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bluetomorrows · 3 months

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My Extensive Thoughts on Sailor Moon SuperS

Something I don't do a lot is extensively talk about things I dislike. There are plenty of things I dislike and I'll mock and complain about them, but when I write long essay-like reviews, it's usually for something that I really like. I don't usually have the energy or passion to write about things I hate. Even if, just for example, it was a sequel/new entry in a series I love. Beneath the Planet of the Apes is one of my least favourite movies in large part because it's an atrocious follow-up to a movie that's very dear to me. But I don't think I could make a big write-up about how much I hate it. I can't bring myself to care that much about it. Which is what makes me feel weird about this, because I did not care for Sailor Moon SuperS, and by God I have a lot I want to say about it.

Maybe it's because it's bad in a unique way. Maybe it's cause it's a 39-episode season and not a 90-minute movie. Maybe I'm just in the mood to be a hater. I don't know why I want to write this, but I really do. This time it's cathartic.

Let me just start with what I actually did like. The animation is still on par with the previous seasons and seems to be of somewhat more consistent quality (some stuff like Sailor Moon S jump around with the quality). The watercolours are still beautiful, all the colours still really pop both in the backgrounds and the cels. One thing I really liked about this season was the music. It might be the best in the series so far, it’s at the very least on par with the previous seasons. The outro theme is super catchy J-Pop and some of the battle music, specifically in the last few episodes is really spectacular. I’d recommend checking out some tracks.

Alright, enough cushy praise let’s get straight to disappointment. I thought about structuring this review by going from what I thought were the smallest to the biggest flaws, but I think it’s necessary we start with the biggest flaw of this season right out of the gate because almost every other issue stems out of this one major problem:

Sailor Moon is not the main character of Sailor Moon Super S.

Usagi Tsukino is not even remotely the main character of this season, the protagonist is her time-displaced daughter Chibi Usa. This is a point I don’t think even this season’s most adamant fans would argue with. It’s hard for me to really hammer this home as much as I can as someone reading this may think I’m exaggerating. I’m not. If you don’t believe me simply read the episode descriptions of the season. Chibi Usa is at the center of every plot, and as such the show closely follows her. The protagonist we have followed for the last 3 seasons, really is nothing more than a side character for this entire story. Since this is my biggest sticking point with the season I want to try to approach it from a place of good faith. I want to try to understand why this is the way that it is. I want to see why this decision was made, what the creative team hoped to gain from it, and why I think it doesn’t work.

I want to talk about Chibi-Usa as a character. In the 30th century when the whole world was at peace and everyone could live forever in a utopia, Usagi and Mamoru had Chibi-Usa. She’s a little girl (in the manga she’s actually very old but not physically aging, an aspect I’m actually glad they changed for the anime) who for plot reasons has to go to the past and get the sailor guardians help in the second major arc of Sailor Moon. Chibi Usa initially bumps heads with the guardians (ESPECIALLY Usagi who she has to live with under the guise of a cousin) but eventually comes to appreciate and respect them, as they grow fond of her. Eventually, they defeat the big bad and Chibi Usa is able to go back to the future and reunite with her future family. In Sailor Moon S she shows up yet again, returning to the 90s so she can train to be a sailor guardian, this is kind of a flimsy stupid reason but I won’t harp on it. She continues to fight with Usagi but her prominent role is in befriending Hotaru, and her kindness to her ultimately being what saves the world.

Chibi Usa consistently ranked high if not outright first in Sailor Moon popularity polls at the time but if you were to ask Sailor Moon fans how they feel about her you’re most likely going to get incredibly negative responses. If I were to compare her to another fictional character I would choose Scrappy Doo. They’re both essentially child versions of the most marketable character in their series, introduced partway into its run, who most people believe disrupted the original beloved group dynamic and shoved the other characters to the side so more focus could be put on them. And they’re annoying. Similar to Scrappy Doo, I think the hate for Chibi Usa is pretty overblown in online circles. Not to say I don’t think any of the criticisms against them are valid (Unlike Chibi Usa, Scrappy pushing the other characters out for the sake of focusing on him is objectively true. Fred and Velma just straight up stopped being in the show), I just think people just have a lot of blind hatred to things aimed at children, and also mostly get their opinions from other people online rather than forming their own.

I think Chibi Usa can be an effective foil to Usagi when she is allowed to respect her. I believe what they were going for is the idea that Chibi Usa is a faster learner and generally more capable with tasks, but Usagi is more emotionally intelligent, secure in herself, and mature (at least where it’s important). That dynamic challenges both of them and exposes their strengths and weaknesses. Where the show usually goes wrong is downplaying Usagi’s strengths and portraying Chibi Usa as an all-around better person who does not and has no reason to respect or admire Usagi. In SuperS specifically she gets really overly mean to her but I’m getting ahead of myself.

What bothers me about the use of Chibi Usa in the show is that she is rarely actually part of the group dynamic. She’s almost always sectioned off in the plot to go do her own thing. I don’t really understand the point because they never tell interesting stories with her. She doesn’t have unique allies to bounce off of. She doesn’t have any interesting internal struggle to overcome. She doesn’t have any of the traits that make someone like Usagi a great protagonist.

There’s no point in using Chibi Usa to tell a story about a young inexperienced girl trying to grapple with being a Sailor Guardian and grow stronger because that’s what the show was already about before she was introduced. What’s the point in trying to pass on the torch when Usagi is like, 16 years old? Chibi Usa just wasn’t made to be a protagonist. She was designed as a supporting character and that’s fine! Let her grow in that role. If you’re going to make her the protagonist at least expand her character and personality. I think it’s possible that the creative team was scared of altering her in a meaningful way in the event it upset her fanbase. Chibi Usa is an empty character and it overall makes for a show that lacks interesting conflict and growth.

But to be fair to SuperS, they do have someone for Chibi-Usa to bounce off of, and receive her love and respect; that being the new character Pegasus. If I were to describe Pegasus in a single word it would be creepy. He’s like a grown-up horse man and he and Chibi-Usa clearly have a thing for each other. Later when we see his human form it’s clear that he’s closer in age to Chibi-Usa but still looks too old for me to be comfortable. He’s also just a wet blanket of a character. He and Chibi-Usa rarely have any conflict (and when they do it’s forced and irritating) and get along perfectly which kind of just leaves their relationship pretty boring despite how much emphasis the show puts on it. I just struggle so much to describe any of Pegasus’ personality traits aside from “He’s nice” which just doesn’t make for an interesting and well-rounded character.

I’m getting a bit irritated right now because Pegasus is such a big part of the show and such a big part of why I find it so boring and frustrating yet despite that I’m struggling to write much about him. He’s just a completely nothing character. He isn’t even bad in an interesting way he’s just so damn bland. I just want to make clear that he’s a very important character to the narrative and story I just can’t bring myself to write anything more to him. The bad guys want to kill him and take his MacGuffin. Like that’s the whole conceit of the season.

I suppose I should also talk about those bad guys. The Dead Moon Circus are the antagonists this season and they’re… okay. The individual members actually have a lot of personality even if I don’t think they’re all amazing characters. Everything is circus-themed and it leads to some really great designs, with the caveat that it feels like they ran out of ideas after the third monster of the week (Some of those guys are REALLY stretching the theme but it’s unintentionally pretty funny). My biggest problem with them is that they do feel underdeveloped despite some interesting personalities and their motivations aren’t even clear until the last few episodes (It’s not an exciting twist. It’s not a twist at all really). They have the potential to be interesting but the show drags its feet in giving me any reason to really care about any of it.

Sailor Moon is a show about hope and love. Sailor Moon SuperS is a show with no Sailor Moon that’s about nothing. I’m sure they thought it was still about those things, they certainly try to push that in Chibi Usa and Pegasus’ creepy relationship, but the show is ultimately more focused on making Chibi Usa seem cool or cute than telling any interesting stories. When the previous seasons focused on lighter material, it still served to explore and develop the relationships among the sailor guardians. In SuperS they’re just not allowed to do that because anyone other than Chibi Usa is a non-entity who is undeserving of the audience’s care or attention. This isn’t even mentioning cutting the outer senshi out of the show which was a move so obviously terrible that they immediately walked it back for the next season (Chibi Usa and Sailor Pluto’s relationship still has so much more you can add to it! It could have been great if she was here!).

At the end of it all I just feel empty. It’s an incredibly empty show with incredibly empty characters. It doesn’t make me feel anything other than apathy now. It’s a bad season of TV and I’m glad to be done with it.

#sailor moon #sailormoon #review #anime #90s anime #classic anime #retro anime

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prismatic-bell · 3 years

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You guys. YOU GUYS.

I JUST SOLVED LIKE NINETY PERCENT OF THE WEIRD DROPPED PLOTLINES IN SAILOR MOON WITH A SINGLE THOUGHT.

QUEEN SERENITY IS SAILOR COSMOS, WHO IS CHIBI-USA.

Okay, bear with me.

So:

1) Serenity is not originally from the moon (as per Nehelenia).

2) The meeting of earth and moon is "forbidden by G-d".

3) Serenity appointed Pluto to the Time Gate.

4) You're not supposed to be able to just . . . stumble onto the Time Gate, but a supposedly-powerless Chibi-Usa did just that.

5) Pluto can see all streams of time and all possibilities, but somehow totally missed a small child pickpocketing a Time Key off her belt.

6) Cosmos is from a future in which everyone is dead and Chaos has won.

7) Cosmos returns to the past in the form of a small, helpless child.

8) Chibi-Usa's whole bit is being a small, helpless child.

9) Chibi-Usa is the daughter of the wielders of the two most powerful crystals in the galaxy. There is every indication this girl should be OP as fuck, and yet . . .she's not.

10) Time travel in Sailor Moon appears to be both fixed (e.g., you can't stop the Titanic from sinking, you can just make it sink in a different way) and unfixed (e.g., you might be able to make it possible for Lincoln to survive his assassination). Thus, sometimes the characters from the future do affect how things will occur in the future, and sometimes they don't. There is no apparent rhyme or reason to why this is.

Okay. Now that we've covered all that:

At the very end of the series, Cosmos says she'll go back and keep fighting. There is no evidence that Sailor Saturn is still alive in Cosmos' time, even though technically she should be because she's ageless. In fact all the evidence is against Saturn being alive in Cosmos' time, because if she were, Cosmos herself would be dead. So what, precisely, is Cosmos fighting for?

What if the answer is that at the very end, everything begins?

Chibi-Usa has the Pink Sugar Crystal, not the Silver Crystal. What happened to the Silver Crystal when Usagi finally died? We know the Silver Crystal can reverse death, and that it, too, can fuck with time.

So:

Cosmos (i.e., the final form of Chibi-Usa) goes back to the future to keep fighting. Having been reminded of the power of the Silver Crystal, she attempts to invoke it. The crystal responds, but what she wished for was incredibly vague--for everyone to be alive again, for a chance to fix all the tragedy--and so it responds by going "sure, let's just have a do-over!" and tossing her back to the very beginning. The beginning where she, a child from Earth, flees to the moon upon discovering that not only does Crystal Tokyo not exist here, neither does plain old Tokyo. There's no trace of Serenity or Endymion, nor even Usagi or Mamoru. She can't find any of the Senshi and when she tries to reach the Time Gate, she finds it standing empty.

She hopes to find answers in the ruins of the Silver Millennium. Instead, she finds people, and they immediately go "holy shit, look at this lady dressed all in white with this badass scepter! She must be a queen!"

She ends up taking the throne thinking that surely, surely, Serenity's going to pop up and she can be like "OH THANK G-D GRANDMA'S HERE WITH THE ANSWERS," but then . . .

. . . then she gets pregnant.

And at the birth of her child, all the anger and rage and fear just come rolling back in. This child is the reason for all her problems. This child is why she was born, why she suffered, why she watched all her friends and family die, and all that darkness manifests itself physically: Nehelenia. She can fix it; she will fix it. She'll let that ruthless side of herself take over, kill the baby, and then the entire course of history that led to the end of the universe will be undone. Of course, this means that she, herself, will cease to be; but that's a small price to pay, isn't it?

She finds herself horrified by the idea and goes head to head with herself in a battle of wills, sealing away the negative parts of herself in a mirror, but not before her darker self has condemned the child. And that's when it hits her:

There is no Serenity. This is why the Silver Crystal killed her, in the end: it wasn't hers to use. It belonged to Usagi.

And so she declares, desperately, that the people of the moon should never contact the people of the earth. Princess Serenity can live happily on the moon, meet someone, fall in love. Endymion whomst? The dark end of the universe can still be overcome.

But when that, too, fails, she realizes she has only one option: hope that this time, this time, Sailor Moon will find a way through. This will be the time peace and balance are restored. Because, after all, time isn't completely fixed. There may still be a way.

#nina blogs sailor moon #galaxy brain moments on too little sleep

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hana-bean · 3 years

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Close to you (7/7)

And I will walk on again To meet you

---

Rei trudged to her closed bedroom door, her eyes halfway open and hair disheveled due to the incessant knocking waking her up at the ungodly hour of nine AM.

She opened the door to a panicked and out-of-breath Serenity.

“I’m pregnant.”

“Really?” Rei yawned. “That’s great, Serenity—”

“It might be Seiya’s.”

That statement made for the best wake-up call, causing her violet eyes to widen. “What?”

Serenity barreled over Rei to get inside the room and pace in a distressed sweat. The latter closed the door then placed her hands on her hips to process the news.

“Are you sure about that, Serenity?”

“No… not really. But I mean, Mamo and I have tried for four years and nothing. But then I sleep with Seiya and then, boom, it happens!”

“How many times have you done it with Seiya?”

“Just once. It’s been busy lately for me and on top of that, they’re still looking for their princess.”

Rei tutted. “The burner didn’t come through, huh?”

“Not at the moment.”

“So you only did it with him once and you’ve been with Endymion a few times since he’s been back, yes?”

Serenity nodded.

She bobbed her head while shrugging. “Well, I’m no rocket surgeon, but I would bet the law of statistics says it’s most likely Endymion’s.”

“I do feel Chibi-Usa’s energy…” Biting her lip, Serenity rubbed her flat stomach.

“There you go!” Rei perked up. “Chibi-Usa is definitely yours and Endymion’s daughter, so you're in the clear!”

Looking away almost shamefully, Serenity hugged herself. “Well… maybe.”

“What do you mean, ‘maybe?’” She shook her head, anticipating an explanation.

“I saw a picture of Seiya’s mother a while ago. She had pink hair and red eyes, just like Chibi-Usa. She reminded me so much of her, but I was too dumb and horny to think to connect any dots.”

“That’s totally a coincidence!” Rei waved a dismissive hand. “It’s a huge universe out there. There are lots of people with that color combination.”

“But for his mother to have that exact combination that Chibi-Usa has? We all know she didn’t get it from me or Mamo!”

“Serenity,” Rei approached her best friend, resting her hands on her shoulders. “You have nothing to worry about. Chibi-Usa is yours and Endymion’s child, you both were destined to have her. The whole destiny energy around you would ensure that happens.”

“But how do we know Seiya wasn’t part of destiny?” The queen stared Rei deep and desperately in her eyes. “We didn’t get to see much when we went to the future back then, just that time when the Black Moon invaded. We only knew what Pluto and Chibi-Usa showed us. There was basically a whole eternity before and after we didn’t see.”

Rei opened her mouth to debate, but then her brain stopped her so it could dwell on that statement.

“Shit, you’re right. Maybe she is Seiya’s.”

“Fuck! Don’t tell me that!” Serenity groaned and resumed her pacing.

“It’s okay!” Wanting to eat her words, she grabbed handfuls of her dark hair by her scalp. “I mean if it is Chibi-Usa that comes out, nothing will be questioned. You’re positive it is her?”

Her highness nodded, her hand rubbing her stomach again. “I don’t know how I know, it just feels like her.”

“Good. Technically everything is going to plan. So stop stressing—the baby doesn’t need it, you don’t need it, and I don’t need it.”

“I just worry about Mamo finding out that she’s not his.”

“Well, it was destiny, wasn’t it? Whether or not she is Seiya’s, it was supposed to happen. Endymion can’t argue with that.”

“He would be so heartbroken…” Serenity sniffled as tears began to form.

“But we don’t know that yet. She could still be his.” Rei approached her once again, wrapping her arms around her shoulders in a supportive hug. “I hate that you’re so stressed out. This is supposed to be a happy moment. Chibi-Usa will finally be born like you’ve been wanting for so long.”

“I know,” she sobbed as she returned the embrace. “And I am happy, I just started thinking and—”

“No, no, none of that. No more thinking.” Rei patted her blonde head. “Everything is happening as it should. Chibi-Usa is in you as it was supposed to happen. So the only thing you should be thinking about is keeping yourself healthy and relaxed for the next nine months.”

“Right… you’re right.”

“Yes, I know I'm right.” Rei pulled away to look into Serenity’s face with a smile. “Trust in destiny. She will not lead you astray, and She hasn’t.”

---

Serenity turned around from her position at the nursery window after she heard a soft knock.

“Come in.”

Star Fighter slipped in, quietly closing the door as she kept her eyes on her queen.

“Is she awake?” She whispered.

“Yes,” Serenity turned around to reveal herself holding a bundled month-old infant. “She’s been squirming a bit.”

With an open-mouth smile, while removing her leather gloves, Fighter crept up to the pair and stroked the pink fuzz atop Chibi-Usa’s head with her fingertip.

“She’s so cute and small,” she squeaked with twinkling eyes. “But she has grown a lot since she was born.”

“Did you want to hold her?”

“Yes. Give me the nugget.” Fighter immediately grabbed for the bundle and rested her on her chest, giving her head and cheek multiple kisses all the while.

“How was the trip?”

“Long.” Fighter rolled her eyes. “Uranus and Neptune got in a tiff and then Uranus and Healer did, and then couldn’t be in the same room together… it was a mess.”

“Any sign of your princess?”

She shook her head while twisting her mouth in disillusionment.

Serenity sighed. “I’m sorry, Fighter. I thought for sure we found her with the burner Mamo found.”

“Me too. What probably happened is that the castle was looted and people sold or traded it.”

“But you said you felt her energy…”

“Well, stars leave a trail and what I felt could have been and most likely was residual energy. The burner was definitely hers and she’s definitely been in it, so it makes sense.”

The queen rubbed her hand down from her neck to her shoulder. “I was hoping she was just really shy.”

Fighter smiled. “She is quite reserved but she would have shown herself by now.” She then began pacing the room as she rubbed baby Chibi-Usa’s back.

“Oh wait, Fighter!” Her first-baby neuroses came out as she apologetically spoke her request. “Could you take off your boots before walking with her? Your heels are pretty tall and I don’t want anything to happen…”

“Yes, of course…!” The guardian looked around. “Did you want me to give her back to you while I do that or…?”

“Actually, sit down and I’ll take them off for you,” Serenity beamed.

“Thanks, Odango.” She located the nursing chair by the bassinet, being extra careful in her steps, and took her seat.

Serenity sat on her knees, slowly pulling down the zippers of Fighter’s boots and removing them, revealing her over-the-knee trouser socks.

“Ooh, these are sassy,” she traced the hems around her lower thighs with a giggle. Fighter blushed, trying hard to suppress her ticklishness.

The queen then turned her gentle grazing into gentle massages, resting her head on the guardian’s lap as her hand moved down her calf.

“The DNA results came in last week.”

“Really?” Fighter’s stomach couldn’t help but drop.

Serenity nodded and pointed. “Yes, they’re on the desk.”

She looked over in the direction of her finger, finally noticing a white envelope sitting open in the middle of the table. Her nervousness formed a lump inside her throat in which she tried to gulp down.

“What did it say?”

Her highness turned her head to rest her chin on Fighter’s thigh, a smile curled on her face.

“Congratulations. You’re a father.”

Fighter didn’t know how to react, or which emotion to show, for she was both excited and scared. Though she was overall touched by the fact she helped create this new bundle of life sleeping on her chest, and she placed a small kiss on Chibi-Usa’s head while a silent tear escaped down her cheek.

“That makes me so happy,” she sniffled.

Serenity kissed her knee. “It only means that you were meant to be here. Out of all the planets in the universe, you were meant to come here… and get in that bar fight… just for me to find you.”

Fighter laughed through the waterfalls of joy while squeezing Serenity’s hand.

For several moments, both women sat in silence, rubbing hands, legs, and feet and giving more gentle kisses to the sleeping Chibi-Usa. Eventually, Fighter stood up and placed her in the bassinet before walking over to the desk to grab the envelope. She removed the paper from inside and studied its contents for a couple of moments.

Serenity was confused initially to then see Fighter saunter toward a lit candle on the mantel and set the paper on fire before tossing it in the empty fireplace. The guardian never took her eyes away from the burning document, even as the queen joined her, hugging her waist from behind.

“I hope you know I plan for you to still be a part of Chibi-Usa’s life.”

"I know,” Fighter grabbed Serenity’s hand. “And I will. That baby will have lots of love.”

Serenity reached around Fighter to turn her around to face her, then gently grabbed her jaw to steady herself for their lips to meet.

“Thank you, Seiya. You’ve given me the most wonderful gift.”

Fighter chuckled, snaking her arms around the royal waist and bringing her closer for more kissing. “Did you want to make another one?”

“No.” She stated the complete sentence with a hundred percent seriousness. “But I thought we could maybe have our fun with you like this…” She palmed her breast as her thumb grazed the blue outline of her bra while she placed small pecks along her neck. “Way less risk.”

“Are you… okay with me like this?”

“Of course." She kissed her ear. "You’re still you, and it’s the real you.”

As Fighter’s heart melted, filling her whole body with warmth, she smiled before taking the queen’s lips captive with hers.

Fuck yeah, we’re done! Hope y’all enjoyed it!! I love you all!! Happy SeiUsa week 2021! Wooowowowowoo! Rock 'n' roll!!

#hana bean closetoyou #hana bean close to you #hanabeanclosetoyou #hanabean close to you #hana-bean close to you #hana-beanclosetoyou #seiya x usagi 4eva #seiya x usagi fanfiction #seiya usagi fanfiction #seiya kou fanfiction

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Sailor Moon Crystal Recap: What You Need to Know Before Netflix’s Sailor Moon Eternal

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Sailor Moon is one of the most well-known anime from the last 30 years. Based on a manga that first launched in 1991, the series has been adapted into a beloved 200-episode anime, several films, a live-action drama, and more recently, an anime reboot called Sailor Moon Crystal. And if that legacy weren’t enough, we can now add another film to the franchise: Sailor Moon Eternal.

What Is Sailor Moon Eternal?

As previously mentioned, Sailor Moon Eternal is the latest addition to the Sailor Moon franchise. It’s a two-part anime film based on the Dream arc of the original manga. Despite this, the production has officially dubbed this portion of the Sailor Moon saga the Dead Moon arc, named after the antagonists the Sailor Guardians face.

The film was first announced in 2017 as part of the franchise’s 25th anniversary. It’s meant to be a direct continuation of Sailor Moon Crystal, the anime reboot that concluded its third season in 2016. After some pandemic-related delays, Sailor Moon Eternal hit Japanese theaters in early 2021 before Netflix picked up the films for streaming release a few months later.

How Does Sailor Moon Crystal Connect to Sailor Moon Eternal?

Sailor Moon Crystal is the anime reboot that commemorates the manga’s 20th anniversary. The anime industry loves celebrating anniversaries of its most famous and enduring properties, in case you haven’t noticed. Typically by releasing more anime.

While the original 1990s anime took some liberties with plot and characterization, Sailor Moon Crystal stays true to the original manga. It consists of three seasons totaling 38 episodes, with each season covering a different story arc: Dark Kingdom, Black Moon, and Death Busters. While Season 3—aka the Death Busters arc—ended on a satisfactory note, it set the stage for the film with a solar eclipse that presages the arrival of a major character from the Dead Moon arc.

Think of Sailor Moon Eternal as Sailor Moon Crystal Season 4, if you like.

Do I Need to Watch Sailor Moon Crystal First?

It would probably help. There are many characters, so if you have no familiarity with Sailor Moon at all, you might have a rough time. On top of a sizable main cast, this series loves reincarnation, time travel, and multiple dimensions. Things might get confusing if you’re coming at this franchise as a brand-new viewer.

That said, if you’ve read the original manga, you should be fine.

If you’ve only watched the 1990s anime, you’ll generally be okay. The big caveat here is that some of the characterizations and relationship dynamics are different in Sailor Moon Crystal. For example, Rei Hino, aka Sailor Mars, is more aloof and serious in the manga and Sailor Moon Crystal versus the original anime where she loves chasing boys and constantly fights with Sailor Moon’s heroine, Usagi. But as long as you’re aware of those differences, fans of the first anime series can skip watching Sailor Moon Crystal if they’re short on time.

I’m adventurous and know nothing about Sailor Moon. What basics should I know?

How brave! The biggest thing to know is that the entire series revolves around the concept of Sailor Guardians. Sailor Guardians are teenage girls who are given special powers connected to planets throughout the universe. For the Sailor Guardians protected by planets from our solar system, sometimes the powers are elemental in nature. Other times, the powers are related to classical mythology.

The other major thing to know is that our heroine, Usagi Tsukino, is royalty. She’s the reincarnation of a princess from the Moon Kingdom. That’s right. Sometime in the past, there existed a kingdom on the moon. In the future, she becomes the guardian queen of Earth that ushers it into a sort of golden age. These past and future identities serve as focal points for plotlines throughout the entire series.

Can You Give Me a Sailor Moon Crystal Recap?

As mentioned earlier, Sailor Moon Crystal is divided into three seasons.

Season 1 covers the Dark Kingdom storyline. This arc introduces us to Usagi Tsukino, who discovers she’s both Sailor Moon and the reincarnation of Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom. It also introduces us to the inner Sailor Guardians—Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus—who are Sailor Moon’s closest allies. In addition, we meet Usagi’s love interest, Mamoru Chiba, who happens to be the reincarnation of Prince Endymion. Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion had a tragic, star-crossed romance and you better believe that influences their present incarnations. Together, they all fight the Dark Kingdom, which was responsible for the destruction of the Moon Kingdom in the past and wants to take over the Earth in the present.

If Season 1 focuses on preventing a repetition of past tragedies, Season 2 is about averting future annihilation. After the events of the Dark Kingdom arc, Usagi and her friends are living their best, peaceful lives. That changes when Chibi-usa, Usagi and Mamoru’s daughter from the future, appears. She’s traveled back in time to find the means to save her mother. Hot on her heels is the Black Moon clan, who destroyed the future Earth that Chibi-usa came from. The Black Moon arc also introduces us to Sailor Pluto, a Sailor Guardian with the ability to control time.

The Death Busters arc, or Season 3, adapts the Infinity storyline of the manga. Chibi-usa has stayed in the present day to train to be a Sailor Guardian. Here we meet more Sailor Guardians from our solar system: Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune. After sacrificing her life in the previous story arc, Sailor Pluto has also incarnated in the present timeline. Along with Sailor Moon and the inner Sailor Guardians, they fight the Death Busters, alien invaders from another dimension. Central to the plot is Hotaru Tomoe, who is the key to the Death Busters’ invasion plans but also happens to be the incarnation of Sailor Saturn, who has the ability to destroy the world.

How Does Sailor Moon Crystal Lead into Sailor Moon Eternal?

After using her abilities, Hotaru has been reincarnated as a baby. Sailors Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto leave to raise her as the coolest queer family unit ever. Having completed her Sailor Guardian training, Chibi-usa is ready to return to the future. But before she goes, she accompanies Usagi and Mamoru to watch the solar eclipse. As the moon begins to cover the sun, however, both Usagi and Chibi-usa hear a mysterious bell, setting the stage for Sailor Moon Eternal.

Expect to see all these characters return for Sailor Moon Eternal, along with a whole new set of villains plus one notable ally.

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Sailor Moon Eternal streams on Netflix on June 3rd. All 3 seasons of Sailor Moon Crystal are currently streaming on Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.

The post Sailor Moon Crystal Recap: What You Need to Know Before Netflix’s Sailor Moon Eternal appeared first on Den of Geek.

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kumeko · 5 years

Text

Shakespearian love

Prompt: “One Year of Love”, Michiru&Setsuna friendships, unusual interactions, “the end is near, I’ll keep you safe”, bittersweet

Characters/Pairings: Haruka&Michiru

A/N: Written for the Sparkle Sparkle exchange by @docholligay. My giftee is tabletennishotaru who I can’t tag for some reason, I hope you like this. Sorry it’s a bit unfinished and rushed, between the snowstorm causing issues and the airport, I wasn’t able to get this quite as I wanted.

Summary: A year was enough, more than enough, Michiru tried to convince herself.

…

November:

The mantlepiece clock was broken. Michiru slowly sipped her wine, staring at it from over the lip of her glass. The second-hand quivered back and forth between 12 and the minute dot before it, unable to decide where to stop. The battery had to be dead; tomorrow she’d have Haruka fix it. Perhaps she’d make a show of it, taking it apart and cleaning it with her slow and steady hands. It was always nice to watch her fix something, to create rather than destroy.

However, that was tomorrow and today Setsuna was still watching her with dark eyes, her left hand curled around the edge of the oak table. It was as close to anxiousness as the time guardian would ever show. Michiru set down her glass. “It’s fine.”

“I’m sorry,” Setsuna murmured, lowering her gaze. Her fingers dug into the wood and Michiru would have to send the table in to get the finish repaired. “I can’t do anymore than this. I can only freeze your time for a year.”

“It’s fine,” Michiru repeated, rubbing her wrist. It was strange to think this body wasn’t quite alive, wasn’t quite hers. It was still stuck in last week, in those final moments before their latest galaxy-ending fight. “This is more than I expected. That last battle was worse than we thought, then.”

“Yes. I had to work fast to save you.” Setsuna still looked pained and Michiru wondered why she had never seen this in her mirror—this conversation, the situation that led to it, but then again, she had never tried to look beyond death. “And even then, I didn’t really save you”

“The others don’t know, do they? Let’s keep it that way.” She scanned the photos on the mantle. Of Haruka and her dancing, stargazing, eating. Private photos she never expected to have in the first place. There were several frames filled with stock photos, cute bears and balloons decorating the edges. Haruka, though she would never admit it aloud, had been hoping to fill them with children’s photos. Their children’s photos. Setsuna was looking at them now and she wondered, not for the last time, what did her eyes see? A seer can only see herself, the future framed within her own view, but Setsuna always seemed to know more than that. “In another—” Michiru cut herself off before she could finish the question, there was no point in knowing about alternate universes. It was not her life, what difference would it make? “Never mind.”

Setsuna didn’t say anything for a long moment, merely swirling her wine as they listened to the soft notes of Debussy. Perhaps that was why Michiru liked her, Setsuna knew when not to pry, when it was better to say nothing at all. Even if she could guess the question. Still staring at the empty frames, she quietly murmured, “If you change your mind…”

That more than answered her question. Michiru glanced at her red-tinted reflection in the wine. “I’ll think about it.”

-x-

Haruka was asleep when Michiru entered their bedroom but the sound of the door opening was all she needed to wake up. Years of being a soldier didn’t fade away in the span of months; the sense just dulled like a blunted weapon and Haruka sat up, blearily rubbing her eyes. “Done?”

“You should rest,” Michiru murmured, slipping out of her dress. Carefully, she hung it, smoothing out any wrinkles before hanging it away. At her feet was a ball of clothing and years of living together had not been enough to teach her the floor was not meant to be a drawer.

“S’okay.” Even her voice was sleep laden, her head slowly lowering despite her protests. “Fun with Setsuna?”

“Yes.” And if her voice cracked slightly, she drowned it out with the sound of the closet door closing. She pressed her hand against the wood, trying to gain strength from its stability. “I do like my evenings with her.”

“You would.” Haruka chuckled, deep and throaty. She laid flat on her back, blinking away sleep as she stared at the ceiling. With each word, she woke up more. “Maybe you should take Rei next time.”

“Hmm, that is a good proposition.” Michiru smiled softly, pulling on her nighty. She crossed the room to Haruka’s side of the bed and kneeled beside her. The floor was cold and her toes curled at the sensation. “Though I am unsure if she would enjoy wine and cheese as much as she wants to.”

“She likes you, that’s good enough,” Haruka shrugged, an easy smile on her face. She turned to look at Michiru, her eyes like pinpricks in the dim light. “I think she’ll like Setsuna too. Though maybe Sets already knows how this’ll end up and she was just waiting for you to call her.”

Michiru didn’t say anything, reaching out to brush her wife’s bangs. Haruka leaned into her touch, her eyes fluttering close. Would someone else do this after? Selfishly, she wished it would never be the case.

She kissed Haruka’s forehead softly before moving down to her eyes, her cheeks, her lips. If she had been anyone else, Michiru would have tasted of salt. But she was Kaioh. If she gave any sign of despair, any loss, it was in her unusually aggressive touch. Haruka’s eyes opened in surprise, before she relaxed and kissed back. When they broke apart, panting, Haruka chuckled. “Had a little too much wine?”

Michiru knew her limit by the time she was fifteen. “Perhaps.”

The wind shifted outside, pushing the clouds. Moonlight shone through the big, bay windows, covering everything in its pale glow, marking everything as its own. Haruka. Herself. Their futures and pasts. Without missing a beat, she pressed a button on the wall and the blinds closed, encapsulating them in darkness. Haruka shifted on the bed, sitting up perhaps. “Babe?”

Even if the moon owned everything else, it did not own this. It would not witness this reprieve, this moment of weakness. Michiru slid on top of Haruka. “A little privacy.”

It was entirely bullshit, their backyard ensured no peeping toms, but Haruka laughed nonetheless, accepting it. “More than a little too much to drink, then.”

-x-

December:

“Huh.” Reclined on a fine, plush chair, Rei craned her neck as she stared at her hands and feet. Her appendages were resting in small trays of water, soaking in a costly mix of fine mineral and herbal water. “Is that it?”

It was an expected reaction from her; Michiru knew the moment she invited Rei that this was not something she would normally purchase for herself. Even if this was on the lower end of such treatments; perhaps Michiru should have selected the costlier gold-plated manicures. It was always amusing to watch Rei implode at a waste of resources. Raising a fine brow, Michiru turned to her companion. “Is something not to your taste?”

“No, no, that’s not it.” Rei laughed, her expression caught still between disbelief and interest. She wiggled her fingers in the water. “They’re just giving you stu— water?”

Michiru stifled a chuckle, it was not too hard to imagine what Rei self-censored. Shaking her head, she leaned back and rested her head on the soft pillow. “This is merely the first step for the pedicure and manicure.”

“Right. First step.” She still frowned at the water, like she had a personal grievance with it. Knowing how spendthrift she was, she had evaluated the cost and found the service lacking.

Perhaps Michiru really should have gone for a gold-plated finish. “If it is not to your taste, we can pick something else.”

“Really, this is fine! More than fine!” Rei shook her head rapidly and Michiru had to give the woman credit—perhaps she was a better actress than Michiru had thought, her expression instantly switching from the usual Rei to Rei-chan.

Even their shopping was a collision of two worlds, with Rei paying close attention to everything Michiru bought while getting nothing herself. No doubt she was going to head to the local thrift store after this, using carefully memorized patterns and styles to replicate the designs.

The results would be close enough to fool a layman. “Let me know if something is lacking.”

Rei gave a prize-winning smile. “I can’t imagine anything that is but thanks!”

How polite. There was always some level of restraint in their interactions, whether it was in Rei’s words or her actions. It was different from how she interacted with Minako or Usagi, with any of the inners or even Haruka for that matter. Maybe Haruka was right, she should invite Rei over for wine. A chance to relax, to connect; it was rare for Michiru to find someone she wanted to talk to.

The invitation burned on the tip of her tongue but she remembered Setsuna’s eyes, her tone, and she closed her mouth. Perhaps it was better this way, there was less for Rei to mourn now.

-x-

January

“I’m back!” Chibi-Usa laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head. Her uniform dissipated in a cloud of sparkles and she was once again the pre-teen, barely younger than her mother. At some point, maybe she’d appear at her mother’s age or even older. It was something to look forward to, considering Usagi’s reactions.

Provided Chibi-Usa acted more like her father when she grew up and learned some self-restraint. Considering the way she was hugging Hotaru, it didn’t seem a possibility.

“Again?” Usagi whined, puffing her cheeks as she glared at her daughter. It was more a routine than an actual argument at this point. Even her words sounded like they were from a script. “We just got rid of you!”

“Well I didn’t come back for you,” Chibs retorted, sticking out her tongue as untangled herself from Hotaru.

“Then why?” Usagi growled, her hands on her hips as she squinted at her.

Michiru glanced at the night sky. It was late and completely uncouth to have this conversation in the middle of a park, but Usagi had long forsaken decorum. Particularly in January; there was a chill in the air and Haruka had never been good in the cold.

“For Auntie Rei!” Chibi-Usa clutched Rei, scowling back at Usagi. Even in this, she was more like her mother than her father and Michiru wondered if the world was doomed to just have one Usagi after another. “She misses me.”

“Auntie?” Rei frowned, looking down at her. A hand rested on her hip as she cocked a brow.

“Sis?” Chibi-Usa corrected, a sheepish smile on her face. When the glare didn’t lessen, she tried another tact. “Rei-chan?”

“Better.” Rei approved, stroking Chibi-Usa’s hair. Looking up at Usagi, she rolled her eyes as her friend proceeded to hiss like an offended cat. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, seriously?” Chibi-Usa repeated, sticking out her tongue again.

Auntie. Not once did the word ‘aunt’ slip from her tongue when she spoke to Michiru, even though she had a hard time differentiating between the future and past versions of the inner scouts. Not that it surprised Michiru, she never expected to live that long in the first place.

“Welcome back, kiddo!” Haruka picked up Chibi-Usa under her armpits, whirling her around.

“Hey! I’m not a kid anymore, Haruka!” Chibi-Usa laughed as she protested, any anger drowned out by her giggles.

She never called Haruka aunt either and Michiru supressed a shiver.

-x-

February:

Michiru entered the living room to find a bomb had gone off. A bomb of paint and construction paper, of ribbon and feathers. In the vortex of this mess was Haruka, sitting cross-legged with a bottle of glue in a hand and a tissue in the other. Her tongue peeked out of her mouth as she concentrated on the heavily decorated medallion in front of her.

“Haruka?” Michiru stepped in, wondering just when she should call housekeeping. At this point, she might have to give her a raise. A cloud of glitter burst as Haruka looked up and a raise was definitely in order.

“Michi!” Haruka beamed up excitedly, setting down the glue. There was a stray feather stuck to her nose and Michiru tried not to yank it off. “Welcome home!”

“Thank you.” After a few minutes, when a explanation didn’t appear, she gently probed. “What are you doing, love?”

“Making medals.” Haruka almost bounced in her spot. Spread around her were a row of medallions, each carved carefully out of clay. A piece of ribbon laid next to each one and despite all the mess, there was not a single sign of the feathers, glitter, or construction paper. “Mamoru showed me how he made his and we’re going to spray paint them in the garage later. Can’t let him have all the fun.”

Spray paint. In the garage. She would have to get the cars moved before that. Michiru brushed a lock behind her ear as she bent over to take a closer look at the one in Haruka’s outstretched palm. There appeared to be a chicken on it. “And this is?”

“I made one for each of my attacks.” Haruka looked so proud, Michiru didn’t have the heart to correct her. “I even made some for you.”

More chickens, then. Michiru wondered how long she would have to wait before she could stoe them away with the other craft projects. “That’s…lovely. Thank you.”

-x-

March:

“Ah, Michiru.” Makoto smiled broadly, stretching her arms above her head The local dojo was well maintained considering its heavy use and the wooden floor gleamed in the morning light. “You watching today?”

“No, I was just dropping Haruka off.” Michiru watched for a moment. The bigger woman seemed to have limitless energy, bouncing from one warm up to another. Haruka was like that too, filled with more energy than she could burn. “My, I do not know how you can keep doing this every week.”

“Well, it works off stress.” Makoto winked. She shifted from leg to leg as she stretched her calves. “And it’s fun. Keeps the senses sharp and I still owe Haruka payback for gutting me.”

Michiru lowered her eyes. Makoto held grudges for as long as Haruka did. At least this wasn’t another situation like with Seiya; she could only deal with one lifelong enemy. “Don’t hurt her too badly.”

“No promises.” Makoto grinned roughly, clearly ready to rumble. She glanced over Michiru’s shoulder. “I…”

When she didn’t finish her thought, Michiru followed her line of sight to spot Haruka sauntering out of the change room. Her arms stretched above her, her robes shifting slightly to reveal a touch of her collar. Running a hand through her blonde hair, she waved at the pair. “Ready?”

Makoto swallowed, her eyes darting to and from her. She took a deep breath, regaining her composure. “I’ll make sure to keep her face intact at least.”

“That would be agreeable.” Michiru smiled softly. Her wife was terribly handsome when she didn’t try.

-x-

April:

Michiru gingerly sipped a glass of orange juice, hand squeezed this morning by a very eager Haruka. It was interesting, to be polite, mix of pulp and juice and a seed or two that managed to slip in. Her wife was not the most proficient in the culinary arts but what she lacked in skill, she more than made up for in effort. “It is delicious.”

Haruka rubbed the back of her neck, her skin flushed from the compliment. “Just made it this morning, that’s why it’s so good.”

“I can taste the freshness.” Discretely, she spit out a seed into a napkin. It was fortunate her nighty had long, flowing sleeve; it was far easier to hide her movements when the layers of gauze and lace made it hard to tell just where her hand was.

Her words had the intended effect. Haruka stood up straighter, adjusting her practical blue apron until it was on tight. “Wait till you see what I’m cooking!”

“Oh, is that what I am smelling?” Michiru asked pleasantly.

It took all of three seconds for Haruka to smell the smoke and pale. She turned on her heel and ran back to the kitchen. “The skin! The skin will burn!”

Michiru stirred her juice before taking another sip. Marginally better.

Another shout escaped the kitchen. Perhaps it was time to reconsider that Food Network subscription.

-x-

May

Michiru watched the flowers bloom in their garden, watched them sway in the wind. On the lawn, Haruka was wrestling with Hotaru and Chibi-Usa, who despite her initial disinterest had taken a liking to their play-fighting.

The sun shone brightly on them and Michiru closed her eyes, feeling drowsy in the warmth.

-x-

June

“Michiru.” Rei opened the door in surprise, before Michiru even had a chance to knock. “You’re early.”

“I had some time available.” She spotted Ami over Rei’s shoulder, buttoning up her jacket. “If you are busy, I can return again later.”

“No, no, it’s perfect timing!” Rei stepped back, letting Michiru in. “We just finished. I’ll grab my bag.” Before Michiru could say another word, Rei was already sprinting back to her room.

Ami blinked, staring at the spot her friend had been just a second ago. “That was fast.”

“Indeed.” Michiru gave a polite smile. She didn’t know quite what to do with Ami and so she did nothing at all. “I apologize if I am disturbing anything.”

“No, it’s fine. I was just about to leave anyways.” Ami quickly shook her hands in front of her, flustered.

“In that case…” Michiru trailed off, stepping to the side so Ami could grab her shoes. In the distance, she could hear a soft thudding as Rei overturned her room as she got ready.

It was quiet in the foyer. A clock ticked again, reminding Michiru of that first conversation, of that clock that Haruka had yet to fix. It still stood on their mantle, still flickering between 11:59 and midnight. Ami slipped on a shoe, then another, her shoes softly tapping against the ground as her feet sank into them. “I…” Whatever Ami was about to say died when she looked up at Michiru. She averted her gaze, her eyes lowered as she shook her head. “Never mind.”

Hesitance. A lack of presence. It was reminder of everything Michiru didn’t care about. The girl approached the door, reaching for the handle. Her hands curled against the handle. “Is it terminal?”

“What is?” Michiru asked, watching as Ami’s shoulders rolled back, as her spine straightened.

“Whatever you have.” Ami didn’t turn around still and whatever courage she had to say this didn’t extend that far. Her voice wavered. “I…you have the same look some of my patients do. The ones in the terminal care ward.”

“Ah.” Michiru wondered if it was really that obvious. She had taken great pains to avoid detection and it stung a little that this mouse of a girl had seen through it. At least she didn’t have to worry that Ami would say anything, her time as a doctor would have taught her that much. “It is nothing.”

For once, that didn’t end their conversation. “Are you—”

“It’s fine,” Michiru repeated, her tone firm. “There is nothing for you to concern yourself with.”

Ami stayed silent. A hand clutched the edge of her shirt tightly before she slowly nodded. “If you need anything...”

“I will let you know,” Michiru lied.

-x-

July

“Ohhh!” Usagi exclaimed, eyes wide and full of awe. Her dainty, uncalloused hand cradled Michiru’s as she peered at her nails. “Wow, that’s amazing!”

Michiru resisted the urge to pull back, to flinch away. Tolerating the touch, she gave a prim smile. “It is nothing much, just a simple manicure.”

“Simple…” Usagi looked at her own nails with a defeated sigh. Chewed up and badly cut as they were, it did not require a manicurist so much as a miracle worker. “Must be nice. Mine are a mess.”

Knowing their ‘leader’, she would be stuck on this topic for the next hour. Or until Rei arrived. Considering all of the topics they had to discuss today, in this quaint diner the inner scouts seemed to enjoy, Usagi could use a little more focus. “Nothing a little cleaning can fix.”

“Really? You think so?” Usagi perked up, ridiculously easy to manipulate.

Michiru wasn’t surprised by often it had happened; if anything, she was surprised it didn’t happen more often or effectively. It was effortless, they could open a salon or bakery and she would be first in line. “Perhaps.”

Usagi took that as a yes and clutched Michiru’s hands tightly. “I knew it wasn’t a lost cause, like Rei said. I just knew it!” Riding on a wave of happiness, she waved a waitress down. “Cake please!”

Food was almost always in the front of Usagi’s mind—happy, sad, angry, no matter the emotion, food was the solution. If Michiru cared, she would have warned Mamoru that his place would always be second to food. “A little peckish?”

“Yeah.” Usagi crossed her arms, a frown slipping on her face, and goodness, she could change expressions faster than the mountain weather. “I need to finish it before Rei gets here.”

Ah. The never-ending fight. While Michiru appreciated the attempt to save her ears, the argument was going to happen either way. “Yes, I can see the issue there.”

“She’ll never let it go!” Usagi nodded furiously, glancing at the door as though Rei would burst in at any minute. “So don’t tell her.”

Michiru stared at her pleading face, eyes already wobbling and full of tears. She could understand Mina’s concerns and anger at their leader, about this girl who would never be hard enough, cruel enough to be queen. It was easy, so easy, to hate this slip of a girl, for who she was. Who she wouldn’t be. For the kingdom she represented and the future she promised.

How, for all of her powers, there were still some things she couldn’t change. Would it be the same if Rei was in her position? Or were some things immutable, unchangeable, despite their growing powers.

“I understand.” Either way, her reality remained the same and she did not want her last moments to bitter. More importantly, Haruka would need that kindness in the coming days.

-x-

August:

“Here you go.” Unceremoniously, Mina slung Haruka onto the living room couch. It was a late, comfortable summer night, the temperature for once pleasant as opposed to burning. A light breeze floated in through the open windows.

Snoring and drunk off her ass, Haruka didn’t do more than shift into a more comfortable position. Michiru wrinkled her nose as the scent of alcohol and sweat wafted through the air. She’d have to remind Haruka to at least stay sober enough to make it on her own next time, no matter what silly game Minako tried to pull her into. “Thank you.”

Fortunately, Michiru didn’t need to get any blankets or pillows. Any stiffness her wife felt in the morning was well earned. Michiru set down her book on the side table and got off the rocking chair. As she approached her wife, she glanced at Mina, who still hadn’t left the room. “Yes?”

“…you’re hiding something,” Minako bit out, crossing her arms. Anger radiated from her in waves.

Michiru kept her expression smooth as she kneeled next to Haruka. Honestly. First Ami, now Minako. It was unsettling to be seen through these many times. “Am I?”

“Don’t give me that.” Mina glared, tapping her foot. Her hands clenched. “What is it?”

Persistent. Michiru brushed Haruka’s bangs and smoothened her brow. “It is not your concern.”

“The hell it isn’t.” Mina growled, stalking forward and yanking her hand away. Her nails dug into Michiru’s skin, leaving small crescent marks. “If it’ll endanger the team, it’s my concern. If it’ll hurt Haruka, it’s my concern. Now. Explain.”

“There is nothing.” Michiru frowned, unflinching even as Minako’s grip tightened. “Now let go.”

Terse seconds passed as they stared at one another, neither one backing down. The clock ticked, still stuck, and it was only in the quiet that Michiru ever remembered she should get it fixed. Finally tired of it all, Mina scowled and let go. “Fine. Have it your way. I’ll pry it out of you later.” She rubbed her forehead, the alcohol finally getting to her. “But I will get it.”

She whirled around and Michiru closed her eyes as the door slammed close.

-x-

September:

Haruka squatted on the ground, peering at the gaps of soil between the slowly dying flowers. She pressed a trowel at one section, then another, before looking helplessly over her shoulder at Michiru. “You remember where the bulbs are?”

Michiru finished pulling on a set of dainty gloves, not quite made for rough, gardening work but adequate for a single day. Smoothening her skirt as she crouched next to Haruka, she pointed at a spot next to the peony bushy. “I believe the tulips were there. The spot next to the poppies should be free.”

“Right!” Haruka brightened, shifting slightly so she could start digging. After a few minutes, she just sank to her knees and went at it. “What should we put here?”

“The crocuses.” Michiru passed a bag to her, a bright array of crocuses painted on the front. “They were decimated by the frost this year.”

“The false spring.” Haruka scowled, her trowel hitting the ground with more force than necessary. “I remember that. My pansies.”

Ah. Yes. That particular loss had hurt Haruka; she and her grandmother used to plant pansies together every spring and she had taken it personally when they died. Michiru gently grasped Haruka’s hand. “Next year will be different.”

Haruka stared at their hands for a moment before turning her hand around and grasping Michiru’s back. “Yeah.”

“Also, love.” Michiru pointed at the hole that was growing steadily deeper. “I think that is a little too deep for the bulbs.”

-x-

October:

“Thank you for coming, Miss Kaioh.” Her lawyer, Miles Edgeworth, opened his notebook and pulled out a pen from his drawer. There was something stuffy about his appearance, a ruffled shirt poking out from beneath his business jacket, but that was part and parcel with lawyers of a certain calibre. “Though I am surprised to see you’re updating your will again—among clients even twice your age, you have a more up-to-date and well thought out end-of-life plan.”

“Well, you never know what can happen.” She smiled at him charmingly; Michiru wasn’t quite certain what would happen after Setsuna’s magic ran out. Would she just disappear, leaving behind no trace? Would her corpse be left behind but aged a year? There were too many uncertainties and she didn’t want any of them to cause a problem for Haruka. She would have enough on her plate after this.

“I assume your beneficiaries haven’t changed?” Miles glanced at the sheet, reading off the names. “The vast majority of your wealth will go to your wife, with a smaller trust fund set up for a Hotaru Tomoe, and the collection of wine for Setsuna Meiou?”

“Yes.” Considering what they put her through, what they almost did to her, it was the only compensation they could give. “I do have an addition; my wardrobe will go to Rei Hino.”

“Rei Hino?” Miles blinked. “The senator’s daughter?”

“Yes, that one.” Michiru lips quirked. Rei would hate to hear her being referred to such. Opening her purse, she pulled out some papers. “Minako Aino will be my executor and have power over my estate while matters are settled. Here is her identification.”

Miles added the papers to the folder. “Is there anything else?”

“…no, that should be it.” Michiru wondered just how much Minako would hate her for this. Enough to convince Haruka to live, perhaps. Enough to keep her alive, hopefully.

-x-

November:

“A night in is nice,” Haruka admitted, settling on the couch next to Michiru. She pulled the blanket tighter around them. The TV roared in front of them as monster trucks crashed into one another, racing through a pit for victory. “You sure you want to watch this?”

“It’s fine.” Michiru rested her head on Haruka’s shoulder and breathed in her scent. Haruka’s hands were warm and skin was soft and Michiru would miss the quiet hum of her breathing. She would miss these nights and miss, she would miss everything. Everything and anything and she was going to die, going to disappear and never do this again.

“Babe?” Haruka asked as Michiru buried her face in Haruka’s chest.

“It’s warmer this way.” Michiru buried herself deeper. If she could just bury herself in Haruka’s skin, so deep that even if she was gone she would still be here.

-x-

The clock struck twelve and it was not so much an undoing as an unravelling, of all she had been, of all she was, of all she would ever be. If the last time she’d died it had been gentle, a disintegration into bubbles, this time there was no sensation. There was nothing but an awareness of ah, so my legs are gone.

Haruka lay in bed, still blissfully asleep. A last touch. A last caress. Michiru reached out but her hands disappeared and then so did the rest of her.

-x-

“Babe?” Haruka woke up to an empty bed. On Michiru’s pillow was a letter. Somewhere in the house, the clock struck 12:01.

#sailor moon #harumichi #michiru kaioh #haruka tenou #ahhh #i wish this came out better #fanfic #mine

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serenitypixxie · 5 years

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Hi, can you tell me why NQS is a bad thing? I thought she was good.

Hey! So basically in my mind, there are two versions of NQS. Put simply, the Bad Version and the Good Version.

Now this is going off my childhood memories of the dub of R (and a couple of random episodes re-watched if I caught them on TV), but what I remember of Rini’s memories of her mother is that she appears to be a cold and rather emotionless queen who Rini absolutely idolises, but at the same time feels no real emotional connection to (hence her obsession with being a lady just like her mother, because maybe then she’ll get the attention/affection she so obviously craves). This Bad Version of NQS is then the one who gets put under Prince Diamond’s sleeping spell and leads Rini to going back to the past to find the Silver Crystal.

The reason why I see this Bad Version existing is because Rini has no idea who the Sailor Scouts are. You would think that even though they are older versions of themselves, she would still recognise the Scouts in their civilian forms - and especially that of her mother. But I don’t think she even knew Sailor Moon was a real person outside of the bedtime stories her father told her. So something had to have happened to Serena and the others when she became NQS for her to then hide all of their identities from her own daughter, and I think this is where Bad NQS came from. Not necessarily when Rini was born, but even before then, and it was just something that they upheld after the princess was born, possibly for her own safety or possibly because they were just so used to not being in their civilian forms anymore, that it never occurred to any of them to show Rini what they looked like.

Then, after the battle with the present day Scouts and Wise Man and the Black Moon Clan, Rini goes back to the future and it is completely changed. Everything is brighter and happier, and that’s when the Good Version of NQS appears. This is the NQS who stands with her family waiting for her daughter to come and meet them, but is too impatient to see this brave little girl and so instead falls to the ground to wrap her in her arms.

So somehow, whilst Rini spent time with the present day Scouts, she was able to change the future Scouts and NQS into the better versions of themselves, and that’s what we see at the end of R. And it’s that Good Version of NQS that I believe is still ruling the future when she sends Rini back to train as Sailor Mini Moon.

That being said, this is all based off my memories of the Dub. For all I know she’s characterised completely differently in the original, and I’m excited to see how they portrayed her. But I feel as though at least some of that emotionless-ness will be there. I don’t think it would have made it to the Dub otherwise.

TL;DR There are two versions of NQS and it is Rini/Chibi Usa going to the past that changes the Bad Version to the Good Version.

#I have so many headcanons about this #I just love Crystal Tokyo so much #Neo Queen Serenity #rini tsukino #chibiusa #sailor moon dub #sailor moon #ask a Pixxie

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terrablaze514 · 6 years

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Those Days Are Gone

Summary: Yesterday will do what it does best - take one down the smooth and rocky roads.

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and its characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. I'm only borrowing them.

As she looked up to the night sky, the stars gleamed and danced for the moon on the Eastern side. She was amazed by their level of brightness. According to Astronomers and space experts, tonight was the night of the Supermoon. When the good news was announced on television, the radio, and promoted in newspapers, people all over Tokyo anticipated with excitement. Preparations took place as civilians and tourists packed their bags, loaded their vehicles, and drove off to mountainous or forest areas. Some folks had made the decision to remain in town, with cameras, telescopes, and binoculars on deck. Ami was right. When the cosmic, celestial phenomena occurred, the mysteries that laid above couldn't be missed. The Perigee Full Moon, which occurred a few times each year, released its beautifully prolific light. However...

Usagi often wondered what life would be like in The Moon Kingdom right now.

At one point in time, it felt like a vivid dream.

Nowadays, she knew this was real.

Unlike most people, Usagi had placed her life on the line to rescue many; the people here, and the future generations. Otherwise, no one else would ever see the beauties of the sky. There would've been no smiles, no laughter, nor the sweet songs of birds by day. The percussive sound of crickets, the bees that buzzed, and ultimately, people from all walks of life who seek to attain their goals. Had it not been for Sailor Moon and the Sailor Senshi, no one would be left alive. No dreams realized.

This was not a random figment of the past. This was a major part of her life story. She could've sworn her kingdom's inhabitants had, no doubt, walked on the Earth's plains. Aside from her friends and allies, the vast majority of people had little to no memory of what those days were like. They've danced at the masquerade balls, sat at leadership conferences, led out in additional training sessions, and made friends. Her friends came from other kingdoms of the universe - princesses who were trained and polished to serve in her mother's kingdom as Sailor Senshi. Their ultimate destiny...

Since that fateful day the Negaverse unleashed a war and destroyed it, all that remained in its wake were ash. Dust. Broken pillars and shattered ornaments. Splintered glass and broken dreams. Her mother, Queen Serenity, was left behind with no more strength, she laid to rest while the Imperium Silver Crystal transferred everyone to Earth... Usagi felt her eyes water. Although she was loved and appreciated by her family here, she still missed her real mom. She couldn't remember her father, who served as King in those days... perhaps he died, which pushed the Queen to take on extra duties. The memory still challenged Usagi to this day, but she knew better. The only thing that the Queen of the Silver Millennium had ever wanted, was to give her daughter, the prince of Earth, his Shitennou, and all the people of both kingdoms a better chance. Even Queen Beryl, who yearned for Prince Endymion to the point of jealousy, deserved to turn her life around from the grave darkness that overtook her soul and judgment. This was, no doubt, the hardest decision she has ever made - but it was the only way. To Usagi, such reasoning was plausible. Then, just a few years ago, she defeated Queen Beryl and The Moon Kingdom was restored once more. However, she made it clear that she loves the Earth, and continued to live here since.

What would it be like to live up there again? Would she make a great ruler, in her mother's absence?

Probably not. She was still a teenager. Half of the things she excelled in as Moon Princess needed serious work as Usagi Tsukino. She needed to be more adept and proficient in her academic work. She needed to take charge more often. It was time to develop a greater sense of personal responsibility. There was an endless list of hobbies and skills she could learn, with ongoing practice and patience. To be a klutz or a flake was, cumbersome. Rei said it. Makoto made mention of it. Once in a while, Haruka and Michiru found a little humour in that, but they've made it clear that it's not for the best. Ami told her to consider five years from now - make it ten. Perhaps she could receive some more letters from her future counterpart, Neo-Queen Serenity, by Chibi-Usa.

What a brat.

Yes, her future daughter has presented some major challenges at times, from her pesky attitude to her smart choices. In a sense, Mamoru was able to manage just fine despite juggling college, work, and additional responsibilities. Usagi was not so lucky - even though she was attending grade school and lived with her family, Chibi-Usa was her worst nightmare!

The wet bed...

The "scuba incident" in the bathtub...

An interrupted make-out session with her boyfriend at gunpoint...

The time her friends fell unconscious from their drinks at The Shrine...

Her stolen moon crystal locket, on the day she forgot it...

In spite of these, she's watched her future munchkin grow spiritually, physically, intellectually, cognitively, emotionally, and socially. In all of their battles, from The Doom Phantom to the reappearance of Queen Nehelina, Chibi-Usa has attained the spirit of a warrior. That was one of the virtues that The Moon Kingdom in the Silver Millenium held. Since she went back to the future with her cat, Diana, Usagi couldn't stop thinking of her. Deep down, she already knew Chibi-Usa was proud of her parents - herself and Mamoru. With their presence, she had all the evidence of their leadership, team spirit, and person-centred priorities. Yes, she would make a great leader someday.

Usagi also had The Sailor Senshi, which consisted of Venus (Minako), Mercury (Ami), Mars (Rei), and Jupiter (Makoto). With them, they've had their fair share of ups and downs. They've been targeted directly by phages and major villains. They've rescued many innocents from atrocities that occurred. Each one had risked their lives when they weren't sure of the final outcome. Some of it felt surreal at times, yet she knew that none of it was a dream. Just last week, Chaos was defeated and Sailor Galaxia was saved, along with countless Sailor Senshi who represented many kingdoms in space. The ruin that once threatened to doom the world had reversed, but the task wasn't easy. Sacrifices were made, roles were changed. It was worth it.

Then there was another set who came along at some point: Uranus (Haruka), Neptune (Michiru), Pluto (Setsuna), and Saturn (Hotaru). It wasn't always easy working with them, due to differences in views and goals. As time passed, mutual respect was earned. It was her influence that led them to see the importance of solidarity and humility. Even when least expected, they would protect her - and the planet - with their lives. They were always on time, and she had no questions about that.

Her lover, Mamoru Chiba, who played the role of Tuxedo Mask, was also the father of their future child. Who would've thought that he was once the Prince of Earth? They were supposed to marry - but the Negaverse and Queen Beryl from Earth, including his most trusted Shitennou, have fallen under the influence of Queen Metalia. At one saddened point in time, Mamoru was taken from her. With his memories wiped out, he fell under the influence of the Negaverse and disguised himself as Tuxedo Mask to help steal the Imperium Silver Crystal. The ultimate defeat of Queen Beryl had set him free. True memories had returned and brought them back together once more.

Queen Metalia... Usagi's face scrunched as she looked up at the moon again. Where did all of that come from? What were the origins of this shadowy figure who initiated controversy between the kingdoms of Earth and The Moon? If only...

"The past is the past now," Luna said. Usagi turned to see Luna perched near the sliding door. The black cat stretched and stood on her toes.

"I was just pondering on whether or not I could really lead a kingdom up there. I don't know if it's possible." Luna quietly walked over and sat near her companion on the balcony.

"It is entirely up to you. I know destiny seems uncertain at times, but if there's any useful advice I can give, is that you believe in yourself no matter what."

A solemn smile came. "Thanks, Luna. You have no idea how grateful I am for someone like you."

Her guardians, Luna and Artemis, were cats who accepted Queen Serenity's final wish: Train them as Sailor Senshi. They've restored lost memories, kept tabs on the latest trends and villains, provided tools for the Inner Senshi to obtain success, and remained. It was also funny how their future counterparts already had a daughter, Diana. All three cats had human forms as well.

With a big yawn, Usagi stood on her feet stalked toward the sliding door. She turned to face Luna with tired eyes.

"I'm going to call it a night. Coming in?"

"Sure."

A few moments later, Usagi dreamt about The Starlights, Princess Kakyuu, The Amazon Trio, The Amazoness Quartet, former holders of the seven crystals, former members of The Dark Moon Kingdom, The Shitennou reuniting with The Inner Senshi, and Chibi Chibi.

Tonight was the Supermoon, after all.

~Owari~

#supermoon #sailormoon #usagi tsukino #sailor scouts #sailor senshi #serena #luna #fanfiction #introspection #march 2018 #march #is #women's #month #sailor moon

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mizunocaitlin · 7 years

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Fan Theory: ChibiUsa is Sailor Cosmos in the new musical timeline.

I just got back from seeing Le Mouvement Final, the Sailor Stars musical, and I have a theory. I think that Sailor Cosmos is actually future ChibUsa and not Future Usagi. And, I think this makes her actions more sympathetic in the end.

Obvious spoilers for how Le Mouvement Final handles the Sailor Stars source material.

Much of this musical follows the spirit and plot of the final arc of the Sailor Moon manga, leaving out a lot of the filler of the anime. The opening scene shows Usagi going to see Mamoru off at the airport where he's leaving to attend Harvard. He is killed right in front of her and she gets PTSD and forgets what happened. The Three Lights witness this as they're coming back from an overseas concert trip and Seiya instantly feels she's a powerful senshi, instantly sees she's suffering from loss, instantly relates to her.

He is also a senshi who is missing someone he loves. There is no real romance between Seiya and Usagi in this musical. Seiya seems to see a reflection of his own pain and loss in Usagi's, even thought she has pushed it from her mind and “forgotten it”. She reaches out to, writes letters to, and tries to call a dead man over and over again, while Seiya is singing over and over again trying to contact his maybe gone forever Princess. But, when Seiya finds his princess and realizes his sympathy seems to have grown into deeper, love-like feeling, all Usagi sings about is Mamoru. Her undying love for Mamoru. The song is even called “My Only Love”. Usagi isn't conflicted about choosing Mamoru or Seiya, here. At all.

This is important later.

Which brings me to Sailor Cosmos. Chibi Chibi gives up the fake baby act after a few scenes. She starts to speak normally to Sailor Moon, ultimately revealing herself as Sailor Cosmos. By the time she's revealed, most of the sailor senshi have been killed in battle. Except, and this is also key, ChibiUsa.

When the final battle with Galaxia and Chaos finds itself in full swing inside the Galaxy Cauldron, only Sailor Moon, Sailor Chibi Moon, and Chibi Chibi remain. Chibi Chibi, witness to all this death, turns to Sailor Moon and gives her a moral choice.

Throughout the battle several characters have told Sailor Moon that essentially, her power represents too big a threat to the universe and she and it should be destroyed for the benefit of all living things. Millions have been killed over the Silver Crystal. End it. Chibi Chibi approaches it from a different angle. It isn't SAILOR MOON'S power that is terrible. Any intense power is an inherent threat. Chaos also points out that everything magical and evil that Sailor Moon has ever defeated, had it's soul created in the same Galaxy Cauldron as her own. They're all brethren.

Chibi Chibi tells Sailor Moon that if she really wants peace, she needs to destroy the Galaxy Cauldron. It “births” all the evil in the universe, after all. It's either destroy the Galaxy Cauldron or fight endless wars to hold back the inevitable evil.

Sailor Moon hears this and with very little debate chooses life. She chooses companionship. Love. She pledges to fight the endless battle against evil.

During most of this action, Sailor ChibiMoon and Chibi Chibi are off to the side of the stage, together. When Sailor Cosmos does her big reveal, she calls herself a future Sailor Moon from much farther in the future than ChibiUsa. She says Sailor Moon made best choice. She talks about this battle like it's happened before. She talks about having run away from her responsibility. And, she does pretty much all of this standing right by Sailor ChibiMoon.

Now, when we hear all this we're supposed to think, ok. Future Sailor Moon. Usagi is Sailor Moon. But when Mamoru is revived and Usagi is overjoyed, Cosmos is relatively unmoved. Mamoru basically proposes marriage to Usagi right on the spot. If that was her younger self, wouldn't she at least feel a bit of nostalgia at the point where her often dead lover and her were finally brought together like that?

But, while Usagi and Mamoru and the girls reunite, Sailor Cosmos holds back with Sailor Chibi Moon. They talk about the future. They talk about the choice. They talk about running away through time. Gee. Who do we know who has had trouble shouldering the responsibility of the Sailor Moon name? Who has run away into the past before? Who wouldn't gush over Tuxedo Kamen/Mamoru/Endymion as an adult? Chibi Usa. She has never felt worthy or comfortable with the Silver Crystal or as Sailor Moon. In her time of weakness, what would ChibiUsa do? What would she turn to? Time travel to mommy, of course!

At one point Cosmos even laments to Chibi Moon that this Sailor Moon is the best version of Sailor Moon. We're supposed to think she means Eternal Sailor Moon, but I think she really means Usagi. Usagi, mom, was a better Sailor Moon than me. I ran away to the past to see her, again, and get her help again. At two thousand years old, I did the same thing I did when I was 900 years old. I went back in time to find my hero. I couldn't shoulder the responsibility mom put on me when I became Sailor Moon and had to defend the universe from the worst of the evils. I felt alone in the fight and I didn't want to be alone anymore.

There are other elements fundamental to why Chibi Usa has always lined up more closely with Cosmos than Usagi does. Pink hair is closer to red hair than blond hair, and all the Serenity women go white in old age. Cosmos is not accompanied by a similarly powerful Golden Crystal bearer. There is no future Mamoru by her side. Usagi has spent multiple lifetimes doing everything she possibly can to be with Mamoru. As Cosmos, she suddenly doesn’t care anymore?

Cosmos doesn’t have a lover at her side. There wouldn't be. Her mother and father are off somewhere together. Her potential male lover Helios, lives on a different plane of existence. How would the priest of the land of dreams help her in this fight? He couldn't. Her potential female lover, Sailor Saturn, is her subordinate. She would have died for her long before the battle came to it's worst.

One of the last lines in the musical is Usagi telling Mamoru on their wedding day that she things she's already pregnant with ChibiUsa. She calls it the creation of a star. Man, if ChibiUsa's soul was created in the aftermath of the battle at the Galaxy Cauldron, no wonder Cosmos finds herself drawn to that point in time. It's the point where she was made! No wonder ChibiUsa always seemed to be unmoored in the galaxy. She doesn’t have her own planet, after all! And, no wonder Cosmos has such power. “I have returned here many times.” Said Cosmos. It was the point where her fate was decided. She got a 900 year childhood, but it wasn't enough to make the weight of what Usagi decided there any easier. I, Eternal Sailor Moon, decided that life is worth living and Sailor Moon must eternally fight for life and light in the universe. Wow! I’m pregnant. Ok, here, daughter. Take on this title and the promise I just made to protect everything. K thanks bye.

Poor Cosmos. Poor ChibiUsa.

In Conclusion:

+Chibi Chibi and Chibi Moon watch most of the finale play out on the sidelines. Together.

+When the battle concludes, Cosmos hangs back and talks confessional-like to Chibi Moon, not Usagi, about her failures as a senshi.

+Cosmos doesn't react to Mamoru's revival or UsaMamo's engagement. She doesn't mention a lover like Kakyuu does, and Usagi is never without the love of her other half.

+Cosmos calls herself the “future Sailor Moon” explicitly, but Chibi Usa is also the future Sailor Moon. Usagi gave up the title to be Queen Serenity.

+It's implied that ChibiUsa is conceived right after the battle. Cosmos may have been drawn to the point in time her soul was created at the Galaxy Cauldron.

+Cosmos admits to running away. Through time. To find Usagi. Just like ChibiUsa did as a child.

+ChibiChibi and ChibiUsa are cosmetically similar.

#spoilers #seramyu #sailor moon musical #sailor moon musicals #le mouvement final #sailor moon #eternal sailor moon #chibi usa #chibiusa #fan theories #theory #fan theory #sailor cosmos #chibi chibi #tsukino usagi #セラミュ #セーラームーン #ちびうさ #月野うさぎ

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rubykgrant · 7 years

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Thoughts I had about Sailor Moon characters in thwo world of Avatar the Last Airbender/Legend of Korra while I was in bed at 3am-

Obviously, Usagi is the Avatar. She doesn’t know it, and actually hasn’t ever done any bending in her life until she’s 14 when she goes through several whoops-I-accidentally-bended-an-element moments, and she just thinks maybe before you get your “one true element” you have like bending-puberty or something, so she keeps it a secret until she can announce what element she finally settles on. She lives in the Earth Kingdom (maybe Ba Sing Se, I dunno, feels about right), and for the past couple of weeks after randomly getting powers a unusual animal has been following her around... its a cat, but not a normal one like a cat-deer or a cat-bird, its... just a cat? WEIRD. Well, some spooky bad spirits start messing with some humans, possessing them and transforming them and junk, and Usagi is informed by the cat that she has the power to heal the humans and calm the spirits; turns out the cat is actually a spirit, and Usagi is the Avatar. The spirits seem to be manipulated by some other force, and it gets worse every full moon... so she has solve the problem and master all four elements before... uh... the lunar eclipse. Sure, why not. Yeah. Also the full moon is turning red for some reason. Spooky.

Ami is a Norther Water Tribe girl, traveling and basically studying abroad. She’s a little bit more interested in reading than fighting evil monsters, but she also hates to see anybody get hurt. Usagi learns healing techniques from her, and even gives Ami the idea of using blood bending to help people (dealing with poor circulation, blood-clots, heart problems, and more). Ami specializes in turning the water she uses into ice and show, she’s also a mechanical genius and invents all sorts of devices. Usagi admires how intelligent she is, but also just listens to what Ami has to say and values her opinions, which Ami is very grateful for.

Rei is a fortune teller and fire bender (how could she NOT be). Usagi hears about a beautiful and talented lady who could teacher her fire bending, but runs into an angry girl on her way to meet the fire bender and they have a rather heated argument. It turns out Rei is the girl Usagi wanted to see, and she refuses to teach any fire bending at first... but after seeing Usagi rescue some people, Rei realizes that she’s not only the Avatar but a very caring person. So she joins her on the journey. Rei can sense hidden spirits and is perhaps the strongest fire bender around. She and Usagi have a friendly way of bickering, and although Rei wouldn’t want to admit it, she can’t resist what a charming goofball the Avatar is.

Mokoto is a traveling body guard, but has real aspirations to open a tea shop and bakery. She’s a fire bender from the Earth Kingdom, but for some reason she can never make powerful flames, so she’s always relied more on her muscles than her bending. While trying to save Usagi and her companions from a storm spirit, Mokoto is hit with lightning... but somehow, it doesn’t harm her. She realizes she has a natural talent for bending lightning and can naturally redirect it. She loves that Usagi isn’t afraid of her for being big and strong, and is happy to join this group of awesome ladies. Not only is she the muscle of the group, she keeps everybody well fed.

Minako is secretly a vigilante who fights against oppressive police forces; she’s a metal bender, and often takes down the Dai Li when they are harassing people. She’s become a famous champion of justice in Ba Sing Se, wearing a mask to protect her identity. She actually has a secret mission from the White Lotus; find the new Avatar, as well as locate the missing Earth Kingdom Prince (who should be running Ba Sing Se, but some jerk killed the family and took over. Its probably Beryl. Yeah, Beryl). By making friends with Usagi, she discovers the Avatar. She also has a cat who is a friendly spirit. The other girls admire her and look to Minako for guidance, but Usagi also brings out her silly side and she gets to just be a teen with her new friends. She uses her bending to control a variety of chains and whips.

Mamoru is indeed the missing Earth Kingdom Prince, but he suffered a head injury during the accident that killed his parents (a rockslide caused by earth benders), and wandered the woods for 2 days alone, not sure of where or who he was. He was found by some doctors who took him and helped as much as they could. He’s grown up in an outer ring of Ba Sing Se, but attends the inner ones for school. He hates how the Dai Li terrorize citizens, and also the gangs of earth and fire benders who cause chaos on the outskirts of the city. Wearing a mask with a rose pattern (haha he probably gets called “The Rose Spirit”), he is a vigilante and somewhat of a rival to Minako, so imagine her surprise when she figures out he’s the Prince she’s been trying to find. He falls in love with Usagi, and the feeling is mutual. Ami also helps restore his memory with her healing, and he eventually takes his place at the throne.

The group decides to travel to both Water Tribes, since there are moon shrines at both poles. While criss-crossing across the Earth Kingdom and going through the Fire Nation a couple of times, they meet other important people.

While in the swamp, Usagi finds a little girl who says she’s lost. Usagi promises to protect her until she finds her way home, but after they leave the swamp and get attacked by some dark spirits, the mystery behind the girl deepens; she is also an Avatar. It doesn’t seem possible for two to exist at once, yet there she is. She gets the nick-name Chibi-Usa, and although she’s a bit bratty at times, everybody can’t help but care for her. Eventually it is discovered she’s actually a future Avatar, Usagi’s next life. Because the swamp can blur time and show us the people we used to know and will one day know, the Avatars have met each other, and the spiritual bond allowed Chibi-Usa to leave her time and enter the past.

She’s amazingly followed by her guardian Setsuna, a metal bender who simply refused to be stopped by time; she wanted to find the little girl who means the world to her. Setsuna lives a lonely life in the future as the last surviving member of the White Lotus, but Chibi-Usa is her ray of sunshine. She keeps the child safe from an evil organization in the future that wants to end the Avatar cycle, the Red Lotus. Chibi-Usa and Setsuna were escaping them after her home was attacked, and lost their way in the swamp. She uses her metal bending to manipulate a sectioned staff. She seems a little cold and distant at first, but she has a big heart.

Haruka and Michiru are a couple; Haruka is an air bender and Michiru is a water bender, both from the Fire Nation. Haruka is tall and muscular, and people often mistake her for a boy at first; she likes to wait a while until she bursts their bubble, and she can be very intense. Michiru seems effortlessly elegant, but she’s not nearly as fragile as people would think (both girls seem to enjoy messing with people who make assumptions about them). They are also White Lotus members, but are so used to being a team and doing things on their own they are reluctant to work with Minako or the other girls. Even though Usagi is the Avatar, they would rather just keep her safe from a distance than be friends... but she’s impossible to resist. Haruka can use her air bending to slash through enemy armor and smash rock, and Michiru has the power to create tidal waves. After hearing from Setsuna about the Red Lotus in the future, they realize that some rumors they’ve heard will lead up to a terrible plan.

The Red Lotus wants to create a “Dark Avatar” (and they consist of the Black Moon Clan in the current time-line. Diamond keeps flirting with Usagi, but she ain’t into you, bro. Quit being a creeper). In the future, a scientists named Tomoe has a daughter named Hotaru who has a weak body. He places her in a spirit pool with the hopes it will heal her, but the pool was a way for Vaatu to transport part of the chaotic darkness from the spirit world into a human vessel. As a result, Hotaru and her father are manipulated by Vaatu’s evil. The Red Lotus wants to use Hotaru to fully awaken Vaatu and destroy the Avatar cycle. In the present, the Red Lotus is periodically poisoning people and various nature spirits with water from the spirit world that Vaatu has tainted. The Red Lotus is making these spirit world trips each full moon, and the moon temporarily turns red during these moments. If this keeps up, the moon itself could be poisoned by Vaatu, which would be bad for the whole world.

Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna agree it might be easier to find any members of the Red Lotus now, and perhaps even find a young Tomoe and end him before he ever has a chance to have his daughter. Chibi-Usa doesn’t like this plan; she knows Hotaru and considers her a friend. Usagi insist they find a way to save the girl in the future. After finally entering the spirit world during the lunar eclipse, Usagi realizes that just like in the swamp, the spirit world has an odd flow of time; what she does now can change the future, and because she knows what the future will be, it influences her decision. Vaatu has been poisoning the other spirits, making them evil with the ultimate goal of turning the moon spirit bad. Usagi can’t destroy Vaatu; the darkness is needed for the light to exist, and without Vaatu Hotaru won’t be able to survive in the future. Ignoring the mocking Vaatu, Usagi instead reasons with the moon spirit and does what she can to heal it. After returning to her friends, Usagi tells the future Avatar not to worry; she and Setsuna should just go home and do what she thinks is right. After a tearful good-bye from everyone, Mamoru and Usagi think about how nice it was having Chibi-Usa with them and wonder if in their own future they’ll have a daughter like her

In the future, Chibi-Usa and Stesuna find Hotaru during a time when Vaatu is trying to awaken within her. The Red Lotus (who are pretty much the Witches 5) try to stop the Avatar, but Setsuna fights them back. Chibi-Usa refuses to hurt her friend, and this bond actually helps Hotaru regain some control... when it seems like she can’t stand it anymore, the clouds in the sky part; the sliver of the new moon suddenly turns full, and the moon spirit shines its light on Hotaru. This banishes back Vaatu without harming Hotaru, and Chibi-Usa realizes that what Usagi did to help the moon spirit in the past has been repaid now. Setsuna begins training new White Lotus members, 4 young girls who were once circus performers but show a lot of promise.

Ok I’m done. I didn’t think of anything for Stars because this was already a HUGE mess.

#long post #Avatar The Last Airbender #legend of korra #sailor moon #inner senshi #outer senshi #cross-over

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keyofjetwolf · 7 years

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Jet Wolf Summarizes Act 36

The manga and I kind of hate each other. This is unfortunate, but still, I’m determined to come out of this with something. Rather than spend energy on a liveblog that’s increasingly negative, I’m reading each manga act (mostly) silently, and then writing up summaries at the end. I won’t pull my punches. There’s going to be criticism and snark about the manga, either wholesale or in details. If that isn’t a thing you feel like reading, please skip this post!

I’m losing the ability to tell at this point if it’s me or the manga or time slowly grinding to a halt, but I swear I’ve been reading this arc for the past six hundred years. This was probably my favourite season of the anime, and the fact that they’re in any way the same story is making my brain melt.

YES LIKE THAT THANK YOU

This whole arc is atrociously dull and refuses to move at any decent pace, like someone spilled a strawberry Fanta on it and now it’s all sticky and gummed up. AND YET THE MANGA STILL SOMEHOW MOVES TOO FAST. I think we need to send the damned thing to NASA, maybe they can unravel the secrets of space/time and we can develop warp technology or something.

Usagi and the Outers are still floating, which they can do sometimes For Reasons, and spying on Mistress Nine. NO WAIT IT’S HOTARU GASP SHOCK HORROR. Also the sky looks like-- Okay, is anyone out there old like me and remembers those stickers way back when that were like SUPER PREMIUM BASSASS SHIT that had oil or something in them, and when you pressed them, they turned colours? The sky’s like that. By the way, describing those stickers brought me more pleasure than literally anything else in this arc. I WAS REALLY INTO STICKERS OKAY

Oh, and then Mugen collapses or something. Everyone’s dead, nobody cares. It’s nothing but rubble and ruins, except for this one fountain, floating out in the middle of nothing, as is of course typical fountain behaviour. Clustered around the fountain? The Inners! Unconscious, of course. OF COURSE. Usagi can’t get near them. She also can’t remember their names. No one is surprised.

“The sea remains uninvolved in this story and so retreats to create new fertile ground elsewhere,” Michiru doesn’t say, but should. Still, the sea’s up to some weird shit, and so’s the ground, and maybe it’s earthquakes or tidal waves, but it takes the government all of two seconds to declare martial law, which sounds about right. With everything about to go to shit (TOO LATE), the Outers stop floating and start doing, by which I mean they unite their powers to create a force field.

Two thoughts on this: First, that it’s unclear what the force field is meant to contain and/or repel, but I’m just going to assume they’re attempting to shield us from the story, and thank their brave if futile efforts. My second thought is that they sure do know a lot of what they can all combine their powers to do together considering Pluto was resurrected like ten minutes ago and they keep telling us they weren’t allowed to see or hear or talk to anyone in the Silver Millennium for reasons that I’m positive weren’t just arbitrary abuses of power and control.

SORRY THERE I GO INSISTING ON LOGIC AND COHERENT THOUGHT-OUT IDEAS AGAIN MY BAD

AT LEAST SOMEONE SAID IT

“Man, my body SUCKS,” Mistress Nine complains, to which Hotaru says “Then fuck off, bitch, damn.” Somehow the fact that she’s 89% Pentium doesn’t seem to factor into anything, which shouldn’t disappoint me and yet still somehow does. Wanting more power to expel Hotaru completely, Mistress Nine goes to her local Circle K for a four-pack of Senshi. WHEN YOU’VE GOT PHARAOH 90-SIZED HUNGER GRAB THE ONLY SNACK THAT SATISFIES.

So the Inners are sucked up into Mistress Nine too, and on seeing them, Hotaru adds protecting them to her to-do list. PLEASE NOTE HOW THE INNERS REMAIN UNCONSCIOUS THROUGHOUT ALL OF THIS. EVEN CHIBI-FUCKING-USA WOKE UP ONCE SHE WAS IN THIS LIMBO DREAMSTATE WHATEVER THE FUCK AND SHE’D LITERALLY BEEN CARRIED ACROSS TOKYO WITH CARDIAC ARREST AND NO BLOOD FLOWING FOR LIKE TWO HOURS. THE INNERS HAVE HAD A BRIEF NAP.

Maybe I can have one next. I’m so tired.

We learn through monologue that all of Hotaru’s actions are being dictated by a progressively less dormant Saturn, which I have to say fucking SUCKS for Hotaru. At least she was finally getting to do some shit, but nope, that gets yanked away from her and given to a Senshi who isn’t even fully awake yet. Nobody is getting served today, folks.

OH EXCEPT MAMORU. YES I’M SERIOUS. JUST WAIT.

Anyway, the Inners wake up, and Usagi pretends to care, and then Hotaru dies I think. Maybe if they just turn her off and turn her back on again, she’ll be fine.

Somehow, for some reason, Mamoru senses this and wakes up with a gasp. I DUNNO PEOPLE DON’T FUCKING ASK ME. Oh no, wait, Hotaru’s not dead, she’s just delivering Chibs’ ginzuishou. Which it seemed she did last issue, but fuck it. Chibs wakes up, and she and Hotaru have a chat. THEN Hotaru dies. I KNEW THERE WAS DEATH IN THERE SOMEWHERE. I think she and Chibs get married first or something though.

Which normally I’d just be “ARE EITHER ONE OF YOU ACTUALLY IN YOUR TEEN YEARS YET”, but look, we all know there’s a horse around the corner, so fuck it, I’m clinging to this. HOTARU AND CHIBS, THE ONLY DESTINED MIRACLE ROMANCE I WILL ACCEPT

Chibs is sad that Hotaru died and stuff, but Mamoru doesn’t have time for that. “Can you fight?” he asks the grief-stricken ten-year old who just awakened from a deep coma brought on by intense physical trauma four minutes ago, and let’s all please take a moment to really think about that sentence. Chibs says that she’ll fight with all she has.

No snark here, complete sincerity, Chibi-Usa is the only character I hold any measurable degree of affection for, and I never thought those words would come out of my mouth but this is what the manga has done to me.

She says she’ll go fight, and Mamoru gets all maudlin

BUT NOT TO A HORSE SO BUCK UP CHAMP IT COULD BE WORSE

Then, because of course he fucking does, Mamoru powers up. I’M NOT JOKING MAMORU FUCKING POWERS UP AND HE HAS DONE NOTHING IN THIS CLIMACTIC FINAL BATTLE BUT STEAL HIS FUTURE DAUGHTER FROM AN ACTUAL HOSPITAL WITH ACTUAL DOCTORS AND SIT THERE BUT HE GETS A GODDAMN POWER UP

THE INNERS DIDN’T EVEN GET CONSCIOUSNESS AND MAMORU GETS A POWER UP I HATE EVERYTHING SO MUCH ALL THE TIME

With Mamoru there, Usagi summons the Grail, and everyone pours their power into it like the two-legged batteries they are. And then CHIBS levels up just because Sailor Moon looks so awesome, I guess, SERIOUSLY FOLKS NOTHING IS MAKING SENSE ANY MORE THIS XP SYSTEM IS FUCKED AND WE NEED TO HAVE A TALK WITH THE DM. Chibs becoming Super Sailor Chibi-Moon triggers the twofer coupon Usagi’s had tucked in her bra, and a SECOND Grail appears! Because we need that I guess! Despite that Chibs has already just powered up! And still this arc isn’t over yet holy shit I’m dying inside!

#JW reads Sailor Moon #sm manga infinity #sm manga act 36 #jet wolf versus the manga #jet wolf summarizes the manga #a novel by jet wolf

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techouspeaks · 7 years

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Character Studies: Sailor Uranus VS Sailor Uranus.

Many people are a mix bag when it comes to Sailor Uranus. Usually people hate all incarnations of her or they hate the manga/Crystal version but like the 90s version. For me, it’s the opposite. I HATE Sailor Uranus in the 90s anime, but I love her so much in the manga and even in the Crystal version. I’m gonna be going over first why people hate Uranus/Haruka in the manga/Crystal version and why I and as well as some others hate her in the 90s version.

From what most people complain about Uranus/Haruka in the manga/Crystal version is how she kissed Usagi, causing her to feel guilty about cheating.

First off, it’s never really stated why she does this but her “being a flirt” isn’t based on her personality. Haruka in Crystal/manga isn’t that kind of person. A very strong reason that’s more hinted in the Crystal version, is that Haruka was confusing her protective feelings towards Usagi for attractiveness and more so attractive to how naive and innocent Usagi is. She admires that in her. It’s the same with whoever is around Usagi. She’s got this aura that causes people to feel attracted to her and being Uranus spent most of her time alone guarding the back door on her planet, it might be hard to convey feelings more properly or even respectfully. Usagi even says in the Crystal anime that Haruka was just trying to show Usagi these frustrated feelings. Usagi senses Haruka is sad and kinda lonely because she spent so long being alone.

Either way, this actually helped both Usagi and Mamoru’s relationship and you’re probably wondering how? Well, they both come clean that they get jealous when either sees the other with someone else. They become more honest with their feelings and that’s part of having a strong relationship. Being honest. This challenged their feelings and coming into ties with not only being honest with each other, but also themselves. Haruka and Michiru stepping in helped Usagi and Mamoru realize that and their relationship becomes a little stronger after that.

Now let’s talk about the big elephant in the room. It’s sad because when I first saw Haruka/Uranus in the old anime when I was a kid, I wanted to like her. I felt like she was suppose to be a better character, especially in the moments when she wasn’t being serious but funny and laid back. However, when she gets back to sailor business, the old anime just makes her unbearable.

First off, everyone hates the manga version but a lot of people love the 90s version and I always wondered why? If that kiss was a big no no in the manga, I wonder did they watch the old anime because what Uranus/Haruka does in the anime is far more worse! Far worse! To the point where I think she is a damn traitor to the Moon Kingdom!

Yes! That’s right! What Haruka/Uranus and even Neptune since she follows her around, does in the old anime can count as being a traitor to the kingdom!

First, let’s start off with Neptune and Uranus bitchy attitude towards the inner sailors. They believe that the inner sailors won’t be able to handle the ultimate sacrifice. They believe inner sailors are too naive and childish and won’t understand sacrifice...

Oh yeah! That’s why in the first season they died for their princess and their world! Where were Neptune and Uranus when the inners were killed protecting their friend and princess?! Say what you will, “they weren’t thought of yet”, but the way Uranus and Neptune treat them is just sickening and big slap to the face to them! When it was Sailor Moon and her friends saving the day and dying to protect the planet! They saved the world three (four if you count the R movie as canon) times!

Oh, yeah I know. The sailors would refuse to kill another person, but the way it’s handled in the manga is still better! They at least acknowledge the inner sailors as equals, despite disagreeing with them!

Now, here’s the thing. I mainly blame Haruka for this attitude because upon rewatching the old anime, I notice Michiru/Neptune isn’t quite as bad. Michiru/Neptune at times asked or even suggested Haruka if they should help the other scouts. There’s times where she is even more appreciative of the other scouts. Haruka sometimes does that but her nasty attitude comes back and it makes me hate her again. Michiru isn’t as bad as Haruka in terms of this, but she is still responsible for just following Haruka’s way and not going “Hey this is kinda messed up! We should work as a team!”

Now here’s the big traitor thing. Haruka steals the one thing that will save their planet! The thing that belongs to their princess and future queen! The Silver Crystal!

Haruka steals the one thing that she should know would save their world! She steals something from their future queen! The one they vowed to protect! If that’s not an act of betrayal, I dunno what is! I don’t care what the reason is! They even attack Sailor Moon. They should know that she’s their future queen!

And also, I know she’s aiming at the brooch but it looks like she’s sexually harassing Usagi! She is harassing her anyway because she’s stealing her brooch from their princess!

I dunno, a kiss that ends up helping a relationship grow stronger or stealing the most powerful thing in the universe, from their own princess, harassing her in the process and eventually, attacking said princess later on! It’s possible that they didn’t know Usagi was their princess at that time, but they should have known she had the silver crystal and put two and two together. How many bun heads do they know have the most powerful item in the universe!? Come on!

“Oh but since the outer scouts agreed to kill Hotaru, against Usagi’s wishes in manga/Crystal, isn’t that an act of betrayal”? No, because eventually, they do come and save the sailors and start believing that Sailor Moon could save their world. That she can some how save Saturn and save their world. Haruka and the other outer scouts wanted to be their friends in the manga/Crystal, but just felt like they didn’t because they had to do this one horrible thing and they didn’t want to do it! They just felt they had no choice! But they came to their aid and believed in Sailor Moon eventually. They admitted their mistakes and just didn’t want their friends nor beloved princess to get hurt. That’s the act of a true hero. That’s the act of Uranus/Haruka’s true personality that was ruined in the old anime!

Let’s not forget they had no reason to not help the scouts in the Dream Arc in the old anime! None! They just said went off on their own, stopped an evil doll and said “Yeah, we’ll leave it to them!” I know they don’t appear in the Dream Arc in the manga or Crystal, but they had a good reason! They were taking care of their daughter Hotaru and eventually lost the ability to transform, so they couldn’t help even if they wanted too!

And eventually killing Saturn and Pluto in Sailor Stars old anime! They take their missions way too far! I mean, yeah it was to sneak attack back but it failed and again, the manga was far more better! Sailor Stars in the manga was sooo much better!

I love Haruka/Uranus in both the manga and Crystal anime.I feel like I’m both a guy and a girl inside or just feminine and masculine inside. That’s how I feel about myself. Whatever you wanna call it. I want to be as strong and casual as Haruka but still show a bit feminine side too. I admire her laid back but cool personality! Same with Makoto who is my third favorite, but Haruka/Uranus is just a character I admire a lot in that perspective! I was so relieved to hear that she’s not like this bitchy person in the manga! She’s legit cool and I fell in love with her when I read the manga! I fell in love with her in Crystal. She’s just an awesome character.

Also, I love her design and especially color scheme. The blue and the yellow. Her sword! She’s just awesome! Those colors and even her hair! I wouldn’t have her hair style but it’s awesome on her!

People can hate her manga/crystal version for whatever reason but for me, that whole snatching a kiss thing and seemingly flirting with Usagi, wasn’t that bad because Usagi and Mamoru reconcile (in the most adorable way possible thanks to Chibi Usa) and became more honest with themselves, so something good came out of that. Nothing good came out of stuck up Haruka and her bitchy followers in the old anime!

Now, I understand that yes, in the old anime Haruka and Michiru’s relationship is stronger and I will admit that. Mainly because the old anime had so much filler, but again, a lot of that tend to be ruined by Haruka’s nasty attitude, when it came back to their sailor business. I wanted to like her in the old anime and wanted to like their relationship and honestly, as a couple they’re cute! But again, that nasty, cold, cruel attitude...Ugh! It’s like drinking a nice warm coffee or hot coco, only to find out that the cream you used in it turned sour and it made you sick! That’s what the old anime did to them for me!

So yeah, those are my thoughts. Agree, disagree. I don’t care. More power to you for whatever. This is just my personal opinion. Don’t take it to heart.

#sailor moon #sailor uranus #haruka tenoh #sailor neptune #michiru kaioh #character studies

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