#I like how senshi cane out

[tiny012]

I'm sorry to concede that it's true, Sailor Moon S is VASTLY OVERRATED and it's my favorite one in the anime series. One can argue it's the beginning of the decline of Sailor Moon. It greatly deviates from the source material, the other girls get no power ups being stuck in their Star Power henshin and attacks, Chibi-Usa gets no Super form, and it continues the trope of finding whatever thingmajig in people's bodies that would continue into the next two seasons and the Guardians FUCKING useless.

It's really is overrated and I have been saying this for so long.

Some people say it's peak (which to me in the manga it is because Naoko was in her bag with this season), while I actually with you and say that it's decline of Sailor Moon for the 90's anime.

Because honestly if Haruka and Mic wasn't in it this season it wouldn't hold up well to be honest.

Because Usagi, Har, Mic and I'm going to say Mamo is carrying this season on their damn back so far with me being 19 episodes in.

Because if you take those four out along with Saturn and Pluto only thing you would have is Rei, Mina, Ami and Mako and think the Death Busters would have won if it was just those four..

Rei, Mina, and Ami aint doing shit but bullying Usagi while Mako is doing 1% . She only gets 1% because she did defeat a Diamon by herself. They are so damn weak and Usagi is pretty much doing everything by herself if Har/Mic or Mamo is not helping her.

They are letting Chibiusa be useless, a gotdamn joke and having her running around looking for a friend when that friend that is very important to the plot haven't showed up yet... Only thing she gets is damn barrettes from her Super Form but she doesn't even get her Super Form. ( I'm heading to that episode soon yall! lol)

I'm telling like it is because they did Hotaru/Saturn fucking wrong in this season because all she was a plot device. Hyping her up and only thing she did was throw fireworks at P90..

And P90...Poor Dude didn't have no speaking lines... Just a fucking moaning blob.

They say Mamo is useless but damn he was her only line of defense for two episodes and he dueled a Diamon and Kaionite with his damn cane. At least he's doing something in battles to help her out.

Rei had that dream about the world being destroyed two damn times and haven't told no one yet and we are now halfway into the season.

We only know how the tailsmans look like becasue Eudial was smart to ask Tomoe " Oh Hey Since I'm looking for these things, What the fuck do they look like?"

Har/Mic been running around Tokyo trying to find these damn things but playing blues clues with them and playing Civil War: Senshi Edition with the Inner Senshi. While Harkua is flirting with all the girls but Ami...

The inner senshi haven't done any homework in trying to find out how they look like, what they do, and why Har/Mic and the Death Busters want them. Or even trying to find out was they artifacts/ relics of the SliMil. They haven't even try to find out was there any other Senshi in the past that they didn't know about.

Well they are barely doing regular homework which they supposed to be doing since they are getting ready for High School Entrance Exam but I digress

And Setsuna..

Lord they going to do Pluto so damn dirty.. I can't wait until I get to that episode!

They are wildin with the fan service this season with these designs of the Diamon and then this shot right here..

That's why her nickname is T.A.P. Might was well have her ass naked.. ( I haven't gotten to Har bare butt shot and T.A.P fully nude shot yet.)

This season is the reason why my Icon is this pic

It just put all my feelings about this season into words "I'm so sick of this bullshit." lmao

I can't wait until we speed running the plot in the last few episodes!!

So yes this S season is overrated as hell.

#tanya rants about SM #tanya liveblogs S

[magicalgirlmascot]

May or may not have been inspired to create the KNPS Toa in Hero Forge. Probably also gonna do the Turaga. I’m def curious as to your thoughts on everyone’s appearances, wanna see how what I have so far compares.

I am in TEARS please please please show me when you're done!!!

I've been kind of deliberately vague about their appearances in the fic itself because last time I wrote a big long human!Bionicle fic where I was more specific about their appearances I. wound up hating it later lol. I will say though that my Bionicle Sports Anime designs aren't necessarily what I have in mind when writing! (Those are mostly just for drawing Bionicle fanart without having to draw robots and possible eventual comic reasons.)

I do have some stuff in mind, though! I'm putting it under a readmore because it wound up getting fairly long lol

Tahu: redhead, toned and fairly beefy on account of the MMA but not like dehydrated about it, jeans, t-shirts, and button-downs with the sleeves rolled up kinda guy

Kopaka: my brother thinks he should be albino but I'm on the fence there, either way he does have blue eyes and light hair cut pretty short, glasses, tall and thin

Gali: petite, curly hair usually pulled back from her face, wears a lot of long, flowy clothes (cardigans, skirts, etc.)

Onua: short af, fat, muscular, hairy, I've made Gimli jokes before but I honestly do picture him looking like Senshi DungeonMeshi with less beard, almost exclusively wears black jeans, glasses are not prescription but to help with his light sensitivity

Pohatu: tall, runner's build (muscular legs, kind of average weight distribution tbh), thick brown hair that he's been growing out, tends towards muted colours and earth tones

Lewa: fucking beanpole, tall, thin, and gangly, hair is a bird's nest 99% of the time and he has given up trying, wears green almost to the complete exclusion of other colours, loves himself some good cargo pants

Vakama: glasses and tidy beard, greying hair, middling height, wears a lot of old man sweaters/cardigans

Nokama: taller than Matau but shorter than Vakama, hair is going grey but she dyes it, carries herself with grace and poise, it's. I do picture Lucretia Adventurezone a little bit while writing her ngl

Matau: short!!! absolute manlet and either mad about it or chill with it depending on which is funnier in context, wears loud shirts

Onewa: was not a cane user at the start of the story but is one now on account of his bad back, growing his beard out, worst case of resting bitch face you've ever seen, decently tall

Whenua: tallest Turaga, thick glasses, has worn a dress shirt and tie to work every day for the last 20+ years and isn't going to stop now even if his husband makes fun of him for it >:(

Nuju: average height, long fingers, went white by age 35 (claims it's from stress but it just runs in the family, Kualus was also fully white by 35 and Matoro probably will be too), dresses nicely but not a full shirt and tie like some people

Also you didn't mention them but bonus characters bc I've been thinking about them:

Takua: built like Lewa (tall and gangling), dyes his hair blue, fashion choices are "the colours gave me a headache so I bought it immediately"

Jaller: short king, blonde, probably the most athletic kid in the class

Hahli: shorter than Takua but still pretty tall, wears jeans and sturdy clothes, solidly built

Krahka: I mean sometimes she's a fox and sometimes she's got six arms and tits the size of her head, she can look however she wants

Again please please show me when you're done!!!! I would like to see it

#bionicle #WEH THANK YOU?????? #knps

[spei-sidus]

Starry Masquerade: The Sailor Senshi's Halloween Delight

By Sidus_Spei

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

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

 Chapter 1

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

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

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

“Thank you,” Usagi beamed.

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

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

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

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

“Oh, we’re very big fans,” Rei said.

“Definitely,” Makoto said, grinning.

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

“We don’t know,” Ami said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Amazing!” the audience around them exclaimed.

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

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

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

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

“Ehhhhhh…”

“We aren’t that good,” Ami hedged.

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

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

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

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

“They look so good!” the audience crowed.

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

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

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

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

The girls sighed in relief.

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

“A vampire.”

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

“Do you mean the blood?”

“...Right,” Usagi said uncomfortably. 

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

“Of course I do!” 

Mamoru waited while Usagi scrolled furiously through her phone.

“Fine,” she huffed. “You win.”

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

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

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

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

He stared at her. And stared. 

“Do you know Sailor Moon, Odango?”

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

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

She nodded, following him back to the counter.

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

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

“Are shakes good for a heroine of Tokyo?” 

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

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

“What would you know, Mamoru-baka?”

He shrugged. “She’s pretty fit.”

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

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

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

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

“I know.”

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

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

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

“Do you ever sleep?!”

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

“I don’t sleep that much!”

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

“Why not?”

He shrugged. “Too much to do.”

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

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

“What would that be, oh Mr. Perfect?”

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

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

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

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

“Yes, he is. My best.”

“Is that so?”

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

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

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

“Like Motoki.” 

“Right,” he said quietly.

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

“You know I’m your friend, right?”

His eyes blew up wide. “Really?”

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

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

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

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

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

“I don’t know…” Usagi hedged. 

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

“You only live once,” Ami groaned.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“TO TUXEDO KAMEN-SAMA!!!”

“TO OUR HEROES OF TOKYO!!!”

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

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

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

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

“A song?” Ami repeated.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Wait, what about Tuxedo Kamen?”

“Yeah, a song about Tuxedo Kamen!”

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

“MINAKO-CHAAAN!” 

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

“Are you serious?! Fine, I’ll do it.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Girls, help me get out of here!”

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

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

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

Chapter 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Odango…”

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

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

“A cat.”

“What?”

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

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

“Do what?”

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

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

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

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

“Odango!”

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

“Moon Prism Power, Make Up!”

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

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

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

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

“Tuxedo Kamen-sama?”

Chapter 3

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

“Oh - there isn’t one.”

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

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

He paused before slowly nodding. “Yes.”

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

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

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

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

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

“Give up on me?”

“Yeah.” she said uncomfortably.

“He’s not wrong.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yes!”

“Where?”

“At the arcade.”

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

“Lead the way.”

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

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

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

“Allow me.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Douse yourself in water, and repent!”

“Asou, proceed,” Zoisite instructed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Thank you, Tuxedo Kamen-sama!”

“With pleasure, Sailor Moon.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 4

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yes, I got away early on as well.”

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

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

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

“Apology accepted,” he said. 

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

“Yes, they did.” 

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

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

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

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

“We were great!” Minako gushed.

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

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

“That they did,” Rei said, smiling.

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

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

“Ami-chan!”

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

“I wonder where he went,” Usagi said.

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

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

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

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

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

“TO TUXEDO KAMEN!” Usagi cheered.

“TO TUXEDO KAMEN!!!”

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

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

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

It felt good to be appreciated.

The End

#bishoujo senshi sailor moon #pretty guardian sailor moon #sailor moon #sailor moon fanfiction

[sailormoonrewrite]

Episode 5: Scent of a Monster: Chanela Will Steal Your Love

Faceless, shapeless monsters on all sides of her, forming a circle to entrap her in the endless void of nothingness around her as far as the eye could see. As they came closer and closer to her defenseless form, Sailor Moon tried to scream but nothing came out. It was as if she had no voice at all to cry out in fear. They were still coming closer, the void around her grew larger, and the air grew thicker, all trying to push her to her knees from the fear and fright she was feeling.

She knew she couldn’t give up! She had to fight! She was Sailor Moon! 

She went to touch the red jewel at the center of her golden tiara to protect herself against the horde creeping ever closer to her, only to feel her own skin instead of the coolness of the magical accessory which caused fear to fill her once again. How would she defend herself now?! How will she stop these monsters?! 

They were coming closer and Sailor Moon’s breath quickened as she tried to run, only to feel her legs were like stone and the void becoming unbearable to the point she was pushed to her knees, her breath becoming heavy as the tainted air filled her lungs forcing her to cough out purple smoke as the monsters crawled closer to the defenseless sailor guardian. 

Sailor Moon tried to stand, tried to fight, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t move! The air was too thick! The monsters too close! 

She painfully looked up to see one of the monsters, this one looking like the shadow of what seemed to be an unknown woman with long hair, carrying a long broadsword held to Sailor Moon’s throat all the while she was cackling in a wicked manner before lunging the evil blade at the frightened, immobile superheroine who could only shut her eyes waiting for her inevitable doom at the hands of this evil creature. 

However, nothing came.

Sailor Moon waited a moment. And than another. And then another before she dared to open her eyes and she loudly gasped. 

There, basked in golden light, cane drawn against the evil female shadow, and in a protective stance in front of her, was the masked savior, “Tuxedo Mask?!”

Tuxedo Mask looked behind for a moment to flash her a charming smirk that made Sailor Moon’s face turn as red as one of his roses as Tuxedo Mask turned back towards the horde of monsters, a look of sheer determination on his handsome face. 

With one great swing, Tuxedo Mask managed to single-handedly destroy the waves of shadow monsters that threatened Sailor Moon in a great big flash of light as they let out a final scream before they disappeared altogether. 

With them gone, everything began to transform. The air became clean and breathable which made Sailor Moon sigh in relief before noticing that was not the only change. Instead of a black empty void of nothingness that felt like straight jacket, Sailor Moon now found herself in an ethereal garden illuminated by another crescent moon and filled with roses on all sides that gave a warm, comforting, almost familiar feel instead of the freezing, suffocating atmosphere she felt before. 

She turned her gaze away from the garden and up towards her hero, Tuxedo Mask, who was giving her a gentle smile. “I saw you could use a bit of help against those things,” he said as he bent down next to her, his intense but kind gaze holding her own. “Are you alright?” 

Sailor Moon, filled with a strange combination of joy and a bit of shame for having let him find her in that position, she looked down which just made him chuckled before using his gloved hand to raise her chin so their eyes met once more. The blonde senshi managed to finally speak and say, “Oh...um...y-yeah. W-where did you come from?” 

“I wanted to see you again. Is that wrong?” he asked, as his hand went to caress her crimson cheek which sent a shiver of joy down her spine.

“I-I guess not,” she said as she felt herself gulp from anticipation as she noticed that Tuxedo Mask was getting closer to her face, to her mouth specifically. She could feel her own face match his movements, her eyes closing out of instinct for what was to come and her heart beating a mile a minute. She felt his hand drift to the back of her hair and she felt their lips were about to connect...

_____________________________________________

A loud, ear-shattering scream came the bedroom next door that forced Usagi away from her perfect dream of kissing Tuxedo Mask to the embarrassing reality where she was kissing her pillow. Thankfully, no one was there to see it, but Usagi couldn’t help but feel cheated! She was SO close to getting to have her dream of kissing Tuxedo Mask only for it to be ruined by that stupid, obnoxious, ear-splitting scream. Wait! Stupid? Obnoxious? 

She knew exactly who was to blame. 

“SHINGO!” she yelled, throwing open his door with a loud crash with the intent of destroying her younger brother for daring to awaken her from her sweet, romantic, Tuxedo Mask-filled dream. However, before she could she saw her brother clutching his blankets close to his chest, his eyes huge and wide and paralyzed in fear of something sitting on his bed which Usagi turn to see was a hissing Luna. Wait, Luna! What was she doing in here?! 

Before Usagi was able to wonder about this further, she saw her brother get out of his paralyzed state and grabbed a textbook that sat on his nightstand before flinging it at Luna who now held a look of dread as she saw the large schoolbook come flying at her. Without a second to lose, Usagi dove to pull Luna towards herself protect her from assault by book and bratty brother. 

“Usagi! Throw that menace out the window!” Shingo yelled as he quickly stood up on his bed. 

Usagi, feeling anger blaze inside her, at Shingo’s disregard for Luna’s life in addition to his previous crime yelled back, “Maybe I should toss you out the window! How dare you try to harm my cat!” 

“Y-your cat!” Shingo cried out in disbelief and even anger as he saw his sister clutch the feline closer to her chest. “Why would you bring a cat in here!? Get rid of it!” 

“She’s not an it firstly, and I can’t just get rid of her,” Usagi cried back with just as much anger. Sure, Luna can be a nag but Usagi wasn’t just going to let Shingo insult her like this, especially with the pain his words caused Luna if the black cat’s stiffening in her arms was anything to go by. 

“I don’t care! I hate cats!” Shingo yelled back.

“And I don’t care what you have to say because guess what? You’re not the boss of me,” Usagi smugly said to her younger brother. 

However, speaking of bosses of Usagi, “What is going on here?” spoke the voice of Tsukino Ikuko. “I could here you both from downstairs!”

The two children turned their attentions away from their yelling match to look over at the door where their mother stood with her arms folded and a look of annoyance on her face. “Mom?” they asked before turning to each other and then back to their mother before yells and screams began to fill the bedroom. 

“She brought a cat!” 

“He tried to fling Luna out a window!” 

“That cat attacked me!” 

“He’s lying! He tried to assault her with homework!” 

“It broke into my room!” 

“That’s not an excuse!” 

“Usagi-baka!” 

“Stupid brat!” 

“ENOUGH!” their mother cried which shut the two bickering siblings up. “Now, I did not understand a word of that, so you two are going to follow downstairs so we can discuss this with your father.” 

“Fine...” the two groaned as Shingo got out of bed but glared at his also glaring sister as they followed their mother to the dining room. 

_____________________________________________

Once they were downstairs, Usagi, still holding Luna, and Shingo took their seats at the dining table where their father was still sitting and reading from his paper seemingly unaware of the arrival of his children until their mother tapped him on the shoulder which shocked him away from his thrilling new article and to the cat in Usagi. “Usagi, why do you have a cat?”

Before Usagi could open her mouth, her annoying brother shouted over her, “Tell Usagi to get rid of it! It’s evil!”

“Hey! She may be a bit of a pain,” Usagi cried back when she felt Luna glare turn from her brother to her, clearly unhappy at being called a pain by her charge, “but she is not evil! If we have to get rid of anyone, it should be you and your cat-killing ways.”

“But mom!” Usagi whined. “He tried to kill Luna! And he’s obnoxious!”

“At least, I’m not dumb as a rock!” rebutted Shingo.

“Why you little-” Usagi growled out as she and brother angrily pressed their foreheads together with their teeth clenched, daring the other to try anything.

“Usagi! Shingo! Break it up now!” Ikuko cried and since mom’s word was law in the Tsukino household, the two children backed away from each other but still silently cursed each other in their minds when their father coughed to get their full attention.

“So, would someone like to explain to me what happened? Starting with,” Kenji said as he gestured to the black cat who was now staring at him with big red eyes, “her?” 

“Oh this is Luna!” Usagi said, shoving her feline guardian in the faces of her parents. “I found her being bullied by a bunch of bratty kids so I being the kind-hearted and wonderful person I am,” Usagi said, placing a hand on her chest with a very self-satisfied and even smug smile on her face which just earned a mocking snort from her bratty baby brother, “I saved Luna from them and decided to take her home.” 

“Why did you hide her from us?” Ikuko said, looking away from the cat to her daughter. 

Usagi shamefully looked away from her parents.

That was a very good question. Technically, she could’ve told her parents about Luna from the beginning but if she was being honest, she kind of just forgot. Now, in her defense she was also having to fight off evil, energy-sucking monsters who were intent on destroying the city and using humanity to do it but she couldn’t tell her parents that! They might think she’s lying and punish her by locking her up in her room and forcing her to study without being able to go to the Crown and talk to her friends! That had to be a fate worse than death! In fact, she would be willing to take on a thousand monsters than have to deal with that!

“Usagi?” she heard her mother say, breaking her out of her horrific thoughts of being trapped without anything fun to do. “Are you going to answer me?”

Oh, right, Luna. Usagi needed to quickly think of something before her parents get suspicious! Time for an elaborate, well-thought out plan! “You would never let me keep her!” Usagi cried, throwing herself to the ground with Luna still in her arms as she became to cry to huge, warm tears that somehow made a puddle in the short time Usagi had been on the floor. “You would’ve just taken Shingo’s side in it because you only love Shingo!” Usagi continued through sobs.

“Th-that’s not true, Usagi!” Kenji cried out, still in a bit of shock at the suddenness of his daughter’s tears and the sadness of his little girl crying at all. 

“But you won’t let me keep her because of Shingo!” Usagi cried rolling around in her own tears.

“N-no! That’s not- Sweetheart! Please, don’t cry!” Kenji said, diving to his crying baby girl’s side to comfort her.

“But you’re going to make me throw Luna onto the cold, hard streets where she’ll be alone, hungry, tired, and scared and I’ll be wracked with eternal guilt at not being able to help her! Do you want that for me, daddy!?” Usagi continued to wail as her mother and brother looked on bewildered and her father bursting into tears as he took her into his arms.

“Of course not! You can keep her as long as she needs! Just please don’t cry, sweetie!” Kenji cried as he held Usagi and rubbing her head.

“Mom! You can’t let him let Usagi-baka keep that beast!” Shingo begged his mother.

“Shingo! Don’t call your sister that,” Ikuko scolded before turning to Kenji. “Darling don’t you think we should talk this over some more.”

“But look how sad our little bunny is!” Kenji said, gesturing to Usagi who gave her best sad Usagi face to her mother whose usually stony face was shaken by the desperation and pleading of her daughter’s face. The 14-year-old was even pouting her lips in order to convince her mother.

“Please, Mom! Be strong!” Shingo called from the peanut gallery.

“Please, Mom. Don’t let Luna get thrown out in the streets. I promise to feed and clean her and take care of her,” Usagi said, now on her knees with her hands clasped together.

The pressure was immediately on for the Tsukino matriarch. On one hand if she chooses Shingo’s way and make Usagi give Luna up then she’d have to deal the weight on her conscience that she made her daughter give up her first pet and the fact the cat herself could end up homeless. On the other hand, if she went with Usagi’s way, Shingo won’t forgive her due to his fear of cats and he may even come to resent her as well. Finally, taking a deep breath, Ikuko looked up at both her children and said, “I think you two need to come up with a solution on you own.”

“WHAT!? WHY!?” They whined at the same time.

“You father and I can’t always be around to solve your problems so you two have to learn to compromise with each other,” Ikuko said which made her two children groan in anger.

“How are we going to do that? Usagi-baka is barely capable of getting up in the morning, do you really believe she’d be able to even comprehend how to compromise?” Shingo whined, looking away from his mother.

“Hey!” his older sister cried back, anger and humiliation evident in her voice.

“Shingo!,” Ikuko scolded which shut him up immediately. “We’ll talk about this more later, but right now, you two are going to be late for school so march up to your rooms to get ready.”

Unwilling to ruin their chances for their respective side with their parents, despite their mother saying she wants them to settle their differences on their own, the two headed for their bedrooms though the tension between the two was still  heavy if the anger that burned in their eyes whenever they caught sight of each other was any evidence. Speaking of, as they reached their bedrooms, Usagi glanced over at her brother who was still glaring daggers at her and Luna. Unwilling to put up with this abuse from her little brother, Usagi, stuck out her tongue and threw her bedroom open with a huff. 

“That little brat,” Usagi muttered as she slammed her door shut as Luna jumped from her shoulder. “I can’t believe Shingo has the gall to do that to you! And then to call me an idiot! Oh, I’ll show him how great of a compromiser I am! I’m probably the best compromiser that even compromised! I’ll compromise with him so well, that he’ll eat his words. I promise!”

“Usagi,” Luna said, interrupting Usagi’s ramblings about compromise that sounded more like threats to the cat. “Why does your brother hate cats so much?”

Usagi scratched her forehead and then shrugged. “He just does.”

“Well, if I’m going to stay here, we need to think of something to convince him to be happy I’m living here instead of just being resigned to it, since I don’t want to be the cause trouble in your family,” Luna said as she ducked her eyes away as Usagi pulled on her school uniform.

“Maybe trying to be nice to him would work. I mean Shingo’s a total brat but I doubt that he’d still tell mom and daddy to throw out an animal he’s come to love,” Usagi said with her mouth full of bobby pins as she quickly re-did her buns.

Luna looked over at Usagi and wondered on her words for a moment. Now, while she was definitely not happy that Shingo was so afraid of her just because she was a cat, she knew she was also a guest in the Tsukino household so she didn’t want to impose on them any more than she already did, so Luna admitted to herself that making the boy like her was probably the best course of action. “That’s a great idea,” Luna told the girl, coming out of her thoughts.

Usagi looked over at Luna, somehow with a toothbrush in her hand that Luna was sure she didn’t have a moment ago and smiled with a frothy, bubbly grin. “Thanks, Luna! Finally someone around here realizes that I’m a girl with great ideas!”

Luna gave a small smile as she laid her head on the purple, bunny-covered comforter before turning to the moon clock on Usagi’s wall to see it read 7:45 and continued, “And another great idea would be for you to start heading out before you’re late.”

Usagi turning to the clock before going physically pale and then to Luna she transformed into a blur that disappeared out the door calling, “Seeyoulater!RemembertobenicetoShingo!Bye!” before zipping out which made the cat blink until she heard Usagi’s shrill scream, “I’M GOING TO BE LATE!” coming from outside the house that made Luna briefly wonder how Usagi managed to get outside so quickly. 

Shaking her head to get rid of the thought, she jumped off the bed and walked out of Usagi’s bedroom where she found Shingo who gave a look of pure terror but racing down the stairs, screaming all as Luna looked sadly at the boy. How was she ever going to make him like her?

_____________________________________________

“Jadeite. Stand before me,”  called the echoed the voice of the Dark Kingdom’s queen, a woman called Beryl. 

“Queen Beryl, it is always an honor to bask in the glory of your radiance,” Jadeite said as he kneeled before the queen whose face held an expression of boredom.

“Save me the pleasantries,” she said with venom dripping from her tone as she glared at the general who visibly stiffened. “Despite your past failures, I’m in a merciful mood, so I shall give you a chance to show why I shouldn’t sacrifice you to our Great Queen instead of wasting her awesome power on your pathetic schemes.”

Jadeite clenched his fist, his own eyes trained on the floor as he cursed Sailor Moon for her interference and Queen Beryl for calling him a failure despite him doing a majority of the work gathering energy for their Great Queen while she remains here, seemingly doing nothing than obsess over the orb on her staff. However, Jadeite took a deep breath and managed to hold his tongue enough to say, “M-my queen, I have been a loyal soldier of yourself and our Great Queen and if it wasn’t for that miserable Sailor Moon, her resurrection would be happening much sooner.” Fingernails tapped on the throne of black crystals echoed through the caverns that dripped with irritation and annoyance which made Jadeite gulp as the realization that he won’t be able to talk his way out of this surfaced in his mind. He had to think of something. Something fast. “I have another plan.” 

The sickening sound of her fingernails constant taps quieted as she turned to him, and said, “And what is that?”

Jadeite quickly went through his memories of what he had seen while disguising himself as another human instead of the great and powerful general he really was and quickly thought of how the humans would keep animals as pets, as companions and while the humans were supposed to be the masters of the beasts, to Jadeite’s observations it seemed to be quiet the opposite with their pampering and grooming the creatures as they would actually care. However, they do not do this for all creatures, only the ones they saw that were particularly eye-pleasing. It seemed that the humans would fall all over themselves and lose all sense of reason for something with attractive features. It was pathetic. Wait! That’s it! “My queen, in my time observing the humans and their ways, I have noticed that they pay particular attention to their domesticated beasts so long as they have a particular level of adorability to it, so if we can use this devotion and love for beauty we can attack them in their own homes and they’d be none the wiser.”

Silence settled over the cavern which did nothing to alleviate Jadeite’s nerves as he kept his eyes on the ice-cold stones that served as the floor before he heard Queen Beryl say, “You will not fail.” It wasn’t a question. It was an order.

“Y-yes, my queen,” Jadeite said as he slowly rose from the floor and nodded before leaving the throne room for his laboratory to make a pet that no human could resist.

_____________________________________________

Tsukino Shingo was walking out of his school building, still grumbling to himself about Usagi-baka’s stupid new cat. That Luna! Why did Usagi have to bring that animal home with her? She knew he hated cats! And why did it have to be in his bed?! Couldn’t Usagi-baka keep an eye on it instead of letting it wander everywhere?! Then again she was always a space case who only ever thought about herself. Ugh! How did he, someone so motivated and hard-working, get stuck with a sister like her? Besides why should she get a pet? He deserved a pet more than she did!

As Shingo mewled over his thoughts, he was unaware of the furry creature crawling along the school’s fence and then jumping onto his shoulder until he heard her meows of affection as she nuzzled into the crook of his neck that sent shockwaves down Shingo’s spine. 

Unfortunately, these were not shockwaves of joy. No. These were shockwaves of fear that coursed through his body, their cold bite on his spine as his eyes widened and turned to the unaware cat as a silent scream rose from his frozen body. 

He couldn’t do anything. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t talk, he couldn’t push - no throw- this stupid beast from his shoulder. All he could do was stare as the thing’s fur prickled the goosebumps on his neck, it’s evilness radiating off her like a plague as she began to use her rough tongue on his cheek.

He couldn’t think. 

He couldn’t breathe.

He...He...He....

“Shingo-kun,” a familiar feminine voice called from behind him which snapped him out of his trance and he quickly threw the cat off his shoulder where she landed on her feet with a look of fear that looked similar to his when she was on his shoulder. However, he couldn’t find himself caring as he ducked behind the owner of the familiar voice which turned out to be his best friend (and not his secret crush), Kayama Mika, a pretty girl with straight, shoulder-length brown hair that resembled milk chocolate and eyes like the ocean. 

Mika, for her part shocked by her best friend’s callous treatment of the cat, rushed to the animal’s side and gently laid her in her lap whispering words of comfort much to Shingo’s visible shock. “It’s okay. It’s okay,” whispered Mika as she pet the scared animal’s fur until she managed to calm down and happily purring into the girl’s lap. 

With that done, Mika’s eyes turned to her flabbergasted friend and her eyes narrowed at him. “Why would you be so cruel to this cat?”

“Um, because it’s an evil, monstrous intruder who forced itself into my home and managed to brainwash my stupid sister into keeping her,” Shingo said crossing his arms before cowering when he noticed the cat glaring at him.

“Shingo-kun,” Mika said with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes?” Shingo asked, turning his gaze away from evil incarnate to his dearest best friend.

“That sounds crazy,” Mika said as she gently pushed the beast off her lap and walked over to Shingo. “She’s just a cat,” she said when she came close to her friend, “I’m sure she’s not out to take your place in your family.”

“I don’t know about that, Mika-chan. My sister did bring her home,” Shingo said crossing his arms. His friend, rolled her eyes at his absurdity, before looking behind her to check on the cat to see she had disappeared.

“She’s gone,” Mika said out loud as she wondered why the cat would just leave like that. 

Shingo followed her gaze to see where the spot that demon cat was now empty which made him give a sigh of relief. At least now he doesn’t have to deal with that evil beast for a little while and he could actually enjoy the time he had with his best friend. Maybe if he was lucky the cat would lose it’s way, disappear from his sister’s life, and he would never have to see that thing again. “Now that demon is gone, why don’t we head to this game store I know.”

“Shingo-kun we have to find that cat. She could be in danger for all we know,” Mika said, looking around in fear for the black cat’s safety.

“It’s just a stupid cat,” Shingo muttered as he indignantly crossed his arms.

“But didn’t you say it was your sister who brought her home?” Mika asked.

“Well, yeah. I guess,” Shingo said looking away. Stupid Usagi-baka. Bringing home the stupid, bedroom-invading cat who was intent on ruining his life for no reason. Ugh. 

“And don’t you think she’d be sad if she can’t find her cat?” Mika said looking into Shingo’s eyes.

“It’s not officially her cat since Mom and Dad haven’t made a decision since they want us to ‘compromise’,” Shingo said bitterly. He laughed silently to himself. Compromise? With Usagi? Stubborn, crybaby Usagi? What were his parents thinking? Why couldn’t they just have chosen his side for once? Usagi always got her way with their parents, especially their father. All she had to do was bat her eyelashes and cry, and they were willing to fall over themselves to make her happy. Meanwhile, he actually has to earn things by getting good grades and doing chores. It wasn’t fair!

“But she’d still be sad wouldn’t she?” Mika asked.

Shingo kept his mouth shut. She would be. And if she found out, she’d tell their parents and it would be his fault if anything happened to Luna and he’d be grounded.

And Usagi-baka would be sad.

Shingo let out a sigh. “Let’s go find that dumb cat,” Shingo said, begrudgingly as Mika happily clapped at her friend’s perceived selflessness with a big smile that made Shingo blush which he quickly tried to hide. 

“Come on,” she said, grabbing his hand as she ran off in the direction of the shopping district which made Shingo’s face grow redder and redder. 

Once they arrived, Mika let go of Shingo’s hand which made the Tsukino boy pout in sadness as he watched his best friend peer through the crowds of shopping teenagers, errand running parents, and screaming kids wanting a toy to just try and catch a glimpse of the black-furred creature while he just glanced around at the ledges of building and the concrete of sidewalks to try and find that pointy-eared demon that had invaded his family’s home.

She wasn’t there and he felt...something. Relief? Sadness? Regret? Guilt? He didn’t know.

As he was wondering, about this he heard Mika says, “Why don’t you like cats, Shingo-kun?”

Shingo froze before blushing from embarrassment. “W-well...,” he muttered as he pulled at his shirt. “It’s a bit embarrassing but...well...,” Shingo paused as he peeked between his bangs to see the sympathetic face of Mika which urged him to tell her what happened. “When I was really little our neighbor, had an old cat and one day Mom and I went to their house...and...um...I guess I wanted to play with the cat...but it didn’t,” Shingo said as he pulled up his school shirt to reveal three long gashes down on his belly. He could still remember the feel of the sharp claws from that mean old cat scratching his delicate skin which caused blood to drip out of the opening. He remembered how he screamed to the high heavens which caused his mother to come rushing to grab and console him  as the neighbor had put that demon cat in the back and despite her apologizing profusely, the damage to Shingo was done. Ever since that day, he hasn’t been able to stand cats in any compacity. 

As he thought about this Mika came closer before looking at Shingo, “I’m so sorry, Shingo-kun. Does your sister know about this?”

Shingo shook his head. “Usagi wasn’t there and I never talked about it with anyone. Well, I guess except for now.”

Mika’s sympathy became empathy when she said, “Oh, Shingo-kun. I’m sure if you tried to talk to her she would understand.”

“I doubt it,” he said with a bitter laugh. “All she cares about is shopping and herself.”

Mika looked him in the eyes and said, “You should at least try.”

Shingo paused and before he could say anything further on the subject, something hit his nose which made Mika look at him in confusion until that same smell drifted into her nostrils.

It was the sweetest, most intoxicating scent he ever smelled. It was smelled like sweet jasmine flower mixed with vanilla and cinnamon mixed in. They wanted to know what it was. They NEEDED to know what it was. 

They walked closer towards it, the scent filling all their senses and in that moment, nothing else mattered but that delight scent to the the two children. No one else mattered. All they knew was that scent. 

They continued towards the smell until they was hit by a blast of it that overwhelmed until his eyes were completely glazed over, the noise behind him being drowned out in their mind as they continued towards the source of the delectable scent until they found it sitting in a cage. 

The two children stared at the creatures. It was a strange little animal that resembled a rabbit crossed with a mouse that had long fur and large red eyes that peered back at the children.

“Do you like her?” a male voice that hadn’t been drowned out said. This nearly snapped the two out of their trance when they looked behind them to see a man with a black ball cap, a red polo shirt, and a black apron on as he handed a similar looking creature to a child and a frazzled looking mother before walking over to the two children and looking back at the creature along with Shingo and Mika and they were again lost in the gaze of the creature.

“Yes,” the two said simultaneously in a cold, monotone voice.

The man smirked and said, “I’m not surprised. These are a new kind of pet called Chanelas and they’ve proved to be very popular.”

“Chanela,” the two muttered, their eyes never leaving the creature, the Chanela.

The man looked down at the two children and said, “Would each of you like one?” The two merely nodded, their eyes never meeting his. “Good,” he said as he opened two cages with the Chanelas inside and handed one to each child. 

“Thank you,” the two said as they headed towards the door without another glance at the man or anyone but their new pets. 

“You’re welcome,” the man said. “And thank you as well,” he muttered quietly, as his smile turned to wicked smirk and his eyes turned from brown to a chilled silver.

_____________________________________________

Luna sighed as she walked back to the Tsukino house with her head hung low and her chest heavy.

What had she done wrong? Was she too forward with Shingo? Why did he recoil in horror at her? Was Shingo really that repulsed by her? 

As these thoughts rattled around in her mind, she heard the gate opening which caused her head to flick around to see it was Shingo holding a strange, repulsive smelling creature in his hand. 

A strange creature that gave Luna a terrible feeling in the pits of her stomach. 

Luna’s feeling didn’t subside when she glanced up at Shingo himself. His eyes were cold and seemed to be staring at the creature in his hands without a hint of life, so much different to the rude, frightened, and spirited boy from earlier and...it scared her.

Luna walked towards the boy, trying to get a better look at the creature and to see why Shingo was acting so strange now. However, neither boy or foul smelling creature paid her any mind as they continued walking down the path to the doorway. 

The black, talking cat then began to meow and mewl for Shingo to look towards her, even if it would probably just end up being fear in his eyes. She paused for a moment but then meowed louder to catch his attention. But no. He just kept walking by, his soulless eyes still fixed squarely on the creature. 

That sinking feeling continued and grew and grew, until Luna, desperate to make the boy express something whether it be fear, anger, even hate, anything, she jumped directly into his path yowled as loudly as she could, even adding in a few mewls and showing her claws to add to Shingo’s emotions. Please Shingo! Just do anything!

Shingo stopped which shocked even Luna making her give a sigh of relief. That was until she smelled the horrible smell of sulfur and ash grow stronger which made her look up to see Shingo robotically wind back his leg before it came swinging towards her before it came crashing towards her tiny body sending her flying with more force than she would’ve expected from such a young boy before she landed with a thud on the concrete which caused unimaginable pain to quickly spread throughout her feline body as she laid in scrambled heap.

“Luna!” called a voice in fright after the sound of an opening gate and the next thing the cat knew she was lying in the familiar lap of Tsukino Usagi. “Shingo! I knew you were always a brat but I never knew you could be cruel!” Usagi yelled in Luna’s defense as she gently soothed the cat by petting her (which did help a little). “Well! Say something! And what is that you’re staring at?!” Usagi cried as she stood up, hugging the black cat to her chest. 

There was no reply from Shingo. In fact, when managed to fight the pain to glance over at the boy and was quickly disheartened to see him still enthralled by the creature he carried. 

“Hey! Don’t walk away from me!” Usagi loudly demanded of the boy as he continued to ignore his sister as he walked past her to the door - which was promptly slammed open by an irate looking Tsukino Ikuko.

“What is going on out here?” she demanded of her two children where Usagi looked at her like a deer in the headlights before shaking off her fright.

“MAMA!” Usagi whined with tears in her eyes. “Shingo kicked Luna and sent her flying! Punish him!”

“Shingo...is this true?” Ikuko said with a bit of disbelief in her voice as she stared over at her son who didn’t even glance at her. “Shingo,” she said more forcefully to attract his attention but to no avail as he merely disappeared into the house, leaving his mother and sister bewildered and angry outside. Especially his mother who had never seen her younger child showed such disrespect. “Shingo!” Ikuko cried out as she followed the boy inside.

Meanwhile, the girl and the cat just stared at the door before looking at each other with confusion in their eyes then back at the door when Luna saw Usagi getting a wicked glint to her eyes before she raced into the house with a wide smile that genuinely scared the black cat in her arms.

“Usa-” Luna began trying to talk to the speeding girl when she was quickly shushed by said girl as they came to a frighteningly fast stop that nearly sent the feline guardian flying from her charge’s arms and causing the cat’s head to spin. Shaking off the dizziness, she was seconds from scratching the life out of Usagi when she noticed the girl looking intently into the living room which made Luna look over as well where she saw Shingo being scolded by his mother.

“So I want you to apologize to your sister and Luna for your behavior,” Ikuko finished, though to Luna it didn’t seem like he was really listening.

“Yes, mother,” he replied which Luna was shocked by since he had not said a word this whole time and even then his voice sounded more like a robot’s than his usual rambunctious tone. “I would like to keep this Chanela. She’s cute and smells nice,” he continued, holding up the creature to his mother.

“Shingo, we are not-” Ikuko began before her eyes glazed over and her mouth quickly shutting as though she had fallen into a daze upon looking at the Chanela which made Luna raise an eyebrow at. “Of course,” Ikuko said in that same monotone voice as Shingo had which frightened Luna and made her wonder for a bit.

“So I can keep Luna right?” Usagi declared stepping into the living room with a smirk of her face. “If Shingo’s allowed to keep his pet, then I’m allowed to keep mine?”

Ikuko quickly shook her head before turning to her older child and said, “Oh. Yes. You can keep Luna.”

Usagi gave a cry of joy as she squeezed Luna which went unnoticed by the squealing teen. Luna couldn’t join in on the impromptu celebration about her being able to stay as she stared at the dead-eyed Shingo and then at the Chanela in his hand. She didn’t know why but  and felt a chill run down her spine and made Luna gulp when she looked into its eyes. It’s cold, empty eyes that radiated hatred at her that no one else seemed to notice.

_____________________________________________

The next morning, Usagi threw open her bedroom door when she heard someone pounding on a door and assumed this was her mother trying to wake her up but jokes on her! The blonde girl had been up for at least ten minutes. Well...Given that she also only had 15 minutes to actually make it school that plus she only had one bun and pigtail done and while the hanging in a half-brushed mess with her toothbrush hanging from her mouth, she still had a bit to go into term of actually getting ready. 

However, small victories are important.

Anyways, when Usagi looked around the hallway she found that there wasn’t her angry mother looking down at her with disappointment as was usual in the morning but instead she saw her angry mother looking down with disappointment at her brother’s door which interested her far more greatly that having to hear one of her mother’s famous lectures on responsibility and the like. 

“What’s going on?” Usagi asked as she finished brushing her hair and put it in her trademark hairstyle.

Ikuko rubbed her forehead before noticing Usagi and gave a smile. “Well, at least one of my children are going to school.”

Usagi gave a confused look at this. Wait. Shingo? Not going to school? Didn’t Shingo always make a fuss and how stupid she was? And how important education was? And how much smarter he was than her? So why wasn’t he going to school today?

“Is Shingo okay?” Usagi asked. 

Ikuko sighed for a moment before looking at Usagi and saying, “It’s his new pet.”

“His pet?” Usagi said. Oh, right that weird gerbil thing he had last night when he kicked Luna which she would never forgive him for by the way. That was mean. However, there were more pressing matters at hand. “Why would his pet be preventing him from going to school?”

“When I came in to wake him this morning the first thing he he asked me was if he could take his Chanela with him and I told him no but he just ignored me and  locked himself in his room,” Ikuko explained before turning back to try and pound on the door and was given no response. 

Usagi looked at the door raised an eyebrow. This wasn’t like Shingo. He never missed a day of school, even when he had that horrible food poisoning when he tried their dad’s cooking and was puking in between his classes until his teachers forced him to go home, meanwhile she had to go to school and deal with a huge English test that ended up with her having to take after school classes because of how bad the grade was...what was she thinking about? Oh, right! Shingo! He never missed a day of school! So, why now? And for his pet?

“Tsukino Shingo!” Ikuko called. “You are going to school!”

No reponse.

Ikuko clutched her forehead as Usagi could’ve sworn that she could see vein on the verge of popping. Usually, she only had this reaction with her and also usually, this would’ve brought the blonde great joy but now...she could only feel extreme worry. What was going on? Usually Shingo was an obedient kid. Usagi thought back to yesterday with Luna. Sure, he hates her but to try and kill her or at the very least extremely damage her...That just was not like him. 

However, Usagi didn’t have long to think on these thoughts when her mother looked over at her and said, “Go finish getting ready for school.”

Usagi looked up at her mom and asked, “Are you sure? I mean I would be happy to help tear him out of bed.” Her mother’s annoyed expression looked over at Usagi who awkwardly laughed and quickly said, “Or um...I could just finish getting ready.” Ikuko nodded as a bit of smile came back to her face which made Usagi smiled at her mom as she turned to head back to her own room. However, as she put her hand on her doorknob, she looked over to her brother’s door where her mother returned to pounding to get a response. And for a moment, so did Usagi. Still, no response. The pounding continued.

This wasn’t like him.

Not at all.

And that was what worried her the most.

_____________________________________________

Usagi came stumbling into the classroom without a second to lose as the bell rang and her face went crashing into the ground. Usagi groaned as she sat up ready to throw whatever excuses she had at her teacher only to find that she wasn’t there and no one seemed to care that she was basically late since they were all too busy staring at something under their desk. There was also the addition of a very sweet and somehow familiar scent in the classroom. That was weird. Did Haruna-sensei get some flowers or something? This confused her for a bit but however the relief of not being in trouble quickly overpowered any care she had for classmates strange behavior or the perfume.

Standing to her feet and with a smile on her face, the 14-year-old headed to her seat next to her redheaded best friend. “Hey, Naru-chan!” Usagi cried, though her good mood was quickly dashed by the worried look on the face of her mask-wearing friend. “What’s wrong?” Usagi asked and Naru turned to Umino who was one of the students who were staring down at their desk. Sorry. Not their desk. Something under their desk. 

Usagi leaned back in her own desk to get a better look at what her male friend was staring at and her eyes went wide upon seeing it. It was one those weird gerbil rabbit things Shingo brought home yesterday. A Chanela, she thought. Weird name. She sniffed the air and realized that same sweet perfume she sniffed when she came into the classroom was coming from the creature. The same perfume, she smelled coming from Shingo’s pet yesterday. Did all Chanela’s smell like that?

Usagi’s question was soon answered when she looked around that classroom and saw that every student but her and Naru had one of those Chanela things. Why are they here though? “Is there a bring your pet to school day?” Usagi asked Naru who turned away from their friend and looked Usagi.

“No. But it really is weird Usagi-chan. Like I tried talking to Umino,” Naru whispered to Usagi, “and he just completely ignored me.”

Usagi raised an eyebrow at that. Umino was always sticking his nose into their business so why wouldn’t he try to talk to them, especially when they actually make the attempt to talk to them? 

“Hey! Umino!” Usagi called to him. No response. That was weird. “Umino!” she called louder this time. No response. There was that sense of worry again. First, Shingo and now Umino? This was freaky. 

Before she could worry, more about this she heard the click-clack of heels belonging to their teacher, Sakurada-sensei and quickly silenced herself in case she might get trouble. Or even more trouble depending on how the day goes. 

“Good morning, students,” Sakurada-sensei said as she put her bags onto her desk.

“Good morning, Sakurada-sensei,” Naru and Usagi said, in kind of an awkward way given that they were the only ones out of the entire class to say it.

Sakurada-sensei, having heard this as well, looked first at Usagi who was actually in her seat and paying attention for once with an expression as though she was about to get hit by a bus which in all honesty kind of offended Usagi. She could be on time. Sure it was once in a blue moon but it can still happen! Usagi was sure to show her annoyed expression which just made her teacher roll her eyes before looking over the rest of the students in her class who weren’t paying any attention to her which made Sakurada-sensei’s right eye start twitching. “Good morning, students,” Sakurada-sensei said, again louder this time. Still no response from any of the students other Usagi and Naru, who were becoming more uncomfortable with each passing moment. “Good morning, STUDENTS,” Sakurada-sensei said again, putting a lot of force into the word ‘students’. And...nothing. This made Sakurada-sensei obviously mad and she grabbed a large pile of books off her desk which hit the floor of the classroom with harsh thud that made Naru and Usagi nearly jump from their seats, but unfortunately no one else did. “Alright! What is going on with all of you?” Sakurada-sensei demanded of the class that didn’t respond and that was the moment she noticed they weren’t looking at her but something under their desks and smelled something very delicious smelling in the air. “What is that heavenly smell?” she asked which to the shock of Usagi and her best friend, made the students pop up with their Chanelas in hand, rushing straight for their teacher as though they were possessed as the smell grew stronger until it was more like a thick cloud of vanilla, jasmine, and cinnamon that was actually making Usagi dizzy and her eyes teary. 

Quickly covered her mouth with her shirt and looked up around her to see that no one else. No. Instead when Usagi gazed upon her classmates, friends, and teacher, their eyes were completely glazed over like how Shingo and her mom’s were last night. 

The scent was getting heavier and it was becoming harder to breathe. 

Usagi coughed, trying to rid of the harsh sweetness from her lungs. However, the scent continued to grow stronger and heavier and Usagi didn’t know if she would be able to breathe in this air. 

She heard coughing next to her. Someone else had noticed! So Usagi wasn’t going crazy! Overwhelmed with relief and joy, she almost completely forgot about the floral-smelling but chocking air quality until she saw who it was. It was Naru! And she looked even worse than she did. She was coughing heavily into her mask and her skin was a sickly pale.

Oh no! What could Usagi do!? Her joy quickly turning to fear. Naru didn’t look good and if Usagi was being honest, she looked like she was on the verge of passing out and the blonde wasn’t doing too well herself. She looked up and saw that Sakurada-sensei was still distracted by the students and Chanelas and wasn’t noticing what was happening to either one of them. 

This unfortunately left Usagi with a choice. She could grab Naru and the both of them would run out of the suffocating room but that would lead to them both getting in trouble or they could stay here and not get in trouble. Usagi turned to her best friend whose head was now collapsed on her desk. Oh no. 

There wasn’t a choice. 

Usagi rushed over to her masked friend who at this point was barely conscious and grabbed, well, dragged her to the door. As she passed the group of students, Chanelas, and teacher, Usagi briefly thought they would notice her carrying Naru out of the classroom. This was not the case. No. They were still too focused on the sweet-smelling rabbit-gerbil hybrid thing. 

Well, at least they wouldn’t worry if she took Naru to the infirmary.

Once they were out of the classroom, Usagi looked over at Naru and saw that she was slowly becoming more conscious as a result of being outside. This made Usagi smile has she dropped her shirt and hugged the semi-conscious Naru. “Are you okay?” Usagi asked, shaking her a bit to wake her up more. 

Naru coughed before looking up at her friend and muttered in a hoarse voice, “U-Usagi? W-where are we?”

“We’re heading to the infirmary because you passed out,” Usagi said as she held her friend to prevent her from falling. 

Naru nodded, “Oh y-yeah. I remember the room started to smell really good but I guess it messed with my cold or something.” She then coughed harshly and would’ve fallen to the ground had Usagi not caught her in time.

“I’m still taking you to the infirmary,” Usagi said as she pulled Naru up when she heard a door opening behind her followed by the sound of a lot of feet. That was weird. The bell to switch classes hadn’t rang yet so why were people leaving their classroom? One or two people she could forgive. But this sounded like an entire class! 

Usagi very confused stopped and looked behind her and saw the class wasn’t just any class. Oh no! It was her class! And not only that, Sakurada-sensei was with them and she didn’t look well. Sure her eyes were all glazed over and creepy before but now was walking in a trance with her body stiff and it worried Usagi. 

It turned out she wasn’t the only one. She looked over to see that the door to the science room had opened and out walked Sato-sensei with a stern expression on his face and quickly said, “What are you all of you doing out of- Haruna-chan?” he asked upon seeing his...her teacher. “Haruna-chan! What’s going on?” There was no reply, instead Sakurada-sensei just tried to walk past him which seemed to confuse him given that he stepped out in front of her. “Haruna-chan! Please talk to me.” She stopped. 

And then she, with strength Usagi didn’t know she had, threw him to the side and he crashed into the nearby wall.

Fear and terror came onto Usagi’s face as she and Naru stared at the slumped over figure of their teacher slumped over as a couple of students from his class came out and helped him up. Usagi sighed a bit in relief when she saw that he conscious but maybe a bit dazed before her heart quickly broke when she saw his heartbroken expression as he stared at door Sakurada-sensei left with her class. 

Why? Why would Sakurada-sensei do that to someone she loves? Then all that with the students and bring those Chanelas to school? And the Chanelas giving off that scent that made her and Naru sick?

There was no doubt about it now. Something was definitely wrong. And she didn’t Luna to tell her that.

Naru coughed. 

But first she needed to get her best friend to infirmary.

_____________________________________________

After Usagi had taken Naru to the infirmary, the day went by at a snail’s pace since all she could think about was finding out what was going on with Shingo and her class and her teacher. 

Well, luckily, the day was over and she had managed to arrive to Juban Shopping District where her eyes widened with shock. Everywhere she looked, there was a Chanela in someone’s hands. That wasn’t just her being dramatic (as she was told she was). Every single person she saw had a Chanela in their hand or somewhere on their body and like her classmates they were all staring at them instead of where they were walking, with some walking into buildings while others walked into each other but no one seemed to care. No one seemed to care about anything really, not even their lovers or families. They were too busy with the Chanelas. 

It was heartbreaking. 

That scent again. This time even stronger that it forced Usagi into a hunched position covering her nose, trying to block out the sickeningly sweet smell. 

She began to stagger and sway as her head was being filled with a some kind of mist despite trying to block it out. It was messing with her head. She staggered some more. She could feel it in her head. She swayed. It was doing something to her. 

She staggered. Her mind was fuzzy. She swayed. She felt sick. She crashed. She crashed into someone.

In that moment, her mind nearly instantly cleared. The smell seemed to dissipate. It was still there but it wasn’t as strong. 

No. Her only concern was the person she crashed into. She looked down to see she landed on the back of the person she crashed into with his face covered by the ground and he was wearing a kind-of familiar pea-green jacket. But that didn’t matter. “Um...are you like...conscious?” she asked with an embarrassed blush on her face. She probably should’ve said something better. “I’m...really sorry. I didn’t mean to know you out like that, and I-” 

She felt him shift and before her eyes was HIM. “I thought that was you, Odango Atama,” he said with a smirk on his stupid face. Now she knew why that ugly jacket was so familiar. “I mean you are the only girl that every time I meet, I always seem to end up patching myself up at home.”

“YOU!” she said as she quickly scrambled off his back and onto her feet as the sapphire-eyed jerk rose to his own as he rubbed the dirt from his eyes. Well, good! He was a jerk. 

 “What are you doing here?” she said puffing out her cheeks in a pout and her arms crossed against her chest. That’s when she started to scan him and saw that he was the only other person to not have a Chanela! “You don’t have a Chanela!” she cried, pointing her finger at his face.

“And you don’t either,” he said as he put his hands into his pockets. 

This confused Usagi. How of all people did it have to be him who didn’t have a Chanela?! “Why?” she demanded of him.

“They smell like burnt cheese and old rubber so why would I want that in my house?”

Usagi visibly gaped at this. Burnt cheese? Old rubber? They were some of the sweetest smelling things she’d ever smelled! And okay, it did make her sick and her friend pass out but still! What was he talking? “What are you talking about?!” she cried out.

“Well, I was talking about the Chanelas so what are you talking about, Odango?” he said his smirk somehow becoming bigger that Usagi genuinely thought that it was going to takeover his face and he would just become a living smirk, existing only to mess with her. 

“I’m talking about your lack of smell since Chanelas are like the sweetest things ever!” Usagi cried, shoving her finger into his chest which barely seemed to do anything to change his expression.

“People keep saying that,” he said and to Usagi’s surprise his face began to shift to one of worry and his eyes turned towards the crowds of people with suspicion heavy in his eyes. It was weird. However, this was quickly dashed when he turned back to her and said, “Please don’t tell me you’re thinking of buying one of those things?”

“For you information I was investigating them!” she cried out in anger. 

“Investigating them?” he asked with genuine confusion in his voice. “Why?”

Usagi realizing what she said and why she said quickly shoved her hand over her mouth in a desperate attempt to take back the words she had said moments ago. It didn’t work if the look of the baka’s face was anything to go by. “Well, um...It’s because...” Usagi stuttered, her cheeks turning red under that stupidly intense stare of his that always seemed to go right to her core. Why was she trying to explain herself to him? Just because they worked together to help Motoki onii-san didn’t make them friends. He was still a jerk who liked to get on her last nerve! And yet...she peeked up at him to see his unreadable expression and blazing eyes still on her. She ducked her eyes again before muttering under her breath, “Though it’s not any of your business, but it’s my brother.”

This took him aback a bit before he quickly shook it off, “Your brother?”

“Yeah, baka! My brother. Ever since, he got one of those stupid things, he’s been more of a brat than usual and even kicked my cat into the air! And if that wasn’t the worst of it, my entire class had them and because of their smell, my friend Naru and I get really sick and now everywhere I look, everyone seems to have them!” Usagi rambled on until she was panting. You know, that actually felt pretty good to get it all out in the open like that. Even if it was to a jerk like him. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some very important investigating to do,” she said walking away with a huff, not even bothering to see if that sapphire-eyed guy was watching her or following her.

Strangely, though the farther she walked away from him the heavier the scent became. What was going on?

Eventually, when she was starting to near the Pet Shop where Chanelas were popularly sold, she smelled something which made her stop in her tracks. It was delicious, delectable smell. It smelled like strawberries that had been dipped in chocolate mixed with vanilla. It tickled her nose and she wanted to fall it. NEEDED to follow it. 

She was caught in a trance.

She didn’t know about anything. She didn’t feel anything. There was only that scent. She wanted that scent. She needed that scent. 

She continued to follow it.

She found it’s source.

It was a Chanela. 

A Chanela with the biggest, brightest red eyes. Eyes that peered into her. 

She couldn’t move her gaze. She didn’t want to move her gaze. She just wanted the Chanela. 

“Do you like her?” she heard in reference to the Chanela.

“Yes,” she said in a monotone, not even bothering to see what the person behind her.

She didn’t know when the Chanela was in her hands. All she knew was that it was. That it’s red eyes were still peering deeply in her own. 

She stared at the Chanela.

She walked outside. She heard barking and growling. Her Chanela wasn’t happy.

Remove Threat. 

She kicked the animal to the side. 

Chanela must be kept happy. 

She walked. 

She bumped into something. It was crying. It was a human child

Remove Threat. 

She pushed the crying child to the side.

Chanela must be kept happy.

She walked.

“Odango Atama,” a voice said and it made her stop. 

Remove Threat.

“I thought you weren’t going to get one of those things,” the voice said. It seemed masculine and familiar.

Remove Threat.

“Odango Atama?” he said again trying to get her attention. 

Remove Threat!

“Odango Atama!” he cried out.

Remove Threat!

“Are you alright!?” he said, jumping in front of her.

RemoveThreatRemoveThreatRemoveThreatRemoveThreat

He then tried to take her Chanela. He must be removed. 

She slapped him across the face, sending him to the ground. 

Chanela must be kept happy. Yet...ChanelamustbekepthappyChanelamustbekepthappyChanelamustbekepthappy.

She walked away.

Unbeknownst to her, she was being watched.

_____________________________________________

Luna was horrified. Usagi slapped someone! Usagi pushed someone! Usagi kicked a dog! 

She had barely gotten to the pet store where Chanelas were being sold when she saw Usagi leaving and that’s when she saw the very un-Usagilike behavior which was not like her charge at all! Usagi could be lazy and unmotivated but she would never hurt innocents for any reason.

Something was definitely wrong. 

Luna run to catch up to her charge just as she slapped a man with black hair and blue eyes to ground before she continued walking and Luna caught sight of one of those Chanelas, resting in Usagi’s palms. That was strange. 

Wait...

Shingo hated her before, but ever since he got that Chanela, his behavior had become so much worse. And now this with Usagi...

Did the Chanela have something to do with Shingo’s and now Usagi’s drastic change in behavior? What if...?

“Usagi!” Luna called chasing after her though she could see it did nothing and only made that horrible stench the Chanela gave off become stronger that Luna was knocked back onto her bum just be the sheer amount of disgust she felt. 

However, there was no time. Quickly jumping back to her feet, the feline braved the foul smell and sprinted after Usagi who was getting farther and farther away to the point where Luna could feel her legs burn from trying to keep up with her. “USAGI!” Luna called again as she pushed her body harder. “USAGI!” She yelled again as her breath became ragged.

She was getting further. Luna stopped and took a deep breath before looking up, gathered the last amounts of her strengths and made a final hurl to jump in front of Usagi. 

This did the trick and Usagi paused, however there was no time for Luna to relax since she saw the look on Usagi’s face that she had once seen on Shingo as well as the fact that Usagi was getting ready to wind up and kick her. Luna was ready though and with an unafraid look she leaped onto Usagi’s leg when it came flying at her and then her uniform. 

Taking a deep breath from the physical exercise, Luna saw Usagi’s hand darting out towards her to rip her off, and saw that her other hand was being lifted high into the air with the Chanela still on top of her palm.

Narrowly avoiding being grabbed, Luna climbed Usagi and no doubt leaving a few scratches on her face trying to reach the top of her head while her hand tried desperately tried to pull her off. Thankfully she made it and with one last great leap, Luna managed to nab the foul-smelling and even worst tasting creature in her jaws and land on her feet. 

The Chanela began to scream, however, radiating more of that disgusting smell that Luna wished she had hands so she could cover her nose and Usagi looked over at her, still clearly under the spell of the Chanela. Without any other options and Usagi coming closer with a look of wanting to the destroy the cat and no other way to dispose of the creature, Luna was forced to do the one thing she really didn’t want to. 

She had to chomp down on the creature. 

It was vile. It was foul. It worked. 

When she chomped down on the beast, the Chanela’s eyes turned black and the body began to crumple into dark energy before dissipating altogether. Spitting out the last, remains of the creature, Luna saw Usagi freeze and then stumble before tripping over onto her face. Was she okay now?

“Usagi!” the feline cried running to her charge’s side. “Are you alright?”

Usagi started to stir and moan before grasping her head before looking at her feline companion, “L-luna? What happened?”

“You got possessed by a Chanela which made you act well...not like yourself,” Luna said as Usagi pulled herself into an upright decision though she was still clearly dazed. “Anyway, I managed to stop it but it turned into dark energy so it’s probable that this whole Chanela business has been the work of our enemies.”

“Wait, Shingo has one of those things,” Usagi said with clear fear in her voice.

“Which means he’s probably in danger,” Luna finished her thought. 

Usagi, now with confidence stood up and her eyes angry with protective nature of an older sister, turned towards Luna and said, “We have to get home.”

Luna smiled and nodded before jumping onto Usagi’s shoulders. 

_____________________________________________

Usagi and Luna made it in record time to Shingo’s door where they pounded away on it, trying to get her brother’s attention. “Shingo!” Usagi cried. “Come on twerp! Open up!”

No answer. 

“Shingo! Please! Open up!” Usagi called again, pleading in her voice. 

No answer.

“I’ll give you all my manga! I’ll let you make fun of me for a month! I won’t even get mad!” Usagi tried again. 

No answer.

“Usagi, this isn’t working,” Luna said bluntly and Usagi felt like crying. Sure, Shingo was an obnoxious little brat who always got on her very last nerve but he was also her little brother, her family, and she couldn’t lose him to the enemy’s schemes. No. She wouldn’t lose him. With newfound courage, she gathered all her strength and threw her body against the door. “What are you doing, Usagi?”

Throwing her body against the door again, she cried, “Sailor V Body Slam!” Luna just gave a look of confusion but Usagi didn’t care. She had a brat of brother to save from an evilly adorable pet! 

She pushed all her body weight against the door, quietly wondering if this was even doing anything, when she heard the tiniest creak in the door. She gave a small smile. She pushed against it again and that tiny creak grew louder and Usagi could cry tears of joy in that moment. Usagi took a deep breath before taking in all strength and with great throw of her own body, the door couldn’t withstand it. It was thrown open...and Usagi fell straight into the carpet due to the losing her balance. 

However, that was the least of her problems. As she pulled herself up, she was blasted full-force by the sweet smell to the point she was getting dizzy and dazed like at the shopping center. 

No. 

Got to stay with it! 

Quickly, the teenager grabbed the collar of her uniform and held it over her nose as through teary eyes she managed to get a glimpse of her brother and he did not look healthy. His skin was a sickly pale, his hair was a tangled mess upon his head, and dark purple eyebags from lack of sleep were obvious. That wasn’t the worst of it though. No. That was his eyes. His empty, broken-looking eyes that didn’t hold a lick of life in them that stared straight ahead at his Chanela that seemed to be smirking.

It made Usagi sad, staring at her nearly lifeless brother, and then angry. How dare the Dark Kingdom do this to her brother! 

She made a rush at the bed to try and grab the stupid creature that was draining her brother but the Chanela in the first movement she ever saw it make jumped out of her reach as she toppled onto the bed in front of Shingo where she was the creature land on his head. “Shingo?” she asked hoping that now she was closer to her brother, he could hear her. No response. “SHINGO!” Usagi yelled, even shaking him this time. 

“There...is...no...Shingo,” she heard him mutter and then to horror when Shingo raised his head, his eyes were now solely red without a hint of a pupil. Just like the Chanela. It looked so unnatural, Usagi nearly fell over in fright at seeing it. 

“Usagi! Get away from him!” Luna cried out seeing how scared she was. 

“Animal...” the Chanela-possessed Shingo said staring at Luna. “Must...take...to...Father.” Possessed Shingo began to run over to Luna with his arms outstretched like a zombie. Luna tried to jump away but unfortunately possessed Shingo was too fast for her and was now holding Luna by the neck as she tried to claw her way to freedom. But it was no use. Possessed Shingo’s grip was too tight and Luna was slowly losing consciousness!

“Luna!” Usagi cried as she broke out of her trance of fear as she ran over to the cat and her possessed brother where she tried to save the cat from his deadly grip by trying to tear away his hands. Possessed Shingo though didn’t care about her attempts to save her feline companion and merely kicked her in the stomach before he began to walk to the door with a nealy unconscious Luna who obviously fighting to stay awake. “U-Usagi,” she muttered, calling out to the secret senshi who managed to land on the bed. 

Usagi, knowing time was short, quickly grabbed one of his pillowcases off his pillow and ran at the possessed eleven-year-old. Quickly, pulling the blue pillowcase over his and the Chanela’s heads, she watched with joy as he dropped Luna to the ground who quickly managed to recover her breath. 

The fight wasn’t over though because once Possessed Shingo had the pillowcase off his head, he made another grab for the weakened Luna. Thankfully, Usagi expected that in a moment she’ll probably be in trouble for later, she pushed Shingo out of his room and quickly slammed and locked the door.

Taking a deep breath from all the action that had just occurred, Usagi knelt next to Luna. “Are you alright Luna?”

“Not really,” she replied as Usagi lifted Luna into her lap where she pet her to make her feel better. Luna purred into Usagi’s lap before quickly saying, “But we have to find out about this Father and why he wants the Chanelas to bring animals to him.”

Usagi and Luna nodded when they heard the front door slam. Quickly, racing to the window next to his bed, the duo of secret superheroine and feline guardian looked out and they gasped at what they saw. From every other house came someone with a Chanela on their head and their eyes were like Shingo’s, red and without pupils and some carried animals that were clearly struggling to get free.

“We need to follow them,” Usagi said, rushing to the door and opening it.

“Wait!” Luna cried jumping off the bed and Usagi visibly froze in a position as though she was walking out the door with leg held in the air and her hand still on the door. “Going after them as Usagi will get yourself captured or possessed. And I kind of doubt you’ll be able to keep up with them as Usagi.,” Luna said before laughing nervously at Usagi’s annoyed face. “However, Sailor Moon might be able to.”

Usagi paused and nodded. “Moon Prism Power Make-Up!”

_____________________________________________

Sailor Moon and Luna managed to follow the possessed humans to the back of the evil Pet Store that caused this whole mess where they saw not just Shingo, but Umino and all of Usagi’s classmates, her teacher Ms. Haruna, and dozens of other people including children being controlled like puppets by the Chanelas. They looked further to the back to see possessed people throwing pets of all shapes and sizes into tiny cages stacked on top of each other without a care before joining the rest of the group, watching a strange man wearing a polo shirt and cap. 

“Well done, my children,” the man, the Father they think, said. “Without these pesky mutts in the way,” he said gesturing at the scared and angry animals in the cages, “we will be able to spread our influence across this city and be richly rewarded for it by our Master and Our Great Queen.”

“I won’t allow that!” Sailor Moon called despite Luna trying to get her back behind their hiding spot behind the wall.

“Who said that!” the man cried out in anger.

“How dare you use people’s love for their furry and feathery companions to brainwash them into your puppets who harm innocents and other living creatures! I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and for justice! I am Sailor Moon and in the name of the moon, I will punish you!” Sailor Moon declared.

The man lowered his face more, “You really believe you can stop me or my children?” 

“Well, yeah. I mean I’ve defeated like four other of you guys so how hard can it be?” Sailor Moon shrugged. 

“I assure you, I’m not like those other two for you see,” the man said as he removed his cap to reveal his blood red eyes that looked just like the Chanelas. “I am not only the Chanelas’ Father, I am all Chanelas! And so long as my children continue to feed off the energy of these pathetic humans, my power can only grow!” The Father declared has his body became noticeably less human with his clothes tearing revealing a muscular frame and growing much larger until he was at least ten feet long, his skin growing fur, his teeth becoming fangs, his baseball cap falling off to reveal he had long ears like the Chanelas. 

Once his transformation was complete, the Father Chanela lunged over the crowd on all fours at Sailor Moon who barely managed to hop out of the way when the Father Chanela repositioned his body so he would land on the walls holding onto it with the claws on his feet and hands. 

Sailor Moon, started to run trying to find a way get an advantage against the Father Chanela, but she heard he was now growling at her and when she looked back, he was showing his teeth looking like a demon. He began to radiate more of that sweet smelling scent that was similar to the ones his ‘children’ gave off to lure in humans, however, this one was much more potent that it made Sailor Moon fall to her knees paralyzed in place, as the Father Chanela took this opening to try and pounce on the defenseless heroine.

Luna seeing the danger that her charge was in quickly leaped up the Father Chanela and managed to land one good scratch across his cheek which broke his concentration causing him to fall to the floor. “Sailor Moon!” Luna cried which seemed to break Sailor Moon out of the trance she had fallen in. 

“Luna!” Sailor Moon said as she darted out to grab her cat companion but was stopped when she noticed a red smoke begin to rise out of the Chanela-possessed humans as their eyes glowed. Mixed with curiosity and fear, she watched as the Father Chanela breathed in the red smoke and his scratch instantly began to heal. 

Luna dashed to Sailor Moon’s side. “What do we do Luna?” the scared senshi asked. 

“Um...Be on your guard,” the cat said since she really didn’t have a plan on how to defeat this enemy.

“That doesn’t help!” Sailor Moon shouted back as she barely managed to dodge another swipe from the humanoid abomination’s claws. She quickly started running around the warehouse-like room with the Father Chanela hot on her trails. Trying not to trip over her own two feet from running so fast, Sailor Moon tried to search the area for anything she could use to defend herself. A crowbar! A chair! Something! Nothing yet. 

She kept running until she reached the cages where all pets were locked away. “Don’t worry, little guys! I’ll get you out soon!” Sailor Moon said trying to reassure the frightened critters who for a moment seemed somewhat glad. That moment quickly ended as the sounds of barking, hissing, and cawing caused fear to fill in Sailor Moon as a dark shadow fell over her. 

Turning around quickly, she saw the Father Chanela standing at his full height ready to grab her. Giving out a scream and feeling the scrape of his claws against her skin, she ducked to the ground where she saw an empty cage lying on the floor. Not wanting to be ungrateful for such luck, Sailor Moon kicked the empty cage to the side sending the monster crashing to the floor giving her just enough time to reach her feet.

Meanwhile, Luna was still at a lost. The Father Chanela is healed and strengthened by the Chanelas stealing energy from their human hosts, that she could gather, but what could she do?

Wait! The Chanelas! 

Luna saw the closest possessed human nearby and leaped up towards the Chanela to save at least one person and weaken the Father Chanela, even just slightly. 

It didn’t work. She couldn’t even grab it when she felt a harsh grip around her neck from the human host who had finally moved, not unlike the one Shingo gave her. “Sailor Moon!” Luna managed to cry out as the grip tighten, silencing the feline.

Having heard the cat’s cry, Sailor Moon turned to see her furry feline friend helpless. “Luna!” she cried, making her way to run towards the captive cat. Unfortunately, this was the Father Chanela needed to capture Sailor Moon when she he pounced on her, knocking her to the ground where he his clawed foot to her throat as she desperately tried to fight and kick him off.

“Your energy will make find nutrients for Our Great Queen,” the Father Chanela growled with a smile full of fangs as Sailor Moon cried and screamed. She was trapped! What would happen to her and Luna now?! Was there anyone who could save her now?!

A red rose flew in and hit the Father Chanela, creating a long cut across his face and knocking him to the side just enough to give Sailor Moon the ability to sit up and kick down the Chanela with a Sailor V kick. Or Sailor Moon kick. 

“Who did that?!” The Father Chanela growled as he looked up to the warehouse’s ceiling and he and Sailor Moon saw that standing against one of the ledges was none other than-

“Tuxedo Mask!” Sailor Moon cried with joy at seeing her handsome hero and tuxedoed savior.

“You use people’s love for their animal companions as a weapon to control and manipulate their minds into being your living batteries and for that I, Tuxedo Mask, can never forgive!” he declared as he jumped down to Sailor Moon’s side who was giggling like the schoolgirl she was. “Quickly, Sailor Moon, save your cat!” he said as he pulled out his cane as the Father Chanela rushed them with hate and anger burning in his pupil-less red eyes and the cut quickly healing thanks to ‘his children’.

“Who? Oh, right!” Sailor Moon said as she remembered the dire situation Luna was in. As Tuxedo Mask, kept the Father Chanela distracted for the time being, Usagi ran towards the human who had a tight grip on Luna. “Give me her!” she said as she tried to pull Luna out of the possessed human’s grip with Luna crying out all the while. However, the human host was not so willing to just give up her captive. Readying a punch to hit her, Sailor Moon saw it just in time to duck which confused the human host enough for them to let go of the cat and into Sailor Moon’s arms before going back to being the seemingly lifeless stature they were before. “Are you okay?” Sailor Moon asked Luna who was more than a bit dizzy from the whole situation. 

“I’ve had worse days,” the cat managed to say. 

“Enough of this!” the Father Chanela said, with fury burning in his voice but not at Sailor Moon but at Tuxedo Mask. “Instead of using you for energy, I will cut grind your bones and deliver your head to my Great Queen!” he declared to the tuxedoed hero as he raised a claw over Tuxedo Mask’s head who was visibly out of breath from having to dodge so much that he was near defenseless at this point!

“Tuxedo Mask!” Sailor Moon cried as let go of Luna and in a split second decision, flung herself at the Father Chanela’s back, and turn the tables on him by wrapping both her arms around his neck to chock him like how his minions did to Luna!

This distracted the monster enough to lose interest in Tuxedo Mask and focus on Sailor Moon as he tried to fight her off, reaching and grabbing to no avail because of the strength of Sailor Moon. Tuxedo Mask, managing to regain, his strength saw the opening Sailor Moon gave him grabbed his cane and like a baseball bat, he swung it as hard as he possibly could and smacked the monster across his face sending flying. Sailor Moon managed to jump off just in time and stand next to Tuxedo Mask. 

“Are you alright?” he asked, looking down at her.

Sailor Moon blushed crimson. He cared! This was the best day of her life. Well, minus the whole possessed humans and evil pets thing but anyway. “Yeah, thanks to you.”

“You’re welcome. And thanks for saving me back there,” he said with a smile that made Sailor Moon melt as he stared into her eyes. It was a perfect moment to Sailor Moon.

Unfortunately, it ended when the crashing of metal was heard, causing them to reluctantly tear their gazes from each other to the sound where they saw the monster start rising again, somehow looking angrier than before but still thankfully dazed. 

“We have to figure out a way to stop him,” Luna said jumping onto Sailor Moon’s shoulder.

“Sailor Moon. Have you discovered any weaknesses he or the Chanelas themselves might have?” Tuxedo Mask asked, hopeful.

“Well, not really,” Sailor Moon thought back to everything she knew about the Chanelas. They are evil and cute, but mainly evil. They control people with their scent. They heal their ‘Father’. They hate normal pets. Realization hit her like a truck. “PETS!”

“Pets?” Tuxedo Mask asked, obviously a little frightened by her sudden outburst.

“Pets!” Sailor Moon cried out. “They hate other pets! Look!” she continued pointing towards the cages of innocent pets still terribly frightened and sad, locked in their cages and Tuxedo Mask looking visibly horrified at their poor treatment.

“You’re right, Sailor Moon. When I freed you from a Chanela’s control, I had to bite down on it and it disappeared into nothing,” Luna explained.

“So we need to find a way to free them so they can help us,” Tuxedo Mask said adding to the conversation.

“Exactly! You’re so smart, Tuxedo Mask,” Sailor Moon said with hearts in her eyes which made Tuxedo Mask briefly pinken a bit while Luna rolled her eyes. “Luna, do you think you’ll be able to free the pets from their cages?”

“Probably,” Luna said.

“Then Sailor Moon and I’ll keep the monster distracted,” Tuxedo Mask said before turning to Sailor Moon who nodded at him and then at Luna who quickly darted between the humans.

A loud roar of fury came as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask looked over to see the Chanela sprinting on all fours, eyes blazing with pure hate and his claws leaving scratches in the stone floor. Tuxedo Mask, quickly got in a protective stance in front of Sailor Moon with his cane already raised.

The monster leaped in the air above them as Tuxedo Mask swung his cane in its face, however, the Father Chanela managed to dodge by leaping over the swing and behind the two. Sailor Moon, seeing little time, threw the slightly dazed Tuxedo Mask to the side and shouted, “RUN!” as she quickly did so and he did as well in the opposite direction.

This gave them a little time as the monster decided which hero he should go after until he decided upon Sailor Moon, seeing her as the more prominent threat. However, this change in direction did not go unnoticed by Tuxedo Mask who quickly called out, “Sailor Moon! Watch out!” 

Hearing his warning and turned to see the monsters was hot on her trail again and Tuxedo Mask running full speed to her side. “You miserable little pest! I will drain you of your entire energy and feed you to my children!” it cried out.

Sailor Moon narrowed her eyes before looking around for anything to grab. There was nothing. It was getting closer too! “Sailor Moon!” Tuxedo Mask cried, trying tor reach her. Sailor Moon looked up and saw a low hanging lamp and in a last ditch attempt, she flung herself upwards and swung herself full-force into the monster, sending it lying to the ground. 

“Not so tough now!” Sailor Moon said as Tuxedo Mask managed to reach her.

“Well done, Sailor Moon!” Tuxedo Mask said with a smile on his face. 

“Thank you,” Sailor Moon said her cheeks turning a bit red at being complimented by her masked crush.

“Don’t celebrate yet!” the monster cried as he flung himself at the two and then holding them to the a nearby wall with both of his hands around their heads with his sharp claws about to dig into their flesh. “You two have nothing! So long as my children are around I can never die. Never be hurt. You two will though! I will ensure it!”

“That will never happen!” Luna cried causing them all to turn to the cages where Luna had managed to free every animal and they were obviously furious. They broke away from their cages and sprung themselves at the the Chanela possessed humans and quickly overwhelmed any of their advances, and soon the Chanelas were being crippled one by one which left some very dazed and frightened humans behind until nearly all of them behind. 

Luna, herself, lunged at the one controlling Shingo with a look of joy and bit vindictiveness as she mauled the wicked pet until it turned to ash. Luna, looked back at Shingo to make sure he was alright, knowing she might be met with fear and hate, but found a look of gratitude and only caution. It made the cat smile before quickly realizing that she and the other pets needed to get the humans out of there! Gesturing at the pets, they pulled, pushed, and forced their humans and other humans from the room with Luna managing to guide Shingo and his little friend Mika out so Sailor Moon could finish the job.

“No! My Children!” the Father Chanela cried out releasing his captives before turning to the now free Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. “You will pay!” he cried as he raised both claws rushing at them like a mad man.

“Now’s your chance, Sailor Moon!” Tuxedo Mask cried to which Sailor Moon nodded.

“Moon Tiara Boomerang!” she cried, activating her tiara until it was a deadly spinning light that pierced the enrage monster who gave a final scream of pain as it was reduced to a pile of moondust.

Falling to the floor, panting, Sailor Moon took a moment to catch her breath as Tuxedo Mask said, “It looks like Tokyo and its pets are safe from those things, thanks to you.” Sailor Moon smiled at that as she slumped against the wall as the warehouse began to fade around them with the cages and evil energy and Chanela scent disappearing. Sailor Moon was never so happy to smell old wood shavings in her life! “But I better get going now.”

“You’re not staying,” Sailor Moon asked her smile fading. She not-so secretly wanted him to stay longer.

“I’m not exactly a people person,” he said with a shrug, “and what they’ll need after all this is someone who is and I can tell that’s you.”

Sailor Moon blushed even more so, before saying, “Alright. I guess I’ll see you later then.”

“Whenever you have need of me,” he said before making great leaps and then out a nearby window that hung high on top of the wall. She blushed seeing his retreating form and one he disappeared out of sight, she left the warehouse to the empty room where all the humans were gathered. 

Most were just confused and didn’t know how to react to the situation while others were just happy to have their furry friends with the, licking and comforting them in their own way. Everyone seemed to be okay, just a bit out of it which gave Sailor Moon a sense of relief as she checked over everyone with a smile until she came to Shingo and Mika who were sitting with Luna.

This could be her chance.

“That’s a very nice cat you got there,” Sailor Moon said, sitting next to them.

“Wait aren’t you Sailor V!” Mika asked.

“Nope! I’m Sailor Moon!” she said with signature salute.

“Whose that?” Shingo asked and Mika looked kind of disappointed. That did not feel good.

“Anyway about your cat? She saved you didn’t she?” Sailor Moon asked Shingo who looked down at Luna with a bit of cautious appreciation in his eyes.

“Yeah, I guess she did,” he said as Luna jumped off Mika’s lap and looked up at him. “I never thought a cat could be nice after one scratched me as little kid but Luna still saved me,” he continued in wonderment.

“Then she’s a very special cat and a keeper,” Sailor Moon said.

Shingo looked up at her and then a Luna and for the first time, smiled at the cat who purred and snuggled up to him in response until finally he gently pet her on the head which made Sailor Moon smile before she left the premises.

_____________________________________________

Life quickly returned to normal in the Tsukino household. Well, almost normal. “Shingo! Stop stealing Luna from me!” Usagi cried at her brother. 

“It’s not my fault if Luna wants to be with me over you, Usagi-baka!” Shingo replied as he pet the purring Luna in his lap.

“Why you little-” Usagi cried ready to fight the little brat.

“Alright you two, that’s enough,” the Tsukino matriarch said as she set a bowl of tuna cat food down next to the table.

“But mom!” they whined as Luna just smiled before jumping down to the bowl of tuna waiting for her.

You know she could get used to this.

#sailor moon #bishoujo senshi sailor moon #usagi tsukino #tsukino usagi #tsukino shingo #shingo tsukino #mamoru chiba #chiba mamoru #tuxedo mask #sailor moon classic #sailor moon rewrite #sailor moon rewritten

[shoujocentral]

Symphogear G- Sequelitis Strikes Again...

So, after watching the first season of Symphogear, finishing it in three days, and being hooked in an instant, naturally I was pumped to get to the next season to see what they would do with the plot, what new characters we'd get to see, how the old characters would be expanded upon, and how much more awesome the fights would get. And... would it be too harsh to say that it basically failed on most of that criteria?

Okay, yeah it would. But still, the reason this review took so long to come out is because I found this season to be a chore to get through. I still had a lot of fun, don't get me wrong, but it was a far cry from the excitement and investment I experienced in the first season. Where exactly did Symphogear G go wrong? Well, let's dive into that now.

Once again, this review will be spoiler-free for any who haven't seen the show yet.

Plot:

What is Senshi Zesshou Symphogear G about?

After the events of the first season, Hibiki, Tsubasa and Chris along with the DRS are working with the esteemed Dr. Ver to preserve Solomon's Cane, a device that Finé used to summon Noise. However, it is soon revealed that the doctor is evil, and working with a terrorist organization known as Federal Institutes of Sacrist (FIS), and with Solomon's Cane in their possession, they now have control of the Noise.

On top of that, three new Symphogear users appear, only they are working on the side of FIS. The leaders of the three, Maria Cadenzavna Eve, claims to be the new reincarnation of Finé's soul, and she also possesses a dark version of Gungnir, Hibiki's Symphogear. With such a formidable ally, FIS demands that the world's governments relinquish all control to them, lest they unleash the Noise upon them in an all-out assault.

How will our heroes stop this new global threat? And why are a group of Gear users working for the enemy?

At first, I thought the plot had a lot of intrigue and potential. While the first episode didn't grab me by the balls like Season 1 Episode 1 did, I was still interested to learn about the villainous Gear users and how the enemy's nefarious schemes would unfold. Unfortunately, if I could describe the execution of said plot in a single word, it would be "unbalanced."

Basically, the first half of G had great character and plot setup, but I found the fights somewhat lacking. Then, by episode 8, the fights had returned to their usual epicness and badassery, but the plot and characters had taken a turn for the worst.

Whereas Season 1 felt like it was continuous building and building with each episode, stuff just... happens in Symphogear G. Characters motivations are set up, but either forgotten or completely changed halfway through the show. It honestly felt like the writers were making G's story up as they went along.

The issues I had with Season 1's story are present here as well, in that the villain's motivation is incredibly confusing and not made 100% clear until the last couple of episodes. FIS's main goal is to save humanity from the Moon, which will soon crash into the Earth due to the damage it endured from Finé. However, they go about this by... killing people? I understand innocent bloodshed is necessary in most evil "save the world" schemes, but is this really the best way to convince the rest of the world that you're here to help?

Either I'm just really dumb, or Symphogear just isn't very good at explaining things.

Another thing that bothered me about this season was the usage of Swan Songs. In Symphogear G, there's not one, but TWO methods that allow Gear users to sing their Swan Songs without dying. "Tension? Consequences? WhAt ThE hElL aRe ThOsE?!"

However, the worst part about this confused and structurally unbalanced plot is how it affects the character development.

Characters:

I'm going to cover the three lead characters and Miku very briefly (cause there honestly isn't much to talk about) so we can discuss the new characters in more detail.

Remember how I praised Hibiki in Season 1 for being a flat character done right? Well, in G, the writers attempted to give Hibiki somewhat of an arc by having the villains call her a "hypocrite." At first, I was intrigued as to what they meant by this. Then, there was a point where Hibiki went Berserk again, and I figured "Oh, they mean that because she can't control her Gear, she's a danger to the people she's trying to protect!" Nope. Once Hibiki returns to normal, she never goes Berserk again, and her plot becomes about her dealing with the Gungnir fragments slowly killing her from the inside. Soooo... why is she a hypocrite again? An excellent question! ...that's never answered. Weak.

I wasn't the biggest fan of Tsubasa in Season 1, finding her over-the-top EDGE a bit too much for my taste. However, I will give credit that she at least had an arc. In G, she does absolutely nothing. She has no arc, no motivation, and contributes nothing to the plot (thankfully her strict, yet compassionate personality is left untouched). I initially thought she would have some conflict with Maria, given that the two had a bit of a standoff in Episode 1, with Tsubasa angry at Maria for possessing Kanade's Gear. Much like Hibiki's Berserk Mode, though, this conflict was never expanded upon or brought up again, relegating Tsubasa to a glorified background character.

Chris was my favorite character in Season 1, with her fiery tsundere personality and redemption arc. But much like Tsubasa, she suffered the fate of being pushed to the sidelines. Chris started out in a tough spot, transferring into Hibiki and Tsubasa's school and bearing little to no social skills. This new environment throws her for a loop, especially when a group of her classmates try to befriend her. I interpreted this as Chris not only struggling with social anxiety due to her hatred of people in Season 1, but also still harboring some guilt over her actions and not feeling worthy of friendship or care whatsoever. Okay, fair enough.

Well guess what else the writers forgot about?! 🤪

And alas, let's talk about Miku...... Oh my sweet little angel, what have they done to you??? Miku was the heart and soul of Season 1; she was Hibiki's emotional support; her Sun that warmed her whenever she felt dark. In G, she's just useless. The writers, like Hibiki, try to give her an arc (that doesn't start till episode 6...) where she wants to protect Hibiki from the Gungnir killing her. The way the writers execute this promising arc, however, is nothing short of insulting. Long story short, she fails to protect Hibiki in any single way. Instead, Hibiki ends up being the one still protecting her. Good job, Symphogear G.

With all that out of the way, I can FINALLY move onto something more positive. While I may not like what G did with the protagonists, the same cannot be said for the villains. These people are what made this season enjoyable to me.

Maria Candenzavna Eve

Maria is objectively the best character of the season. I really don't see how anyone could argue otherwise. She has a gut-wrenching backstory, a clearly defined motivation, and every action she takes, while not always the most logical, makes sense to how she is feeling at the time.

Maria's sister, Serena, who was also a Gear user, used her Swan Song to save FIS from an out-of-control experiment. Immediately following this, the scientists berated the deceased Serena for destroying something they had put so much work in. Maria was enraged by the idea that they would do this to someone, a child nonetheless, who had just sacrificed her life for them. However, instead of retaliating and seeking revenge on FIS for this, Maria dedicates her actions to protecting human lives so that Serena's sacrifice wouldn't be in vain. And unlike the rest of FIS, she actually goes out of her way to avoid killing anyone! Of course, she eventually learns the hard way that saving everyone may be an impossibility...

Also, she gets one of the most adrenaline-pumping and yet emotional fights, accompanied by her kickass battle song, which is probably my favorite of the entire series now.

Kirika Akatsuki

Hot-blooded, cheerful, and insistent on ending every sentence with "I say!" Kirika is nothing short of a joy to watch. She's a welcome entry in the villain faction, which desperately needed someone lighthearted to counteract the dead sister angst. Of course, this doesn't mean she's is without her own conflicts.

Kirika's main drive is, aside from saving the innocent, protecting her girlfriend best friend Shirabe. She's constantly trying to cheer her up cold-hearted friend and remind her that what they're doing is the right thing. However, this protective instinct leads to a discovery that changes her for the worst, and the rest of the show is her tragic and slow descent into madness, leading to a heartbreaking scene in the final battle that left me going "damn, they went there."

Kirika's Gear is cool enough, but not my favorite. It's mostly just a scthye and boomerangs, making it not much different from Tsubasa's Gear. Or at least, her Gear isn't as impressive as our next antagonist...

Shirabe Tsukuyomi

Cold, distant, but ruthless in combat (beware the quite ones), Shirabe is a great foil to her lover friend Kirika, or "Kiri-chan" as she likes to call her. One could say that Shirabe is an emotionless husk, but as the story plays out we learn that, like most tsunderes, this is merely a mask to hide how much she cares for the people around her. She harbors a deep respect and admiration for Maria and an unbreakable bond with Kirika.

Shirabe bears a strong resentment towards Hibiki, being the one to drill home the fact that she's a "hypocrite" (for reasons I'm still not hugely clear on...). She believes that FIS is the only hope humanity has for survival. Of course, once her idol, Maria, starts to lose sight of this goal, Shirabe becomes conflicted, and starts to question which side is right. I love it when villains don't know which path to take. Such delicious angst! 😬

As much as I love Chris' Gear, Shirabe's may just be my new favorite. Her pigtails transform into mechanical arms with sawblades! She can spawn a giant sawblade to ride around on like a giant wheel! She can turn into a giant robot with sawblades for arms! Y'know, I'm starting to think I like saw-based weapons...

Professor Nastassja

My only complaint about this character is that no one ever made fun of her name.

Prof. Nastassja, or "Mom" as Maria, Kirika and Shirabe call her, is the serious, straightforward thinking mastermind of FIS's operations. She was there when Serena died in front of Maria, and after seeing her determination to protect people, she decided to push Maria towards their ultimate goal of "saving" mankind from the Moon crashing. Thankfully, this woman actually has a head on her shoulders, and comes to realize that killing people probably isn't the best way to save them (who'da thunk?) and thus sets out on a path of redemption. Damn, what's with villains this season realizing that they might be wrong? I love it!

Of course, on the deep end of the villains spectrum, we have the only one who doesn't realize the error of his ways...

Dr. Ver

Just a sample of the many amazing faces this guys makes.

Everyone loves a good psychopath. And oh boy, does this guy really underline the "psycho" part of that word. Constantly laughing manically, making theatrical gestures, spawning Noise with an itchy trigger finger, and declaring loud and proud that HE is the hero of this story. I could watch him for hours.

While Dr. Ver's motivation does stem from FIS's overly convoluted plot, he makes it very clear that he has his own agenda. He may claim he strives for the salvation of humanity, but his actions say otherwise. And that's why he's so great. He doesn't have a complex backstory or a redemption arc. He's just evil through and through and he loves every minute of it. As Alfred once said to Bruce Wayne: "Some men just want to watch the world burn." 😈

Alright, that's all the new characters out of the way. Time to move onto my favorite section before I wrap things up...

Yuri:

The yuri content this season was, like the rest of it, a mixed bag. The best way I can sum it up is that it took one giant leap forward, and another giant leap back.

First and foremost, our star couple of the show: HibiMiku. Or they would be the star of the show if they had more screentime. Yeah, G really did this couple dirty. They don't even hold a conversation together until Episode 6! And then they throw in the whole conflict of Miko wanting to protect Hibiki. I guess the writers were relying on the sentiment they'd built on HibiMiku from the last season, but I feel like the two could've have at least TALKED about Miku not wanting Hibiki to fight before throwing her into the action. There was one scene twowards the end with the two of them that really got me in the feels, but it was hardly enough to make up for the whole lot of nothing we got from the rest of the season.

Second, we have the two that ultimately saved the yuri content in G: KiriShira. They look good together? Check. Complimenting personalities? Check. Emotional support? Check. Each character has their own motivation and arc outside of their relationship? Check. These two are not only absolutely adorable together, but unlike HibiMiku, which is more implied (even though there shouldn't be any doubt they're dating), KiriShira actually gets a love confession! I haven't seen that in a magical girl show since Sailor Moon Crystal when Hotaru confessed to Chibi-Usa! I'll have to see more of these two before I can say for sure, but I might actually prefer KiriShira to HibiMiku at this point. Gonna have to see how the rest of the series plays out!

Conclusion:

Symphogear G is a considerable step down from Season 1 in my opinion. While I absolutely adore the antagonists and love (MOST) of the yuri content we got, the story and protagonists just didn't do it for me this time around, which is a shame considering how much I liked them in Season 1. The fight scenes in the first couple of episodes were less than impressive, which had me nervous, but they thankfully stepped up towards the end, delivering one hell of a climactic finale.

Also, I'm not gonna lie, the final episode got me choked up.

I may have been to hard on this season when I started this review. Despite my numerous issues, I still enjoyed myself throughout and I am looking forward to the next season. I sincerely hope my issues with the plot and protagonists are rectified because I do love this series. What's done well in G is really good, but what fails in G really fails. Oh well, not every season of a franchise can be a masterpiece. I'm just praying that it's all uphill from here. 🙏

Rating: 6/10

Hope you all enjoyed! I'll see you in my review of Symphogear GX, my fellow yuri lovers! ❤️😊❤️

#symphogear #senki zesshou symphogear #yuri #yuri anime #shoujo ai #hibiki tachibana #miku kohinata #tsubasa kazanari #chris yukine #maria cadenzavna eve #kirika akatsuki #shirabe tsukuyomi #hibiki x miku #hibimiku #kirika x shirabe #kirishira

[kitto-toberu-sa]

Sailor Moon The Super Live Report - August 31st (first performance, heart team)

Place: Aiia Theatre Placement: Row 10, Seat 42 (middle, far right)

First, I swore I wasn’t going to buy merch and am SO glad they had so little on offer ;; I bought the pamphlet (which is basically a double sided poster, one of the main image and the other side being info with pics of the different teams) and the light stick.

Second, the show isn’t sold out. Sure, it started a little early (7pm) but it was a Friday night and opening night of a mega popular franchise? Strange for it not to have been sold out, especially since the theatre isn’t that big. (For reference, I was in row 10, seat 42, and the seat next to me was empty, as were others around me). There have been a lot of events and new merch recently though, so I can understand.

They’re also still selling tickets at the door, and are giving out freebies. Little bookmark things of the Inner Senshi with manga art (one of each Senshi, randomly given). They’re quite nice! Another enticement is different events happening after each performance. On opening night they randomly selected about twenty people to have photos with the cast. There is also a high five event on other nights, and it looks like they give out goods on other nights.

The show is VERY dialogue light. As in, there is maybe five minutes worth of dialogue the entire show (not including the live performance part). And that’s incredibly generous. This is understandable – this show is only doing two showings in France, so the effort to translate would be a lot. It’s not cost effective. The audience also more than likely knows the story. The story is the first arc, hugely condensed. I think it worked quite well without a whole lot of dialogue. The cast had to work that much harder on facial expressions and their body language to make up for not speaking.

The show is 80 minutes long. There is no interval. After the play part, there is a song part.

Now, onto the show!

We start off with Queen Beryl and her minions. She’s controlling them and their dancing. Like, SeraMyu is great and I love it, but there is still part of it that’s stuck in years gone by. This is very modern. I don’t really know or care who Takahiro is, but he did a good job! The music and dance throughout the performance is really good! It’s very modern. Perhaps because it was opening night, sometimes the music felt too loud. Not in a good way, but in a it sometimes makes the cast hard to hear way.

Anyway, they’re dancing, kinda like cool zombies? The scenery changes on a screen behind them, showing the battle for earth. Kunzite appears and shows off his sword before taking command of the troops. Unfortunately, the sword was almost dropped… We see a screen of Usagi running – it’s kinda clumsy and ugly, but it reminds me of the live action show, which I’m very fond of, so I can’t be too harsh on it. Beryl then attacks this screen, and we come to earth, present time.

Usagi yells about being late and runs through the audience. Her entrance is GORGEOUS! Why? She’s got glitter in her school bag, so as she runs, glitter is flying everywhere. It’s super shojou and anime. Very simple and cheap, but literally everyone was smiling. I feel bad for the staff who had to clean it up though haha

She stumbles on stage and drops her brooch, and keeps going. Mamoru picks it up, teases her and as she grabs it, they start to remember their old lives. Of course, that’s weird and Usagi’s late, so she grabs her brooch and goes. They part, but then stop, turn to look at each other, and are about to go back to each other when the music starts and sends them on their way. An instrumental version of Moonlight Densetsu plays. As it plays, it shows the characters and gives their names – interestingly, the names are Romanised instead of being in katakana, and the images shown are manga panels. It makes sense not to use the live images, as there are three teams, but I wonder why they choose manga over anime. I honestly think it was a great choice though.

We get a brief scene of Sailor Moon fighting a monster. She’s dodging and crying, but she also fights back. She also cheers for herself when she gets a good hit in, which is super cute. Makes her a very human character. Tuxedo Mask does save her and gives her a chance to fight back, and she runs off after him.

It’s time for school! Miss Haruna makes her appearance~ Honestly her look is iconic (the pink suit) and I love that they brought her back. The students do a dance as they start their daily routine and test results are returned. It’s pretty cute, though too long for me to care about. Usagi rushes in, gets scolded, realises she doesn’t have her textbook, is scolded again, isn’t able to share with her friends, steals Haruna’s book, and joins in on the dance while doing all of this.

Of course, things are going fine until everyone is suddenly infected with Dark Energy (a la Kunzite lurking in the corner). Cue zombie dancing again. This, again, went on slightly too long. It wasn’t particularly good, and the costumes were a little tacky – essentially the stage was mostly dark and certain parts of the zombies/infected people lit up (glow in the dark socks and so on). Usgai basically runs around screaming for a while until Tuxedo Mask comes to save her. Understandable – she doesn’t want to hurt her friends or transform in front of everyone.

Unfortunately, Tuxedo Mask dropped their cane and stepped on it, almost falling. She caught herself really well, so props to the actress there. (I believe it was this scene – could have been the arcade scene)

She fawns over Tuxedo Mask again and after the day is saved, class is over. Everyone leaves as Usagi daydreams with these ridiculous heart eyes. A scene that reminded me of the theme park episode from the 90’s anime – they have a sort of carousel thing going on, and it’s very fairy tale like. It was very nostalgic to see it and remember the old anime.

Afterwards she meets up with everyone who scolds her for being late. They sing about how they met – a very cute and sweet song. Then suddenly we’re in Harajuku!

This part is sort of odd if you live in Japan. Since this production was made for showing Japanese culture abroad, for the Japanese audience, this didn’t have a lot of meaning for the home audience. It was also horribly outdated. The gothic Lolita outfits were ugly and super outdated, and I don’t really associate Harajuku with gothic Lolita. Nowadays it’s a variety of different looks and it would have been super nice to see a variety of styles shown, as well as styles that are from this decade ;; The outfits that the Senshi changed into were ugly clown like outfits and I hate them too.

However, it was a nice attempt in showing off a variety of Japanese things. For example, the girls do a bit of traditional dance (fitting for Bon Odori at this time of year) and also eat fairy floss (cotton candy) and crepes that Harajuku is famous for (at least on Instagram ;p). They also have the dancing with the light sticks, which… isn’t a Harajuku thing ;; More of an Akiba thing, but it’ll slide!

Usagi is separated from the group and ends up the arcade. Mamoru teases her for being so bad, and plays himself. He gets a high score and they high five, before they both remember they’re meant to hate each other. Kunzite is in a mascot outfit, shakes his bottom at Usagi who touches it and shows her a new game to play. I’m… not sure why this was necessary? I mean, it’s low key great, and bizarre, especially because Kunzite initiates it? I just… don’t understand it…

Mamoru is sucked into the Sailor V game, and keeps getting beaten up because Usagi sucks so much. He’s trying to get her attention but she’s too focussed on trying to win ;; She gets better in the second round and Tux is pleasantly surprised. He then promptly dies ;;; On her third attempt, Kunzite throws her into the game too.

The Senshi appear to fight. Their introduction song is honestly a fave of mine. I believe it (and all of the songs) are remixes of old songs (both anime and musical). If I find out which ones they are I’ll edit this post (I currently don’t have internet at home..). This scene is pretty good. Unlike some of the other dance scenes which drag, this scene, through song, tells about the characters and their powers.

Tuxedo Mask is taken away, and everyone is unsure of how to comfort Sailor Moon. I think it’s fitting that Venus is about to step in, but Mercury ends up talking to her first. And by talking, I mean singing Otome Policy. A lot of the performances are predictable in that they go by the order of which the Senshi appeared, so it would have been nice to have that shaken up a bit, but it’s not that big of a deal.

In Beryl’s world, Tuxedo Mask is possessed. Beryl is very pleased and they start to tango. The actress is wonderful – Tux is possessed, but isn’t fully under Beryl’s influence, so there’s point he tries to break free or doesn’t follow along. This was pretty believable! Beryl, on the other hand, is unconcerned – she’s in control and enjoying having the man she wants with her. Meanwhile, Kunzite lurks in the corner.

They teleport to Beryl’s world where they fight Kunzite and his creepy zombies. Honestly if someone aggressively danced their way at me I’d be terrified lol! Kunzite is super strong, and takes down all of the Senshi. Venus gets her sword and fights Kunzite, but they both remember their past. Beryl isn’t impressed and he ends up dead.

This scene was really touching. I felt a lot for her. They show Kunzite’s soul floating away, and her following it briefly, trying to catch it. She realises it’s no use. Everyone goes to comfort her, even though they don’t particularly know what’s going on.

They then have to fight monsters and Mask. Honestly, everyone except Moon and Venus should have been stronger than they were. Venus just got an unwelcomed flashback from her past life and lost her former boyfriend, so it’s understandable when she fails. Moon is fighting the love of her life. Everyone else felt a bit weak.

The Senshi end up dying, and Beryl kills Mask when he responds to Usagi.

Usagi is left with Beryl, and kind of… interpretative dances her feelings out? The start is a little long and messy, but as she starts to go from no confidence, I’ve lost everything, why try?, to I have to do this, I can do this… it’s amazing. She’s taking all of Beryl’s hits and throwing them off and is the strong Sailor Moon we all love.

Beryl tries to suck her up with her darkness, and Sailor Moon walks straight in. She comes back out with her new Moon Stick, glowing brightly. She beats Beryl and dies? But Tuxedo Mask brings her back with a kiss. The other Senshi return as well.

Unfortunately, Mask accidentally turned the Moon Stick back on ;;; I don’t think it really need to be turned off in the first place. (Especially because it looks very ugly and cheap turned off – it’s also silver, when I think pink would be better suited) But that marks the end of all the obvious mistakes. For a first try, it isn’t so bad! I think they could have been fixed easily, with perhaps a bit of design done differently.

From here, there are some quick bows before the song portion.

Song part When it comes to singing, everyone was really good. However, Sailor Venus (Sena) stood out. Perhaps I’m a little bit biased, as Sena is the reason I chose this team over the others, but still. The others faltered a bit at times, or their mics weren’t properly in position, or their voices weren’t loud enough. Sena wasn’t perfect, but out of everyone, her voice was the clearest and most confident.

The songs were all really good choices. There were a few repeats of what was already in the show, most notably Otome Policy in a more pop version rather than the piano version from earlier.

Of course, I’m incredibly biased, but the best song was La Solider~ It’s honestly one of my favourite songs and I’m so so so glad they played it!

They left the stage to come back briefly for a few more songs. In between some of the songs were the dancers getting a bit of stage time, which was nice. Those girls do some really cool stuff, so it’s nice for them to get their dues.

Of course, everything ended with Moonlight Densetsu. Most the characters got solo or duet lines. This is the part where they ran around the audience, giving high fives. I was so close, yet so far T.T Buuuuut Sailor Venus blew me a kiss, so nothing else really matters haha~

We all got a little gift (clear bookmark?) and I got Moon. Some people in the audience were allowed to take pictures with the members. About twenty people I think? How lucky! I waited around with other fans to try and see the actresses as they left, but gave up in the end. It was a good night, and I’m really glad I went!

Summary Enjoyable: 5/5 Worth the ticket price: 5/5 Re-watchable: 4/5 If this was sold on dvd, would I buy it: 3.5/5

#Sailor Moon #Sailor Moon The Super Live #Sailor Myu #The Hoopers

[thelightofthingshopedfor]

okay, so, Senshi Con is in sliiiightly more than two weeks, and in that time I have kind of a lot of cosplay work to do, mostly because everything I planned ended up being at least a little more complex than I expected

Opera Loki:

actually try vest and make sure it looks okay, although given that I haven’t found anything else, it might not matter; also maybe pin lapels back

cut down pool cue for cane

spray-paint pool cue gold

scrape the Star Wars label off the little light-up lightsaber bubble wand I’m using for the blue jewel, and cut off the bubble-wand part, and maybe dump out the bubble solution, and remove as much of the handle part as possible

figure out a good way to attach it to the pool cue somehow??

use its plastic packaging, some craft foam, and paperclay to make sort of a housing for it at the top of the staff, and attach that, and paint the whole mess gold

bonus: buy or make Tesseract earrings, but buying them would probably take too long to get here, and lbr I won’t have time to make anything

The Final Pam:

make sure the mullet wig I bought will actually work, and then either cut off the long hair or exchange it for a different wig

add a couple layers to the skirt, which probably means breaking out the sewing machine, heavy sigh

add ribbon/cord/rickrack to bodice to emphasize nonexistent boning and generally make it look more accurate, and probably also cover up what I’m predicting will be a messy job sewing on the additional skirt layers

buy ribbon/cord/rickrack to begin with

add part of feather boa to the collar of the coat, and more to the wrists (probably just a little hand-sewing here)

cut up plastic pirate sword and glue it to plastic axe to extend the blade

add some paperclay to smooth out the seams, if necessary, unless I think I can get away with not doing that; also then I’d need to do some painting

cut down the axe handle

spray-paint it brown I guess? and try to use brown cloth to wrap up part of the handle? or like...electric tape, if we have some? 

punch holes in coffee can so I can add a strap of some kind and use it as a purse

print out Slocum’s Joe logo and glue to coffee can

figure out a way to wear Metal Husband. maybe I can like...sew him into the top of the wig? I was going to get Roachie because I thought surely some Halloween place would have a giant cockroach prop but noooo, just tons of spiders and rats

figure out how tf I’m going to do that makeup

...and I should definitely do at least some of that today

#cosplay #for future reference #loki #marvel cinematic universe #the final pam #monster factory

[imaginevillainous-blog]

Teams reaction to Reader dragging them to Comic Con in full cosplay?

Everyone except Black Hat is excited for this in some way, shape, or form.

Dr. Flug, villain genius and gigantic nerd, is the one with the most ideas (assuming Black Hat gives the poor dude a break). He is a master dork and the moment you suggest going in a 5-man cosplay his gears are turning. So long as he can still hide his face somehow, through a helmet, a visor, a cosplay head, or just keeping the paper bag, he’s willing to tag along and pose with the rest of them! He’s not good at staying in character though and tends to fumble around.

Demencia is so ready for this. Conventions are a time to be alive. The atmosphere! The vendors! The nerds! The people to spook! There’s so much havoc she could make out of costume, imagine the shenanigans she could pull IN costume! She’s probably the one that helps the most with actually making the cosplays. She’s also the one that pesters the rest of the group the most when it comes to the time before the convention. If she knows the source material, she’s the most in character of the whole lot.

5.0.5. has no idea what’s going on at first, but he’s glad that you’re happy! Once you fully fill him in though his little cheeks puff up and he smiles so wide you’re afraid his head’s going to pop off. He takes time practicing gestures and acting out his words, and wears the cosplay you and Demencia have made even before the convention itself. Even if he’s a big blue bear, the kids love him, and that’s what counts.

Black Hat utterly refuses to play along with this malarkey. He’ll go with, of course, if only to keep close tabs on your sorry tushes. You and Demencia make him a costume anyhow.

It does turn out to see some use. When you step into the convention, four of you decked out in full Sailor Senshi costumes and Black Hat as…himself, you all attract a crowd of people. Folks are admiring your co-ordination, people love how your Sailor Venus has his mask along with the tiara on his bag, everyone ADORES your big cuddly Sailor Moon. When you reach a quiet space, Black Hat marches to you, suit wrinkled from surprise glomps that went worse than well, one hand strangling his cane and the other jabbed to your chest.

“Give me the costume. Now.”‘Why? I thought you didn’t want to-’“Anything is better than twenty pathetic civilians swarming you and saying that your cosplay looks ‘exactly like that one supervillain’.”

Not all is lost; he sells some of Flug’s prototypes as “prop weapons”.

#In the name of the moon #we will punish you! #Imagines #Dr.Flug #Demencia #5.0.5. #Black Hat #Villainous #I chose Sailor Moon because it was the best mental image but really this works with any 5-person cosplay