#my OTHER favourite sailor scout

[laurencin-draws]

slightly different take on the matte mirror stickers!

now up in my shop!

[ushkoo]

ANIMES I THINK THE TF2 MERCS WOULD LIKE ‼️

Scout:

I think he would refuse to watch any anime’s at first but slowly get dragged in by chainsaw man. I also fear that he would drool over Makima. He would be embarrassed to admit that he watched it to begin with but you would eventually see a lil denji figure in his room!

Soldier:

Would absolutely REFUSE to watch anime! He insists it’s just cartoons for kids and that it’s Japanese propaganda or smth. However, he might walk in on Scout watch csm and pause to watch a couple fight scenes. However if he DID get dragged into watching anime, he would probably stick to something like Attack on Titan or Cowboy Bebop!

Pyro:

Pyro LOVES shoujo anime! They definitely have a love for magical girl anime’s in particular. Their favourite is probably Sailor Moon but I can see them having a special place in their heart for Wonder Egg Priority. But yeah, would 100% cosplay Sailor Mars if given the opportunity and confidence.

Demo:

I think Demo would like Evangelion. Do I have any particular reasoning? Nope! Do I just think that he would find the plot and concept cool? Yep! His favourite character would definitely be Asuka, shes red after all! I think he would also enjoy Mob Psycho 100 tbh. He thinks the animations cool! I don’t really think he limits himself to any particular anime’s, he’ll often sit down with other mercs and just watch whatever they watch.

Heavy:

As much as I would love for him to watch Madoka Magica, I just cannot see this man being an anime watcher. He sees Demo watching mp100 and crosses his arms to sigh in disapproval as he leaves the room. He thinks that it’s just cartoons for children and that he’s above watching moving drawings.

Engineer:

He’s a Cowboy Bebop watcher FOR SURE! Its probably one of the only anime’s that he’s open to watching but that’s okay. He finds himself humming the opening theme as he works and maybe even tapping his foot to the beat a little. He MIGHT watch a couple episodes of Soul Eater with Pyro if he felt nice as well.

Medic:

Honestly??? I think that he would be open to watching Black Butler. He might not watch the whole series, he’s a busy man! But he would at least watch a few episodes. I think he could potentially like Evangelion as well. He would likely have the same mentality as Heavy, thinking that it’s just cartoons for children, but he’d give it a chance.

Sniper:

I think he would roll his eyes at the thought of watching anime to begin with. However, he would eventually sit down with Scout to watch an episode of chainsaw man. He wouldn’t watch any anime in his own time, only socially. If he gets bored, he’s getting up and leaving. He can’t get attached to any of the characters, he doesn’t understand how Scout can be close to tears over drawings, but whatever makes him happy.

Spy:

This man is absolutely not watching ANY anime. He doesn’t care how good the plot may be, how good the art style is or how interesting the characters are, he’s not wasting his time with such nonsense. He’s a man, not a child trying to entertain himself with cartoons.

🍭————————————————🍭

aaa this is my first headcanons post im nervous

feel free to request headcanons and stuff •w•!

[suzume2moon]

Itoshi sister?

So, ep9 (Night Snow) got me think and I can’t shake off the idea: what if the Itoshi brothers had a sister? A girl who had grown up with soccer balls just like them and has the same killer mentality on the field.

(okay, it belongs to the truth: my Blue Lock oc is also an Itoshi girl but here I’ll try to go by the big picture and not just especially her.)

female!itoshi who is the identical female twin of Rin, but she’s the younger by two hours. Rin never fails to remind her of this.

female!itoshi who also has a three-letter name (my oc is called Mei).

female!itoshi who had trained soccer from the day she could walk, but only in secret for she heard Sae saying girls are dumb to soccer.

female!itoshi who made her enter to the soccer world just as fabulous as Rin. On a day, feeling bold and having enough from solo practice she simply marched in into the kindergarten training field (it’s official on the Blue Lock wiki that Rin had a kindergarten team). Rin was 5 (slightly a year passed from the match when he received Sae’s pass) and Sae 7, already in elementary school. So Mei simply marched in and challenged the best player, a boy who was almost a full head taller than her, to a 1v1 match. She was fast, and when the boy tried to push her on the ground, she turned with the momentum, took the ball from him and scored a goal. Rin simply jumped at her happily, but Sae had also seen her for he came for the twins to the kindergarten that day. He walked to Mei, knelt before her, caressed her head and claimed that she is the only female player who has the right to stand with the boys. And he will teach her everything to surpass any other players in the world.

female!itoshi who was a legend in elementary school with her brothers. They have visited elementary school for four years together, and they became famous not just in the prefecture but also in the country. She and Rin always pushed each other for better results and more goals and Sae watched them with a faint smile on his face.

female!itoshi who gets bullied by the other girls a lot of times in elementary school. She was always taller, more muscular, cursed like a sailor because she was amongst boys all the time, and most of all, she didn’t give a damn about tipic elementary girl things like fashion, mobile phones or boys (in romantic ways). They often chased her out of the changing room, insisting she isn’t even a girl. Rin always wanted to punch these girls on the face but Sae solved the problem by humiliating them verbally.

female!itoshi who loves to sit on the seaside with her brothers, whose favourite ice cream/popsickle is the raspberry one. Whose favourite soccer player is Luka Modric. Who is extremely proud of Sae when he gets scouted to go to Spain and asks for a Modric autograph and a dedicated jersey.

female!itoshi who, when she saw that boys start to grow by puberty, developed an own soccer style. With her flexibility and agility she even uses acrobatic movements sometimes and has learnt how to take advantage from the other people’s momentum when they want to push her away, just like in aikido. Her shots are almost flawless although her shooting range is shorter than Rin’s. She also loves to use fake shots and the Itoshi siblings’ signature trivela shot. She and Rin got famous as the unstoppable “Itoshi twins” while Sae was in Spain. They simply sense each other’s presence on the field and their technique is already superior both in solo and duo.

female!itoshi who never got to know what happened on the field when Rin and Sae parted ways in the night of Sae’s homecoming. When Sae was done with Rin, he got home. She was extremely happy for her brother finally arrived and asked him to teach her some “original Spanish dribbles”. Sae refused her, saying girls have nothing to do with soccer and she broke down, temporarily muted by the shock.

female!itoshi whose relationship with Rin sucked after Sae had abandoned them. Rin wanted to defeat Sae alone and looked at his sister as an outsider for she wasn’t there on the field on that night to support him. She didn’t even understand why Rin hates her out of the blue but as an Itoshi, she chose fighting back instead of proper speaking. This is how the Itoshi twins’ ego had been born and they ended up fighting in front of their team, always cursing at each other/not even acknowledging the being of the other, racing who can score more goals in the championships.

female!itoshi who turned from a cocky, mischievous and arrogant girl to a cold, blunt and reserved young woman due to her brothers' betrayal on her. She rarely smiles and never laughs, only keeping her pride and egoism from her younger self.

female!itoshi who has still a perfect relationship with their mother. She doesn’t want to speak about their sibling’s-rival-iwantyoudead situation, but their mother has eyes and can easily figure things. She doesn’t want to do anything though, willing her kids to solve things on their own, when they are ready.

female!itoshi who kept her black hair long until the age of 15. But after Sae abandoned her and her relationship with Rin got wrecked, she cut it to a messy shoulder-length. She turned to hate that she has the same teal eyes and sharp features like her brothers and she didn't want to remember them every time she looked in the mirror.

female!itoshi who gets in Blue Lock under the alias of Itoshi Rui, Rin’s male twin. She wears a tight sports bra and bandages underneath because from the years of intense training she has a well-built muscular body with feminine curves.

female!itoshi who is in one of the team V's, but apart from Rin in the first selection. She ended up scoring the most goals in her building, freaking out everyone as she has a notably slimmer built than the others and is smaller at 5'7" (170 cm).

female!itoshi who reached second place in the second selection, teaming up with Rin and Aryu. Throughout the selection she gets close to Bachira and Chigiri, kind of rebuilding her relationship with Rin too. They aren't as close as they were before but can play together, being the unstoppable Itoshi twins again.

female!itoshi who has the slightest crush on Nagi but drops the idea away instantly, figuring she can't concentrate on soccer in 100% when she feels these dumb things.

female!itoshi who Ego knows about, just letting her play out of curiosity.

female!itoshi who manages to score a goal together with Rin against the world all-stars. They get defeated by 5-2 but it still isn't 5-1.

female!itoshi who ends up in the top 6 as 3rd behind Rin and Shidou, the other three being Karasu, Yukimiya and Nagi. They can't help but wonder how other her body is built, using off the ball technique, speed and special kicks instead of power.

female!itoshi who Karasu has a crush on but knows better to let her know. Karasu knows her identity from an earlier match his team lost against the Itoshis and loves her from then on.

female!itoshi who makes her way in the Blue Lock starting lineup, playing right wing.

female!itoshi whose favourite anime is Attack on Titan and listens to the ost the evening before the match against the U20 team. Before the match, she draws the Wings of Freedom on her wrist and Chigiri says her: "Tatakae".

female!itoshi who gets her knee injured during the U20 match while landing instable. However she only puts ice on her knee in the break, refusing to be substituted, cursing like a sailor at anyone who suggests her to sit on the bench.

female!itoshi whose aura is the universe, picturing "unconscious destruction" which matches her brothers' auras too.

female!itoshi who steals the ball in the last 5 minutes from Sae himself and reaches the flow state. She breaks through the "iron wall" herself and scores from a powerful jumping shot.

female!itoshi who, after winning the match for the Blue Lock, takes off her jersey in front of the entire stadium, revealing the bandages around her breasts and her true gender too. She makes the Scout regiment's salute and the stadium nearly erupts.

female!itoshi who recovers in the two-weeks break, telling her mother a lot about Blue Lock and even meeting up with the others once. Otoya obviously has a crush on her but they end up goofing around as she gets back some of her old personality.

female!itoshi who choses FC Barcha in the Neo Egoist League in order to make bigger use of her physical abilities and learning to control her body even more. They are not the best but beat Ubers and playing a tie with Manshine City. She gets extremely high bids, ranking as 3rd.

female!itoshi who speaks English AND German fluently since she saw Attack on Titan and got inspired. When Kaiser starts to develop a crush on her and tries to corner her, she tells him to fuck off in German with a perfect pronounciation.

female!itoshi whose personal life is a hot topic on BLTV. It changes daily who is she shipped with and she learnt to not give a shit about it pretty fast.

Idk how accurate it is, if anyone has better ideas, please write it in comments. I think it's pretty interesting how a girl's ego and personality works in such a competetive environment if she had already grown up with brothers like Rin and Sae. What do you think?

©suzume2moon 2024.12.08.

[litnerdwrites]

IDGAF that Elain's Feminine

"You hate on Elain because she's traditionally feminine,"

No bitch, I hate Elain because she's a self serving, ungrateful hypocrite, as I've explained in many previous posts. I hate her for how she abandoned Nesta, pushes her boundaries and never once returned the love Nesta gave her. Nesta coddling her the way she did was wrong, admittedly, but could've been solved with a basic conversation about boundaries. Many characters could benefit from one, and a lot of problems would solve themselves if they just respected boundaries.

Perhaps there are a few who don't like feminine characters, but there are just as many, if not more, who are simply indifferent since we know little about her or her opinions/thoughts. Others don't like her for the reasons I mentioned above. So saying she's hated for being feminine is a bit extreme.

Especially since my favourite characters in many forms of media are the traditionally feminine ones. Evangeline Fox is my favourite FMC, and don't really think I'll be able to move on from her when I finish A curse for true love. She's my fictional role model, from her aesthetic to her bravery to her determination.

I also adore Tohru Honda from Fruits basket, Anne Halford from Sugar Apple Fairytale, Adora, Bow, and Glimmer from She-Ra, and the Sailor Scouts (Sailor Moon).

I grew up on the muted, pastel hues of Care Bares G1, My Little pony (G1) with a hint of action from Transformers and Avengers. So as much as I love a kick ass heroine, riding off into battle or saving the world, I love the ones who want to spend all day dressing up in pretty gowns. baking and petting cute animals just as much, if not more.

So, no. I don't hate Elaine for 'being too feminine'. I would've actually loved Elain, if not for the way she treated Nesta. If nothing else, I there's a chance Elain is only doing it to avoid being nest on the IC's chopping block, in which case, I'll understand why, view her as a victim, while insisting she needs to make some serious apologies, and advocate for her to receive some serious apologies too. But until we find out what's going through her head, we can only have the version of her we see through the eyes and experiences of other characters.

(P.S if you have any recs for books/shows with feminine fmcs or that might generally fit my vibe, feel free to let me know)

[b-else-writes]

The Great CLAMP Re-Read Part 10: Magic Knight Rayearth

Part 1 (RG Veda) | Part 2 (Man of Many Faces) | Part 3 (Tokyo Babylon) | Part 4 (Duklyon) | Part 5 (Clamp Detectives)| Part 6 (Shirahime)| Part 7 (X)| Part 8 (Chunhyang)|Part 9 (Miyuki-chan)| Part 11 (The One I Love)

In 1991, Sailor Moon was launched in the magazine Nakayoshi, aimed at younger girls. It kicked off an era of fantasy and magical girl-oriented manga, and CLAMP were scouted to publish their own in Nakayoshi. Rayearth is very dear to me as my very first CLAMP story, as the anime aired in my country in my kindergarten years. Released in two parts, Part 1 ran from 1993 to 1995 in 3 volumes, followed by Part 2 from 1995 to 1996, again in 3 volumes. It spawned a two season anime, an OVA, multiple video games, a forthcoming new anime, and countless merch. I purchased the 25th anniversary release, a lovely hardcover version that allowed me to appreciate and reflect on a childhood love as an adult.

I've discussed how X ended CLAMP's 90s run, both in art style and thematic content, but I do think Magic Knight Rayearth was the beginning of that end. The mega-hit cemented their rising star, and proved that CLAMP's favourite themes could be meaningfully applied to a younger audience they'd never reached before. While Rayearth does not entirely stick the landing, it cannot be overstated its impact on the magical girl genre as it deconstructs and reconstructs ideas of girlish purity, innocence, and power systems in a thematically brilliant combination of philosophy, fantasy, and video game tropes. Some imagery from Rayearth has remained with me forever, a testament to its emotional impact. Heavy spoilers!

Synopsis: Three colour-coded Tokyo middle schoolers are summoned to the world of Cefiro, where the strength of your heart's will can shape yourself and the world. Princess Emeraude is Cefiro's Pillar, spending all her days praying for Cefiro's peace. But the priest Zagato has kidnapped Emeraude, and Cefiro is crumbling. The trio, revealed to be the Magic Knights of legend, must journey and level-up, video-game style, to unlock the mashin and save Cefiro. But all is not as it seems about Emeraude's kidnapping - and should the happiness of a world rely on the prayers of one single girl? Who will pray for that girl's happiness? Can such a world be truly beautiful?

The Story: Initially, Magic Knight Rayearth feels charming but a bit rote - especially in 2024, with a glut of bad isekai out there. Cefiro isn't a terribly fully-realised world and we never meet its ordinary citizens - though the pace means we don't really notice. Hikaru and Emeraude embody the classic pure-hearted shojo, who valiantly fight against the evil adult sexuality the likes of Alcyone and Zagato. Yet, the rote nature of the girls' fantasy video-game quest is precisely part of Part 1's entire deception: Princess Emeraude is not a child, but an adult woman trapped in the confines of the Pillar System that demands she remain a sexless little girl and pray for the happiness of others, instead of her own. The Magic Knights exist to kill the Pillar, following their pre-scripted roles to the one of the most haunting moments in manga where they have no choice but to kill Emeraude.

Its such a brilliant deconstruction of magical girl tropes that usually valorize girlish innocence, where everything can be overcome by the purity of one's heart, and fantasy RPGs, of a perfect princess and an evil dragon. The Magic Knights never consider Emeraude's humanity or free will, only her relation to her society, playing the video game only to realise the entire system is broken and at its heart, Omelas-style, lies a suffering child. Its bone-chilling as the girls celebrate that they've saved Cefiro by killing Zagato, unaware Emeraude is losing her mind. Its not to say Part 1 doesn't have some structural narrative issues: its pacing, while relentless (I could not stop reading Vol 3 in particular) can feel uneven (the Forest drags, while Ascot's turn is too fast and cheesy), the prat falls get tedious as an adult reader, and its meta-narrative of formula to critique formula is better understood on second readings. Still, I loved so much of what Part 1 ambitiously tries to do on a thematic and structural level and it is a gripping read.

Part 2, CLAMP admits, was written very quickly because it was not expected to happen - and personally, I think Part 1 is much stronger than Part 2. Part 2 tries to meaningfully address the trauma the girls have experienced ("the weapons I made became instruments for your suffering" from Presea was one I had to write down), but it does gloss over the culpability and tragedy of Part 1 - I hated that Emeraude was happy in death to placate the girls. A lot of stuff feels retconned in, and the lack of driving narrative means the story treads water in unnecessarily long bits with Fahren and Chizeta and the Magic Knights are mostly reactive. I also cannot take god Mokona seriously.

Still, I enjoyed Part 2 for the strong arcs of characters like Eagle, Hikaru, and Umi, and the conversations about whether a world built on the suffering of another can really be beautiful. Despite how silly god Mokona is, I do think the ending is a fantastic answer to Part 1: the only way to save Cefiro is to break the entire system and rebuild it again where everyone must, together, make society worth living in. Hikaru becomes the new Pillar not because of her purity - indeed that self-sacrificing Christ-like behaviour is what gets Emeraude in trouble in the first place - but because of her earthly refusal to accept anyone else sacrificing themselves for others AND her belief that we have to trust and try to make society better. It's a very mature look at empathy and compassion and individual vs. collective happiness, handled for children to understand, and its lush, badass, and emotional to watch Hikaru save Eagle in the process. Yes, its cheesy and sloppily paced (it is for 12 year olds and I do have to remind myself of that), but damn if it didn't move me. As I keep saying, CLAMP has never written a character I've loathed!

Despite its inconsistent quality, I do think it is good to read both Parts 1 and 2 for how they overall deconstruct and reconstruct magical girl manga in a way that moves away from rote roles of purity and self-sacrifice that bog down the genre, in a story that is overall fun and deeply emotional.

The Themes: I can absolutely see how Rayearth was written concurrently with X (Mokona tossing aside Earth for its corruption). But these same themes of what makes life, and the world, worth living, are taken in fascinating new ways. Here, CLAMP's favourite concept of "destiny vs. free will" explores destiny not as a divine system but a societal enforced structure. Emeraude believes she's fated to only pray and thus her loving Zagato destroys everything, but this is the result of her accepting that the system is infallible and unchangeable. She is the Christ-figure maiden trapped in the world tree to support it, but who needs redemption not from the divine Eagle, but the earthly Hikaru, who teaches self-love. Nobody in Cefiro (or beyond) can conceptualize a Pillar-less world. The people of Cefiro accept the game's logic and play it, but - as CLAMP loves to remind - we are individuals and our choices have meaning and power.

And this leads to a really interesting theme of whether peace bought too dearly is even worth it - is collective happiness more important than individual happiness? Happiness, CLAMP does remind us, is different for every person, but comes out on the side that individual suffering suffuses the whole system. Self-sacrifice - like in X! - does nothing but lead to suffering from the people who love you and holds no glory. And who can't love a story that tells little children that we have to find a way to live that allows us all to be happy?

There's also a really interesting gender dynamic that I rarely see discussed by fans that I find fascinating. Shojo is infused with pure-hearted innocent heroines who face off against "phallic mothers", that is, adult women who embody sexuality and power in contrast to acceptable female roles (there's a lot of very interesting discussion on whether shojo is actually feminist that I feel bypasses Western audiences). At first, Rayearth seems to follow these tropes - the girls and Emeraude are shojos, while characters like Alcyone (a sexually mature woman who is characterized as evil for loving Zagato when he doesn't love her) are phallic mothers.

Yet the finale twists this - Emeraude is another phallic mother whose "selfish" love for Zagato has transformed her into an adult woman that must be killed. And killed she is, as shojo tropes demand, but no happy ending comes. Emeraude was not selfish, but human, and failed by a system that demanded this of her. Part 2 never lives up to the potential set up by Part 1 - Hikaru remains a shojo who can't recognize Lantis is confessing to her - but it was something I really enjoyed chewing over in Part 1.

The Characters: While the girls might seem typical at the start, CLAMP has a real charm for making cliche work for them. Fuu is much quirkier than the shy meganekko trope, and Umi. Umi was the stand-out for me as the most dynamic of the bunch, with such a wonderful character arc across all 6 volumes from bratty rich girl to compassionate, brave warrior. It is she who recognizes the world isn't beautiful and her own naivete, she who finds inspiration from her friends to like herself more, she who grows up! The supporting cast is equally charming, and I loved the tragedy of Emeraude and Zagato.

While Lantis is a fine Yasha-style giant guy, I really adored Eagle by the end and his relation to Hikaru and Emeraude. Hikaru is s a highly static character, but her deep self-love and determination are impossible not to love. There's something just so compelling about his mirror of Emeraude and especially Hikaru, who frees them both by absolving them of their self-denying divinity. Their entire arc is a beautiful reaffirmation that we are humans who deserve to live and find meaning in that. I would say the character I cared for the least was probably Ferio, who never shows either comedic charm (Caldina, Ascot) or inner depth. But he appears so minimally that I can wave aside that he's a boring, paper-thin love interest.

The Art: I'm in two minds when it comes to Rayearth. There are some truly stunning moments in the artwork and visual motifs. The very idea of making an Art Nouveau magical girls in a fantasy RPG world led to so many incredible creative design choices (though Hikaru's skirt in her final armour bothers me. Metal and fabric don't fall like that). The silent two page spread where the girls murder Emeraude will likely haunt me for the rest of my life. Emeraude's hair pearls transforming into her crystallized tears is such a brilliant twist on the established visual motif. There's a lot of highly inventive panelwork that lushly moves between the real world and contemplative spaces.

On the other hand, because Cefiro is not the real world, CLAMP could not use their trick of scanned photo backgrounds. The result is a distinctive lack of backgrounds that were especially frustrating because I felt like I had no idea what these fantasy spaces look like - and RG Veda never had this problem! There's one particular hand-drawn Tokyo background that looks horrendous in how sketchy it is. Rayearth definitely reflects CLAMP's burnout period in that there are definitely more corners cut, like with the constant chibi scenes (very classically 90s, but not something I've ever enjoyed) and heavy use of screentone to mask lack of background. It's still visually stunning, but it's definitely not their drawing peak. Would I still frame some of these pages? Absolutely.

Questionable Elements: Presea makes an off-colour Native American joke. The designs of the Chizeta and Fahren characters lean heavily into cultural stereotyping of the "Orient" - they at least are real characters in the story, but they really irritated me for quite a long time in the story because of how glaring this is. Especially when Aska says white-ish, blue eyed blonde Emeraude is a "true princess". It makes the epilogue's (very good) moral of "we were all made different so we can learn from one another" fall a bit flat if CLAMP themselves made no effort to actually learn from people unlike them.

Overall: While Part 2 of Rayearth never quite lives up to the potential set by Part 1, the entire series overall is such a refreshing take on the magical girl genre, even 30 years on. Its meta-narrative and postmodern reflections on the genre and its blend of magical girl tropes, philosophy, fantasy and JRPGs, and unique and timeless visual influences has led to a series that has withstood the test of time - and many of its peers that similarly attempted to be the "next Sailor Moon". I think, unlike them, Magic Knight Rayearth has such a strong CLAMP fingerprint upon it - it is their humanist and occult-flavoured take upon the genre, and for that it affirms the value of individual human life, each one, and our choices, in being necessary to create a society that will last, not divine action.

It is a story about stories, making it fascinatingly ahead of the curve. And while its child audience means that it lacks subtlety and nuance in many ways (and frankly Nanase Ohkawa has the subtlety of a brick in her writing in general), I can't deny how much it has remained with me all these years and I find something new to love in it each time. It warrants being one of CLAMP's hits for these reasons, by taking apart the genre set up by Sailor Moon to say it is not pure-hearted divine princesses who will save the world, but our selfish human love that will fight off entropy, every time.

[real-life-senshi]

We have another Keiko Interview related to Sailor Moon, posted on June 30, 2023 JST!!! There's both a video of the interview and a partially transcribed interview article.

This time it's on Oricon News. Here's my attempt to translate the article.

Kitagawa Keiko, Encouragement to Her Rookie Era Self, Meeting Her Friends... Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon is "Life Itself"

Actress Kitagawa Keiko (age 36) is voicing the key character Sailor Cosmos in movie Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos (Part 2) (released on June 30th), which is the final chapter to the new movie series of the popular anime Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. Kitagawa stated that to her Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon is "life itself". In this interview, she looked back on her time as a rookie and talked about her strong feelings for this series, which she has a fateful connection to that can be described as a "miracle romance".

***OP Note: the direct quotes are quite long in this, so I highlight the quotes in Mars's colour to make it easier to read. 🔥

■ When working on her debut in the live-action, she was met with a series of setbacks. A word of advice she offered to her rookie self: "It's okay."

She met [Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon] when she was in kindergarten. She read the original work by Takeuchi Naoko that was serialized in the "Nakayoshi" (translation: Good Friends) magazine, and reminisced on her reaction that "the images are cute, the colours are beautiful, the costume and accessories, all of them are sparkling and shiny, I want to be like that! Those were the thoughts I had. [Sailor Moon] was like a slightly older and mature, cute older sister to me. When [Usagi] transforms, she's strong. She is so cool when she gathers her strength to face her enemy. My first encounter with [Sailor Moon] was so striking, it was like being struck by a bolt of lightning."

Later while in high school, she was scouted by an agency, and her first audition was for the live-action Tokusatsu drama Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (TBS) in 2003. "I felt like I was destined for it. That I joined the entertainment industry at the right time when the live-action was in the works. My favourite had always been Rei-chan, so I actually declared I wanted to play Rei-chan in the audition, but I didn't think I would actually be accepted for the role."

She received the role of Sailor Mars/Hino Rei, a role she had longed for. "At the time of the audition, I felt I love Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon more than anyone else, and I love Rei-chan, so I approached the audition with confidence. But when I arrived at the audition site, I realized there were so many other cute girls who also love Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, who are good at singing and dancing and full of many other talents. I immediately lost all my confidence, so I couldn't believe it when I was accepted for the role. I jumped into the production in a state of lacking confidence after realizing there are so many more talented girls out there." Despite what seemed like a smooth sailing start, she experienced many setbacks because it was her debut work.

"With no prior-career experience at all, and this being my first acting job, I cried every day. I didn't know what to do. Starting from a blank slate with nothing, every day was tough even though I was holding my dream in my hand. But because this is my favourite series, I gave my best, trying my hardest with a mindset of responsibility and obligation to this series to deliver good performance. I tried to boost my confidence by thinking 'I'm the only one who could play Rei-chan'. I could only imagine how many people were looking forward to the live-action version of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, so I worked hard with that in mind."

If she could say something to her old self now... "Back then, I was agitated and impatient with myself every day, thinking I can't keep staying like this, it was really tough. I felt I was holding the others back because of the experience gap I had among the Sailor Senshi team. But there was also no use in not believing in myself. That's why, I want to say 'Calm down, it's okay'"' to myself", she said with a warm and gentle gaze.

■ Taking on the challenge of voice acting with the "Sailor Senshi" team's support. Would she upload a group photo after viewing the final product? "I want to take a picture with everyone"

The live-action filming lasted 14 months. "We ate breakfast, lunch and dinner together, and became comrades-in-arms from overcoming hardships from the filming process. Knowing the fact that each of us is doing our best in our respective lives gives me courage." "The 5 Sailor Senshi" consists of Kitagawa, Sawai Miyuu, Izumi Rika, Amaza Mew, and Komatsu Ayaka, who co-starred in the series at that time, are still good friends and in frequent communication with each other. This time when she received the offer, as someone who played Sailor Mars/Hino Rei in the live-action series, she was shocked to be asked to voice Sailor Cosmos and wondered "Is it alright for me to take this on?"

"I voice the ultimate form of Sailor Moon from the distant future. In my mind, Sailor Moon was always either Mitsuishi Kotono-san or Sawai Miyuu-san from the live-action. That's why I was at a loss on what to do about [the offer]. However, everyone said 'you should definitely do it'. They were really excited by the prospect of having a member from our live-action Senshi team be involved with Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon again, especially on the year of 20th anniversary of the live-action airdate, and they were happy for me to be asked to do it. That was really the deciding factor for me [to accept the job]" These were the support she received.

On a side note, these "Senshi" members still get together on a regular basis, and their group photos are always a hot topic on social networking sites. "I think we're getting tired of the photos by now. lol 'What do we want to do? Photo? Since we made the effort to come together, we should take a photo, shouldn't we?' is how it always ends up being. lol I think everyone would probably go see the new movie even if I'm not in it, that they'd want to see it. I want to go see it with them. I want to take a photo with them in front of the theatre signboard", she said, explaining their unchanging friendship.

■ "If you play the role as you feel it, it will definitely produce good results," she expresses gratitude for Mitsuishi Kotono's advice

In this new film, a new enemy "Shadow Galatica" appears, and with her friends targetted one after another, Sailor Moon and her team are once again thrown into battle. In playing the role of Cosmos, she said "[Cosmos] has overcome and transcended after many happenings, she is neither mere human nor Senshi but instead shines like a goddess, and she has a gentleness and warmth that seem to embrace everything, but also a core of strength from overcoming pain and hardships. It's very difficult to try to express everything in voicing her. A holy maiden who embraces and supports the Senshi team, is the image I wanted to portray and thought of", she said.

Working on the dubbing "was nothing but difficulty. I was not used to working as a voice actor, and I had only voiced boys before, so this was my first time playing a woman. It was difficult to explore the pitch and volume of the voice. Like wondering how should I tone my voice and how loud should I raise my voice, etc... During the testing phase, I fine-tuned my voice with the direct, but even with that I wasn't used to the process of fine-tuning itself. I usually do most of my acting involving my whole body, so it was very difficult to be limited to voice only. I was also nervous to stand in front of the microphone," she shared about her struggles.

Meanwhile, "I received a voicing guide video for reference, and it was Mitsuishi-san voicing Cosmos in it. I had goosebumps when I listen to it. After that I contacted Mitsuishi-san, she said, 'this is only a guide, and if Keiko-chan plays the role as you feel it, you'll definitely produce something good, so have fun in the process.' To be made welcomed by Mitsuishi-san, who has been the lead of "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon for so long, gave me courage." she shared about the encouragement she received from Mitsuishi Kotono who has starred as the lead role of Sailor Moon/Tsukino Usagi for many years.

Speaking of Mitsuishi, she played the role of Kitagawa's mother in Rikokatsu, the drama series in which she starred in the April 2021 season. "I was happy to be able to co-star with Mitsuishi-san on Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, not only because I felt bonded with the series, but also because I feel a bond with Mitsuishi-san. The fact that every time I work on a production of personal significance, that I happen to also work with Mitsuishi-san, it's coming to an extent where I wonder if a bond was established between us in a past life. I never thought that two years after Rikotatsu we would be working together again. That time Mitsuishi-san jumped into a field she said she was not used to at a film site. This time it's me jumping into Mistuishi-san's field... I'm happy that this kind of exchange keeps happening," she said joyfully.

It was the starting point of her life as an actress, what led her to the irreplaceable bonds she formed, and now she is once again involved in voicing an important character in Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. "To me Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon is my life itself. The series has been with me and been my favourite since I was in kindergarten. I admired the characters and aspire to be as awesome as the girls, made my debut and play one of them. I am still connected to the friends I made through working on the series and they have supported me throughout my life. It has become such a big part of me, that's why I have the feeling that the series is as important to me as life itself. "

[phoenixfire-thewizardgoddess]

okay i vaguely remember weird crushes on a bunch of primarily male characters. but they also kind of fell between interest and Favourite Special Guy so idk

that has to count for something, right?

-----

xena warrior princess (also gabrielle, before she cut her hair off but also her character got annoying and spiritual for a bit there so that might have been the disconnect)?? wanted to be, or marry, her but i was like 5+

sailor jupiter (sailor moon) possibly sailor pluto, still confused on that one. legit only found out about the Rest of the Show way later, i was like 4kids really kept this from us?

why did they hide it from us? also the direct dubs were INSANE 'don't lie the king of hell will rip your tongue out' says a dying sailor jupiter, when the english version was like 'don't give up serena, we believe in you...'

iolas from adventures of hercules still not sure what it was, maybe the side character energy, the chaoticness? i note a lot of side characters get my attention somehow

legolas from lotr

lopaka from flipper and lopaka (as a child, bc age appropriate crush) and wasn't that a weird show when they suddenyl revealed thhat the tribe was just isolated from the modern world instead of like, in the past like we thought? they had a luxury ship show up at one point, very confusing.

percival frederickstein von mussel kowalski the 3rd (vox machina)

batman... and nightwing and im pretty sure starfire too

handful of book characters so niche no one would recall

jaskier from the witcher

Dr daniel jackson - stargate sg1

dr rodney mckay - stargate atlantis

ianto from torchwood. once got a photo with the actor, i was flustered as hell, was that celebrity excitement or a weird crush? still not sure. (maybe ian and toshiko in their own very specific ways, never teased it out really)

stiles from teen wolf, and dylan's character from the maze runner. the books held more lore than the movies, but... they did a good job.

zarya (0verwatch) sort of, think also symmetra but you feel a certain way about her. Mercy, maybe, but that's conflicted with a love of playing her.

...junkrat from overwatch. Not proud but also, the idea of being in a junkrat/roadhog sandwich is fascinating fun i guess. possibly lucio, but i could never dive deep enough on that one...

no one specific from apex legends, all of them could be fun in their own way but boy am i bad at playing some of them. I love caustic but i don't know if that's the schadenfreude of successfully unker trapping someone, or something else.

Lucifer and Persephone from Wicked + the Divine series, that was a surprise. She's attractive, sue me.

Rory and Amelia Pond - Dr Who

oh harry kim from star trek voyager.

skywise and strongbow and moonshade from elfquest also skywise's parents, we only saw them for like one comic but they were lovely - shale and eyes high. crushingly sad story, like with crescent, strongbow andd moonshade's daughter.

...scout from tf2. some of the other mercs were always maybes. could be conflicted with the joy of murdering as them tho

bolin and asami from korra

lance from voltron.

milo and kida from the lost city of atlantis.

most of the people in Sens8, at different times for different reasons. might have just liked them all i guess. not for their looks per say, but their personalities and actions. They were all beautiful of course, but i loved the characters on display

Alastor from Hazbin Hotel (I think, he's my fave naturally even though everyone is great and we're likely to fill in blanks about them in seasons 2 - 4 that will be of great interest) and Rosie... I think she would absolutely be delightful but want to eat you. Carmilla with her hair down tho.

Moxxie (and possibly Millie, but it took a while with her accent) from helluva boss. love loona but she has a real Baby Adult feel about her that makes you want to mentor her at this age over like, anything salacious. same with charlie and vaggie from HH, they feel Young Adult and you just want to explain how taxes work or talk them through getting a doctor's appointment when they get anxious.

for inexplicable reasons, tasslehoff burrfoot of Dragonlance.

oooh, the main character and also her demon gf in Kill 6 Billion Demons, i think. those books burned last year so im trying to get new copies. maybe i was in love with their love tho, that could also explain why i like pairs, or maybe im made to third wheel and just tag along on another relationship lmao

either way, the idea of caring so much you share your face (no spoilers) gets to you

oh, and the angel from that series too, 10/10 i can't wait to see where that story goes its amazing. (webcomic still updating)

possibly to some degree, pyramidhead and one of the unarmed nurses. do we know if they can kill you without the blades?

there were others im sure but its one of those Remind me of the Media things that comes with being ancient

imagine a dragon going through the libraries

--------

not sure what the common threads here are, and its hard to differentiate between fave and someone you get flustered over. Because they're mixed up, and it changes all the time.

Maybe they're all side characters and need therapy and reassurance that someone gives a damn, i guess. Most of them are funny and protective, none of them really share physical characteristics.

Maybe im a narcissist and see bits of myself in them? Or want to? I dunno. Again, i think ive mixed fave and attraction together for some of them which makes it confusing, which is why if there's a telepath with a psych degree floating around *slaps top of skull* this thing can fit so many confusing things in it... c'mon down.

never got a boyband phase, so that made it harder to identify a Type because lets be rreal they cast the people in it to fit several tropes.

eh, one day we might all have answers to why we are how we are, i hope we all get that clarity. Because, future me with all the answers, i have some QUESTIONS about our apparent choice in people...

and also every other aspect of life.

oh i have stressed myself into quite the headache with this.

i feel frustrated again

[chibi-tsukiko]

Some cheeky questions!

1. What r ur favourite series of all time?

2. What r ur most reread series of all time?

3. What are the books/series ur most excited to read in 2024?

4. Who is ur fav book couple (and maybe why)?

5. Who is ur book bf?

🫶🫶🫶🫶

Hi there annie dear!

Let’s get into theseeee

1. Favorite series of all time:

Sailor Moon 🌙

2. My most reread series of all time:

Sailor Moon

The Eldest Curses (TSC)

3. What books/series am I most looking forward to in 2024?

The 4 books in the Seasons of Shadowhunters kickstarter that CC is doing. Pretty pumped for those (minus Secret of Blackthorn Hall but ya know 😝)

My tv series got cancelled cuz Netflix is a b** 😒🤬 and I don’t watch tv that much anyway so 🤷‍♀️

4. My favorite book couple:

Malec ♥️

Their dynamic is everything. I think they compliment each other really well and have neither has ever felt the need to compromise. They’ve grown so much together and as individuals and are the most beautiful family. They own my whole heart.

5. My book bf….

Idk if this means boyfriend or best friend and I also don’t think I have either 🤔

Just consider me an honorary Sailor Scout or one of the Lightwood-Banes 😆😂

Thanks for these asks!

[ghostgirlfriends]

top 10 fight scenes from the owl house (imao)

1 (the BEST): luz vs belos wad. you cannot go wrong with luzan and DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE ME BELOS! FOR I AM THE GOOD WITCH LUZ, CHILD OF THE HUMAN REALM, STUDENT OF THE DEMON REALM, AND WARRIOR OF PEACE! NOW EAT THIS SUCKER!!!!!

2: THANKS TO THEM. HEX SQUAD VS HELOS!!! i absolutely love this fight scene and it lives RENT FREE in my head. MATTHEW RHYS’S MIXED WITH ZENOS VOICE LINES, CHILLS. THEYRE SOF UCKING TALENTED? AND THE ANIMATION. ITS SOS MOOTH IT GIVES ME GOOSEBUMPS WHENEVER I LOOK AT IT. AND EVEN VEE JOINS TO TRY AND SAVE HUNTER. EVEN THOUGH WE NEVER SAW THE MONTHS BETWEEN KINGS TIDE AND THANKS TO THEM WE CAN EVIDENTLY SEE HOW STRONG AND HOW MUCH EACH OF THEM CARE FOR EACH OTHER!!!! (vee especially og mt god. i imagine that hunter and vees relationship would be extremely rocky at first, given vees trauma with the emperors coven, but now theyre SIBLINGS AND VEE WAS READY TO SAVE HIM!!!)

3: eclipse lake hunter vs amity. AMITY WAS SO FUCKIN COOL? AND ZENOS VOICE LINES AND THE ANIMATION. THE CAMERA ANGLES. MWAH.

4: agony of a witch eda vs lilith. plot twist? yes. angst? fuck yes. POWERFUL MILF WITCHES???? FUCK HECK YES.

5: EDAS REQUIEM. OH MY GOD THE SOUNDTRACK. THE MUSIC. THE WAY EDA WEARS HER HAIR ONLY AROUND RAINE. THE FUXKINF ANGST AND PAINFUL MEMORIES . FUYUUCKKDHSJ!!!!!

6: GROM. IF EEL SO FUCKING BAD PUTTING IT THIS LOW BECAUSE OF HOW EPIC IT IS BUT I CANT PUT TWO ON ONE. GIRLFRINEDS. THE START OF AN AMAZING HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP. FUCK!!! I WANT THIS!!!!!!

7: clouds on the horizon hex squad vs kikimora (and od*lia). WILLOW WAS SO BADASS IN THIS??? AND THEY WERE ALL SO POWERFUL AND THE LINEUP. THE FUCKING LINEUP!!!!! its so miniscule but its one of my favourites because it shows the humanity of the hex squad- the way kikimora uses “hunter” as a shield (pussy) and willow immediately withdraws so he doesnt get hurt. oh my god.

8: young blood, old souls: luz vs lilith. THE ANIMATION. IS SO SMOOTH. AND LUZ’S ANGST AND DETEMRINATION TO SAVE EDA FROM BEING PETRIFIED.

9: kings tide LUZ VS BELOS!!! THIS WAS SUCH A DRAMATIC SCENE AND I LOVE IT. you can see luz’s fear and she’s desperately trying to hide it to try and be a bigger person than belos, but its sort of getting to her as belos mocks her while shes trying to set up an attack. the ending point where she almost gets petrified left me in tears but BAM. BRANDING GLOVE!!!!!

10: labyrinth runners: AMITY AND WILLOW AND GUS AND HUNTER VS ADRIAN AND THE COVEN SCOUTS!!!! THE SAILOR MOON REFERENCE AND AMITY AND WILLOW WORKING TOGETHER WAS MWAH. INCREDIVLE. I COULD GO ON FOR HOURS!!!!!

reminder that pls. this is not all of the fight scenes in the show- there are so many more and THEYRE ALL SO GOOD AND AMAZINF but these are my top ten!!!! EVERY SINGLE BIT OF THIS SHOW IS IN MY TOP TEN BUT IF I *HAD* TO LIST THEM!!

[thegreathomestuckreread]

currently reading the sailor moon manga, which is pretty outside of my usual taste. thoughts so far: for a story that is supposedly about the power of love and friendship it sure has failed to give me any reason to be invested in any of these relationships :/ maybe i'm missing something here because i'm not really the target audience anymore but i feel like the relationships at this point are pretty flat

everything is heavily focused on the plot and worldbuilding, there's barely any conversation between the sailor scouts that isn't in direct service of progressing the plot or worldbuilding by expanding on lore. like i understood in the beginning where they kinda blasted through the character introductions to get the team established like yes okay it's good to not dillydally on setting up ur main cast. but then it just kept zoomin'

so okay sure supposedly they're besties but like. where???? they're allies in battle yelling to each other about how to use their powers and the enemy and the importance of all this nebulous lore stuff but where is the emotional connection? and their bonds in their past lives don't count, that's basically stating 'yes they're totally best friends' without actually showing it in the present day of the story

maybe it gets better idk! i've only read the first 14 chapters/2.5 volumes (i'm reading the 2011 translations so that's 12 volumes total). aka i just finished the first major arc, which has ended in the introduction of chibi-usa. favourite scene so far btw, love the contrast of chibi-usa holding a very realistic looking gun up to usagi's head in contrast with the heavily stylized character art

it's probably just a lack of compatibility with what i generally look for in a piece of media (character-driven rather than worldbuilding-driven, long and detailed rather than snappy and flashy)

i shall read on. we'll see

[leviathanlies]

A caterpie-themed sailor scout I drew for my sister's birthday, heavily inspired by the sailor quartet, some of her favourites. Kind of tempted to design some more after the other worms now, it was pretty fun!

[ezrisdax-archive]

bingo meme: reinako, didn't know they were dating :D

for femslash feb bingo and over here on ao3

Rei had yet to figure out why whenever Makoto made them bento’s hers was always larger than everyone else’s.

Usagi certainly sulked about it until Makoto whispered something Rei couldn’t hear and then she dropped the issue with the promise of cookies later.

Rei hadn’t gotten an answer when she asked though, just a shrug from Makoto.

At least it left her with plenty of food however when Minako leaned over to steal some.

She’d dropped by the shrine again that day, wearing another hat to try to disguise herself from numerous fans though Rei couldn’t believe that actually worked.

“You could bring you own food.” Rei said though she quietly pushed the box towards Minako so she wouldn’t have to lean as far.

“Mako makes the best though.” Minako said with a grin and stole some more.

Rei grumbled and rolled her eyes but didn’t argue that fact.

It was admittedly nice that Minako was there for nothing more than to bother Rei apparently; no monsters in sight. She’d take the breaks where she could and was a little grateful Minako was now taking her own time off too.

Rei glanced at her from the corner of her eye, noting that Minako didn’t seem as drained today as she had previously.

“Don’t take it all.” Rei warned but inched ever closer still.

Minako easily slid into her space, pressing her shoulder against Rei’s.

She should have gotten up and done her shrine duties.

Instead Rei let Minako rest there.

~~

Rei grabbed Minako’s arm, pulling the other scout back with her as the monster threw a fireball their way.

“Any ideas?” Rei asked, slightly out of breath.

It was only her and Minako this time, the other scouts hadn’t arrived yet.

“We can fight fire with fire.” Minako said, straightening up in Rei’s grasp. She pulled away and ran to another corner of the room, turning her head to throw a wink at Rei.

“Venus love me chain!” Minako cried out, getting the monsters attention and letting Rei sneak up behind it.

“Evil monster, be gone!” Rei yelled, her attack hitting it square in the back.

The monster disappeared in the flames.

“Not bad, Sailor Mars.” Minako said, stepping forward with a slight smile on her face.

Rei scoffed and transformed back into her regular clothes after a quick check to make sure no one was around. “They’re getting stronger.”

Minako released her transformation as well but swayed on her feet. Rei instantly reached out to grasp her arm again.

“We’ll get stronger too.” Minako said when she had steadied, her voice that hard brittle tone that Rei hated hearing from her.

“Together.” Rei insisted, almost worrying that Minako would run off to do it on her own again. She slid her hand down so she was holding onto Minako’s fingers.

Minako’s gaze flickered downwards and her face softened.

“It’s not a bad plan.” She teased and then tugged Rei forward. “Maybe we should release a single together too, Reiko Mars.”

Rei’s face heated up and she looked away, ignoring Minako.

She didn’t let go of her hand however.

Just in case.

~~

Rei was running late to get to the hospital, she dodged another nurse and apologized for nearly running into her and then took a deep breath as she reached Minako’s room.

She opened the door and blinked in surprise to see Makoto sitting on Minako’s bed, the two of them talking about something but stopped when they heard the door.

“Rei?” Makoto asked, “I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“She usually stops by after my treatments.” Minako said and though she looked tired there was a mischievous light in Minako’s eyes as she said it. “Always here to look after me.”

Makoto didn’t bother hiding her amused smile. “I’ll leave you two to it then, feel better Minako.” Makoto stood up and set a tin down on the counter.

She stepped past Rei with a grin and a nod.

“I didn’t know the others stopped by.” Rei said, feeling a little out of sorts.

“Usually Makoto drops some food off.” Minako said and winced as she leaned up in the bed.

Rei walked over to help her sit up.

“Oh.” Rei said blankly, shifting on her feet.

She’s never considered bringing Minako food before, just been consumed with the thought that someone should be at Minako’s side when she struggling with this.

Artemis had been busy helping Luna and Ami and hadn’t been able to be there like he would have wanted.

“Don’t worry.” Minako told her. “You’re still my favourite visitor.”

She was reaching over for the food again and Rei instinctually grabbed the tin to help out.

Rei held it in front of her looking down at it uncertain what it was she was feeling. Relief in some aspects that Minako hadn’t been alone but there was something else there.

“Rei?” Minako asked, looking at her confused.

“It’s nothing.” Rei muttered and took Makoto’s previous seat on the bed next to Minako.

~~

She wasn’t surprised when Ami noticed her appearing distant.

Even Usagi had caught it and asked her what was wrong.

Rei had just muttered something about Minako and concerned about her.

“Minako-chan will be fine.” Usagi insisted. “She’s the coolest and best.” Usagi continued in that voice she got when all she wanted to do was praise her friends.

“She’ll pull through.” Ami said, reaching out to touch Rei’s shoulder lightly. “We just have to be there where we can.”

Rei squirmed a little in her seat.

“Rei-chan will be there for her more though!” Usagi suddenly declared to Rei’s surprise. “After all they’re dating!”

Rei’s head shot up at that, her mouth open in shock.

“We’re what!?”

~~

“How long have you assumed I’ve been dating Minako.” Rei demanded of all of them when Makoto arrived with Luna and Artemis in tow.

She didn’t like it when Makoto, Usagi, and Ami exchanged a glance.

Ami adjusted her glassed and cleared her throat, “The past month. Whenever you’ve left it’s to spend time with Minako.”

“To help her fight monsters!” Rei refuted quickly.

“Or check up on her. Or just be near her.” Makoto pointed out. “It’s why I started giving you extra food, I knew you’d just be seeing Minako later that day.”

Rei spluttered, hating that she couldn’t even deny that.

“Minako prefers to spend time with you.” Artemis added. “She’s called them dates whenever she’s left to go see you.”

“We assumed you two just wanted to keep quiet about it.” Luna said, hoping up on the table and putting a paw on Rei’s hand. “But we support you.”

“Rei-chan?” Usagi finally asked. “Don’t you want to date Minako-chan?”

Rei opened her mouth to deny it.

And then shut it with a click.

“Oh.”

~~

Minako didn’t look any different when Rei looked at her, she had her white beret on and a coat that matched and reminded Rei of the day they’d met and they’d helped out that dog.

Rei hadn’t even realized who Minako was in multiple ways.

Not as Minako Aino the idol or Sailor Venus.

She’d just seen someone trying to do the right thing and admired it.

“Here.” Rei said and pushed the bento box Makoto had made her, again larger than the others, towards Minako.

Minako tilted her head as she looked at Rei and then smirked.

This time Rei didn’t feel it was laughing at her, more telling her there was a shared secret between them.

“Were you going to tell me?” Rei asked hotly.

Minako shrugged and popped a piece of chicken in her mouth.

“C’est la vie.” She half said, half sang.

Rei refused to rise to the bait but if Minako leaned over and kissed her that was no one’s business but their own.

[phoenixfire-thewizardgoddess]

Thank you @the-grimsqueaker

3 ships I like but lets be real there's few I don't just point me at a fandom and duck: Xena Warrior Princess/Gabrielle, Alastor/anyone but charlie or vaggie because I like found family tropes and you'd have to kill me to stop me (Hazbin Hotel), and Tom Paris/B'Lanna Torres/Harry Kim (ST:Voyager)

First ship ever: the one i remember most prominently was Xena/Gabrielle, she was on tv when i was little. I may have liked some of the Sailor Moon sailor scouts together at some point but it's not coming back to me as anything but a blurry mess. never knew if i wanted to be xena or marry her... and gabrielle lmao.

Last song I heard: running through my brain all day counts right? MONSTER from Epic: The Musical tied with the very last song of the entire musical because the haunting refrain of 'waiiiiiiting, WAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiting, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiting' is really deep in the brain box lmao.

Favourite childhood book: Listen, the first series i read independently and then siling and i would listen to parent read to us, was Harry Potter. So despite the fucking mess the author is, it does sit in my heart somewhere. I had fluffy weird hair and wanted to be hermione so bad, Ron was deep in my heart lmao.

But like, the book i think about most, was Martin the Warrior and Mossflower, the first two Rewall books. I consider them jointly important because they were like Oh look, so sweet a world of mice and dandelion cordial and oops, did that big emotional plot twist turn your ribs concave and you became distraught as a little person reading about the grief and sorrow of little woodland things? Awwww. Suffer you little thing and know empathy.

Currently Reading: I was re-reading the CROWDED graphic novels series. Slowly re-getting books (that are still in print) i lost in the fire. Also technically in the middle of the Wicked and the Divine series, the priory of the orange tree (like a page in my brain is so full of Work right now its a nightmare to focus on non-fanfic stuff rn), the witch's throne and at least one or two others that are not coming to me.

They're bookmarked and around this house SOMEWHERE.

Currently watching: Random nonsense on youtube, and rewatching brainless nonsense on family streaming services (i have netflix, someone else has prime and someone else has disney, but the D lords lock me out bc different households as if they're desperate for cash lmao). Currently have acient Supernatural playing on my tv right now... it's uh, hmmm.

Castlevania Nocturne was pretty fun tho.

Currently consuming: more calories than i should have given i dodged exercising the past 2-3 days, like the lazy bitch i am lmao. Somehow absolutely fucked up a cake mix yesterday, not sure how i did that... its like a thick, angry pancake. Let this be my first recorded miracle on the journey to sainthood, lmao.

Currently craving: Answers to silly personal issues. An end to this annoying headache but it's being an ASS. Some sort of meal but ive just realised its past midnight so nah.

---

I'm a very generic person, sadly. Definitely comic relief side character #3 who the fandom hates for existing lmao.

Tag, you're it:

@littlelokilover @prince-darkleboop @sxpaiscia @grezzirossi @princessgremlin @ursy153

fandom friends i'd like to know better

tagged by: @lowkeyed1

tagging: @the-grimsqueaker @taralkariel @midnightxscape @istopsomewherewaitingforyou @terriblethanksforasking @ghost-walking-in-a-boring-dream @littleblackraincloudofcourse @callmekitlover

3 ships i like: Jade Claymore/Kit Tanthalos, Korra/Asami Sato, Enfys Nest/Jyn Erso (why are there only like 7 fics of this rarepair…I need more!)

first ship ever: oh god I dunno. Me and April O’Neil from TMNT, does that count?! 😝

last song you heard: Perfect Stranger - FKA Twigs

favorite childhood book: The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

currently reading: Mostly Tanthamore fanfic, but some other Erin Kellyman character fanfics too. Listening to The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang, and the Willow novelization which @lowkeyed1 is reading on Discord (thank you for this, it’s a highlight of my week!)

currently watching: Harlem (about to start season 3, Severance, No Good Deed, Unrivalled 3x3 basketball, rewatching ALOTO, just finished the SLOCG (Bela’s a girlkisser - my dreams are coming true!)

currently consuming: Padmanadi’s leftovers

currently craving: more Padmanadi’s, it’s craving never ends, it’s too good.

[aelloblu]

Chiaki Abe || Sailor Sylvia

This Lovely Lady belongs to Sylvia of the Otaku Senshi Alliance, a lovely lady I had a lot of fun doodling her ideas. She was one of my first Colouring Book Edits for the longest time, getting into the swing of it. I do very much regret the boots. They're so off SM style, that lace... Arg! One day I might fix it....

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Chiaki Abe || Sailor Sylvia

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Belongs to Sailor_Sylvia

:Mission:

Chiaki was a quiet girl in Nagano stargazing when a meteorite fell to Earth. Hoping to add it to her collection she followed its trajectory except instead of a smoldering rock at the heart of a crater there was a strange vase, depicting the likeness of a silver clad woman and a crescent moon. It bewitched Chiaki, causing strange feelings and memories to rise up inside her.

But suddenly a woman stood over her! She claimed to be Alabaster of the Eclipse Syndicate, dedicated to finding relics of the Golden Kingdom and selling them to the highest bidder. That vase was too powerful for a little girl so she better hand it over.

Suddenly a cat landed between them and dropped a pen. “Transform Sailor Sylvia!”

Now Chiaki is more than a little girl! She’s the Sailor Suited Guardian of the Stars, Sailor Sylvia. With her mooncat Pandora and the Moon Compass she must track down these strange relics of her past.

Each step leads her closer ‘the haul to end all hauls’. What is this Silver Crystal, why does the Moon Compass want to go to Tokyo and who is this Dark bidder who will do anything to get both?

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Civilian Form

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:Name & Meaning:

Chiaki Abe. Chiaki means ‘a thousand lights’ and Abe means ‘Peace.’ She is the ‘Peace of A Thousand Lights’

:Age & Birthday:

Fourteen, born October 4th. This means her star sign is Libra and is ruled by the air element and ruled by the seventh house. It means that she builds relationships with others easily!

:Appearance:

Chiaki has pale creamy skin and silver-lilac eyes that sparkle with adventure. She pulls her long royal purple back into wavy purple pigtails that cascades past her waist. She’s outdoorsy and often dresses in sky colours. She is never without her prep-pouch filled with a compass, matches, a snack and camera because you never know what you’ll find.

:Personality:

Chiaki has an active and enthusiastic appreciation of nature and loves to share its beauty with others through her photography. She is often pestering her fellow Scouts with her photo albums or getting them to pose for the perfect group picture. Her favourite thing is to hike beyond the city to capture the night sky in all its glory.

Along with her photography she likes to draw star charts, practicing amateur astronomy and astrology which she will also talk the ear off anyone who will listen.

:Likes:

Chiaki loves fresh air and open skies. If she isn’t camping, she spends her free time in the local parks snapping candid shots of the flora and wildlife. She hates cooking but her favourite meal is packet mac and cheese, with extra, extra cheese! She also has a sweet tooth for anything chocolate and there’s nothing better than a fire roasted s’more with sticky marshmallow and gooey chocolate running down her fingers.

She also spends her free time taking pictures. Her digital Lanon camera is a battered thing she takes everywhere and while she treats it rather absently, the memory cards inside are priceless which she protects because the memories are irreplaceable.

:Dislikes:

She isn’t a fan of crowds, she hates being squished and jostled and too much noise means you can’t hear her speak! She also hates avocados.

:Hobbies:

Chiaki's true love is the stars. She likes to perform amateur astrophotography and uses those pictures to chart their paths. The reason is she’s also a fan of astrology, but not those cheap newspaper horoscopes she scoffs at. Her first question when meeting new people is ‘What’s your birthday?’ Using her photos she calculates the degree of ascent, the rising of Jupiter in the House of Aquarius to plot out her week. Most people laugh, but sometimes they’re uncannily accurate.

:Family:

The Abe family is a relaxed family house, normal in every way.

Her father Tadaaki (brightness) works at a local observatory as an engineer helping with local satellites and from him Chiaki gets her love of the stars. She constantly teases him, begging him to borrow a satellite… just for a minute or two… for her astrophotography but he never has.

Her mother Ichika (A thousand flowers) is a lecturer at a college specialising in meteorology and weather, helpful for when Chiaki plans her camping trips.

She also has a little sister named Hikaru. Chiaki is very protective of Hikaru and Hikaru looks up to her big sister. She’s preschool and she likes to borrow Chiaki’s photographs and tries to redraw them.

:School:

Chiaki first goes to Vale Garden Private School, then transfers to TA Girl's Academy with Rei. She excels in physical education and is part of the photography club. She isn’t so good at maths and home arts so prepare for smoke in the kitchen and sowing herself to her knees!

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Relationships

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:Friends:

In Nagano her best friend is Nariko who prefers to spend her time in doors, but gets left behind when her family moves to Tokyo where she meets the Inner Scouts.

Although Chiaki is friends with all the Sailor Guardians most of her time with Rei. The priestess has a greater spiritual connection but Chiaki seems more lucky. The two sometimes compare star charts and fire readings to plot where the enemy will strike next. She’s a little too quiet for Chiaki but together they work as a team.

After the defeat of Beryl, Tokyo was attacked by the Black Moon Family where she met Chibiusa, Usagi’s daughter from the future. Both being full of curiosity and energy they got on well.

However her friendship with the Inners was tested when the Outers arrived. The Inners viewed them with suspicion but as her own planet lay between the Inners and Outer systems she felt it was her duty to extend the olive branch. She was frustrated by their willingness to sacrifice others for some ‘greater good’ that they didn’t understand, but knew their intentions were not selfish.

On the other hand she didn’t like the Starlights at all! Her hackles were raised and didn’t like them butting in on Sol System territory. She especially distrusts Seiya who’s always trying to impress Usagi and muscle in on Mamaru while he’s away.

:Love Interests:

Although she won’t admit it, she has a crush on Kaito who works the front desk at the Crown Parlor Arcade. He’s so serious and aloof, if only he’d smile more!

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Sailor Sylvia

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:Guardian Starseed:

Her starseed comes from the asteroid Sylvia, which thrived during the Silver Millenium. Ironically one of its biggest exports was avocados.

:Realm of Influence:

Stars, Astrology

:Past Life:

During her past life she was Princess Chiaki, heir to the throne of Sylvia and a brave protector of the Silver Kingdom. She followed Princess Usagi to Earth where she met Cuprite, a spy in the name of the Golden Kingdom. Although very serious, she’s sure he has a different side to him. He’s very curious about the Moon Kingdom.

:Animal Guide:

An advisor to Princess Chiaki’s mother, Pandora was sent with Luna and Artemis to help find Sailor Sylvia. She’s a siamese cat, taller and more angular than her friends and more active in a battle, often skittering through the fray for a better view. She didn’t live on the moon and is considered blunt and unmannerly compared to Luna and Artemis.

:Important Items:

The Sylvia Transformation Pen, a royal purple pen with the symbol of Sylvia on it.

The Moon Compass which reacts to relics nearby however when there are none it’s silver arrow points to Tokyo.

:Henshin Phrase:

Sylvia Power Makeup!

As she holds her pen in the air a dark, gauzy veil filled with a nebular of stars sweeps around her body which is filled with all the beauty of the night sky. As the veil clings to her body it glitters with stars before forming her fuku. Finally she stands with her hands on her hips prepared to fight!

:Guardian Challenge:

"I am the Pretty Guardian Who fights for love and for freedom! I am Sailor Sylvia! In the Name of Sylvia, I’ll snuff out your light!"

:Guardian Fuku:

Sylvia wears the Sol fuku with royal purple as her primary colour and lilac as her secondary. Her earrings are star shaped studs with chains that dangle from them like a comet trail. Her boots are shortheeled and laced to midshin.

:Weapon:

After she receives her power up she commands the Sylvia Star Net which she uses to capture and subdue her enemies.

:Attacks:

Sylvia Star Ascension

Sailor Sylvia twirls, gathering starlight on the tips of all her fingers before flicking them at the enemy in a hail of energy, crashing to earth like a meteor shower.

Sylvia Bright Luminance

Sylvia brings her fingers together, pointer and thumb like a picture frame. She winks cheekily and sends a flash of light to blind the enemy… and anyone else who can’t cover their eyes fast enough.

Sylvia Astral Web

Sylvia gains the power up of the Sylvia Star Net. With a sweep of her arms the silvery net pitted with glowing stars at their anchors which captures the enemy and then bombards them with a furious nebula of starlight.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

[litakino]

I was asked by @floraone​ about my personal experience about Sailor Moon, so enter at your own risk, it’s a reaaaaaaally long post. There’s a lot of ramblings, and some pictures 😅

Alright, some context. I'm from Buenos Aires, Argentina, 31 yo, born in 1988. When I was a kid (7 or 8 y/o), during the summer break (which is December - March on this side of the equator) I attended what in Arg is called "colonia", which essentially is going on the weekdays to a club or school, meeting with other kids, and doing sports and going to the pool, supervised by teachers. It's the place your parents sent you in the summer in place of regular school, because they had to work. All this to say, I started watching Sailor Moon on TV after these summer classes.I came rushing home, and while one of my parents fixed me lunch, I would turn on the TV to watch an episode of Sailor Moon.

I found it! Thank you, internet. It aired from 1996 to 1998, first in a channel called "The Big Channel" and then in "Magic Kids" https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Kids If you go to the 1996 seccion in "cronologia" you'll see the mention of Sailor Moon being aired for the first time.

People my age, from my country, who had access to paid cable TV will remember these logos fondly:

About the dub: Some of the names were changed for the latin american version. Rei and the outter senshi stayed the same, but Mamoru was called Darien, Usagi was Serena, Minako was just Mina, Ami was pronounced Amy, and Makoto was Lita (hence my handle, Lita Kino). I believe these names were the same as the English translations. Well, also, no one called them "senshi", instead they were "guerreras de la luna" (moon warrior, in it’s feminine form). Also, they were called "Sailor Scouts" (yes, in English), but I have no idea where this came from, probably from the English version? Oh, and The Dark Kingdom was called "Negaverso", also no idea where they got this name.

Also, it's worth noting, when I say "latin american version", I mean that usually, voice overs are made in a neutral voice? accent?, that it's not from any particular american spanish speaking country. So it's not Mexican, nor Chilean, nor Argentinian, but a mix of all of them, and not one of them in particular. We all have a specific way of speaking the spanish language, not the meaning per se, but kind of the sing-song quality of the tongue. So, to spanish speakers, someone from Venezuela and Colombia sound really different, even if we all understand what is being said. So most movies and series in latin america are usually "voiced-over" in a way that will sound native to no one, and "neutral" to all. (These are not made for Spain, that voice-overs are made in a distinctive spaniard accent)

About censorship

Recently, I've read about some episodes that were cut or smashed together in the english dubs, and from what I've read that was censored, that never happened in the Latin American versions. I know that Michiru and Haruka were made to be cousins in some translations, but not in the latin american one. Though I know their dialogue was often modified and "softened" to imply their relationship, instead of saying it front and clear (this was modified in the Crystal dub, that they are more literal and use the word "novia", meaning girlfriend, in a romantic context). The only outright censorship the classic anime had, as far as I know, was making Zoisite a woman, dubbed by a woman voice actor.

Daily life? Back then

In regards to my friends at that time, I know most of them were aware of Sailor Moon as a series, but I don't remember any of them being big fans.

There were tons of SM merch like school supplies (pencils, backpacks and such), but I don't think most of it was officially licenced. This is an example of a fannypack from around that time, that I found in an online market page:

Oh, a really really cool thing we had was these magazines that came monthly (starting in 1996), that had a bunch of cute articles about the series and characters, a central page with a "poster", and a comic version of the anime series (that's based on a manga, yeah, I know 😅) With these magazines sometimes came the movies in VHS format, and this is how I realized the movies existed. Also, there was this book called "the friendship book", that had a bunch of quizzes and questions to write about your friends, all SM themed. Oh, I also remember it had a brief explanation of the "I Ching", and a simplified version to "play" with your friends, and try and predict your love life. I have no idea where my copy is, it's possible I lost it :(

Here’s the short comic in one of the issues:

I believe we had the manga, translated to spanish, and flipped so it would read from left to right, but honestly I was too little to care about it, so I can't give you a detailed description of the manga story in this country. I only have only one edition from that time, that I bought when I was little, a 1998 Spanish (from Spain, not Latin American) edition of "The Lover of Princess Kaguya". I was little so please don't judge me, but I found that this "comic book" (as I saw it at that time) being in black and white was the perfect place for me to practice colouring so yeah. I defiled it 😅:

About Crystal, I just found out it was dubbed in latin american spanish, I never knew  It was never aired in Argentina as far as I know. Turns out, some of the voice actors are the same that did the original series, mainly Usagi / Serenity / Queen Serenity / NQS (whose voice actor is the same that dubbed Lisa Simpson in the LA version of The Simpsons xD)

You can find more info, in spanish, in this page: https://doblaje.fandom.com/es/wiki/Sailor_Moon_Crystal  

I have no idea about an Argentinian fanbase, though I'm sure there are tons of fans here. As I said, none of my school friends were particularly fond of the series, but as I grew up, I found tons of people who love SM as I did. Specially in the conventions world, there a lot of fan-made goods.

In regards to daily life nowadays, as a lot of my friends now are small-shop owners, and entrepreneurs, I've come to know and love a lot of people who make art for a living, sometimes SM related. Here are some of my favourites:

This is my favourite tattoo artist in the world. She’s an AMAZING ilustrator too. Would you look at that half sleeve? 🖤🖤🖤  https://www.instagram.com/bazanjara.tattoo/ Also, if you want to see the tattoo she did on me: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bykswm4AoWm/

She makes everything piggy  🖤🖤🖤 https://www.instagram.com/mundochanchan/ https://www.instagram.com/chanchanglobal/

She makes tons of stuff in air dry modeling clay https://www.instagram.com/poteitos.cosaslindas/

He’s an ilustrator, sometimes makes pins and sticker with his art. It may look cute, but most of what he draws is scalotoglyc humor 🤭🤭🤭 https://www.instagram.com/brunancio/

I even had some friends make me a SM mate 🇦🇷:

In regards to SM being a big LGBTQ+ representation, I know Haruka and Michiru are big parts of that here as well. I know someone who has Neptune and Uranus' symbols tattooed as a nod to that part of her identity, for example.

I'm sure there's a lot more to SM in Argentina, but this is as far as I know. Hope it helps!

[sasuhinasno1fan]

Thinking about her love- Shaullra Week Day 3

I see moon on the prompt list for @shalluraweek, my mind goes to Sailor Moon. I do want to write my Sailor Moon au one day, maybe when I’m not swamped with other things. This leans more towards the live action one in terms of some of the memories he remembers. In the live action Usagi starts to realise she might have feelings for Mamoru when she finds out he’s engaged to the daughter of the person who took care of him as a kid, trying to fufill a promise that was made between him and the person who took care of him. At that time though, he knew how he felt but still felt bound by duty to keep his promise, even if it meant turning from his heart. Junko belongs to @roguepaladin. Anyway, enjoy. Edit:was informed by @breezycheezyart I miscredited Junko’s creator, I am so sorry! Moon/Sun

Shiro slowly worked through the paperwork in front of him. He should have been done ages ago but Lotor came in with a sudden emergency that needed his attention and that took much longer than he thought to solve. His daughter was fast asleep and his wife was on another planet taking care civil dispute that needed the attention of the Queen of Crystal Tokyo. To be honest, he was more than liable to just finish everything tomorrow. He could let his daughter sleep in while he finished.

“Daddy?” he looked up, surprised he didn’t hear the door open. Standing in the doorway of his office, was his daughter, her white and black braid already falling out, her hands full with her Coran-P doll/robot.

“Sweetheart, Junko, what are you doing up?” he asked, moving from his desk and kneeling in front of her, pushing stray hairs from her face.

“I couldn’t sleep. Is mommy back yet?”

He gave his daughter a calm smile. “Not yet. She’ll be back soon I promise. Come on, I’m about to go to sleep myself, why don’t you sleep in my bed, or are you too big a girl to do that?”

Junko shook her head, sending more hairs flying, before opening an arm to be both lifted and still hold onto Coran-P. he swept her up in his arms, closing the door behind him as he walked to his room.

“What woke you up?”

“I just couldn’t sleep. I don’t know. Daddy, before we go to bed, can you tell me a story?”

“Sure, which one do you want to hear about?”

“Sailor Moon!” she said, much too excited for someone up way past her bedtime. He should have known though. It was usually the thing that got her to sleep, stories of the Tokyo famous Sailor Guardian of Justice and Love. That Sailor Guardian didn’t exist now, but to people who lived long enough knew she was still around, just in a different form.

“Alright. Which one do you want to hear about?”

“Did she ever love anyone?”

Shiro stopped, looking down at his daughter, who blinked up at him with her big blue eyes.

“Yes, she did.”

He still remembered those days, where he’d feel such intense pain because someone he didn’t know was in danger. When he started to have control over when he transformed, he remembered allowing it to happen, just so he could get to her. Even before he remembered his old life as Prince Ryou, all he wanted to do was protect her, even when they were after the same thing and considered enemies. His starlight, his protector of justice, his Sailor Scout.

He entered his room and placed Junko on the bed and quickly changed.

“Did you know that Sailor Moon met her true love when they were only kids?” he asked, letting Junko make herself comfortable under the covers, Coran-P taking its place above her head on the pillow.

“Did she?”

“Yep. Her true love was called Tuxedo Mask. Steel tipped roses were his signature weapon.”

“Just like you!”

Was it a bit silly for him to use those same flowers as a weapon? Maybe, but their enemies never expected it to hit them.

“Just like me. He got hurt and lost his family and while he was recovering, he met Sailor Moon. He’d been sad because his only friend was leaving and he was scared he’d be alone. Then she came in and made him smile for the first time that day before giving him a rose. On nights where the sky was clear and the moon shone its light down, he’d remember the sweet girl who made him smile. When he got older and Sailor Moon started to save the world, she’d been alone at first and he wanted to help her. Of course, he didn’t know it was the same girl then. They hadn’t gotten along when they weren’t wearing their costumes, but the more time they spent both in and out, they started how much they cared for each other. Tuxedo Mask got hurt a lot trying to protect her, but making sure she was ok was the only thing that he cared about.”

“Just like you and mommy. She gets so mad at you whenever you get hurt.”

Shiro laughed at his daughter’s matter of fact tone. “I guess you could say we are very similar. But we both want to keep the people we love safe.”

“Did he always keep her safe?”

“He tried his hardest and did his best. When he could, he took the chance. So, when you meet your true love, it’s fine if you can save them and yourself. Just make sure they’ll protect you as much as you will them.”

Junko let out a sleepy hum. “When did they know?”

When did he know? When the idea off hurting Allura, hurting Sailor Moon killed him, even when he had to marry someone else. When the marriage didn’t go through but he still went to London and all he could think about was Allura.

“Well, Tuxedo Mask knew from the moment he met her that she was something special. I guess she felt the same, seeing how she never kicked him to the curb.”

Junko let out another sleepy hum before she dozed off.

“I knew I loved you when I realised, I didn’t want you to leave.”

He looked over his shoulder to see his wife standing at the edge of the bed. He turned to her, slowly so not to wake Juno up and took her hand, pulling her into bed.

“I thought you would have been gone longer.”

“Nothing I couldn’t handle.” She said, pulling her shoes off and climbing under the covers. No doubt Coran would yell at her for wearing a gown to bed but even though she was the revered queen of Crystal Tokyo, Allura was still the same girl he met all those years ago. The same one who enamoured him like the moon on a clear night. “She couldn’t sleep?”

“No, asked for stories about her favourite hero. I’m interested to see what happens when she realises that her favourite hero from the past is the same hero as the present.”