#fuku replies

[asktrainerzoroark]

(@askthewhiterocket) Kyo raised her eyebrows a bit as she spotted Fuku. "A Hisuian Pokemon... now that's not something you see every day." She motioned for Meowstic to be at the ready to translate Fuku's answer as Kyo asked a question. "Are you a Pokemon originally from Hisui? Or are you from one of those preserves like those in Alola or Unova? I've heard ghost Pokemon like yourself have surprisingly long lifespans, but I'm not very familiar with your species, so I'm not sure exactly how long is "surprisingly long"."

Possibly in a surprising twist to Kyo, the Zoroark spoke in perfect human.

"I was aware of there potentially being a preserve in Kitakami, but not in Alola and Unova? Just how many Hisuian nature preserves are out there?"

[randomnameless]

This anon looked through the winter banners jp text, and the eng translation is suprisingly accurate - except for one teeny tiny little thing that made me lol. Edelgards final confession line ('One final push to protect this night and ensure the tradition shines on.') in japanese is actually '聖夜の輝きがいつまでも続くよう… 人の手で守っていきましょう。' - 'So that the brilliance of the Holy Night can last forever... lets protect it with 𝙝��𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨.' Just... lmao.

ROFL

I already noticed it earlier, but yep, Pat still gotta Pat, even if he left the earlier suspicious "Every glimmer of light on this eve is a dream, a radiance produced by the ceaseless efforts of humankind."

tfw Supreme Leader thinks W!Fae is a chicken and not a lizard even if both are non humans?

Why the need to mention the efforts of "humankind" and not, say, of everyone?

All things considered, I like this Supreme Leader alt, it has her dork moments (when she had Hubert map the gift delivering itinerary), her Adrestian nationalism (Askr's Winter Festival will be so splendid that it will rival Adrestia's lol) and her bias against non-humans.

Compared to the entire bunch of nothing that were her summer alt's lines (you could lit swap her with Nyna and nothing would change) this alt here feels like Supreme Leader.

[noroi1000]

Gojo and reader are expecting a baby and started to playfully fight on what the baby's name should be! Fluff please!

Baby Name

Gojo x pregnant reader

Summary: Gojo comes up with names for your baby.

Words: 1k

"Toru, what are you doing there?" You asked as you felt your husband's head resting on your thighs and his forehead pressed against the bottom of your protruding belly.

You were lying on your back on the bed. You were letting your spine rest after a day of walking around with that little one in you.

Just like any baby in their mother's womb, your baby is calm if you do something. Then your body movements soothe the child inside you.

But when you want to rest, you feel it twist.

That's why you love the thought of having a husband for whom cuddling is very much needed in life because he likes touch.

More than once you have felt his fingers lightly squeeze your pregnant belly at night, rubbing your skin. Telling your child that everything is fine.

Then your child is calm, because it works like telekinesis, even if it's not there. Because the baby gives you rest for a while.

Instead of spinning around and making you constantly wander to the toilet.

You have decided to wait with the gender of your baby until birth.

As Satoru laughed when asked what his baby would be like, he replied that he didn't give spoilers.

However, it was getting closer and closer to the arrival of the 9th month.

You were already in the seventh.

You wish you already had a name for your child so that when he or she is born you will know how to speak.

You don't want to linger on the name for so long.

Probably Satoru too.

Because when he was lying on your thighs with his forehead on the bottom of your stomach, he was thinking about it.

"Satoru?"

"I think..." he muttered, looking at your belly as if he wanted to get an x-ray in his eyes and see the baby. Or he was looking for inspiration.

"You think what? Wouldn't you rather go to sleep?" You asked, feeling his head press closer against yours.

"How do we name the baby?" He said, placing his hand on your belly.

"Do you have any idea?"

You placed your hand on his. It was nice to feel his warm, big hands on your body.

Nice feeling. The warmth of his skin felt so nice.

"Mmmmm... Satoru junior..."

You laughed quietly.

"What if it's a girl?"

"Satori."

You laughed harder.

"Or (y/n) junior." He murmured, stroking your skin. "(y/n)ro."

You chuckled softly as you heard him trying to come up with a name for the baby.

It was cute and fun.

But you needed something else for your baby.

Something normal, but at the same time not the same as others. Not so common name.

Something rarer, but not such that everyone will wonder what that name is.

You just wanted your child, just like her/his daddy, to be special and one of a kind.

"Do you have any idea?" he asked, burying his nose into your skin. Making you laugh because of the tickling feeling.

"Why don't we pick something from the name lists?"

"How about Mochi?"

You looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Mochi?" you repeated.

"I love mochi! I love my baby even more! Boy Mochiro and girl Mochiko!"

You giggled as you heard his enthusiasm.

Mochiro and Mochiko? That sounds like normal names. But the fact that these names were based on one of the child's father's favorite sweets disqualifies these names.

If people knew that these names were created from the name "mochi", most would probably consider it abnormal.

But your husband just really likes sweets!

You were curious to see what else he would come up with.

That's why you've been waiting for more of his ideas.

"kikufuku?" He asked, resting the back of his head against your thighs as he stared at the ceiling.

"Baby's name?"

You weren't sure if he just got a kikufuku craving right now or if he was talking about baby names.

"You know... A name that starts with Kiku I Fuku. Together it's Kikufuku! Or Dango! No... Dango no. It sounds bad. Gojo Dango. Maybe Naruto? You know... Like those!"

"Naruto is an anime character." You laughed.

"I'll be a big fan of this anime if I name my child that... I don't want to... Well, how about... Pocky?"

"That sounds like a nickname."

"You're right..."

"It's a good thing you didn't propose to Wagashi."

"Can we eat?" He looked at you with a twinkle in his eye.

"It's night, Toru."

"Uggh... You gave me a taste for Wagashi..."

"Hold on until morning."

"I'll eat my little mochi!"

Suddenly, he playfully bit your thigh and belly, showing you what his mochi was.

"Don't eat me or our baby!"

"Name Dora or Yaki. Dorayaki!"

"Or something normal?" you asked nervously.

"Tako."

"Let me guess... Takoyaki?"

"Make me foody~... Baby..." he murmured, leaning up to meet your eyes.

"It's night. Satoru, I want to rest."

"Let's talk more about baby names!"

"Shall I name our baby by the name of the food?" You laughed and pulled up to push back on the bed.

He moved his head slightly to make room for your stomach.

Only now did you notice that he was lying on the bed with his legs sticking out of the mattress and his head was using your thighs as a pillow.

He smiled slightly and looked at you as you placed your hand on his forehead, stroking his soft hair with your fingers.

He stared at you with those beautiful eyes.

"Maybe Ao and Aka?"

"You want to call the children your Jujutsu techniques?"

"Better Ao and Aka than Murassaki. Hehe."

You slapped him lightly on the forehead for his laugh.

He closed his eyes with a toothy grin and reached his hand for yours, touching your skin as your fingers tangled in his hair.

"Don't do this to our children."

"Children? So you want more than one?"

He gave you that trademark smile that would be very irritating if you didn't love him.

Oh yes... If you want to be pregnant more times in your life... He'll do it for you. And he'll love to look at you and keep coming up with a name for your next baby.

[tsukimefuku]

Fuku hi!!! Charging in to bombard you with some of the writers ask questions. Here I go!! 😌

4. What piece of media inspired you the most?

9. What fic meant the most to you to write?

12. What fic was most difficult to write? Did you finish it?

22. Share an excerpt from your favorite scene.

4. Oh, I had sooooo many of those. Let me try to list some of the most important and some of the most recent for all the styles I’ve been writing (fluff, angst, dark fantasy original work and romcom):

Água Viva by Clarice Lispector (book), Fleabag (tv series), The haunting of hill house (series), Pitch Perfect trilogy (movies), We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver (book), Sandman (comics), Watchmen (comics), Wandavision (tv series), Bojack Horseman (tv series), The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath (book), and I mean my entire Spotify history 😂

9. Currently, it’s “The Eulogy for the Love Remained” which is a WIP, but up until I started it, it was my rewrite of “The Event part 1” because I had given myself the challenge of rewriting something I didn’t like and I did it, having a final fic that I’m actually happy with! It gave me a sense of accomplishment :)

12. It’s a tie. First, Blunt trauma, my villain Nanami fic (especially part two that is currently in the works). I had to write the “balancing act” between two people that love and resented each other deeply, and let it shine through their dynamics (so *show, don’t tell* rule). On the other hand, Higuruma Sensei is being a challenge because it demands me to keep some sort of consistency, it’s a genre I’m not very used to (romcom), and it is written in an organized, planned long-story format (my adhd demon is screaming).

22. Omg I have so many of those. Let me get one from “books and dinner” WIP (reader & Nanami):

“Hm… Is everything alright?” Kento asked, holding the door open while he slightly brushed his hair back with his fingers.

“I need to return your apartment keys” you replied, absentmindedly.

He looked puzzled. “You can keep those, it's not an issue at all.”

You stood there silently for a minute, and knowing you all too well, he waited for the bomb that was about to drop. Kento had learned by then that anything could come out of your mouth when you went silent like that.

“Tell me what I should do with it.”

“You should probably put them in a keychain” the sorcerer replied, confused.

“No, not the keys” you answered, words struggling to come out against the concrete barricade you had on your throat.

Kento patiently asked, “What, then?”

“With the love they left me. My family, my best friend, my brother, and now him. I don’t…” you heaved, before coming back to a more impassive expression, “I don’t know what to do with it. Please, tell me what I should do with it.”

Kento’s eyes widened, as he realized what you were actually on about. He then began assessing the situation — you looked perfectly sober, somewhat distraught, but otherwise fine. Seeing that nothing was particularly wrong, he let you keep talking without interruptions.

“I- I don’t want it anymore. Why do people keep leaving me with their love?” you asked, pained, eyes too heavy to lift, “So, I need to do something with the love they left me with, and I still can’t think of anything. I need some help with that, I guess.”

Your tone was analytical, like someone picking apart at building blocks.

Your gaze, however, revealed you were nothing but a child, just picking apart at yourself.

[eyfey]

Hello! I'm sorry to bother you, but I was wondering how long you studied Japanese for until you became good enough to do manga translations? (Or fluently read manga at all, really 😔) I want to help contribute to projects like that, but I feel I still have a long way to go until then 🤧

so first off: sorry this took so long to reply to! when I first got the message I had exactly Zero free time, and then i simply forgor (whoops lol)

I actually already have a few posts sort of about this in my #translation tips tag, but it's been a hot minute so I might as well provide some updated info~

(under the readmore 'cause it's longggggggg)

How long have I studied Japanese?

A While. I had maybe a not so typical journey with Japanese... If you break it down it looks kinda like this:

4 years of watching a TON of anime to pick up basic vocab just by ear (this was in high school- I did not take any actual classes or even make any effort to learn the language at this point, but apparently I'm pretty good at just picking up things from hearing them)

4 1/2 years of actual Japanese classes in college (actual learning with like teachers and textbooks and homework)

1/2 year of study abroad that I managed to cram in before I graduated (additional classes and also constant speaking the language)

8 1/2 years since then (god has it really been that long???) (no actual like... studying during this time, but a LOT of translating... mostly Saiki)

So.... 13-ish years? if you don't count the first 4 that were just watching anime. And technically only 5 of them were actual "studying".

-

How long did I study before doing manga translating?

I, uh….. I actually started translating manga about a month BEFORE I ever took a single Japanese language class.

(not recommended but like… here I am lol)

I had found some volumes of Pyu to Fuku Jaguar(a gag manga I really liked but only had 3 volumes translated at the time) at a used bookstore, but they were in Japanese so I just kind of bought them, downloaded an english to japanese dictionary app, printed out a hiragana/katakana chart, and then just went through the book: looking up one letter at a time, sounding out words, looking them up in the dictionary. I already knew a lot of vocab and had a vague feel for grammar exclusively from watching anime, but like also there was a loooooooot of looking stuff up. I don't remember exactly how long it took to read that first volume (at least a month lol- maybe 2 or more)

I noticed the scan group for Pyu to Fuku Jaguar was updating really slow (and/or had notices that they needed more translators? I forget it's been over a decade lol) So I figured: I can understand this well enough just reading it on my own.... maybe I can help???? it's probably better than nothing right?? So I tried my hand at doing some translations and uploaded them to the newbie board of a manga translation side to have people proofread, and then I emailed the group to ask if I could join. If I remember correctly they only ended up posting one (or none) of my translations?? before disappearing so I just kind of kept doing the translations on my own without uploading them anywhere

and then later when a new group took over they had gotten my translations from the previous group (or was it the translation site where I uploaded some?) and credited me in the release, so I sent them a message like "hey neato! I actually have like 5 more translations done, u want em?" and ended up joining THAT group to continue working on the series!

I started taking classes p soon after starting the translations, and doing translation while taking classes was actually really nice 'cause I had a place to pretty much immediately apply the things I learned in class, and the translating outside of class gave me a lot of practice for reading & a good head start for learning new vocab.

Honestly I think for translating, being good at the language you're translating into is more important than being good at the language you're translating from. Like: you should still at least SORT of know the language you're translating from (that is an important part of it too don't get me wrong) But like even if someone is perfectly fluent in Japanese, if they're translating into English but don't know how to make words sound good in English, then it kind of defeats the purpose haha.

(reading a lot and paying close attention to wording and stuff, and also reviewing and revising your translations will help with that part of the translation process- it's also a skill you pick up as you go)

-

Tips for getting better at reading Japanese?

Honestly I think translating is one of the best ways to get better at Japanese (understanding and reading at least- it won't necessarily do much to help you remember how to write or speak haha) Reading is helpful to some extent, but you will probably get to a point where you understand enough of it to get the gist of whats happening, but then your brain will just sort of skim over a lot of the parts you don't know in the interest of enjoying the story without stopping. When you translate though, you're FORCED to stop and look up every word or phrase you don't know and double check things and sort of sit on them and think what it means and how you would say it in your own language.

If you're self motivated enough you can probably get some good learning out of language apps like duolinguo or babel or whatever, or even just buying Japanese textbooks/workbooks and going through them by yourself. Otherwise, taking Japanese classes is the standard approach (even if you don't go to a school where they offer Japanese classes, there are private options- just google Japanese classes or Japanese tutors online or in your area if you prefer in person)

This old post of mine has some more detailed tips for how to look things up, and some just general translating tips that I think are still p useful, but it pretty much boils down to "google everything you don't know until you know it"

also the 10ten extension is good for highlighting/translating individual japanese words in your browser (when they're written in kanji or kana) and the google translate app is good for taking pictures of text and reading it so you know what the dang kanji says (or you can hand write the kanji in there too- though I need to find a better kanji dictionary app 'cause google's doesn't really give you enough space to write)

-

Sorry this ended up WAY longer than I thought it would but I hope it helped!

Good luck!!

[ydan-lover]

Kyuushi Manga vs Anime Comparison (S1E1) (Part 2)

(Part 1)

Noticeable changes or other interesting facts are explained in detail. When there are talks about some changes in the translation, I will mostly be talking about the subbed version.

Please support the author by reading the manga on Champion Cross for free!

・I'll start with something I missed in the previous post. The title of the first part of the episode (退治人来たりて空を飛ぶ Hunter Kitarite Sora wo Tobu) is a reference to Japanese mystery novel Akuma ga Kitarite Fue wo Fuku by Yokomizo Seishi.

・Bonnoki has a tendency to name his chapters after some kind of media. Most of the time it's just a nice reference or shout-out, and there are no similarities regarding the plot of the referenced media and the published chapter.

・In case the reference to Street Fighter 2 wasn't obvious enough, the anime adds Ryu doing Hadoken on the cartridge of the game.

・In the manga, it's the first time Draluc dies with his "saaand" catchphrase.

・In the manga, there's no visible indication of Ronald sounding fake. In the anime, Ronald the Great persona couldn't be more obvious.

・Ronald's reply is completely changed.

(Manga) 再婚相手の連れ子みてーなこと言ってんじゃねーぞガキが！/ Don't talk to me like you're a stepson I got from marrying your mom, you brat!

・In the anime, it's not clear the kid rides away with Draluc's QSQ until after the chase, because Draluc's reaction to him stealing his QSQ is cut out.

・Draluc's cocky explanation and its visual is cut out in the anime.

(Manga) ふん バカめ あの廊下はこの部屋から回り込めるのだ。/ Hmph, you fool. That hallway loops around this room.

This is the reason why he runs to the right, hoping to catch the boy.

・Ronald's explanation regarding his job as a vampire hunter is more vivid in the anime since his Ronald the Great fakeness is highlighted once again. However, his "俺は天下の吸血鬼退治人ロナルド様よ / I'm the world-famous Ronald the Great" line is cut out.

・This exchange between Draluc and Ronald is cut out.

Draluc: ホラ 君の話が長いから小僧を見失ったじゃないか / Look, you've been babbling for so long that we've lost sight of the boy!

Ronald: テメーがツーンてなってたからだろ! / It's because you've been nothing but a pain in the ass, you bastard!

・Draluc's (failed) transformation is more spectacular in the anime.

・In the manga, Ronald is very angry because of Draluc's snarky line, with his gun ready to shoot Draluc. In the anime, his reaction is toned down, and he doesn't draw a gun.

・Ronald's reaction is cut out in the anime.

(Manga) ワーかぶりついて見てるナメやがって! 写メ�� とるんじゃねえ チクショー! / Wah! He's enjoying this, looking down on us! Stop taking the pics, damn it!

・In the manga, Draluc is already revived during Ronald's angry rant, giving him The Look. Ronald's "大人をおちょくって偉くなったつもりか! / What, you feel so mighty great by poking fun at the adults?!" part of the speech is cut out.

[gcldfanged]

@speedchasing:

ROCHE , clad in a bright red leather jacket and worn - out jeans , had been drawn to the bright and gaudy streets of wall market with the sensation that he had stepped into another world . mind you , he had to sneak in here ⸻ but it's not like he's looking to indulge in the forbidden pleasures of adults he's heard about . no ... what the young boy is here for is ... someone . a lowlife that owes him a couple of answers . what he finds instead is the damp dark of an alley . the air smells funny here , but the sound of crying ⸻ like that of another child's ⸻ had piqued his attention , and amidst a crowd seemingly devoid of children , the blonde sought the familiarity of what he hoped would be a similar - aged peer , only to find them curled up , sobbing into their arms . for a moment , roche hesitates saying anything at all ⸻ wondering what to say . he's not very good at comforting people , but he's concerned nevertheless . she beats him to the punch though , and breaks the awkward silence between them , only to be left puzzled by her words . this isn't a place for kids ? then what is she doing here ? ❛ ummm ... but you're a kid too . unless you're like , the world's tiniest adult ... ❜ he says with a furrow of his brows and pout of his lips before he crouches to be at level with the other , offering her a big grin . ❛ anyway , my name's roche ! why ... are you crying ? ❜ he asks with a cant of his head .

"That's... different," the girl replies, tightening her hands into balled fists. "I work here."

She repeats the name in her mind a few times, turning it over like a particularly unique seashell in the hands of a beachside collector. When was the last time she's actually been around someone her age?

"Roche," she repeats, slowly, scrubbing at her eyes with the heel of her opposite hand. A few more sniffs and it's like she'd never been bawling her eyes out seconds ago.

"Doesn't matter... I'll just get in trouble if anyone knows I was crying. I'm Ji-ho."

Ji-ho is all elbows and knees, dressed in a rather threadbare looking school uniform- An older style with a pleated skirt. She seems to be interested in Roche's clothing more, tilting her head sideways and assessing it's appearance.

"I like your jacket. It's cool. Like you're in a gang or something," she remarks, standing up to see if there are any designs embroidered on the back panel.

"Is that why you're here? They're supposed to be recruiting a lot of younger guys these days to do street-level work. Like, you know- Collections and stuff. If you join a big one, they'll pay for the embroidery. Only certain people can make your tokko fuku or sukajan."

[ask-meitra]

(@asktrainerzoroark) Fuku@Kerex "Fifteen souls!? Even without that kind of shit going on in my world, that still sounds like a lot," Fuku said, sounding surprised. "You said he sucks to be around, can you give more insight on this guy?"

Kerex would take a moment to recount, "…Fire, Water, Fairy…" before replying, "Actually I was wrong about that 15 it's actually 17. Anyway Azirun is just generally creepy, never really know which of the 17 show themselves or if it is an act created by the fused souls. Much of the time they're just cold, indifferent looks something like us yet not, and Nemi forbid you make them angry. I've only seen them angry once and I wish to forget that image."

[spei-sidus]

Starry Masquerade: The Sailor Senshi's Halloween Delight

By Sidus_Spei

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences No Archive Warnings Additional Tags: Fluff

The girls show up to Motoki's Halloween party as the Senshi - without being henshinned, of course. They get caught up in the love and joy from the partygoers whom celebrate their alter egos. Poses and speeches and songs ensue.

 Chapter 1

“Oh my goodness, you guys look amazing!” Naru gushed. “How did you manage to get them done?! They look so accurate!”

“Thank you! I’ve sewn a lot of outfits – it’s hard to get clothing in my size,” Makoto explained.

“Usagi-chan, you look positively radiant!” Naru exclaimed.

“Thank you,” Usagi beamed.

It was Halloween, and Motoki had decided to throw a Halloween party at the arcade. Everyone had to go in costume, of course. Minako had somehow managed to convince them to go as the Sailor Senshi. They couldn’t go henshinned; their Senshi glamor would give them away. Instead, Makoto had painstakingly sewed all of the fukus except for that of Usagi, who opted to use her transformation pen. They had done their best to obtain or create accurate accessories, having had to substitute items here and there. The Senshi shrugged it off; it’s not as if the press got close enough to take pictures of the little details. That kept Usagi safe, too, because her entire outfit was a perfect replica of the real thing.

“Hello you girls!” Motoki greeted them as he came over to them. “You look fantastic!”

“Thank you,” the girls all said, smiling as they moved further into the arcade. “Hey Umino!”

“The Sailor Senshi,” Umino breathed, looking them up and down. “You look close to the real thing! Are you big fans like me?”

“Oh, we’re very big fans,” Rei said.

“Definitely,” Makoto said, grinning.

“How many images did you have to look through as source material?” Umino asked.

“We don’t know,” Ami said.

“Hey!” Minako piped up. “Let us through to the counter, eh, Umino?”

“Oh yes, sorry, sorry.” His cat clad self shuffled to the side, allowing the girls through to the counter. Motoki was happily chatting away while whipping up more orders. Among the people to whom he was talking was one Chiba Mamoru, his side profile showing. He was wearing a new, wine red tuxedo. His face was whitened. He held an ornate cane. 

“Look at you, Mamoru-san!” Rei said as they approached.

“Hi girls, I…” he trailed off, staring at the five of them. 

“Do you like our costumes?” Usagi said cheerfully. “Mako-chan made them.”

“She did a great job,” he said as he stared at Usagi.

“You have to take some pictures,” Umino said, having sidled up to them, causing them to jump. “And do the speeches. I’m sure you know them, being big fans.”

“Right,” Makoto said, nodding jerkily. “Where should we take them?”

The group shuffled off to a semi-secluded area, clearing a path for the pictures. Umino had pulled out his phone and started giving directions when Mamoru stepped in front of him. “I’ll do it,” he said in a tone that did not invite argument.

“Okay,” Umino stuttered, scrambling away from the glaring upperclassman.

A group had formed around the Senshi and Mamoru, laughing and cheering.

“What do you want first?” Motoki shouted, pointing at the Senshi.

“Battle poses! Like they do before they enter a battle!”

The girls glanced at each other hesitantly. Why did they do this again? “C’mon,” Usagi urged. “It’s just for fun. We can try!” The girls moved into a line, with Usagi in the middle. Then they shifted into their signature post henshin poses.

“Amazing!” the audience around them exclaimed.

“Did you catch that, Mamoru?” Motoki asked.

Mamoru nodded. “You all must be really huge fans,” he said with forced nonchalance.

“Like we said, huge,” Usagi replied, smiling nervously.

“Now pose as if you were about to launch an attack!”

“Ehhhhhh…”

“We aren’t that good,” Ami hedged.

“Oh, c’mon! Do your best!” Naru cheered on.

“Okay,” Usagi said authoritatively, gripping her tiara with her finger and her thumb as if she were about to take it off. Ami crossed her arms as if she were to do her Mercury Aqua Mist attack. Makoto crossed her arms over her head, her forefingers and pinkies pointed towards the sky. Minako gripped the chain encircling her waist. 

“I don’t have any ofuda with me,” Rei lied.

“Just raise your hand above your head as if you did have one,” someone said. Rei complied.

“They look so good!” the audience crowed.

“Take several pictures, Mamoru-kun!” Motoki called out.

Mamoru wordlessly took several shots. Something about his stance and inscrutable expression made the girls even more nervous. 

“That’s enough for now!” Makoto said loudly. Several groans answered her before the crowd moved away.

“What about the battle speeches?” Umino protested as Naru pulled him away. 

The girls sighed in relief.

Usagi inched over to Mamoru’s side. “So what are you supposed to be?” she asked.

“A vampire.”

Her eyebrow raised. “A vampire doesn’t wear red. His mouth is red. You know, where the fangs are?”

“Do you mean the blood?”

“...Right,” Usagi said uncomfortably. 

“I’ve seen vampires in different colors, Odango. You can look it up. You have a cell phone don’t you?”

“Of course I do!” 

Mamoru waited while Usagi scrolled furiously through her phone.

“Fine,” she huffed. “You win.”

“Motoki-kun! Let this day be immortalized as the day Odango admitted I won!” Mamoru shouted loudly.

“Oooooohhh,” Usagi fumed. Why did he have to rub it in? She was so tempted to pluck her tiara replica off her forehead and throw it right at Mamoru as if he were a youma. 

“So, why Sailor Moon?” he asked. “Do you think you’re good enough to be the greatest heroine of all Tokyo?”

Usagi bristled at the insult and preened from the backhanded compliment - a very weird combination. She took a moment to gather some composure while he waited expectantly. “What does ‘being good enough’ matter? It’s just Halloween, baka.”

He stared at her. And stared. 

“Do you know Sailor Moon, Odango?”

“WHAT?!” she exclaimed, injecting as much incredulity as she could while laughing nervously. ��I do not know Sailor Moon! Why would you think that?!”

A moment passed. “Never mind,” Mamoru said finally. “Do you want a drink?”

She nodded, following him back to the counter.

“What do you want, Sailor Moon?” Motoki asked with a big grin.

“A chocolate shake, Citizen,” Usagi replied with mock seriousness. 

“Are shakes good for a heroine of Tokyo?” 

“They work for me,” she said without thinking, then realized her mistake. “I mean they would work for me, if I was really Sailor Moon.”

“I doubt Sailor Moon would eat as much sugar as you, Odango.”

“What would you know, Mamoru-baka?”

He shrugged. “She’s pretty fit.”

“And you would know, how? Are you a fan of the Sailor Senshi, too?” Usagi asked. When he blushed, she crowed loud enough to carry across the arcade, “Even Mamoru-baka is a fan of the Sailor Senshi! We should take a picture with him, girls! He could keep it as a memento.”

“I’d rather take a picture with the actual Sailor Senshi,” Mamoru murmured without thinking.

“Good luck with that,” Usagi said flippantly, “since you don’t even know them.”

“What would you know, Odango?” he threw back at her.

“I know.”

“Sure you do,” he drawled, sparking her ire.

“How would the Sailor Senshi know you?” she pressed. He gave her a mysterious grin that infuriated her more. How dare he act like he was so special? She knew none of the Senshi had ever dealt with him while henshinned. “Whatever, baka,” she retorted, taking a large sip of her shake. “And who would drink coffee at night?” she added, glaring at the tendrils wafting from the cup.

“I drink coffee at all hours,” Mamoru informed her as he took a sip. 

“Do you ever sleep?!”

“Honestly, Odango, you sleep enough for the both of us.”

“I don’t sleep that much!”

“No,” he interjected, “I mean I don’t sleep enough. Can’t, that is.”

“Why not?”

He shrugged. “Too much to do.”

“Too much studying, you mean,” she said. “Perhaps you’d get more sleep if you didn’t hang around the arcade as much, yelling at me.”

“Perhaps,” he acceded, “but then I would be missing out on something more.”

“What would that be, oh Mr. Perfect?”

“Companionship. Friendship. People in general. Oh, and coffee.”

“Because you definitely can’t make coffee at home,” she said, avoiding the mention of the rest of what he said, a lump rising in her throat.

“It gets stale,” he said quietly. “I’m the only one who drinks it at home, so it’s hard to make only so much of it at a time and know how fresh it’s going to be when I need it. Motoki is good at keeping coffee fresh.”

“He’s also a good friend,” Usagi added.

“Yes, he is. My best.”

“Is that so?”

“It is,” he said vehemently. “One of a few I consider a friend.”

“Why so few? You could get more friends if you’d just be nicer, baka.”

“I’m not like you,” he admitted. “I don’t thrive off of interacting with people. I need them abstractly when I come here, for example. I only really interact with - only am friends with - people I’m close to.”

“Like Motoki.” 

“Right,” he said quietly.

The other implication hung in the air between them - that both of them interacted with each other often - at the arcade, on the street, random places that somehow end up involving youma. Mamoru didn’t shy away from Usagi - far from it. 

“You know I’m your friend, right?”

His eyes blew up wide. “Really?”

She nodded. He hid behind the coffee cup, taking a long sip. She decided to be merciful. “I’m going to find the girls,” she said to him, clapping a hand onto his shoulder as she deftly jumped off the stool. She didn’t wait for a response, quickly disappearing into the crowd, her mind still reeling.

Mamoru might consider her a friend. At the very least, she was someone he felt comfortable interacting with. In all of their arguments, this had never crossed her mind; she was able to befriend so easily, so readily. Apparently he was more closed off around other people than she’d realized.

Then there was his home life. There was a hole there, a source of his loneliness. Were his parents too busy to be in his life, like Ami? Was he estranged from his parents, like Minako? Were they dead, like Makoto’s? Rei at least had her grandfather after her father all but abandoned her.

There was more to Chiba Mamoru than she’d ever gotten to know in the two years she’d known him.

“Usagi-chan!” Makoto shouted, beckoning her over. The girls were standing in their own corner of the arcade, dancing.

“I don’t know…” Usagi hedged. 

“You only die once,” Minako announced while pulling Usagi into their dancing circle. The others sweatdropped.

“You only live once,” Ami groaned.

Minako was too involved in dancing at that point to care. In her mind, it was two sides of the same coin. Her enthusiasm riled up the others, even Ami. Their arms were in the air as they twirled and grooved.

“Let’s live it up!” Minako shouted. “Let’s do the introductions, yeah? Just for fun? I mean we are fabulous fans, are we not?” The girls caught on, whooping as Minako started, oblivious to the piercing gaze of a brooding upperclassman. “Standing for love and beauty, I am the beautiful sailor-suited Senshi, Sailor Venus! In the name of Venus, I’ll punish you with the power of love!”

“Standing for love and courage, I am the beautiful sailor-suited Senshi, Sailor Jupiter! I’ll make you feel so much regret, it’ll leave you numb!”

“Standing for love and passion, I am the beautiful sailor-suited Senshi, Sailor Mars! In the name of Mars, I’ll chastise you!”

“Standing for love and intelligence, I am the beautiful sailor-suited Senshi, Sailor Mercury! Douse yourself in water and repent!”

“Standing for love and justice, I am the beautiful sailor-suited Senshi, Sailor Moon! In the name of the moon, I’ll punish you!”

“TO THE SAILOR SENSHI FOREVER!!!” Minako yelled, sparking cheers and whoops from the partygoers. 

“TO THE SAILOR SENSHI FOREVER!!!” reverberated throughout the arcade. 

“AND TUXEDO KAMEN-SAMA!!!” Usagi shouted over the din, leading to more cheers. 

“TO TUXEDO KAMEN-SAMA!!!”

“TO OUR HEROES OF TOKYO!!!”

“Wherever you are, we’re rooting for you!” Motoki shouted. 

“Yes, thank you for all you do!” a grateful woman said. 

“WE LOVE YOU!” Usagi shouted, not knowing if she was referring to the Senshi (as she ostensibly should be) or if she was referring to the people whom she protected with all of her heart. It felt wonderful to be embraced by the love of these people, to be acknowledged as their heroes. The girls felt a burst of happiness, grinning as they regarded one another. It was the closest they’d ever come to face-to-face praise.

“A song! Girls, do a song!” a chant began. 

“A song?” Ami repeated.

“Oh c’mon!” Minako said. “We’ll just make one up!”

They floundered for a moment, then something came over them, their minds joining together. They sang: 

We’re the Sailor Senshi, shining so bright, Guardians of justice through the day and night. With courage and strength, we’ll always fight, For love and peace, our power takes flight.

Sailor Moon, leader so true, In the name of the moon, she’ll see it through.

Sailor Mercury, intellect so keen, Waters of wisdom flow in-between.

Sailor Mars, passion ablaze, Fiery protector in so many ways.

Sailor Jupiter, strong and bold, Thundering strikes a force to behold.

Sailor Venus, love and beauty so pure, Guiding with grace, hearts she’ll assure.

United as one, we’ll stand side by side, Facing the darkness with hearts open wide. Sailor Senshi, the world’s saving grace, Championing hope in every embrace.

Sailor Senshi, a symphony of might, Guided by stars, spreading love’s light. Together we’ll stand, forever strong, Safeguarding the world, righting every wrong.

The song ended, the room in dead silence, mouths gaping with awe. Then the crowd erupted in cheers.

“You guys were FANTASTIC!” Motoki shouted as he came over to them. “Did you rehearse that or something?”

The girls stared at each other dumbly, then shook their heads in unison. 

“It must be the vibe of the party!” Minako said with a disarming smile. “Come on girls,” she added, beckoning them to go back to dancing.

“Wait, what about Tuxedo Kamen?”

“Yeah, a song about Tuxedo Kamen!”

“C’mon Usagi, we know you have a crush on him!”

“MINAKO-CHAAAN!” 

“I will pay for your milkshakes for a year if you do it.”

“Are you serious?! Fine, I’ll do it.”

The crowd shushed as Usagi bowed her head, tapping into the love she’d felt for the hero of Tokyo for the last two years. She actually had written poetry about Tuxedo Kamen, pouring her heart into it. With blush-stained cheeks, she shakingly sang what she’d memorized by heart: 

A masked stranger in the night, so bold, Tuxedo Kamen, secrets you hold. With roses in hand and a heart unknown, In my dreams, your presence has grown.

Tuxedo Kamen, a mystery so deep, My heart’s secrets, they’re yours to keep. With a mask and a cape, you’re a dream untamed, In the night’s embrace, my heart’s aflame.

Your eyes are hidden, but I feel your gaze Guiding me through life's intricate maze. With every rescue, a bond we share, A silent connection beyond compare.

With every rescue, you’re a savior in black, A silent guardian on the attack. Yet who you are, I cannot see, But your presence alone, it comforts me.

Tuxedo Kamen, a phantom's embrace, Bringing hope and courage to this place. With a red rose’s touch, you light up the dark, A glimmer of hope like a shooting star’s spark.

In the moon’s gentle glow, I reach out in vain, Hoping to understand your silent pain. Will destiny's winds bring us side by side? Or will you forever in the shadows reside?

Tuxedo Kamen, my heart's secret key, A puzzle of love, waiting to be set free. With every rose you cast into the night, You awaken a longing, a love's true light.

Tuxedo Kamen, my heart's silent plea, A dance of destiny, just you and me. Though names are unknown, our souls unite, In the tapestry of dreams, forever in flight.

Her cheeks were positively burning after she finished, tears sparking in her eyes as the crowd went wild. Usagi suddenly felt suffocated. She needed to get out of there - but there were too many people, too many eyes on her. She wished vehemently she could just leap to the ceiling and soar out the window. Her eyes suddenly locked with Mamoru’s burning gaze. Her eyes widened with surprise. She panicked as he suddenly started making his way towards her.

“Girls, help me get out of here!”

“Why, Usagi-chan? We’re still having fun!” Rei said.

“Because-” She was cut off by Mamoru reaching her.

“Come with me, please,” he said as he grabbed her arm, then headed back the way he came, tugging her behind him. Usagi was flabbergasted. What on Earth had she done that would cause him to act this way?

Chapter 2

Mamoru led them to the back of the arcade, to the break room for employees. Usagi followed numbly, shaking from her earlier song. It was so personal, and she just sang it not only in front of her Senshi, but in front of a whole crowd of people, many of whom probably recorded the song on their phone! May the Earth just open her up and swallow her whole! What was she thinking?! A year’s worth of milkshakes wasn’t worth this!

When they reached the break room he indicated for her to sit down on a sofa. He sat on the sofa catty-cornered to hers. Those eyes were burning into hers again. She put her head into her hands, the trembling becoming violent now. The tension continued to grow as the silence stretched on. She swallowed, realizing she had to take the lead in this conversation. With the strength she had gained from facing a youma, she straightened and faced him. “What did you want to talk about?” she said with forced calmness.

His jaw clenched. “I want to know why you’ve obviously written so eloquently about a man you’ve never met.”

Her eyes widened. Did she give herself away? He acted like she didn’t know Tuxedo Kamen, however. She was going to have to tread carefully. “I just wrote it as if it were Sailor Moon singing to Tuxedo Kamen,” she replied. “There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”

He leaned forward. “Odango, you sang that song straight from your heart. You weren’t singing as Sailor Moon. Don’t deny it.”

“I did too sing as if I was Sailor Moon,” she insisted, as it was the truth, deliberately ignoring the rest of what he said. 

He shook his head. “He’s not someone to be romanticizing about. He’s dangerous. He’s an unknown.”

She stared at him in bewilderment. “All of them are unknown,” she pointed out. “How do you know he’s the dangerous one? For all you know they all could be!”

“That’s true. You shouldn’t be fantasizing about any of them.”

“How dare you! Who do you think you are?!”

“We’ve established I’m your friend. Odango, go crush on a normal guy. Don’t pine after someone you don’t know. It’s not healthy.”

Tears pricked her eyes. “I’m sorry I ever shared that song,” she said raggedly. “Everyone’s going to make fun of me or do what you’re doing now. It was never meant to be shared, ever.”

Silence befell them after that declaration; Mamoru seeming to be at a loss for words.

“I can’t crush on a ‘normal guy’,” she said. “It’ll never be anyone but him.”

“Odango…”

Something within Usagi broke. “I’m tired of it. I’m tired of hearing that he’s dangerous and he’s the enemy, and that the Senshi and he have different agendas.” She froze, scared she let out more than she should’ve. Her eyes glanced towards Mamoru, hoping to see confusion there. His eyes were blown wide. Oh, no. “It’s just stuff I’ve heard from the news,” she said hurriedly. 

He shook his head sadly. “How did you get caught up in all of this?” he asked. “I’ve never imagined you girls to be such avid fans, to the point of obsession!”

“A cat.”

“What?”

“Never mind. I’m just tired. May I go now?”

“Promise me you’ll never do this again.”

“Do what?”

“Dress like the Senshi. Pretend that you are singing as Sailor Moon to Tuxedo Kamen. You could attract the enemy. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

Her head tilted downward, her hands fisting into her skirt. “I appreciate your concern, Mamoru-baka, but it’s okay. I can take care of myself.”

His hands fisted into his lap. “You don’t know what those evil beings are capable of.”

“Yes. I. Do.” She took a deep breath as she stood. “I’m done talking about this with you. Mind your own business.”

“Odango!”

She was quickly across the room and out the door, and making a beeline for the exit. She needed space. She ran until she found a nearby alleyway.

“Moon Prism Power, Make Up!”

Then she was off, hopping rooftops, burning steam while her mind raced. They were just having fun. There was nothing wrong with having fun. He didn’t know anything. He was just as blind as any other fan. Yet she could see things from his perspective. Maybe just dressing up as the Senshi would’ve been fine. She never imagined how much the other partygoers would want the Senshi to act out their roles. Then Minako encouraged even more suspicious behavior. Was she…drunk? They were underage and they were Senshi. She’d have to have a talk with Minako later - leader to Senshi. Then she never should have sung that song. That’s when things went too far. She should have made up something on the spot, but she was too embarrassed having to sing like that in front of the crowd. Instead, she embarrassingly laid bare the deepest secret of her heart.

At least Mamoru didn’t think that she was Sailor Moon. Should she be glad or offended? She felt both. The hints were there, after all. No, she should be glad. She was still a Sailor Senshi, and it was her job to protect him from the truth. That was her cross to bear and she did so gladly. As embarrassing as it was, it was better to let him think she was an obsessed fan. She could play it off the next time she talked with people. She’d bury that secret deep down into her soul, back to where it belonged.

The only thing she’d never do is make that promise to Mamoru. Never. She’ll stop short of getting dates with other guys. She’ll always hope Tuxedo Kamen would come around.

Nodding in satisfaction, she turned about and headed back to the party. She was going to enjoy herself. The damage had already been done. Hopefully the love of the crowd would lift her spirits. She hadn’t gotten far when a familiar figure jumped down into her path.

“Tuxedo Kamen-sama?”

Chapter 3

“Sailor Moon,” he intoned as he looked about. “Where’s the youma?”

“Oh - there isn’t one.”

He took a step forward. “You’re upset.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Do you come when I’m upset?”

He paused before slowly nodding. “Yes.”

“No wonder you’re always there,” she breathed, wondering at the magic of it. It was another indication the two of them had a bond.

“Yes. Care to talk about what’s wrong?”

She turned away. “It’s nothing,” she mumbled. She felt him still standing behind her, waiting. “I’m just upset by some stuff a guy told me tonight.”

A moment passed. “I see. What did he say?”

She turned towards him. “He wants me to give up on you.”

“Give up on me?”

“Yeah.” she said uncomfortably.

“He’s not wrong.”

Her hands clenched into fists as tears pricked her eyes. “Do you really think so?” she asked hoarsely. 

“We’re enemies, remember? We have our different agendas.”

“I’m tired of it,” she said, echoing her earlier words to Mamoru. “I’m tired of hearing that you’re dangerous and you’re the enemy, and that the Senshi and you have different agendas. You’re not our enemy, nor will I ever treat you as one. I’ll always defend you. I’ll always love you.”

He stilled. “You barely know me,” he said gruffly.

“I’ve known you for two years now. I believe in your character. You always do the right thing.” She took the last step forward, placing her hands on his chest and pressing her cheek against him. “I’ll never stop loving you,” she declared softly.

“You don’t know what you’re saying,” he said, shaking his head even as his arms wrapped around her.

“Look, I get it. Our missions are keeping us apart,” she said sorrowfully. “But someday I hope that’ll change. Just know that I’ll never give up on you.”

“You should love someone who can love you back. Some normal guy who won’t hurt you.”

It sounded just like Mamoru, making her say sharply, “No.” She went to say more, but the sound of her communicator permeated the air. She stiffened, staring at Tuxedo Kamen in alarm.

“What is that?” he asked, noting her fear.

“Nothing,” she said, pulling herself free from his embrace. “I’ve gotta go.”

“Sailor Moon, I can feel you’re in trouble,” he said lowly. “Is it a youma?”

Her shoulders slumped. “Probably.” Should she open her communicator in front of him? She certainly wasn’t going to lose him now. She pulled it out of her subspace pocket and flipped it open. “Moon here.”

“Where are you?” Sailor Mars asked. “Did you leave?!” 

“I did,” she said. “What’s going on? Is there a youma?”

“Yes!”

“Where?”

“At the arcade.”

“On my way.” She snapped the communicator shut. “Time to go,” she said awkwardly.

“Lead the way.”

She oriented herself, noting she wasn’t that far from the arcade. She scoped out the arcade from a neighboring rooftop. The windows were cracked and there was screaming inside. Her heart sank. Mamoru was right. They never should’ve come here posing as the Senshi. Obviously word got out to the Dark Kingdom. 

“I’m going in,” she told her savior. She suited actions to words, hopping down, racing towards the arcade doors.

They were locked or busted. She couldn’t get in - and from what she could see, nearly all of the partygoers were still inside. She glanced at the arcade’s windows with a sigh. She inwardly sent an apology to Motoki as she pulled off her tiara. She waved at the people inside, who wisely moved back.

“Allow me.”

Roses flew at the window until it completely shattered, allowing the two of them enough space to leap through. She took in the youma currently draining the partygoers’ energy, then glared at the Dark Kingdom General floating above it.

“How dare you disrupt a party meant to be just for fun! People want to pretend to be monsters for Halloween, not have a real one appear! Standing for love and justice, I am the beautiful sailor-suited Senshi, Sailor Moon! In the name of the moon, I’ll punish you!”

“Finally, the leader of the Senshi arrives,” Zoisite said. “I heard that you had been here earlier and decided to crash your little party. Nice singing, by the way.”

“I was not here!” Sailor Moon said hotly. “You must be talking about someone who dressed up like me.”

“Well, no matter,” he said dismissively. “This is the perfect opportunity to gather some energy. Perhaps your doppelganger would like to come forward?”

Of course, no one stepped forward. “I won’t allow it!” Sailor Moon said furiously.

“She will if she doesn’t want anyone here to die.”

“Die?!” The Dark Kingdom had never actually killed anyone before. “You wouldn’t dare!”

“Oh, I would, if it reveals Sailor Moon’s identity.”

“We’re not going to stand idly by and watch you harm people!” Sailor Jupiter butted in.

“Exactly! In the name of Mars, I’ll chastise you!”

“Douse yourself in water, and repent!”

“Asou, proceed,” Zoisite instructed.

“Right,” the youma said before starting its attacks again.

“GO, GO SAILOR SENSHI!!” the crowd chanted as they watched.

“Where’s Usagi and the others?” someone murmured. “Do you think they’d escaped somehow? They’re missing the battle.”

“Mamoru-kun is missing, too,” Motoki said. “I hope he got away. Some people did go out the back room before it got busted."

“Should we try to go out the window?” someone else asked.

“I don’t know. You’d get cut up by glass,” Motoki said worriedly.

“I saw some people get away,” Sailor Moon lied as she stared at the battle, waiting for her opportunity to strike. “So you’re being stupid, Zoisite.”

“I’ll just track down the girl then,” Zoisite said with a shrug. “Or girls. All of them were captured on video.”

“They aren’t the real Sailor Senshi!” Sailor Moon shouted. The others obviously had inaccurate costumes and she had been hidden by the power of the transformation pen. The only reason anyone else had recognized her was because she’d given her identity away to the partygoers in the first place. 

“It’s so convenient that all five of your doppelgangers got away,” Zoisite said with a smirk. “Or are they hiding somehow?”

“I don’t know!” Sailor Moon yelled in frustration. She wasn’t giving anything away. She was tired of his talking. “Moon Tiara Boomerang!” she shouted as she attacked. 

Zoisite dodged effortlessly, but then Sailor Moon instinctively did something new - she willed the trajectory of the tiara to change, slicing Zoisite’s jaw. “That’s it!” he snarled, making to move towards her. He was stopped by the multitude of roses flying straight towards the General, pinning him into the wall behind him.

“Thank you, Tuxedo Kamen-sama!”

“With pleasure, Sailor Moon.”

But as they celebrated their mini victory, the other Senshi were blown backwards by the youma. “No!” Sailor Moon ran towards the youma. “Moon Tiara Boomerang!” Sailor Moon bellowed, the force of her voice shattering the night. Everyone, including the youma, flinched. The youma promptly turned to dust. She turned toward the glaring Zoisite. “Have you a death wish?” she asked venomously.

“Sailor Moon!” the other Senshi said, scandalized.

“Go ahead, I dare you, oh hero of love and justice,” Zoisite said with a smirk.

“Maybe we should just leave him up there,” Sailor Jupiter mused.

“Do you think he’d starve to death?” Sailor Venus wondered.

“No, please!” Motoki cut in. “That’d be bad for my business.”

“Of course, Oni - I mean, sir,” Sailor Moon stammered. “Tuxedo Kamen, let him go.”

“Why?” the hero of Tokyo growled. “He’s threatened too many people to just be let go.”

“Fine. Let me try something.” She pulled out her Crescent Moon Wand. “Moon Healing Escalation!” The power engulfed the General, leaving him screaming while the others in the room gasped in wonder. When the magic faded, Zoisite was slumped over, unconscious. 

“That’s interesting,” Sailor Mercury said as she faced Zoisite fully. “Mercury Aqua Mist!”

The water from the attack sprayed Zoisite’s face, rousing him into consciousness. He looked around puzzledly. “What? How? Who am I?” he asked in utter confusion. 

“Well that takes care of that,” Sailor Jupiter said with a smirk. 

The roses faded. The crowd kept back as Zoisite stumbled forward after his feet touched the ground. 

“You, sir, need to leave,” Motoki said firmly. “Wait,” he said sheepishly, “do you Senshi mind getting the doors to open?”

Sailor Mercury scanned the doors with her computer. “It’s an electrical issue,” she said, looking at Sailor Jupiter.

“Just tell me what to do,” the Senshi of Lightning said. The two figured it out quickly. Zoisite was subsequently ushered out into the night. The crowd cheered after he disappeared.

“TO THE SAILOR SENSHI!!!”everyone shouted with grateful enthusiasm! “TO TUXEDO KAMEN-SAMA!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!”

“YOU’RE WELCOME!” the Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen yelled back, everyone smiling at their victory.

“Will you take pictures with us?” Umino’s voice rang out.

“Not a chance,” Sailor Moon responded. “C’mon everyone!” The heroes disappeared out the doors and into the night sky, the full moon’s light shining brightly upon them. 

Chapter 4

Usagi and the other Senshi showed up nervously to the arcade the next morning, uncertain that the others would believe they had successfully gotten away and they weren’t the Sailor Senshi after all. 

Mamoru sat at the counter sipping his coffee as usual. Motoki made eye contact and waved cheerfully. “Hi, girls! Are you okay?”

“We’re fine,” Usagi said. “We managed to get away early on. Sorry for abandoning you guys.”

“Not at all,” Motoki said. “It was for the best. That evil man threatened you. If it weren’t for the Senshi erasing his memory, he’d probably have killed you.”

“Oh?” Usagi’s eyes widened, before forcing herself to wail. “HOW SCARY!”

“There, there,” Rei said sharply, patting her leader on the shoulder. “We’re all fine now. I’m glad Mamoru’s fine, too.”

“Yes, I got away early on as well.”

“Glad to hear it,” Usagi said guiltily. “Girls, go ahead. I’ll order for us.”

“Okay!” the girls chirped as they headed to their usual booth.

Usagi swallowed. “Listen, Mamoru. I’m sorry for what I said yesterday. You were right. I promise I’ll never dress like Sailor Moon or act like her again.”

“Apology accepted,” he said. 

“At least the Senshi showed up to take care of things,” she added.

“Yes, they did.” 

A moment of silence passed before Usagi remembered she was supposed to order food. Once she had finished and Motoki turned away, Mamoru asked quietly, “Are you going to follow my advice and find a normal guy?”

“Maybe,” Usagi said evasively. “Don’t worry about me, Mamoru-kun, okay?.”

He took in her features while she sweated bullets. “Okay,” he said.

She flounced off towards her booth, towards her friends, who all were talking about the party the night before.

“We were great!” Minako gushed.

“It was fun up until the end,” Ami said. 

“The Senshi crushed them,” Makoto said, her fist going into her palm.

“That they did,” Rei said, smiling.

“They sure put on a show, didn’t they?” Usagi said.

“And put that evil jerk in his place,” Ami said.

“Ami-chan!”

“Well it’s true,” Ami said. “I, for one, am grateful.”

“I wonder where he went,” Usagi said.

“Who cares?” Minako retorted. “He’s a nobody now and deserves whatever he gets!”

The food arrived. “Thanks, Motoki-oniisan!”

“No problem, Usagi-chan,” Motoki said with a big smile before turning away.

The girls picked up their glasses and clanked them in unison. “TO THE SAILOR SENSHI!” they toasted.

“TO THE SAILOR SENSHI!!!” everyone else in the arcade cheered.

“TO TUXEDO KAMEN!” Usagi cheered.

“TO TUXEDO KAMEN!!!”

To the surprise of the Senshi, some of the partygoers repeated the final refrain of the Senshi’s song: 

Sailor Senshi, a symphony of might, Guided by stars, spreading love’s light. Together they’ll stand, forever strong, Safeguarding the world, righting every wrong.

As they cheered and whooped the girls smiled, and unbeknownst to them, a small smile tugged at Mamoru’s lips, hidden by his coffee cup.

It felt good to be appreciated.

The End

[tokiro07]

[Note: Another post that ended up in my drafts by accident. I'll need to be more vigilant when responding to replies]

@buhbuhlmao replied to your post “I’ve actually had this headcanon that Namanie was...”:

One thing I’d like to add in this that I think is funny is that Nienami hates this power that she’s had for only 5 to 7 months (Assuming there was no drawing error in chapter 171’s Lullaby time travelling, her sailor fuku that was mundane-looking by the Suggestion Box arc starts getting tattered around the time of the Minus arc, and she has visible bandages by the Not-Equal arc).

​Ah, that's a nice detail. Rereading that chapter, it's really fun that you can tell exactly where in the story everyone has been reverted to. I don't know if that necessarily means that's when she learned her Style, though, it just means that's when she started stabbing swords into her arms like a lunatic

This girl had the most middling kind of conflicts that on their own pales in comparison to Abnormals who are "cursed" from birth and Minuses who go through all sorts of circumstances, and not even significant enough for Zenkichi to do anything more than joking with her and (maybe) trying to get her a diploma. Iirc Akatsuki said on Twitter that she “exploitively” wedded to Kamome in the 10 year timeskip, so her sets of troubles are contained by Tsurubami and (I guess) never entirely addressed.

If you can find that tweet I'll be eternally grateful, I need any confirmation I can get that my ship sailed

I don't know if it's fair to say that Minuses necessarily need to have particularly bad upbringings, as we never learn anything about Kumagawa's childhood, just that they have some kind of trauma or catalyst that skews their worldview dramatically. Given that Nienami was apparently always the comedic type, I'm not so sure she had anything like that, but it's also possible that her worldview was "life is a joke" and that might have been the path to becoming a Minus that was interrupted

I’m reading way too much into this random side char in a cult manga the anime of which most likely won’t see the light of day again lol. Is this how you feel with Monet at times?

Yeh

[incorrect-joseimuke]

Mitsutada: Earlier I overheard Fuku san saying "Are you sure this is a good idea?" and Jikkyuu san replying "Trust me." I have never moved from one room to another so quickly in my life.

[asktrainerzoroark]

Sylvia approaches the Zoroark. "Hiya, you like dancing? I like dancing. Anyways, I never saw your species form before, is that a special form from somewhere?" She doesn't know any Hisuian forms since they are pretty uncommon thing now.

"Not much of a dancer, but I'm willing to give it a shot just to celebrate."

"I can't say I blame you for not knowing what I am. I come from the past, and as far as I know, Hisuian Pokemon are extremely rare now."

[937388234]

View on Twitter

Fuku(ΦωΦ) @Fuku82013621 2024/10/26(土) 17:21:42 Replying to @yamashitamakoto 五條市民です。 あなたが応援するなら絶対に原山氏には投票しません。

https://x.com/Fuku82013621/status/1850090415023890904

[room-surprise]

Sorry this took me so long to reply to @fumifooms as you know everything's been crazy over here lmao but I know you were waiting for me to give my 2 cents.

That style of collar and the tunic with princess seams actually appears to be common elven fashion! I would compare it to a plain white t-shirt and jeans in the modern world, because we see clothing that looks like it, or similar to it, but worn by civilians pretty often. It seems to be one of the basic building blocks of elven fashion... But you'd only know that if you've seen all the extra materials and have been keeping up with Kui's blog. I don't think the main manga makes this clear.

That said, I don't think Rin is wearing an actual Canary uniform, though it does look like one. It's only the over-tunic part, and the collar, and both of those are things worn by non-Canaries.

I think it's unlikely the Canaries kept her, and most likely she was either put into some kind of juvenile prison, an orphanage or a work-house.

In my opinion, the fact that the collar piece seems large doesn't mean much, some of the collars worn by elves have large pectoral sections and other ones don't, and the neck fits Rin snugly, the way it's supposed to. The fact that it covers almost her entire chest suggests it's just a different design, even if it has the same seam lines. The rest of the tunic also fits snugly - princess seams like that are designed to make clothing fit the body contours, so it would be obvious if it was too big.

If Kui wanted us to think "that's an oversized uniform on a small child, because they don't have anything small enough to fit her" she would have shown the fact that it doesn't fit Rin more clearly - she draws Otta's tunic to show that it's too long for her and she has to tie it up in a way the others don't.

Since Rin's outfit looks like the Canary uniform, and the Canary uniform is the only military uniform Kui's shown us in Dungeon Meshi, readers are primed to think that what Rin's wearing is some kind of institutional clothing, perhaps a school uniform. In the real world school uniforms are often modeled after military uniforms, especially the Japanese gakuran and sailor fuku.

So in short: I agree it resembles the Canary uniform, but only because the Canary uniform uses clothing elements that seem to be common in elven fashion.

Rin, smiling, and nagging

Rinsha Fana’s character is summarized in a couple facts thrown here and there. Because she worries for him, she follows Kabru to help his cause and protect him, and to nag him. She’s a grumpy angry tsundere, but it seems not only rooted in her attitude but on a deep rooted physical level, to the point where any intense emotion she feels will make her frown and scowl even if it’s genuine joy. Her childhood was half spent ostracized in the tallman community her family lived in and half with the elves, where she’s said to have been treated like an animal.

We don’t know how she was raised exactly or who it even was, but knowing she was "treated like an animal" by the elves taking care of her…

Elves are shown to have a highly hierarchical society, not only with their concern with status such as nobility and the purity of bloodlines but also reflected by its social culture imo. They have high society and etiquette, upmost devotion to the queen, very role-oriented, like cogs in a machine, and as such, it’s a bit skewed since most of what we see of the elves is in a military context with military people but they seem to value having emotions under lock and key to be efficient and not bring dishonor, Flamela is an interesting character on this. Don’t be a bother and do your job until you’re called on, fulfill your role, everything else is extra at best inconvenient at worst.

Personally I do think the canaries kept Rin, it’d make sense that whichever canaries got stuck with the job at the headquarters would be barebones with her and treat her like an ‘impounded article’, they couldn’t find another place for her and this way they can get her report on the events whenever she can speak again in however many years, and this way it makes sense that she could keep in touch with Kabru too. They’re used to prisoners, not kids. Being raised in a military context rather than at some orphanage would shape her further.

All of this to say…

She’d already seen the world’s harshness to those who don’t conform in her hometown, but with the elves? Her disdain for those who had formal education at a magic school?

Wouldn’t she become very concerned with proving she is not an animal, proving that she’s smart and skilled in her own right on her own merit, even without schooling. And to do this she nitpicks and nitpicks, because even being pristine isn’t enough to be respected, but at least it’s not giving others reasons to disrespect and dehumanize her. Learning to school her emotions, to scowl as a defense mechanism because anything else makes her vulnerable, because they don’t care about her as a person with feelings, because showing other expressions was dangerous or punished in some way: because it was fit in or don’t fit in and that’s the difference between having your house burnt down and being tolerated, between getting her food or having her questions answered and being yelled at to shut up… Because all her life she’s been surviving in hostile social environments and at the mercy of others, but unlike Kabru she doesn’t become a people pleaser but becomes very self-reliant and wary of socializing.

So she nitpicks and nitpicks and nags, because she’s worried. Because flaws are dangerous. So she has a hard time smiling and laughing, because it’s dangerous to allow yourself to feel safe in being authentic.

It would be nice…

Is my red, red enough? I'm waiting for your teeth at my throat. It’s only good manners. -Stephanie Valente 

[teamgamble]

The Interview (Part 1)

That former substitute teacher should be coming at any minute.  Lily keeps walking to the door, listening for anything arriving to her dorm.  There were a few times she thought she arrived, but the footsteps would fade away at the same pace they drew close to the door.

Why door? Genbu projected into Lily’s mind. “We’re going to have a visitor soon,” she replied, sitting back down on her bed.  It’s been this loop as the time for the visit drew nearer. Knock knock. Which is a loop that came to an end. Lily walked over the door to open it.  “Hello, is this Fukushu Tanaka?” “Sure am,” came the reply.  It sounded, well, vaguely Sinnohian, but also not.  “Mind if I come in?” “Go ahead,” Lily said, beginning to walk back to her bed to sit down on it.  “And, I asked Eden to do research on you.  You don’t have to hide it in here.” “Thank Almighty.” The footsteps turned into the sounds of claws clacking against a wooden floor, before it too, ceased once the Zoroark sat down.  She could hear Incubus huff from under her desk.  When he’s off duty, sometimes he’s still so quiet she forgets where he is. “So, the gem turtle, that’s the unknown Pokemon, yeah?” “Yes.  This is Genbu.” “Wow, the eyes are the same, except Genbu’s a bit darker.  Mind telling me where you got her?”  Fuku inquired. “Well, her egg was found abandoned in the wilderness during the shadow sky incident.  The nursery I was working at brought her in, and we couldn’t identify her egg,” Lily proceeded to recount the events.  “I didn’t take her egg in until a Team Plasma attack was launched on the academy.  The nursery feared she would get stolen, so they gave her to me.” Lily could faintly hear the quiet “blop” of a Pokeball shake and the scrapping against fabric. “So, I got reason to believe that Genbu might be connected to this Pokemon detailed on this page.”  A book flipping open. “Rotom,” Lily commanded, and she felt her Rotom Phone fly out, “can you give a description of this image?” “Bzzt!  This will just take a few minutes!”

After a few moments... “A starry-eyed flat turtle with a long flowing tail and a crown on its back circles around a globe with a hexagon pattern-”

A pop rang through the dorm room with a “Vhvhhhclangclang!” “Susan, what-” Lily felt Genbu get forcibly grabbed off her lap by something. MAMA!

[fukushublog]

A Terrible Night

((A short story written through Fuku’s perspective, not a post on in-universe tumblr at all but rather what happened after Fuku wrote that reply.))

Fuku’s hands were shaking. She could hear the blood dripping from her arms, and perceive a faint red glow on her own muzzle. Her eyes always went red when she was this upset. But it was a struggle for the Zoroark to break her gaze from such a callous post, long after the reply was written and reblogged.

Finally she forced herself to put the phone to sleep mode. Fuku took in shaky breaths with closed, trying to calm herself from the post, from her own body lacerating itself with her rage. Finally she opened her eyes, the red glow no longer present.

Fuku checked around the room. Hoshi was sound asleep on her bed. Snowdrift was curled up in a blanket in a corner by his own choice. Applesauce was perched on top of a massive, coiled Clarence, both sound asleep. Only the Inexplicable Ominous Staring Unown was awake, silently gazing at her from the wall it had attached itself too as it no doubt had sensed the emotions that was coursing through her. Fuku nodded, and a blink from the Shiny Unown. A mutual understanding to keep quiet to avoid waking the others.

Fuku stumbled into the bathroom. Just like everywhere else in the academy, everything was embroidered with oranges and grapes. The Hisuian Zoroark ripped an indigo towel off a handle, cleaning the blood off of herself before she bent down to open the cabinet under the sink. Bandages, she needed something to stop the small trickles of blood still coming from her open wounds.

A few minutes later, Fuku walked back out of the bathroom, her arms and legs tended to. Very quietly, she slipped under the sheets of her bed. As if able to instantly since his adoptive Zoroark mother, little Hoshi stumbled up and promptly climbed into her mane. It was a gesture from the little Dark-type that melted Fuku’s heart every time with the trust displayed. After Hana’s death, Fuku was never allowed to sleep with the family, leaving her lonely and cold and…what was the term again? Touch-starved? Regardless, she was glad Hoshi didn’t have to go through such a thing.

And soon enough, Fuku slowly drifted off to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fuku trudged through the snow, hugging herself. She could feel the bite of the blizzard even with her coat suited for the cold. Nothing but snow and flurries around her as far as she could see.

There was a dawning realization in the back of her mind. Hoshi isn’t here. Granted, no one she was familiar with was, she had no Pokeballs. But Hoshi’s absence was of the utmost importance.

Fuku’s voice was strained as if it itself was becoming frozen too. “Hoshiiiii! Hoshiiiiiiiii! Hoshi, where are you?”

Finally, a break from the white and light grey. Black. Fuku rushed forward. The poor Zorua, he was frozen. And he won’t move. He’s not moving. He’s too cold. Nothing but cold.

Fuku was shaking. She wanted to throw up, but nothing was in her stomach. She wanted to scream and roar and spew flames all around.

There was a little Hisuian Zorua now. He hates her now. As he should, with horrible spite and malice draining away what little warmth she had left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fuku woke up in a cold sweat. The first order of business was checking on Hoshi. Still dark, not pale. Fuku let out a sigh of relief.

Still, she opened her phone to make sure Team Winter didn’t magically turn Arcshua into a frozen wasteland while she’s currently away. The biggest news was a Shiny Zapdos being spotted and the attempted proposal by a tech corp to legalize selling Rotom and Porygon with phone and computer devices. And the weather for all major cities were standard for the time of the year.

Yap was talking to the Rocket Grunt who tried to purchase him, and Darkrai and Cresselia were being snide with each other. Not a peep from the Team Winter account yet.

Fuku put her phone away. She’ll do her best to make sure they won’t get far.