important to Rei was that she could do everything herself, not any particular way of doing it, and so her books were rapidly becoming very large print, she had laid out her place with clear pathways, and there was a watch with raised number at her wrist. 

But the idea of using a cane, even at night, was too much to bear. Too obvious. It telegraphed that Rei Hino might not be able to do every single thing better than another person. 

So maybe she wasn’t too unlike Haruka, after all. 

That was the joke, wasn’t it, that in all her wanderings and flings, she’d found herself loving stubborn hotheads, too much alike each other for Mina not to notice it, too different from each other to admit they were anything alike. 

And she did, love them. It was easy to say of Haruka, even as she was currently behaving like a complete jackass. She and Haruka had been through hell and back together, their friendship forged in fire, and their affection for each other was easy to say, because they knew the other felt the same, and would say so. 

Nothing was ever easy with Rei. Rei had denied herself Mina for so long that Mina wondered if it wasn’t an ingrained habit, even if they had nothing left to fight for, even now, when they were allowed to just be. Neither of them had moved, since the final battle that day. Mina gave herself a million reasons why. Rei was recovering. Everyone was adjusting. 

But Mina was angry, if she were being honest, and figured, after all these years, the ball was finally in Rei’s court. She wasn’t going to play a one-sided game anymore. 

So here they were, Rei wanting to go out at night, too proud to admit the low light was hard for her, and too tired of hearing Usagi sniffle every time she stumbled. But it was beautiful too, out here. Things were just beginning to grow, and the night was losing its chill, and soon, Mina thought, there would be the scent of flowers wavering through the air. 

Even the square where so much had happened was being rebuilt, new buildings rising and growing where the old ones had fallen. That was the world, and that was Tokyo, growing out of its own ashes. And so why couldn’t they begin to grow and bloom again? They weren't salted earth, ruined forever, right? It couldn’t be that Mina was born only to lead a troop, and escape unhurt, and do nothing but know that for the rest of her life? 

She wondered that, sometimes, in the dark. If this were it, for her. If this was the best she could have. 

She could see in the dark, where Rei couldn’t but Rei could feel in it, and she answered the question Mina did not ask by reaching next to her and taking Mina’s hand. 

“Everything is different now.” Rei said it like she said everything, with a sense of perfect authority. She could have been ordering a noodle bowl or addressing the Emperor, it all came out the same. 

“I guess,” Mina said, unable to look down at her hand, warm in Rei’s, “whether that’s good or not.” 

Rei said nothing for what could only have been a minute, but to Mina seemed to stretch on into eternity. She wondered when the grip would stop, when she and Rei would fall back into that old familiar dance, the tango that always ended with them on opposite ends of the dance floor. 

The stars twinkled brightly, stories and concerns that no longer involved them swirling around the darkness. Mina had never been able to See, though her powers of observation were so strong that one could have been forgiven for thinking she had. She wondered what it must have been like, to see flashes of what the stars and the sea and the smoke foretold. 

Mina had her own spark, the way she could reach into someone’s mind and pluck out a memory, but that was gone now, slipped back into Venus’ palm, and now Rei’s touch was only that. 

She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what Rei was thinking anyway. 

“Do you still love me?” 

It was so sudden, she may as well have hit Mina with a bat. A noodle bowl, the emperor, and Minako Aino, all the same. She stumbled over her words like a toddler. 

“I--um--yes.” 

She’d meant to be more coy. She’d meant to be more clever. She’d meant to be more Mina about all of it. But Rei had changed the steps of the dance, and Mina did not know them. 

She’d meant many things, but none so much as that yes. 

“I think…” Rei looked over to her finally, and MIna wondered what she looked like in those scarred eyes, “We could try. If you want to.” 

“Okay well,” Mina smiled, “First thing, this isn’t romantic. Take me on a date! Seduce me! Listen, I know this is like, your first--” 

“Shut up, Minako.”

Rei pulled her in, and kissed her, and maybe the language of the flame had left her but its words were still hot on her lips, and for the first time since the power had fallen away from her, Mina felt those seeds of something entirely new, something entirely hers, begin to grow. 

The world was safe now, and the future was assured now, and now MIna was the normal girl she had always longed to be. 

But the magic had not disappeared, not as Rei’s hand entwined with hers. 

It glowed brighter. 

[shylax]

Usagi, Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako.

Usagi Tsukino:

somewhat attractive | eh | not really my type | pretty | handsome | beautiful | stud | gorgeous | SWEET LORD MERCY

can you relate to this character on a personal level?: no | not really | somewhat | yes | they are me (other than the failing tests part, absolutely, I also love food and am lazy as hell)

would you date/be friends with this character in real life if they were real?: total bros | friends | best friends | date | become their steady boyfriend/ girlfriend | neither | i don’t know | (we all know you can’t fight official pairing, and honestly even though she is beautiful she wouldn’t really stoke my passion as much, I don’t think)

Ami Mizuno

somewhat attractive | eh | not really my type | pretty | handsome | beautiful | stud | gorgeous | SWEET LORD MERCY (i love her medium-short hair and her style)

can you relate to this character on a personal level?: no | not really | somewhat | yes | they are me (once upon a time I did well in school and I love the borger too)

would you date/be friends with this character in real life if they were real?: total bros | friends | best friends | date | become their steady boyfriend/ girlfriend | neither | i don’t know | (I dunno if it’d work because she’s so busy but I’m willing to give it a try)

Rei Hino

somewhat attractive | eh | not really my type | pretty | handsome | beautiful | stud | gorgeous | SWEET LORD MERCY

can you relate to this character on a personal level?: no | not really | somewhat | yes | they are me

would you date/be friends with this character in real life if they were real?: total bros | friends | best friends | date | become their steady boyfriend/ girlfriend | neither | i don’t know | (she’s beautiful but I think we’d have too many personal differences to make it work)

Makoto Kino

somewhat attractive | eh | not really my type | pretty | handsome | beautiful | stud | gorgeous | SWEET LORD MERCY

can you relate to this character on a personal level?: no | not really | somewhat | yes | they are me (Not the struggle to conform to femininity, but I’d love to learn martial arts with her)

would you date/be friends with this character in real life if they were real?: total bros | friends | best friends | date | become their steady boyfriend/ girlfriend | neither | i don’t know | (I’m not that arrogant to put steady!)

Minako Aino

somewhat attractive | eh | not really my type | pretty | handsome | beautiful | stud | gorgeous | SWEET LORD MERCY

can you relate to this character on a personal level?: no | not really | somewhat | yes | they are me (I could never be that beautiful)

would you date/be friends with this character in real life if they were real?: total bros | friends | best friends | date | become their steady boyfriend/ girlfriend | neither | i don’t know | (either friends or date, not sure)