#parallel sailor mars

[ethanscrocs]

quite old art, but these are my redesigns slash reimaginings of the parallel sailor moon team. first image is kousagi, sailor earth. i felt like it made more sense for her to be mamoru's successor. second image is sailor bacchus, one of ami and mako's adopted kids. same for the third image, sailor apollo. fourth image is sailor vulcan, naru and umino's kid. and the last image is kousagi's cousin, shingo's daughter. will redraw one day!

[silvermoon424]

Found this super high quality (and rare!) art of Kousagi and the rest of the Parallel Sailor Moon girls in a listing on Mandarake!

[beangusu]

took a small break from socials cause of terrible art block but i have returned with domestic married reinako :3

[yume-fanfare]

if nishioka maiko were bolder this would have been real

[drops-of-moonlights]

Following up the weapon ask, the weapons themselves! not all of them are on scale because I wanted the dimensions of the canvas to remain the same for better posting purposes lmao. The Solar Sytem Senshi's weapons in the AU woo! LENGTHY FUCKING POST BELOW.

We start with Usagi/Moon as is good and proper - her first weapon is a chakram, which she summons from her tiara gem hence its similarities with it. After that she gets the Moonlight Wand, a small partially bladed item that she uses to canalize her healing powers... until Serenity hijacks her body and turns into Princess Sailor Moon, at which point the crescent becomes a short saber, turning the Wand into the Moonlight Blade. The Wand shatters after defeating Metallia and Usagi's wandless until she finally achieves her Super transformation, creating the Spiral Heart Moon Rod out of her love for everyone. She sticks with it until it evolves into the Eternal Crosier once she obtains her permanent Eternal transformation.

Then the Inners! Outside Minako, they all get their weapons upon upgrading to Super form.

Mercury creates the Harmony Shield out of her desire to protect everyone and keep the peace, taking on the form of a harp as well as it comes from her desire to truly pursue her musical inclinations instead of what she thinks her peers expect out of her.

Mars forms the Sacred Fire Bow out of a similar sentiment, with a focus on wanting to never miss her mark. The bow itself is shaped after a yumi, the style of longbow used in kyudo.

Jupiter forms the Forest Wheels, a pair of wind-and-fire wheels, in her desire to be strong enough to fight for those that can't, favoring her more melee style of combat.

Venus obtains her Charm Chain while still in her Base form, proving herself different from her past incarnation and, ironically, breaking free of her chains with it. The Charm Mic does come with Super, as she decides that her dream matters just as much as her duty, forming her own spotlight.

Earth creates her sword for similar reasons as the rest, with the added bonus of proving herself a capable Senshi protecting her own planet still standing.

Then we have Uranus, Neptune and Vulcan! Their weapons were created or obtained while in their Base forms instead of when achieving Super form. In the AU, there's only two Talismans, the sword and the mirror, which change shape depending on their wielder's desires. Haruka, focusing on the Sailor part of her name, morphs the sword into a cutlass, showing her own desire to be seen as useful and noble. Michiru, on the other hand, saw the mirror and went "But of course, such an item of great power would be a mere accessory. I am most assured in that it'll be able to aid me in melee combat, should I find myself embroiled in it." and the magic was like "GOD FINE HERE IT CAN STAB NOW" and turned the mirror itself into a reflective dagger. As for Aylin, her warhammer's pretty straightforward as far as weaponry goes.

Then we get Pluto and Mamoru, the odd ones! Pluto being Pluto, she keeps her Garnet Orb and Garnet Key Rod pretty much the same, only now it's not a Talisman, just a very powerful thing. Tuxedo Mask's first weapon, parallel to Moon's chakrams, are sunflower-shaped shuriken, used mainly to pin down and trap opponents. During the fight with Fiore, where he gets his own Super form, he creates the Sunflower Baton, which he uses mainly for defensive maneuvers more than offensive ones.

We now get to Tsubasa! she was my favorite batch lol. We start with the Cutie Moon Rod/Dark Moon Rod, used when acting as Sailor Chibimoon and "Sailor Nemesis" respectively. It's broken as the Dark Moon Rod after the death of Pluto. Then we get her first true personal weapon as Eclipse with the Heart Mace, showing her more physical inclination to fighting compared to her mom. Pegasus grants her the Kaleidoscope Sword to aid in her fight against the Dead Moon Circus, fashioned after his horn, and then after that, in her desire to have a ranged option, her power creates the Eclipse Rose Pistol, a sparkly, magical gun. Unlike Usagi, who only has her chakrams and her crosier, Tsubasa can switch around between all three of her weapons.

Last but not least, Tsubasa's crew! Chiara/Ceres gets the Spring Tact, a conductor's baton she uses to direct her magic. Paola/Pallas gets the Winter Orbs, which she can multiply ad infinitum and have a variety of uses, from aiding in her magic to just being freezing bombs. Joana/Juno gets the Autumn Daggers, a set of throwing knives which can be covered in stone for extra impact. Vera/Vesta of course then gets the Summer Whip, and she uses it accordingly. Saturn keeps her Silence Glaive as is good and proper, and then Lia/Nemesis gets the Mirror Shield, which she uses more as a canalizer for magic attacks and to deflect enemy ones.

[cjbennet]

I'm a little bit of a simp, alright? Don't judge me, it's my blog!

mr.  cain?   what  are  you  doing  here?!   looking  for  you,   of  course!  ♡   mission  accomplished,   right  esther?   ☆   but  esther,   they  had  you  cornered.   every  time  i  run  into  you,   you’re  being  followed!   well,   i  love  a  good  chase,   but…   the  inquisition  will  attack…   if  we  don’t  do  something  quickly.   how?   how  in  god’s  name  could  he…   this  voice…   flows  so  sweetly…   so  gently.   it  sounds  like  someone  i  know…   the  father…  we  must  follow  father  nightroad.   //   esther  blanchett  &  cain  knightlord;   volume  15,   chapter  56:   stand  by  me.

[anthonysperkins]

gifs of 2024 ✨

post your favorite and most popular post from each month this year (it’s okay to skip months)

tagged by @talesfromthecrypts 💜 thanks brittany!

JANUARY

favorite: Paul Newman bday gifset 🥳 (3k) most popular: Zayn Dom (4k), gaygalore: Andrew Miller (19k)

FEBRUARY

favorite: Brain Damage/Possessor parallels 🔫 (793) most popular: Eusebio Poncela and Miguel Molina as Pablo and Juan in Law of Desire (1987) (9.7k)

MARCH

favorite: Dirty Men in Film 👷‍♂️ (2.7k) most popular: Ken Clark as Stewpot 🍲 in South Pacific (1958) (3.6k), gayarmpits: Archie and Kaleb (8k)

APRIL

favorite: Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates 💙 in Psycho II (1983) (1.2k) most popular: Tryp Bates and Greg Dixxon (11.4k)

MAY

favorite: Bob McCune posing 💪 for "Mr. California" 1949 (3.4k) most popular: Dante Foxx and Rick Hammersmith (6.4k), gaypast: Kyle McKenna and Cole Tucker (8.4k)

JUNE

favorite: violence between gay men in film, or intricate rituals part 1 🤼‍♂️ (1.9k), also: Christopher Abbott as Kevin in On the Count of Three (2021) (327) most popular: Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal as Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist 💚 in Brokeback Mountain (2005) (12.1k)

JULY

favorite: Ryan Gosling loves fisting 🤜 as Colt Seavers in The Fall Guy (2024) (605), and Al Pacino loves piss 💦 as Detective Steve Burns in Cruising (1980) (3k) most popular: Zak Spears (3.5k), gayarmpits: SojMani (37.7k)

AUGUST

favorite: Cary Grant as Leopold Dilg 🔥 in The Talk of the Town (1942) (1.2k), and filmgifs: gay men teasing each other in film, or intricate rituals part 2 🤼‍♂️ (3.5k) most popular: Sailor T. Rhodes (6.9k), gaygalore: Tony Stefano and Steve Henson (10.3k)

SEPTEMBER

favorite: Psycho/Longlegs parallels (2.2k), and Mike Dytri and Craig Gilmore as Luke 🔫 and Jon in The Living End (1992) (2.1k) most popular: Austin Butler and Tom Hardy as Benny and Johnny in The Bikeriders 🏍️ (2024) (2.8k), hispits: Seven Dixon and Connor Maguire (5.2k)

OCTOBER

favorite: shoeshines in vintage gay media, or intricate rituals part 3 👞 (2.4k) most popular: Brain Damage/American Psycho parallels 🍑 (4.3k)

NOVEMBER

favorite: Christopher Abbott as Reed 🪢 in Piercing (2018) (654) most popular: Randy and Manny (7.7k), hispits: Archie and Sean (8.4k)

DECEMBER

favorite: psychopaths 🖤 (790) most popular: Alan Parker, Joe Leitel and Bruce Reed in Ben-Hurry (1959) (12.4k)

tagging: @acecroft @mikaeled @lindadarnell @normasshearer @stars-bean

@eurodynamic @zanephillips @losthavenmine @rogerdeakinsdp @slayerbuffy

[inspofromancientworld]

2100 Year Old Celtic Hoard in Jersey

By Chipmunkdavis - Own work based on: Europe-Northern Cyprus.svg and Europe-Serbia.svg Own work based on: Jersey Map.svg by Ichwan Palongengi, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13554803

The Bailiwick of Jersey is an island in the English Channel, 23 km from Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy, France. It is now a self-governing British Crown Dependency, but has been home to humans since about 12,000 BCE at the latest, with the earliest dates going back about 250,000 years ago. The island has only been separated from mainland Europe for about 6,000 years due to sea level rise caused by retreating glaciers.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/11/mystery-iron-age-hoard-jersey-solved

In 2012, a large hoard of about 70,000 silver coins, 11 gold torques, and a collection of jewelry was found by metal detectorists. Initially, it was uncertain why the treasures were transported to a remote, unpopulated area with dangerous off-shore reefs. One theory was that the treasures were hurriedly moved out of Normandy and Brittany to keep them out of the hands of Julius Caesar's armies during the Gallic wars.

Source: https://www.wreckwatchmag.com/

More recent surveys of the area, however, showed linear anomalies for 'several tens of metres, parallel and perpendicular to each other, some with subdivisions that resemble late iron age rural Celtic settlements in northern France.' There are also anomalies that appear to be pits and postholes.

Source: https://www.wreckwatchmag.com/

One researcher, who explored more than 350 shipwrecks in 30 years, said that '[b]y the time Caesar attacked Brittany in 56 BC[E], the Celts' seaborne trade was a well-oiled machine. Practical knowledge about low and high water times, the location of the shoals, winds, weather and landing places had long been passed down from generation to generation.' This would make it safe for those sailors to traverse the span of water between Brittany or Normandy to Jersey with relative ease, especially compared to the Romans.

By User:Man vyi - From English Wikipedia, CC SA 1.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1876748

A megalithic tomb was also found on the hill overlooking where the settlement was found, possibly marking the area as sacred to the Celtic people who lived there, linking them back to the Neolithic people who lived there.

[ramenrescue]

If it’s alright with you, can you talk a bit abt Asirpa and Ogata? I wanna know ur thoughts on them and their dynamic?

Yes!

Apologies in advance that this is just a looooong disorganized stream of consciousness. Also I don't own all the volumes and bingeread most of it during a "read everything for free" campaign, so please excuse any inaccuracies!

GK spoilers below

Firstly I find it so interesting that despite Shiraishi being part of the main squad with Sugimoto and Asirpa, that Ogata is the first person out of the main cast of people to come in contact with the protagonists. If he were the Sailor Scouts he'd be in the Sailor Mars position. I don't know how much Noda had planned when he first started serialization and I don't know how much I should read into this symbolism-wise, but still! cool!

I also really like how despite Sugimoto being there (who has a similar physical appearance to Yusaku enough to pass off as his double), Ogata fixates on Asirpa due to her pure soul giving off similar vibes as Yusaku. He draws parallels and projects his brother onto her (and arguably his own mom, too) which is very unhealthy and anyone aside from Ogata can see from a mile away this is not going to end well, but alas, this is how Ogata's brain works.

Ogata and Asirpa's interactions are interesting to analyze because there's a couple different interpretations for each one. I have my own biases but always love reading all the different ways others have interpreted them!

Ogata saying "citatap" or "hinna" and Asirpa being the ONLY one to hear it, and everyone elses' unimpressed faces -- I tend to interpret this as partially Ogata playing nice and partially him plotting to trick Asirpa into thinking he's a good guy -- mainly because at this point he kind of joined the squad by chance. Asirpa acting like a mom by feeding Ogata and treating him like a newborn who uttered his first word is honestly very heartwarming.

Ogata shooting Asirpa's father and Sugimoto -- I'm still not well-versed in the whole Kiroranke subplot but it seems like the plan only included Asirpa's father, correct? The fact that he also tried to kill Sugimoto is just so funny to me because it's just exhibit 724793274 of Ogata doing whatever he wants. There was no logical reason to kill Sugimoto, but the illogical, completely selfish reason to kill him is to isolate Asirpa from anything she loves and anything that loves her back. I'm like almost sure he went along with Kiroranke's plan to kill Asirpa's father mainly for the aforementioned reason and because he wanted to see Asirpa grow up without a father, like how HE grew up without a father and eventually got rid of him with his own hands.

Essentially, Ogata treats Asirpa as a fresh test subject for his whole nature vs. nurture experiment. Before, Ogata himself was the test subject: he was experimenting by killing the people around him. He killed his mom to test if his dad would care enough to come to the funeral; he killed Yusaku to test if his dad would start caring about him instead; he killed his dad to see if Tsurumi would start caring about him (I'm taking Usami's analysis of Ogata's character at face value here). Unfortunately, his experiments are all failures. He hypothesizes (the oddly optimistic) outcome that SOMEONE will start caring about him, and they ALL fail. His dad doesn't come to the funeral, his dad doesn't suddenly dote on him because Yusaku is dead, and Tsurumi's attention is divided amongst like 3~5 other dudes.

Ogata fixates on Yusaku and how different he is compared to him despite them sharing the same father, to the point that Ogata starts a side experiment in which he tries to test his hypothesis that "no one feels guilt when killing another human and this is true regardless of ones' upbringing or bloodline". He experiences a PROFOUND failure in that Yusaku not only refuses to kill the prisoner, he straight up tells Ogata he is wrong and that "there is no way a person does not feel guilt upon killing another person".

This failure is so profound (I'm almost certain he killed Yusaku as 90% because of this and 10% as trying to gain attention from his father) that trying to prove Yusaku wrong becomes his main experiment. For this he needs a new test subject - and this is where Asirpa comes in. Ogata is his own n=1 (success?). Yusaku was an n=2 (failure). Asirpa is his n=3. It's interesting that Ogata killing Sugimoto and Asirpa's father can also be a test to see if Asirpa would start caring about him, like he's trying to test his old hypothesis while setting Asirpa up for his nature vs. nurture experiment. How efficient of him. We love to see it.

The Karafuto confrontation(?) with Asirpa -- okay it lowkey broke my heart to see Ogata saying "I guess it can't be me after all" which is just him accepting yet another failure to manipulate someone into loving him by killing someone off. I feel like someone with Ogata's level of perception would be able to foresee (bad) outcome of his experiments, but he always ends up going for the pie in the sky?? and inevitably failing every time?? It's almost as if he's failed so many times he knows he's going to fail so he keeps going and self-sabotages by going for things that are impossible. Also it's poetic that the way he gave himself away is that his irrational side that yearns for love overtook his rational side and he inserted himself too much into his bullshitting about Sugimoto.

His final confrontation with Asirpa on the moving train -- Chapter 309/310 is so beautiful. I constantly have this part open on Bookwalker (app where I buy and store my manga) and give myself psychic damage every time I open the app. First of all, I love the way Asirpa's eyes turned PITCH BLACK when she shot Ogata. And the way Ogata LOOKED AT HER right after...with the sweat oozing out of his forehead and him being drawn with the outline of his pupil (rare)!? The way his mouth was contorted into a grimace AND a grin!? Stop everything right fucking there. I think that might've been the highlight of Ogata's life. His experiment worked! The n=3 has shown him that yes, even pure people like Asirpa, are capable of killing without remorse (or so he thinks). Now he can use Asirpa to prove that Yusaku was bullshit until he reappears and Ogatas from Christmas Past come out of the woodworks to tell himself "actually you were wrong, you DID feel guilt". The Hivemind of Ogatas defeat him by reaching some kind of state of acceptance, and it almost feels like they're honored that Asirpa is the one to kill him.

Who can blame him? Asirpa fed him, cared for him when he was ill, appreciated all the birds he hunted, appreciated all the reindeer he hunted. Asirpa is very special to Ogata. Going back to the "citatap" "hinna" moments, it makes me wonder if part of that was genuine. What's interesting and a little tragic is like, Ogata views Asirpa as a source of "light" but Asirpa isn't just a ray of sunshine to Ogata -- IIRC Sugimoto also refers to her his "light" as well -- and she manages to tease out a lightheartedness in the most hard-core dudes like "Dick-sensei" Ushiyama and "Grandpa" Hijitaka. Ogata's no exception.

And I think that's why I've analyzed most of their dynamic from a Ogata-centric perspective: Asirpa is very special to Ogata, but Ogata is not all that special to Asirpa. She's like Jesus and Ogata's just one of the disciples. Ogata (and other characters) arguably had a profound impact on Asirpa's life, but her defining influences are her father and Sugimoto. Even her motivation to kill Ogata is driven not because she was influenced by Ogata, nor is she trying to get revenge for her father's death, but because she is acting on her commitment as Sugimoto's partner. What is kind of ironic and beautiful is that in that moment that Asirpa shoots Ogata and contributes significantly to his death, he does, in fact, become special to her: by becoming the first person she intentionally killed.

The act of Ogata shooting himself is an interesting point of discussion because I can argue that "technically, Ogata killed himself" OR I can say "Asirpa's poisoned arrow would've killed him eventually so it doesn't matter whether or not Ogata fired that final shot: Asirpa killed Ogata." I actually think both are true!

It can be debated that Ogata shot himself because he would've rather died than accept that he was wrong this whole time. I do see that. I think it's also highly plausible that Ogata, who rapidly psychoanalyzed himself in the last moments of his life, had some kind of spiritual awakening to do a good deed for once in his life and try to take away Asirpa's impending guilt by killing himself. This is analogous to Sugimoto ripping out Ogata's poisoned eyeball in Karafuto and preventing Asirpa from getting her first kill. It seems like there are "many" rational Ogatas (plus Yusaku) arguing against the one sweaty, irrational Ogata, and the final action of the physical Ogata appeared to be very calm and rational -- I mean he was rational enough to balance his gun just right and carefully used a sword to pull the trigger -- so the one making decisions in the physical world could arguably have been the collective hivemind of rational Ogatas moving Ogata's physical body in one last action of empathy towards Asirpa.

What is interesting is that this act of supposed empathy did nothing to assuage Asirpa's discomfort with killing a human being. After she shoots the bear, Asirpa is seen squeezing her eyes shut and turning her head to look towards the direction that Ogata's body fell. There are a few characters in the story with completely darkened pupils and there are a few others like Sugimoto, Kiroranke, and Wilk who manage to keep the "glint" in their eyes despite having killed many -- so I truly do not know what makes them different, but I do know what Asirpa's mental strength far surpasses that of Ogata's (and possibly everyone in the story), and I think her eyes regaining their natural glow (catalyzed by Sugimoto reminding her that she has proved herself to be his partner by this intentional kill) is symbolic of her rapid acceptance of her own guilt.

TLDR: I think Oripa is a little fucked up, and it's great!

[kursed-arcana]

Sailor Quartet traits

I answered a question about gathering info on the sailor quartet recently and thought I'd share my educated guess on their characters here.

love the quartet but they're isn't a lot of material on them. For their eternal transformations it would probably be Ceres crystal power make up and so on but but Ceres asteroid power make up would probably work as an earlier phrase.

You can find info on their order of birth, and some personality trait info in various bonus materials like that above. Other things you can kind of guess based on their circus rolee, powers and traights, as well as which of the inners they parallel.

So the following is guess work for them based on on their parallels, circus abilities, colors and what the Roman gods represent would be can be.

Ceres is the flower magician so you can say she'd have plant based powers which does match how the inner guardians abilities were partially inspired by wuxing elements. Her element would be wood and possibly earth. It also matches what Ceres was the goddess of. She was God of crops and grain, as well as motherly relationships and fertility. So this also helps show her as a mirror of Venus in that it can be a form of love. Shes Leader of the group. If venus looks like serenity to serve as a body double then that can possible applied to Ceres, which would explain whey her main color is pink. Both in hair and her sailor suit. The yellow ribbons can be seen as influence from her parallel with minako. Interesting that they both wear ribbons in their hair.

Ceres was supposed to talk very aristocraticly and be kind of stuck up. The note above says she thinks highly of herself which does match her behavior in super s. Like when she targeted the painter lol

Vesta would be fire. Which makes sense, one of the things her patron goddess is god of is the hearth (fireplace). She parallels mars. So her attacks could maybe also be fire animals, like how mars had snake fire. Doing that could match her role as the animal tamer. She's the youngest. Also God of virginity, home and family. The virginity influence would also match sailor mars and how she took a vow of chastity.

Juno is trickier. She's the third oldest and her goddess is the protector and special counselor of the state. She was equated to Hera, queen of the gods in Greek mythology. A consort of Jupiter, so there's a parallel with Sailor Jupiter there. Has warlike aspects and is a godess of marriage. Juno as a character is very tomboy like and the acrobat of the group so that also helps draw a parallel to Mako. With her goddess being Jupiter's wife you could argue that she could have lightning powers like sailor jupiter. If we stick to wuxang maybe metal could be her element and metal clattracts lightning so it works kind of.

Then there is Pallas. She is the second oldest but most immature. Counterpart to mercury and the tactician of the team. So we could associate her with the wuxang element of water like mercury. She's also the ball rider so balls of water could work as an initial attack, maybe like Mercury's bubble spray in the og anime. The og anime also showed her having some keen insight in a few scenes like when they worked with the guardians to help set up that event. Now their are 2 Pallas in Greek mythology. One a titan and the other is an epithat for Athena. We'll go with Athena cause that would tie her to wisdom, strategic warfare and handicraft. Which would suit her as she is supposedly a strategist like mercury and was shown enjoy various things like dolls. The notes above say she is kind of stupid, but that could really just be her immaturity. Plus the notes above are more about their circus versions, which were corrupted by Nehelenia, so it's possible she magnified their nore negative traights.

I think it's worth considering their anime portrayal as part of their character. Takeuchi was involved with the 90s anime despite its many liberties, and the 90s anime does build on and flesh out a lot of concepts. So if it doesn't directly contrast something from the manga, I think it's OK to contemplate how things like the quartet's characterization can fit into their manga cointerparts.

[natasha-in-space]

Hey i saw you reblogging a sailor moon post and i was thinking which sailor moon characters would mysme characters would be

The only ones i am 100% assured off are Usagi (Sailor moon) is none other than yoosung. Sailor Venus is Zen, Sailor Mercury is jaehee.

What is your take on this

Ohhh, honestly, it's been a while since I actually dabbled into the Sailor Moon universe, so I'm pretty rusty, all things considered! But I did talk about a similar topic with a friend once. More precisely, who the mm gang would choose as their favorite character. This turned into a kind of mix-up between who I think their favorite would be, and who I actively associate with them. So, these are just my silly thoughts! Some are more deep than others.

Yoosung - Sailor Moon/Usagi Tsukino

I have to agree with you there: Usagi and Yoosung are definitely a very good match. I actually headcanon Yoosung as a huge fan of Sailor Moon franchise in mm universe! Particularly because he relates to Usagi so much, with her being the main character. He may or may not have had a fictional crush on her... but that's a secret (Seven definitely knows). These two are both cheery and bright spirits with big dreams. Their individual journeys involve self-improvement and maturity. He definitely cried more than once at her romance with Tuxedo Mask... The start of his romantic nature.

Zen - Sailor Mars/Rei Hino

You'll be surprised who I put Sailor Venus with! But, as for Zen, I love putting him up with more fiery and fierce characters. I always associate him with fire, honestly. Zen and Rei are both self-sufficient and resourceful in their own ways. And while Zen is definitely not as spunky or sassy as Rei, he more than compensates for it when you put him in a chatroom with Jumin. They both share a very strong sense of justice as well. Zen will not hesitate to say it how it is, or voice his frustrations in the face of unfair wrongdoings. They are also fiercely protective of their loved ones, which is definitely a very important quirk of Zen's. Overall, they share similar vibes, and I think they would appreciate each other for their individual strengths.

Jaehee - Sailor Mercury/Ami Mizuno

And yes! I am in agreement that Jaehee and Ami are a perfect match. Personally, Ami was my favorite 'cause I share so many similarities to her in terms of how I behave with other people, so I love that girl to bits and pieces. The obvious 'logical smart friend' parallels aside, there is also a similarity to their personal growth throughout their journeys. Learning to believe in themselves, be confident in their personal strengths, and finding internal growth through meaningful relationships with people who truly care about you is something they both learn. I think that's really sweet.

Jumin - Sailor Neptune/Michiru Kaioh

Now, it is kind of funny how I put the more creative Michiru next to Jumin, and not Jihyun. But, hear me out. Michiru is frequently depicted as a figure of elegance and sophistication. Kind of similar to how Jumin is always followed by an aura of refined and luxurious charm. I also always picture Jumin as a very elegant and attractive man when it comes to meeting him in person. I'd say, he is actually right next to Zen when it comes to stealing your breath away with just looks alone. His alluring way of holding himself is what really draws you in to him. Jumin is also much more sensitive than people give him credit for. I just can't help but put Michiru's water powers next to his deep care for those he holds dear to his heart. They are both stoic, but loving souls. Stern but righteous. When faced with conflict, they will do the right thing.

Saeyoung - Sailor Uranus/Haruka Tenoh

Listen. They may not share much in terms of their behavior: with Haruka being on a more cool and mature side, while Saeyoung is notorious for his love for mischief, but... First of all, they both share a love for cars. Specifically, race cars. It's likely that they would find a common ground on that. Especially with how nerdy Saeyoung is with his interests. Not many share his love for speed and his lovely babies! On a deeper level, they do also share a similar undying loyalty to their loved ones. Saeyoung with Saeran, and Haruka with Sailor Neptune. Plus, Saeyoung is more than capable of remaining cool and determined in the face of danger. There is also the whole 'protecting the world from evil' aspect, and Saeyoung wanting to be seen as a defender of justice, but I digress.

Jihyun - Sailor Star Healer/Yaten Kou

Honestly, the reason behind this is mostly Taiki's love for classical music and her talent as a pianist. I also really like putting her thoughtfulness and reservedness next to Jihyun's more emotional and reckless nature. I just feel like they'd make a very interesting pair with a relatively balanced dynamic. Jihyun needs someone who will tell him upfront when he's getting lost in his mind or acting foolishly. Taiki is a character who is both loyal and selfless, and she is willing to put herself in danger to protect her friends. That's a sentiment they definitely share.

Saeran - Sailor Pluto/Setsuna Meioh

There's just something about mysterious characters with tragic backstories, isn't there? This choice is biased because Setsuna is my second favorite, honestly. She doesn't get much screen time, but she left a huge impact on me regardless. There is a tragic sense of duty to her, that I can't help but link to Saeran's invisible chains of responsibility to his Savior and Magenta. The circumstances are very different, no doubt. But the weight of their duties is weighing heavily on their shoulders in a similar way. The willingness Setsuna has to sacrifice herself is a trait that I can also trace back to Saeran. If we hadn't stopped him, he would have sacrificed himself for us with a sad and reserved smile on his face. And that thought always hurts me to think about.

Rika - Sailor Venus/Minako Aino

This is honestly more of a biased choice, but I'll try to explain it somewhat logically, hehe. They do share a similar sense of mystery around themselves, until we get to properly see them as a thorough and rounded character. Minako and Rika are both very cheerful and bubbly people on the outside. A sort of 'sunshine' of the group. But, much like Rika, Minako has so much more than just her bubbly smiles and happy-go-lucky attitude. They both have rather ambiguous dreams, with Minako wanting to become an idol, and Rika aspiring to help as many people as she can. They both have a profound sense of responsibility in some way or another. If we're talking about Rika before the whole Mint Eye nightmare, I'd like to think that she and Minako would become great friends.

[silvermoon424]

[radix-outpost]

I was talking about Sailor Moon's youma with Lan the other day, specifically how they're portrayed in the classic anime, and hit upon something horrific:

Youma are the only monsters of the week that can take human form, and a few of them, most notably Thetis, are shown in human form in the Dark Kingdom/"Negaverse" when you'd think it wouldn't be necessary. We don't see how the existing youma were created (IIRC), but we do witness civilians being brainwashed and given the ability to become youma--the closest parallel in later MotWs are the Lemures, who are all the dreamless animated corpses of Nehelenia's court. The Seven Great Youma were reincarnated as humans (and one cat), the only time that MotW are ever shown to do this.

Ergo, the youma that weren't transformed civilians must be the members of the Earth Kingdom army that survived the assault on the Moon Kingdom.

An additional point of horror: I don't think it's too much of a stretch to assume that a youma's human form is their true one (though at least two were shown to copy other people's forms; chalk it up to Dark Kingdom magic). If everyone who reincarnates in SM looks the same in the past and the present... well, imagine Ryo Urawa's past self cutting down Moon Kingdom soldiers. Or worse, Grandpa Hino's guys fighting against Sailor Mars.

[thoughtfulfangirling]

To Restore a Life

Words: 2,296 There was a fic prompt + fic that has wiggled into my brain and taken root, where someone has the power to resurrect but it comes at the cost of part of their body, and now there's a series of fics that are supposed to be short that I want to do. I've gotten the first one written. It was longer than I thought it would be. WOOPS. XD (Oh nooo more fic from a fic* writer (*I used to rarely write fic but heh I guess now I have to just realize that I kind of am now)) This is not a one-to-one with the 90s anime for what has happened before now. Stealing some ideas from @docholligay's typical history of the senshi where Usagi only does a resurrection when she first discovers she's Sailor Moon and/or Princess Serenity and 'awakens.' So yeah that idea is not my own but damn it's good. (Psst read Doc's sailor moon stuff it's so good)

"Guardian of the gate of Chronos, the ageless Sailor Pluto, and the one affectionately known as Pu, your princess commands your presence!" Sailor Moon declared, holding her sacred silver crystal aloft like a talisman that might amplify her voice across whatever distance separated her from the recipient of her message.

Like a stage dimming its light at the opening of a production, the world suddenly got darker, quieter, mute. The air felt muffled; there was a sensation of vertigo. They hadn't moved, but they were in a space between time now. From a mist that never floated in but now hung thick all around, a figure emerged, silhouetted by the shining silver light of the Door of Time.

Sailor Pluto stepped forward before the small ground of senshi and and the bier that held aloft the body of Chibiusa.

The ageless woman stepped forward, hand on her rod. As she reached them, she went down on one knee, bent her head, and put her free hand to her heart. "What would you have of me Serenity?"

Usagi had hesitantly lowered her broach and stared, awestruck, at the result of her command. Beside her, Sailor Mars grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.

The tears that had been streaming down their princess's face had paused at the magic she'd summoned, but they began to build again she addressed Sailor Pluto.

"I have resurrected before. Why can't I now? What must I do?!" She clutched her broach to her heart.

Pluto lifted only her head to look at Usagi. "A millenia, the Ginzuishou lay dormant, it's power untouched. When you awoke, you burst with your own untapped power and that of the Ginzuishou's. Never before or since will you possess such limitless power. That is why you could then and why you cannot not."

"There must be a way!" Usagi said, wrenching her hand from Rei and stepping closer to the bier that separated her from her oldest guardian. Pluto only gave one cut of her neck, from left to right, in a curt gesture of negative. "How can I not be powerful enough? My gift is to heal!"

"Resurrection is not healing." Pluto's voice was emotionless, perhaps even restrained.

"Usagi," Rei said from behind her, stepping forward to touch Usagi's shoulder. The openly crying blonde jerked her shoulder away and only stepped closer, her knees against the stone, her hand beside Chibiusa's head.

"It has to be possible. Tell me! As your future queen, I demand you tell me!" And she pounded her fist on the stone above Chibusa's ever so still head.

Finally, Sailor Pluto stood. Her eerie maroon gaze bore into Sailor Moon for a moment, before she scanned the silent senshi behind her.

"This conversation can only continue if I speak with the queen alone. Beside her can only be she who is most loyal to her." She raised her free hand and pointed at Sailor Mars. "I see the thread between you. Only you can stay to hear what more I have to impart." At the parting of Sailor Venus's lips, Pluto gave that small but cutting negative gesture once more. "You are her general. I understand the impulse. But Mars it must be Mars and only Mars." She opened her palm and moved her hand outward, out and parallel with her shoulder. A portal appeared behind them. "All but the queen and Mars, depart."

Sailor Venus stepped forward to touch Sailor Moon's elbow. "Whatever is about to happen here is going to be difficult Sailor Moon. Do you want us to leave?"

With a sob, Usagi nodded vigorously, her shoulders coming up in a body shuddering sob that shook her. "I have to save Chibiusa."

Sailor Mars moved in front of Usagi to take her hands and steady her, pressing their foreheads together. Black eyes caught and held blue. Until it was time to learn more, Rei would hold Usagi up!

Behind them, Pluto watched the other guardians reluctantly disappear into the portal which then behind them. When they were gone, her eyes returned to the two women standing. Mars could feel Pluto's gaze.

"Are you ready Usagi?" Rei whispered to her, tightening her grip on Usagi's shoulders.

With a sniffle, Usagi gave a small nod and said, "Yes."

Sailor Mars moved to Sailor Moon's side. She retook her hand and glared down the enigmatic figure before her.

"A forebear of yours commanded me never to speak of this knowledge. You must release my tongue. Invoke the Ginzuishou, replace their command with your own, and the knowledge is yours as you have ordered."

"Will saving Chibiusa kill Usagi?" Rei demanded, feeling fear infuse her at these words.

"It doesn't matt-"

"Shut up Usagi. Yes it does. Will Usagi be in danger?" Rei demanded.

"The order of silence was enacted to protect those of the Serenity line." Pluto replied. "I am unable to say more."

Usagi had closed her eyes and tuned out the conversation, holding the silver crystal to her heart. Taking deep breaths, she tried to remember every time she had transformed into Serenity, tried to invoke it now. It usually felt almost like a possession, and she wasn't sure how to make it come to her. She thought of Chibusa, who Chibusa would come to know her to be. As her mother. As a queen. As a royal descendant of a line that outdated recorded history itself. She felt the crystal growing warm between her fingers. "Please." She whispered, and she felt it, almost like water just barely warmer than room temperature sliding over her skin. Her uniform melted into a flowing white dress, her tiara morphing into a crown. She opened her eyes. She didn't see the room around her, or the women who had grown silent at the transformation. She released the hand that led hers and lifted it to her other hand. When she opened the palm that had held the broach, it was only the Ginzuishou, and it floated between her hands now as if a string ran through her palms through the center of the shining crystal. Lifting her arms to hold the crystal out in front of her heart, but closer to her body than than the bier, Princess Serenity said in a voice like but unlike that of Usagi Tsukino's, "I break the bonds of silence my forebears have placed upon you. Speak, Agent of Chronos, and tell me how to restore this young life."

When the room returned to Serenity's vision, Pluto was once more on her knees, head bowed. Mars looked awkward on one knee as well, looking up at her, eyes occasionally trying to catch a glimpse of Pluto.

"The magic you seek to perform requires a sacrifice of your flesh. One which cannot be restored." Pluto replied. Her voice was somehow both robotic and reverent simultaneously, almost as if she hadn't know the knowledge before she spoke it.

Usagi blinked. She was starting to feel herself again, but she was still Princess Serenity. "That's it? That's all I need to do? Why was that so important to keep secret?" She seemed absolutely dumbfounded.

At the sound of her friend's voice, Rei had popped up like a match had struck up under her. "Because you can't-"

"It must be done to yourself-"

"-cut off pieces of yourself for every-"

"-by your own hand."

"person who dies!"

Mars and Pluto spoke at the same time, over each other. Rei was louder, but Serenity had only had ears for Pluto's. She paled as full understanding finally reached her. Suddenly, Usagi Tsukino stood before them, clutching a broach to her chest and shuddering. "What piece of flesh?" She asked.

"Usagi you can't!" Sailor Mars said, grabbing her shoulders and turning her bodily away from looking at Pluto.

"Rei it's Chibiusa! I have to!" The sobbing started all over again. "You can't ask me not to Rei you can't!" And now Usagis fist were pounding into her friend's chest as she sobbed, on the brink of wailing. "And I don't think I can do it myself. You have to help me Rei, you have to!"

Rei pulled Usagi into her arms, trapping her punching arms between them. Rei, eyes aflame, turned her gaze on Pluto as Usagi went limp. She would have let them go to the ground and held the woman there, but she would have lost sight of Pluto.

"She asked you what piece of flesh."

Sailor Pluto lifted a palm, a gesture that also lifted one shoulder, a one sided shrug. "That is her choice."

"Whatever you need" Usagi wailed. "Take it!"

"You must take it..."

"Oh shut up Pluto! She will. Just," Rei shook her head as if she could batter her brain into giving her the answer she was looking for. "Do you need like a whole fucking hand or arm or what? Can it be a finger??" She demanded, grinding the words out of her mouth, barely able to see for the fires that were raging in her. "Is there any way it could be mine?"

"Rei no!" Usagi cried, hiding her face further in Sailor Mar's chest, dampening her uniform.

"I have never heard that anyone not of Serenity's blood line could make resurrection work. I do not believe it has to be a lot of flesh. The stipulation is something that which will not heal whole, a sacrifice of one's body."

"Okay. Okay let me think!" Rei shouted, making Usagis growing wailing suddenly choke to a stop. The crying continued, but silently. "Does she need to transform again?"

"That should not be necessary."

"Okay. Okay!"

Abruptly, Rei thrust Usagi back so she could look her in the eye. Usagi moaned, and this time, Sailor Mars let the two of them sink from the Time Guardian's sight behind the bier.

"Usagi. I will help you this once. For Chibiusa. But you have to promise me that you will never do this again and that you will never tell anyone how this is done. Chibiusa will go back to the future from here, and we won't speak of what happened here."

"But-"

"NO buts! And you can try to order me all you want. I am not just Sailor Mars, not just a senshi, and not your general. I am also Rei Hino, and you can't order me about like that do you hear me?! This is why it had to be me. So listen. I will help you do this only under those conditions. No one can else can ever know that this is in your power or eventually they'll take you apart. I won't have it! So promise me! Promise me this will be the only time!"

"You want Chibiusa to go away though too?!" Usagi whimpered.

"If she comes back with us, it won't be a secret that you can do this. She has a life in the future anyway. She shouldn't live in the past."

"Won't you miss her?!"

Tears of anger and pain and misery and determination sprung to Rei's eyes. "That's not the point. You know I love Chibusa. But these are my terms. What. You want to try and do this yourself? Pluto, I assume you've got a knife we can use? Come on, hand it over to her. She's got this!"

Usagi's hands came up and buried themselves in Rei's uniform, bunching it up, gripping it. "I promise! I promise! Please help me!" She sobbed.

"Tell me what you're promising me Usagi!"

It took some time for Usagi to calm enough to say, through shudders, "I promise I won't tell anyone I can bring her back. I promise I'll make her go back to her time."

Pluto had stepped around the bier with a short, ornate blade. Rei didn't question where it came from, just took it from her.

"Usagi, take off your left shoe."

"A lost toe will require extensive physical therapy. A pinky might-"

"A pinky is too easily seen!" Rei hissed. "She's a clutz. She an do the therapy. Right Usagi?"

"But-"

"Do you want my help or not?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Left shoe off. I'll position the knife, okay? Then you need to hold the handle. Come on, like this. You got it? Hold it steady, and close your eyes. Oh wait."

Usagi couldn't see through the blur of her tears, which wouldn't stop coming. She heard a tearing sound, heard the order to open her mouth, felt the ball of cloth going into her mouth. She did as she was told then, listening to the trusted voice, making sure the cloth was bunched up between her molars.

She barely felt the hand that held the grip of the blade. She was very nearly not holding it at all, but had her hand posed in a facsimile of a grip.

She did feel the burning hot flesh of the hand that covered hers.

"Think of Chibiusa now Usagi. Think about bringing her back. I won't try this again if it doesn't work the first time." Usagi's fingers clenched hard around her broach and the silver crystal.

"Are you ready?"

With a whine, Usagi muffled out a yes as she gave a nod. The pain was sharp, searing. The cloth seemed to fill her whole mouth, pressing against her. There was a new pain, a flare of searing heat. And then there was no pain at all as she felt the magic rush into her, and she remebered this now. It was true that it was not like last time. It wasn't as overwhelming or powerful than last time. She didn't feel as though she could save everyone and everything she ever wanted to. But she felt like she could save someone.

On the bier, Chibiusa stirred.

[drops-of-moonlights]

Hello! Thank you for answering my earlier question! I love the attacks for Sailor Sun and how they parallel Sailor Moon's themes of healing and light. Is Dark Brocken Sceptre meant to be Brocken or Broken? I thought the throughline of jewels and stuff like mantles, (land)slides, and eruptions were really cool! Thank you for answering and have a great day!

it's Brocken, after the Brocken Specter effect! my concept of Sailor Earth, based on her origins as Mio, keeps some of that darkness-aligned power and this is how it manifests! This also comes directly from ReStart, where during the Fiore arc I need to get to posting the timeline for that one too damn the Inners (as she's one of them here) get weather-related spells. (for curiosity's sake, they are Blue Blizzard for Mercury, Red Firestorm for Mars, Green Thunderbolt for Jupiter, and Golden Parhelion for Venus, and Silver Moonbow for Moon)

[kaleidodreams]

Heavenly Pearl's Fic Review - False Pretenses

Next up is the only fic I wrote for this year's Sailor Moon Rare Pair Week, False Pretenses, featuring Rei/Yuuichirou.

Summary: Devoted to Usagi and her duty as Sailor Mars, Rei is determined never to fall in love, refusing to follow in her workaholic father’s footsteps. When said father tries to set her up with the son of one of his political allies, however, she impulsively tells him she already has a boyfriend. Yuuichirou agrees to escort her to the fancy fundraiser dinner Senator Hino invites them to, posing as her partner, but when his biggest secret is surprisingly revealed, Rei learns they have more in common than she ever imagined.

Thoughts: This fic actually turned out a lot longer than I expected (over 13,000 words) for a one-shot, and, to be honest, it probably should have been even longer. I think the story would have benefitted with a little more focus on Yuuichirou's strained relationship with his father as a parallel to Rei's, but I guess it turned out decent enough. I am happy that I finally got a chance to write a "fake dating" fic, though. That's a fic trope I tend to really enjoy, so I've been wanting to write one for a while. And, of course, I always love writing about Rei and her father!