In a message dated 1/7/2002 10:50:43 AM US Mountain Standard Time,
sommer@3rdm.net writes:
And I break into the October barrier:
And here we are, glad that'cha did!!! ^_^
> Then Terra got bored and challenged the Princess of Venus
> and the Younger Inner Senshi to a duel. Go figure.
She was bored. What can you say?
One would be surprised what one would do when bored.
Actually, it reminds me of Groundhog Day and that one
Stargate episode with the time-loop.
At first, they're taking it calmly and seriously, they translate
the way to get out... then it starts to drag...
The Colonel starts juggling in the middle of the lecture...
A few loops later Teal'C, the hyper-serious Ja'Fah, starts juggling...
In similar aspects, a being that's spent aeons and aeons blowing
up chunks of the universe every minute/day/hour/year of its life
and suddenly being forced to calm down and act like a sweet
little princess would find that boredom comes quite easily.
Thus, the creation of the Atomic Starlight Knight and all the
related chaos thereof.
...
Actually, for any character with a boring job, it would not be surprising
for them to do weird, wacky and wild stuff... unless they happen to be
very boring people.
Take Sailor Pluto, for example. She stays pretty serious throughout
her characterization in the anime (and possibly the manga, but I'm
not so sure...). So, either her job is not all that boring and she needs
to stay serious to keep on top of it, or her job is very boring and she's
a very boring person and just doesn't like it when the monotony doesn't
continue.
A serious fanfic might want to use the former, while a more light-hearted
sort of storyline might want to use the latter, for the obvious fun that is
created wreaking havoc upon a boring person's routine. ^_^
That can be applied to any serious, mysterious character. Then again,
there's always the Xelloss type to worry about...
> "Alright, everyone, we're all going to warm up!" Althea
> announced enthusiastically. She held up a five-inch-long yellow rod
> with the Venus sigil engraved on the tip. "Just like we practiced at
> home, girls!"
>
> "Ladies is the proper term," Hermione reminded her leader.
Pyra: Not for this lot
Hmmm, that could work!
...
Odd thing, that. Whenever someone makes a comment that's
intended to be a joke, I almost always seem to find a place for
it.
> "Or 'guys' if you want to be nasty," commented Pyra.
>
> "I once know
knew
Oh! Right.
That'd be ArbyFish speak, I guess... "Ya see, Oye once knows
a 'spit that loikes 'iz 'shrooms on a grill.."
> Althea's expression fell. "We're _supposed_ to be showing that
> brat Terra who are the better princesses,
who the better
Okay, that'll work.
> A yellow light engulfed Althea while she held up her wand.
> A twirling of bright, flashing stars wrapped around her, and in
> a flash, her outfit formed.
Although it was a bit comical, since she wasn't anywhere near the age where
whips and leather would turn anyone on.
Should I use that line...? Sure! Why not? ^_^
Looking back over the version I've got, it looks like it wouldn't work
quite that way because I added more description:
A yellow light engulfed Althea while she held up her wand.
A twirling of bright, flashing stars wrapped around her, and in
a flash, her outfit formed. The girl struck a pose, clothed in a
white, orange-skirted leotard with a blue bow tied at the chest
underneath a hemisphere-shaped jewel. A large orange bow adorned
the small of her back, and an orange-jeweled golden tiara graced
her forehead. She also wore orange lace-up sandals.
I can't seem to make it fit with the additional description...
Actually, I've made several revisions in the storyline since I've
posted this... (I've still got a few scenes to go plus revision until
the chapter is done... Me and my 500k+ chapter halves... ^_^;;;)
But, yes, the whole thing's a bit silly, isn't it? ^_^
> "Ah," Chibimercury replied. "So, in this case, I would say,"
> she placed her hands on her hips and called out to the world, "I am
> Sailor Chibimercury! Our honor has been blighted by the carelessness
> of a false princess. On behalf of the planet Mercury's future, I
> will chastise you!"
Mercury: "with my whips and chains."
Venus: "No, no. That's my line.
I hate to see a good joke like that go to waste...
"Ah," Chibimercury replied. "So, in this case, I would say,"
she placed her hands on her hips and called out to the world, "I am
Sailor Chibimercury! Our honor has been blighted by the carelessness
of a false princess. On behalf of the planet Mercury's future, I
will chastise you with my whips and my chains?"
"Whips and chains...?" Chibimars and Chibijupiter whispered
with raised eyebrows and their jaws hanging open.
"No, that's my line," Chibivenus said, shaking her head. She
paused, thought it over, then shrugged. "But, it's close enough."
She turned to the others. "Everyone else now!"
The question comes: how _would_ a ten-year-old Minako lead a
crew like this one? ^_^
> Sailor Chibijupiter clenched her fists. "I'm Sailor
> Chibijupiter, and you made me MAD! I'm gonna beat you up, in the
> name of Jupiter!!!" she half-shouted, really getting into it. She
> crossed her fingers and a little lightning rod shot up from behind
> her tiara's gem. The rod started sparking a little.
A pity her mother would only let her control static electricity instead of
the ability to generate some real power.
Got it figured out, eh?
Never let a ten-year-old wield a bolt of real lightning. ^_^
I like that line and I'd hate to lose it...
Sailor Chibijupiter clenched her fists. "I'm Sailor
Chibijupiter, and you made me MAD! I'm gonna beat you up, in the
name of Jupiter!!!" she half-shouted, really getting into it. She
crossed her fingers and a little lightning rod shot up from behind
her tiara's gem. The rod started sparking a little.
Iolanthe winced when she saw how little energy was being
generated. She mulled over the fact that it was a pity that her
mother would only let her control static electricity instead of
giving her the ability to generate any real power.
> "_They_ expect to beat _me_?" Princess Terrifying muttered to
> herself, incredulous. "What a joke."
>
> "They are the future," a voice the girl recognized as Queen
> Serenity said from behind her.
"Then your future is bleak indeed," Terrifying said.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....
This is how it came out...
"They are the future," a voice the girl recognized as Queen
Serenity said from behind her. "While they may not be very
experienced or powerful right now, someday they will be."
Almost startled, Terra whirled around to face her adoptive
mother. "Ah, Mother! What a surprise!"
Hmm, I guess she couldn't hear Serenity's statement, or didn't
take notice of it.
Question: Should Terra be all that edgy around her adopted
mother? I mean, Serenity does hold the key to destroying her,
but would that threat ever be psychologically diminished?
> apparent to her that it really had been a mistake to mince words with
> the Sailor Chibiscouts. Someday in the far future, they were probably
> going to be rulers of their worlds, barring civil unrest and coup
> attempts.
Oh, I think I see a lot of both in the future.
Oh yes. Very much so. ^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^
Beryl and Metallia would have been quite enough to get rid of all these
Kingdoms under normal circumstances... So now we add Terra and ASK
into the mix...
No wonder none of the other planets are habitable anymore! ^_^
> <Instant gratification is not always intelligent...>
>
> <But it sure felt good!>
>
> <Darn right!!!>
True
A common mistake in writing characters is that some authors
assume that a character will always do the right or smart thing
in any given circumstance. Hence many ongoing debates about
what would have been the best thing to happen or for a character
to do.
A lot of characters won't do the right thing because they'd much
rather do something else or really don't care much about the
greater good or evil to start with.
Take Shampoo, for example... Actually, take all of the characters
from all of the series and we find some pretty huge, big, nasty flaws.
That's why we like 'em! ^_^
> <Rightly so! She kept calling Serenity a hentai!>
>
> <Why that little->
>
> <She didn't get along with any of the six Asteroid Senshi,
> either.>
They were just annoying twits, though.
Hoo-yeah! They're circus midgets, too!
> <Beat the tar out of Kull with her bare hands?! The boy was
> already six feet tall and was wielding an axe at the time!>
>
> <Grr! Stupid twit always insisted on fighting her, claiming
> he'd get married that way. Then he'd always mumbled that he'd take
> her flower->
>
> <That jerk!>
Heh
Jason Liao suggested that one...
> "Then I suppose I cannot stop you," Queen Serenity nodded. "All
> I can do is try to give you a little edge."
Hmm. Surprised she would to that, rather than letting Terra lie in the bed
of her own making.
Yeah. I've noticed that for some wacky reason, Queen Serenity insists
on giving Terra special and preferential treatment.
She gets to eat almost anything she wants and asks for... If it's
nigh-impossible to get, the Queen asks for a little patience...
Terra's got two personal assistants/servants to wait on her, hand and
foot... Princess Serenity doesn't get any assigned other than the usual
occasional stuff...
Anybody got any good ideas why Queen Serenity's treating the girl
so obnoxiously well; spoiling her, even?
> Princess Serenity nodded brightly.
>
> Queen Serenity grasped the two magical items and experimentally
> weighed them in her hands. "You never used them, did you?"
Princess: Because they look utterly ridiculous. I do have some integrity,
you know. It's not like you go around in a demented cheerleader uniform
anymore now, do you?
^_^ There's an interesting thought...
Plotpoint: Nobody's used the Chibimoon powers for a long old time.
"Gee, I wonder why.........."
Here's how I adapted it:
Queen Serenity grasped the two magical items and experimentally
weighed them in her hands. "You never used them, did you?"
The ten-year-old shook her head. "No."
"Why not?"
"Ummm, I don't know, Mother," Princess Serenity said uneasily.
What she really meant to say was, "Because, oh dear Mommy, they look
utterly RIDICULOUS! Sheesh, I do have SOME integrity, you know! It's
not like YOU ever went around in a demented cheerleader uniform, now,
did you?!"
"She never did want to become a Sailor Senshi," the Queen
whispered to Terra. "Neither did I, nor my mother, nor hers. In fact,
we have not had a Senshi of the Moon in over seven generations."
^_^ I like these little controlled remarks. They're useful, if they're
well-thought-out...
> Queen Serenity offered the two items to Terra. "I believe you
> will find these useful in your coming fued.
feud
Oh! Right.
And here's what I added to the scene since last time:
"She never did want to become a Sailor Senshi," the Queen
whispered to Terra. "Neither did I, nor my mother, nor hers. In fact,
we have not had a Senshi of the Moon in over seven generations."
Terra pointed questioningly at the prism and the wand. "Then
those are--?"
The white-blonde demonstrated the prism. It was pink,
multifaceted, and mounted in a gold-rimmed pink disc. Three tiny
gemstones adorned the device above the prism. "The Lunar Senshi
transformation brooch and," she showed-off the wand. Its handle was
a very, very faint shade of pink, which connected with a red
junction with a pair of wings carved into them. It ended with a pink
prism mounted in a golden frame and topped with a red star. "This
is her wand."
Queen Serenity offered the two items to Terra. "I believe you
will find these useful in your coming feud. They have been passed
on for ten generations, and I wish for you to have them."
Terra quickly accepted the gifts, her memory still a bit
fuzzy on what they were for, or how they were to be used. "Uh,
thanks, Mother."
"But they're mine!" Princess Serenity complained.
"You never used them in all the years you had them," the Queen
explained. "It is a lesson you must learn. If you do not use it, you
lose it."
"But, but--" Princess Serenity's eyes half-watered.
"No 'buts.' You must learn this."
Terra looked over the objects. They did have a small amount
of power inside them, but it was such an infintesimal amount that
it was inconceivable that either would ever be of any use to her.
Even in her weakened state, she was still several hundred times as
powerful as any other girl using the wand or the prism.
<Whaddaya think?>
<Technically, it wasn't made for someone with my chosen
genetic structure, but a few simple aura adaptations could enable
me to use it.>
<Yyyyyyyyyyyyyeah, we knew that. But do we use it?>
<Nah.>
<Right. We're not THAT destitute... yet.>
<Awwww, but I wanted to->
<To dress up like a bunny in a miniskirt? Let me think about
that one... NO!>
"Actually, Mother," Terra said, looking up at Queen Serenity,
"I think I would prefer to do it by myself, without these." She
held up the wand and the prism as if to return them.
"You challenged their honor as Senshi," Serenity noted, "they
will fight you as Senshi. They could hurt you."
Terra blinked.
<Uhhhhhh... No, they couldn't.>
<She. . . thinks. . . that they could-->
<BWAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAAAAA!!!>
<The Elder Senshi, sure, but the CHIBISCOUTS?!>
<Hooo-boy. If only she knew...>
<She'd be trying to kill me if she knew _that_.>
<Too true, too true.>
<Well, using what we know of her, we simply must calculate a
response that would please her.>
"I'll beat 'em up with my bare hands," Terra announced,
tossing a few punches into the air. "Just like you did when you were
my age, Mother." She did a mock-uppercut. "I'll give 'em the old
Dragon Punch."
The Queen cocked an eyebrow at her. "I haven't told you about
that. How did you know?"
Terra froze. "Uhhhhhhhhhhhh..."
<D'oh!>
<That's right. I'm not supposed to know about that.>
<She hasn't told _anyone_ about that...>
<Except for the ones that got hit by it! They know.>
<That's it!>
Terra's expression shifted to an innocent, sugary, bright-eyed
smile. "Why, Second Lieutenant Ferrite told me!"
"Really?" the white-blonde asked with an interested expression,
putting a finger to her chin. "When did you meet the good _Captain_?"
"Captain Ferrite, I mean," Terra corrected herself, trying to
come up with a plausible excuse for her knowledge.
<That's right, he got a few promotions during my arrival.
Starlight read his profile.>
"I met himmmmm," Terra said, slowly humming the last sylable.
"At that one party! Yeah, that's it!"
"Which party?"
"The one with the rain and where Guardian Zoicite started
going ballistic, shouting stuff like he didn't 'wanna be a guuurl'
and 'I'm gonna break through this gawl-dern magic if it kills me.'"
"I remember being there!" Princess Serenity exclaimed. She
looked off to the side as she wistfully remembered the experience.
"I met this nice girl... She was about foruteen, had short blue hair,
and was wearing this funny black armor." She paused. "You know, I
thought only Earth's princes wore that." She shrugged. "Anyway, it
was fun. I wanna meet that girl again. She would be a nice friend to
have."
"Oh," Serenity whispered in realization. "So you met Ferrite
_there_. I shall have to ask him why he was mentioning such things..."
"Mother, where did all the boys go when it started raining?"
the yellow-blonde princess asked.
"I... I will tell you when you are older," the Royal Mother
replied, patting her daughter on the head and desperately trying to
avoid the subject. She continued by whispering to herself, "We still
have not found the culprit..."
Terra whistled innocently, rocking back and forth while holding
her hands behind her back.
The tall woman turned her attention back toward her adopted
daughter. "However, Terra, about dueling the Younger Inner Senshi
with no transformation to protect you," she trailed off.
"I can do it," the redhead affirmed. "Don't worry." She
examined the Queen's expression. The woman's lips were pursed and
her head was tilted at a worried angle.
<Uh oh, she's suspicious.>
<Better just agree with whatever she says next.>
"I would _much_ rather if you were to also fight as a Senshi,"
Queen Serenity
"Sure, you bet!" Terra agreed, nodding vigorously. She froze.
<D'OH!>
<Oh, yes, smart idea. Agree to it, why don'tcha?!>
<Yaaay!>
<Miniskirt-lover!>
<Am not!>
<Are too!>
"I am very, _very_ glad to hear you say that," Terra's adpotive
mother beamed.
"Errr, eh heh," Terra laughed nervously. "I'm glad you think so."
"I am _so_ proud of you!" Serenity added, touching the redhead's
cheek. "I cannot wait to see it. You will look _so_ adorable in your-"
A man in a Lunar Military uniform entered the room from the
stairway. Without a word, he approached the Queen, knelt down and
handed her a sealed, rolled paper. He stood, turned, and exited the
same way he came in.
"What is this?" the Queen asked, breaking the seal and
unrolling the document. Her brow tensed as she read the words. When
she finished, she looked back at her two daughters. "I apologize. I
will not be able to watch you win. I must attend to some official
business."
"Awwww," Princess Serenity pouted. "But why?"
"It is something very important. Serenity, please show Terra
how to use the prism and the wand. Can you do that for me, please?"
"Yes, I'll do that, but where are you going?"
"To negotiate a mutual defense alliance with Earth."
"A what?"
"I will tell you later. Time is of the essence. For now," she
leaned down to give her daughter a quick kiss on the cheek,
"goodbye." She turned and gave another kiss to Terra on the forehead.
"Give 'em hell, sweetie."
With that, Queen Serenity turned around and walked off,
passing the guards on her way down the stairs.
Terra gazed blankly at the withdrawing queen and reached up
with one hand to touch the spot where she had been kissed. "Somehow,
I didn't expect her to say that."
"What's that all about?" Princess Serenity asked her sister.
"She must be going through some pretty heavy nostalgia," Terra
replied, still staring after her adoptive mother. "That's all I can
think of."
<Maybe she just wants the Moon to have a Sailor Senshi.>
<That'd be weird. She's never expressed an interest in having
one before...>
<But why do _I_ have to use that weak, undrainable,
unprocessable power?! I can't absorb Lunar energy. Maybe if I got
an offer to be the Senshi of Jupiter, I might be able to do something
with the power, but the MOON?!>
<Oh, quit'cher whinin' and slip into your fuku.>
<Why such a short skirt?! Why can't we have silver armor, a
corsette, hot pants or something like that?>
<Or maybe even teeth, claws, and a black aura of evil...>
<And a big, puffy hairdo tied up with a HUGE white bow!!!>
<Yeah! Err... No!>
<It's so depressing...>
<Why don't you write a book about it, if it bothers us so
much?>
<Yeah?! I just might!>
<What would we call it? The Sailor Senshi: Phenomenal Cosmic
Powers, Itty Bitty Miniskirts?!>
<Yeah!>
<...>
<I'll get back to you on that.>
<In any case, we gotta resign ourself to it...>
<Too bad, really.>
<Here goes nothing.>
After a moment, Terra shook her head to clear it and faced
Serenity. "All right, show me how I'm supposed to use these."
The Moon Princess blinked a couple of times and said, "Okay."
She put her hand on the prism and held it up. "Well, first, you clip
this to your dress, in the front--no, not there, _there_, and..."
The preparations continued.
...
Did that work out okay?
> "Oh, right," Sailor Chibijupiter finally caught the expression.
> "Should be a piece of cake. Terra isn't even a Senshi."
It's good to surprise the brats. Hope they get their butts handed to them.
^_^ I thought that'd work. Near as I can tell, everyone's a brat at one time
in their lives or another. I'm glad you liked the surprise.
> "Yeah, we'll let her know who's boss," Iolanthe added.
But she already knows Serenity's in charge. ^_^
Oh, yeah, they know, but they can always dream of getting a bigger,
better Crystal than hers and becoming the dominant world in the
Silver Millennium... ^_^
> Standing on the stone railing of a second-level balcony was
> a ten-year-old girl with red hair done up in a pair of 'rabbit-eared'
> cone-shaped buns with two short, puffy ponytails. She was wearing a
> Sailor Senshi outfit with a pink-jeweled tiara, white-rimmed pink
> boots, a pink skirt, a pink collar, a pink choker necklace with a
> pink heart on it, pink-rimmed white arm-length gloves, and a red bow
> on her chest with another on the small of her back. A gold-rimmed
> disc with a pink, heart-shaped jewel adorned the front red bow.
>
> *Ching* The gem glowed with a power not entirely its own.
Which is a 'Bad Thing.'
Add a little Galaxy-Destroying Power Cosmic and, like the Dragon
Slave, it makes everything turn out all right. ^_^
> "I think that will do, Terra!" Princess Serenity called back.
> The Younger Inner Senshi turned to see that the blonde was coming in
> from across the courtyard, dragging a man in by the arm. They
> approached the group. "Althea, Pyra, look!" She pointed at the man.
> "I found an official-man for the duel!"
They need one?
I guess. I've no idea why, but I needed a reason for
someone to exclaim, "Finish them!"
"I found an official-man for the duel!"
Terra frowned. "Do we need one?"
Serenity nodded in reply.
> "I was, but I didn't want to go," Pyra muttered. The other
> three looked at her curiously. "I had a fire-reading class!" the
> black-haired girl protested.
Got to have your priorities, after all.
Pyra: Hmmm, go and see the Asteroid Senshi perform a clown
act or stay home and catch up on my studies... Hmm, school
or PallaPalla, school or PallaPalla? (gags) I'll stay home.
> Sailor Chibimoon shrugged, and without so much as a 'thank
> you,' turned and threw her wand at Sailor Chibimars. It beaned her
> right between the eyes.
Heh. Nice
That's the proper use for the wand! ^_^
> Nephrite shrugged. "Well, if you are all Sailor Senshi, then
> let the dispute between you be settled in the rite of," he made a
> dramatic pause, "Sailor Kombat."
I don't want to have to see that, .
Would you prefer Monkey Kombat? "EEEP! AAP! CHEE!" ^_^
> *Dan-dan-dan-din!*Dah-deen*Daan-dan-dan-din*Dud-din* The Royal
> Lunar Orchestra began their morning practice session.
Of course. (DB turns up the sound of 'Forces' from Berzerk)
(Ben headbangs along to the music.)
> "HIP ATTACK!" Terra dove down from above, propelled by an
> unseen force much greater than acceleration due to gravity. Her
> bottom slammed into Iolanthe's face.
That was called the 'Butt-butt' attack. ^_^
Was it? Sure, why not? ^_^
> "Good surprise attack," Nephrite complimented. The smile on his
> face showed that he found this rather amusing. "Now, finish them."
Heh
What we all wanted to hear, wasn't it? ^_^
> The crystal on the wand blinked a couple of times, sputtered,
> and lost power. The whine of a slowly decharging capacitor came from
> the wand's handle.
Well, that saved their bacon.
Barely... Just barely in the nick of time. ^_^
I think Terra's still channeling Sailor Saturn here and there...
> Sailor Chibimercury slid out of the tiara's hold. She held
> her hands in front, a small blue glow building up in a ball.
> "Soap Bubbles," she spun around, "Spray!"
This is why it's better to be dead then a senshi. You could never look at
yourself in the mirror if you had to spout out silly phrases like that.
I think Terra's just going along with it so she has an excuse to beat
the crap out of somebody. ^_^
> *CRAAASH!* The attack broke through all Terra's defenses,
> driving her back two meters and knocking her over. In the instant
> following the impact, Sailor Chibimoon's Moon Heart Prism shattered.
Oops. That might change things for the future.
Perhaps a little.
Take note in the earlier chapters (like chapter one, the very first one)
at Sailor Earth's outfit. It kind of resembles another Sailor's outfit...
> "Mmmm." Terra quietly dried her tears with a hankerchief. The
> smallest of hesitant smiles began to cross her lips. "Okay."
Oh. It's all part of the plan. Now I see
It all comes together eventually. ^_^
Nice work. Interesting outcome to the fight. We'll see where you go next
with this.
Glad to hear it! Glad to see there's not _too_ much to correct
grammar and spelling-wise. Careful, though: in some of the later chapters,
there were <> segments removed by my mailer that had crucial plot info...
If it needs a repost under a different program, I'll be glad to do it...
Thanks for your help! They've been a good springboard to get me going
and get better lines added.
-------------------------------
Benjamin A. Oliver
boredcollective@aol.com
"We are the Bored. Lower your shields and surrender your fics.
We will add your standup and slapstick comedy to our own.
Your humor will adapt to entertain us.
Resistance is and always has been: Futile."
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