April 27, 2016 ~ sittingoverheredreaming ~ Leave a comment

EVERYONE PLEASE PAY ATTENTION

READER WROTE AN AMAZING REINAKO ANGSTY FLUFF, OR FLUFFY ANGST, AS YOU PREFER, AND THERE’S SO MUCH AWESOMENESS IN THAT, S O M U C H, I BARELY RESTRAIN MYSELF FROM SPOILING EVERYTHING, VALUE THE EFFORT

PLEASE LOVE YOURSELF AND READ IT GUYS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE IN A DESPERATE NEED FOR A GOOD REINAKO DOSE (as I am like 99,9 % of my time, to be honest)

I tried my hand at keeping in the theme of Snumple Deserves Awesome Things. ~2.1 k words. This just might be the sappiest and fluffiest while also painful thing I’ve ever churned out. —Reader

~*~

Mercury sways on her feet, one hand at her throat, a torrent of bright blood pouring down onto her uniform. The blue visor appears over her eyes and the jewels on her uniform start to glow, as she proceeds to release as much as possible of her soul’s energy before her body fails.

Jupiter sinks a little, knees giving way under her as she coughs and wheezes, one hand clamped over her mouth, frantically struggling for breath. When she’s finally able to straighten her back again, panting slightly and still shaking, the palm of her glove is painted with red specks. Jupiter grits her teeth as she stares down at her hand. There is no surprise in her expression, no fear, only desperation.

Venus’ beautiful face pulls into a grimace of focus as she keeps one arm around Serenity’s shoulders, pulling her along; her free hand is closed into a fist, raised above her head, as she directs the coils of energy chains swirling around them both, both a shield and a weapon. There’s eight of them, or maybe twelve—they rotate too fast to be sure. One chain snakes out to throw a youma into a stone pillar, with enough force to break both. Another chain shifts to block incoming projectiles. The two Senshi move in perfect tandem, but it’s not enough. Not anymore.

“This won’t work,” she growls. “Get her to safety.”

Venus looks her at her, and for a moment, those bright blue eyes hold only hatred. Then she lifts her hand from the Princess’ shoulder and points to where they came from.

“That courtyard will make a decent chokepoint.”

“I will make them fear coming after you,” she swears.

Venus gives her a nod, and they part ways.

“Wait—” Serenity says shakily. “Mars!”

She turns over her shoulder just in time to see Venus catch the Princess around the waist with her free arm to pull her away.

“We’re going.”

“No! We can’t just leave her to—!”

“We’re going!” Venus roars at her sovereign, dragging her forward.

“Mars!” Serenity shrieks again. “Come back! Mars!”

She walks away, and very slowly, the cries fade. The Princess does a great job of broadcasting their position to the enemy. Human soldiers reeking of tainted energy and youma made of that energy coalesced into physical form, claws and fangs and swords and spears forming into a solid wall of death slowly moving closer to the Senshi.

“Look how you have hurt her,” she says with calmness she does not feel.

The cobblestones start to boil beneath her feet.

“You made ME hurt her.”

A curtain of fire bursts to life as she spreads her arms. The youma flinch away, muzzles now twisted with dread as well as hatred.

Fear is an easy emotion to latch onto. She screams her rage, and the flames roar forth.

Rei bolted upright in her bed, a choked-off cry on her lips. It took her moments to recognize the room. It took her even less to curl up, knees close to her chest, one hand over her eyes. Beside her, Minako pushed herself up as well, still sleepy but undeniably alert.

“The lights are on, but is anyone home, Zippo?”

“Yes, I can hear you,” Rei grumped.

“Nightmare?”

“Yes.”

“Past or future?” Minako asked simply.

“Past.”

She heard Minako sigh—part relief, part sympathy, she knew—but when she felt a hand on her shoulder, Rei reflexively swatted it away before she even had the chance to think. The mattress then shifted when Minako got out of bed. Rei gritted her teeth, tears starting to sting her eyes, and laid down again with her back to the room. She shouldn’t have done that, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to try talking right now. Not with her throat so tight.

But Minako seemed to just wander around the room, making small thoughtful noises as if looking for something, quite possibly to make sure that Rei knew she wasn’t leaving. Then a single quiet ‘ah’ and an accompanying tinge of satisfaction in her emotions. Minako padded back to the bed, sat on the floor next to it. Next came a few testing plinks.

Rei felt her shoulders droop. Oh spirits. She was tuning the ukulele she won at a festival once.

But then she almost looked over her shoulder. Minako wasn’t tuning just the instrument—her aura swirled and shifted into radiating quiet, warm serenity. Minako’s handle on her own emotions was what made her such an amazing actress and liar; on a superficial level, she was able to make herself feel whatever she wanted to, which did wonders for non-verbal signals that she wanted to send.

Sometimes it was scary. Sometimes, like now, it was very welcome.

The plinks stopped for a moment. Then, Minako started to play. And then, she started to sing.

“Black is the colour of my true love’s hair, her face so soft and wondrous fair; the purest eyes and the gentlest hands, I love the ground whereon she stands…”

Rei closed her eyes again. Minako was playing and singing just loud enough to pull the notes flawlessly, but not loud enough for the sound of either to be obnoxious. Her voice carried the same measure of care and respect and willingness to help as the vibe she was giving off did. She remained ready to give, she was just changing her approach. So Rei took a deep breath and listened to her voice, and to the damned ukulele as well.

It was surprisingly calming. And not just because Minako was singing a ballad of proclaiming poetic love to a black-haired girl. It was a firm, yet still gentle anchor to the present. The nightmarish recollections of the last battles they fought in the Silver Millennium were slowly starting to dissolve.

Then Minako played another song, and Rei recognized the tune immediately: Niwa-no-Chigusa. Except that Minako was still singing in English, not Japanese. Rei focused, actually a little curious. And the lyrics took her as off-guard as a blow to the gut would.

“’Tis the last rose of summer, left blooming alone; all her lovely companions are faded and gone…”

Oh no.

All those thousands of years ago, Venus was still alive when Mars fell against the youma, wasn’t she?

And speaking of that, how did she know what was going on?

Rei kept listening, and as expected, the song hurt her on a deeply personal level. It still felt cathartic. Straight until the last verses.

“When true hearts lie withered and fond ones are flown, oh! who would inhabit this bleak world alone?”

Rei suddenly found herself questioning what happened after the Mars of the Silver Millennium fell. Meanwhile, Minako gave a thoughtful sniff, and played another song.

“All the birds in the forest they bitterly weep, saying, ‘Where will we shelter? Oh, where will we sleep?’ For the oak and the ash, they are all cutten down, and the walls of bonny Portmore are all down to the ground…”

Okay. One song could have been a coincidence. Though not that song, to be honest, not with Minako. Two would be deliberate even if it wasn’t Minako.

Thankfully, next came a longer pause.

Minako had to think for a moment. She went through Black Is The Colour, Last Rose of Summer, and Bonny Portmore already; Greensleeves wouldn’t be keeping in theme, and Rei would be distracted from the finer points of the ballad of Tam Lin with the overall theme and also heterosexuality. And she doubted that Whiskey In The Jar would make things any better.

Though she’d gladly break the Super Heartfelt & Sappy 9000 mood with a stupid drinking song, to be honest.

It was probably a good thing that Rei chose that moment to look over her shoulder.

“Mina.”

“Mm?”

“Come back to bed?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” Minako put the ukulele away and crawled under the covers, wasting no time in wrapping around Rei like one of those tiny plushies with small magnets sewn into their hands, feet, and bellies. And the strangest thing was, Rei didn’t protest. No annoyed ‘tch’, no momentarily gritted teeth.

Huh. Super Heartfelt & Sappy 9000 was the right choice after all.

“How did you know what I’ve been dreaming about?” Rei asked quietly.

Minako couldn’t help a small sigh. “You think you’re the only one who has this particular brand of nightmares?”

All of a sudden, Rei felt very, very stupid.

“You guys all have a tell for having dreamed about the Silver Millennium again,” Minako’s voice was matter-of-fact and slightly courteous, as if she was recounting a mildly interesting press article. Which was often the strongest signal that the subject was affecting her more deeply than she’d ever like to admit in front of anyone other than herself. “Mako-chan keeps clearing her throat and glancing at her hands straight after, and she hugs us far more often. Usagi-chan gets even feelsier than usual, she has to keep all of us in her sight and link arms with at least one person. They both pull closer, at least… Ami-chan just goes off to work with zero warning, it’s very hard to get her to smile and outright impossible to get her to stop, and she keeps going for a few consecutive days and nights, until she’s certain she’s too exhausted to dream about it again. Usually, you pull away, too. Except that you know how to handle past life and future vision shit way better, and it really shows in how fast you recover.”

“What about you?” Rei asked quietly.

“What about me, Zippo?”

“What’s your tell?”

Minako smiled. “Maybe I don’t have one.”

“Liar.”

“Good catch. I’m still going to make you work for it.”

Rei reached to lightly swat her on the head. “Don’t you always?”

“It’s always worth it.” She could swear she felt Rei roll her eyes at that. “Zippo?”

“What?”

“I love you so much,” Minako drawled.

Rei groaned. “Will you stop that?

Minako gave a small laugh, even as Rei turned to face her and burrow into her arms more comfortably. Regardless of how they went to sleep, they’d probably wake up like usual—Minako curled up around a pillow like a baby sloth and Rei having kicked the covers halfway off of herself. If they went to sleep holding each other so tightly, they were doomed to waking up several times through the night to separate. Neither seemed to mind, really.

When sunlight came, it was not a welcome intrusion, and so it was promptly ignored. All that needed doing was throwing one arm over her eyes. It was not remotely as easy, however, to ignore the shifting of the familiar, warm weight at her side. Without aiming, Minako reached up to grab Rei and tugged. Judging from the small irritated huff, she had grabbed a fistful of pants and yanked them down. When the fabric was pried from her fingers, Minako gave the Unhappy Kitten Noise she had witnessed Artemis melting people’s hearts with time after time, and was promptly rewarded with a light kiss on the cheek before Rei padded out of the room.

Okay. Now that was unusual.

But it was not a bad kind of unusual, so Minako gave herself a good while more, marginally aware of Rei groaning at the toaster and huffing at the tea kettle. While Minako preferred to wake up by gradually letting her awareness reassemble itself, all the while remaining in bed—and she could even blame it all on Artemis, after all she was the protégée of a cat—Rei usually opted for waking up by walking into doorframes and getting irritated at everything.

Every kitchen Kino Makoto walked into became Kino Makoto’s kitchen, but woe to anyone who interrupted Hino Rei in the morning. The room or the task mattered little.

All the more reason to lounge comfortably in bed. Until Minako got lonely or bored, anyway. And one of these inevitably came, which led to Minako aiding Rei’s efforts towards making breakfast. From a respectful distance. And doing something entirely separate from Rei’s endeavours.

Except that this time, there was a steaming mug of coffee on her part of the table already. And it was just warm enough to be ready to drink, too. Minako sniffed at it suspiciously. She thought she smelled a hint of cinnamon. She took a sip then. And actually stood like that for a good moment before swallowing.

Cinnamon, yes, but also a sprinkle of vanilla syrup, and quite possibly a hint of powdered cloves.

It was the best thing to have ever graced her mouth with its presence. Which was saying something.

Minako glanced to Rei, who was pointedly facing away from her. Then she smiled into her coffee, took another sip, and went over to help.

THIS IS SO GOOD AND SWEET. That dream is breathtaking, and then Minako’s songs were an incredible touch

Harumichi cathedral aftermath for fandom sunday? :D

April 24, 2016 ~ sittingoverheredreaming ~ Leave a comment

AW YEAH I LOVE S-ERA

—

So we didn’t have to
sacrifice anyone for the talismans.

It wasn’t, Michiru thought as she settled into bed, strictly
true. Even their near deaths aside, they were sacrificed for this. She set the
mirror next to her pillow and let her fingers rest on the handle. In the quiet,
she could feel the faint beat of her pulse in it. A part of her heart lay next
to her, a real slice of her life force made hard and cold and powerful.

She’d been foolish. Michiru had thought they had just one
thing to do, one terrible thing, and then they could move on, broken but free. The
mirror mocked her. It tied her to this life forever, unto death. And Haruka…
Michiru gripped the mirror’s handle, tempted to smash its glass against the
wall. She hadn’t been enough to save her. There would never be enough to get
her out of this mess. Michiru had failed in every mission save the one she
never wanted. She looked at her refection. What would it mean, to break the
glass of one’s own heart? Surely more than the prescribed seven years of bad
luck. But it couldn’t hurt more than what had happened in the cathedral when
Eudial shot it out, and before…

There was a knock on her bedroom door, so quiet she nearly
missed it.

Michiru tucked the mirror under a pillow and sat up. “Yes.”

“Are you awa—I guess you are. Can I come in?”

“Of course.”

The door opened, but Haruka hovered with her hand on the
knob instead of coming in. She always looked small in her sleepwear, the way
her t-shirts hung from her shoulders and her boxers accented the leanness of
her long legs, but she never looked so small as she did tonight. There was a
caved-in air to her, like much more than a piece of her heart had been removed.

“I’m sorry, I just… I couldn’t sleep, and I thought…”

“You don’t have to apologize for anything.”

“I think maybe I do.” The door creaked as Haruka leaned more
of her weight on the handle. Her hands shook. Rather than look at Michiru, she
curved her whole body towards the floor. “I wasn’t… I should have done things
differently. And what you did…”

“You owe me nothing for that,” Michiru said, perhaps a bit
too sharply. Would that she had stayed more composed through the whole thing,
let Haruka think she was merely looking out for her partner in the mission. She
wanted no gratitude, and certainly not pity.

Haruka let out a strangled sounding laugh. “What would I
even do to pay you back for that?” She braved a look up, and her voice got even
softer. “What did I do to make you do it in the first place?” Her chin quivered
and she didn’t wait for an answer. “When you… when it happened… I’ve been an
ass, I’d thought— I’d thought everything you’d said about doing whatever it
takes was true, I thought I couldn’t… so I am sorry.” She shrunk back into the
hall. “That’s really all I wanted to say, I’ll let you sleep. I’m sorry.” She
turned and made to close the door.

Michiru shot up. “Wait, please.” She stopped just short of
touching Haruka. “If there’s one thing you can do for me, it’s not feel this
way. This is my fault. I don’t want you to regret anything.”

Haruka did not turn around. She forced another laugh, even
faker than the last. “I guess I’m doomed to fail everything right now.” She
choked on the last word.

“Haruka.” Michiru’s heart pounded, even the piece still
tucked in her bed. She swallowed down every self-conscious feeling and fear and
wrapped her arms around Haruka from behind. Her head pressed into the space
between her shoulder blades and her hands found their way to the curve of her
ribs in the moment before Haruka took them in her own.

The taller girl’s body shook as she cried. “I thought you
were dead, and I hadn’t, I couldn’t—“

“I’m not dead. I’m here.” Michiru rubbed her thumb into
Haruka’s palm. “I’m here with you.”

“But what if next time… we still…”

“We’ll be fine. Whatever happens, I’ll be with you.”

Haruka raised one hand to her mouth and kissed it. “I’m going
to do better this time, I promise you.”

“You don’t—“

“I want to. I want to be good to you, Michi.”

Michiru felt a tear run down her own cheek. She wanted this,
badly, selfishly, more than anything else. But half Haruka’s heart now resided
in a sword, Haruka was tied to this battle. And if Michiru couldn’t save her
before, she’d never succeed now. Abandon
me, please, save yourself. She should have pushed her away, tried to change
her mind. But when Haruka turned to hold her in her arms, Michiru let her.

March 16, 2016 ~ sittingoverheredreaming ~ Leave a comment

Crystal Tokyo Challenge 3,7,&8
(I’m skipping around because ANARCHY IS FUN)

3. Your general opinion on Crystal Tokyo

I think it’s a really cool era to play with and see headcanons for, since so little is given to us for it. I like the idea of it having both dystopian and utopian elements but essentially just being a backdrop for ordinary life. (The cooking scene in the Kaguya Island revision musical is my favorite glimpse at CT life, because it’s so mundane without ignoring the magical and royal aspects).

7. Your headcanon on how Crystal Tokyo was formed

I go with the idea of a disaster triggering it, though I don’t fully go with the anime canon. I tend to think there was an attack by a malevolent force (aliens or monster or demons, it doesn’t matter) that wasn’t really stronger than what the senshi have faced, just a much larger scale. Something rose up all around the world. Sure, they could take out each individual monster with a single hit, they could take out several with a single hit, but at the end of the day there are only nine senshi. They can’t be everywhere at once. It becomes a real and true war, with normal military forces trying to fight. It’s a miraculous united effort, the way a lot of sci fi portrays it, enmity between nations is set aside in the face of a larger threat.

But it’s not enough. The things just keep coming. They just keep destroying and killing.

The senshi finally find the source. It wants destruction, not power, so it spends its energy making its minions. It does not wish to fight them, it will not take a physical form to give them the chance to land a hit. So it falls to Usagi, the rest lend her their strength.

With a tremendous effort, she succeeds in driving out the force and all its minions. She sleeps for weeks after (Ami refuses to use the word coma, that is medical and scary and she knows too well the likely outcomes when that word is used, but she treats Usagi like a coma patient all the same). And the world is fundamentally changed by the outburst of magic. The crystals rose up to channel Usagi’s power. The surviving people rebuild their cities around them.

8. Your headcanon on Neo Queen Serenity’s influence on the world (is she the queen of the entire Earth, or just a small nation? Bonus points if you include how other world leaders see her!)

I see NQS as being the global leader while nations exist and self govern under her. She takes care of intern-planetary relations, so to speak, and handles all the magic stuff. People regard her with equal measures reverence and distrust. She saved them, and will save them again from whatever danger arises. All the earth is grateful. But. That gratitude often feels like they have to revere her, she has the power to let them die if she is not worshiped (it does not matter that she would not, it does not matter how much she tries to show the world she is silly and loving Usagi. They will always see her as the great and terrible goddess.).

Presenting: The Crystal Tokyo Challenge

March 13, 2016 ~ sittingoverheredreaming ~ Leave a comment

captainsnumple:

senshiofthewild:

So I was inspired by the 40 Days of SM challenge created by @youstupidprick. They had a wonderful challenge filled with wonderful, thought-provoking questions. I wanted to do something similar, and I had the idea to do it with a Crystal Tokyo theme given that the original 40 Days had somewhat of a Sen/Shi theme!

There are only a few rules: first of all, feel free to skip any questions you want. I in no way want to force you to do all of them. Also, you don’t have to do them all at once. Feel free to take as long as you like! Maybe a question or two a day if you want? Second, absolutely NO bashing each other’s headcanons! We all have different interpretations, and I made the CTC to celebrate that! Third, please don’t submit your answers to me; just put them on a post if that’s okay (I just don’t want my inbox clogged with answers). And these last two are just requests: first, can you tag your answers as #crystal tokyo challenge ? i would love to read the wonderful headcanons everyone comes up with! Also, if you’re interested, can you please reblog this post to spread it? I’d love to have as many people do the challenge as possible!

And, without further ado, the questions!

Your favorite adaptation of Sailor Moon

The canon you pull most headcanons from and why

Your general opinion on Crystal Tokyo

Your favorite Crystal Tokyo fandom trope and why

A random Crystal Tokyo headcanon you have that differs from typical fanon

The characters you tend to focus on the most when making headcanons

Your headcanon on how Crystal Tokyo was formed

Your headcanon on Neo Queen Serenity’s influence on the world (is she the queen of the entire Earth, or just a small nation? Bonus points if you include how other world leaders see her!)

Your headcanon on the Senshi’s roles in the government

In your view, do the Senshi other from Usagi have any children? Which ones, and how many?

In your view, are the Shitennou reincarnated and citizens of Crystal Tokyo? If so, what are their governmental roles?

If Crystal Tokyo never happened, what would the Senshi’s careers be? (Feel free to include the Shitennou in this if you want)

Your headcanon on the Sailor Quartet’s powers (bonus points if you include some attacks!)

Your headcanon on the Sailor Quartet’s civilian names (bonus points if you say the meanings and why you picked those names!)

In your view, does Chibiusa have any “outer” senshi? (Bonus points for names, descriptions, and powers!)

What kind of queen do you think Chibiusa will make?

In your mind, what is Hotaru’s role in Crystal Tokyo (if she has any)?

In your mind, what is Kousagi’s role in Crystal Tokyo (if she has any)?

Challenge: Design a new fuku for Chibiusa and her team! (If you’re not an artist or if you don’t want to draw, then feel free to just describe it or use a maker on Dolldivine)

How does Chibiusa interact with the Quartet? Are there any of them that she gets along particularly well with?

Your headcanon on how the Quartet deals with their less than perfect past

Your headcanon on how the Quartet does their hair every day

Your headcanon on how the older Senshi interact with the younger Senshi

In your view, are there people living on the other planets far into the future?

The most likely of the Senshi to have a mid-life crisis

If you were to ever write a Crystal Tokyo season for Sailor Moon, who what sort of tone would it have and why?

Aesthetic-wise, which adaptation’s version of Crystal Tokyo is your favorite and why?

In your mind, how powerful have the Inner Senshi become by the 30th Century? What kinds of attacks do they have at this point?

In your view, what kind of powers does Chibiusa have when she grows? Are they similar to her mother’s, or different, and why?

In your mind, what is Helios’ role in Crystal Tokyo (if he has any)?

Who would be the next generation of Senshi after Chibiusa and her team?

What kind of villains do you think the Senshi of Crystal Tokyo will go up against?

What are your general views on the Parallel universe?

Which of the Amazoness Quartet is your favorite and why?

Challenge: insert the characters from Sailor Moon into the last movie/tv show you watched that isn’t SM. What happens? Who plays what role?

What kind of media is shown in the 30th Century? Are books electronic, or are there still physical books? What about movies and shows, what format are they in?

For that matter, just how technologically advanced is Crystal Tokyo?

What kind of holidays exist in Crystal Tokyo?

What is the general atmosphere inside the Crystal Palace? Is it warm and loving, cold and harsh, etc.?

Your headcanon on how school works in Crystal Tokyo

Your favorite moment in Sailor Moon

Your headcanon on the Asteroid Senshi’s speeches

Your headcanon on how Diana interacts with the 30th Century Senshi

Your favorite kind of headcanon (for example the worldbuilding ones, the romantic ones, the angsty ones, etc)

Your favorite thing about Sailor Moon in general

These are awesome questions and I’m definitely answering some a bit later! Such a great challenge, Wild!

I Exist– Some thoughts on Scraps of Representation

February 4, 2016 ~ sittingoverheredreaming ~ Leave a comment

There is a joke among some of my friends that I don’t engage
with media unless it has wlw in it. (I used to be able to joke back that I got
into How to Get Away With Murder just
fine, but then that show decided it loved me very much and can no longer be
used as a counterpoint.) The point being, I demand representation pretty
rigorously. I spent too long without it. I will not settle for erasure or
scraps.

Except right now I’m reconsidering the scraps bit.

Recently, Diane Duane released Games Wizards Play, the tenth book in the Young Wizards series, which I have been following for about half my
life. Now, YA fantasy is hardly a kind genre to people like me. You may be
scrambling to say no, Malinda Lo’s books, no, this one book—but they are
exceptions. You have to seek them out. As a teen, I didn’t know what I was, I
didn’t want to be anything but a
totally normal straight girl. I didn’t know what to look for, wouldn’t have
looked for it if I did.

Back to Young Wizards—it’s
an incredibly important series to me. One of those things that came into my
life at exactly the right time, with concepts and themes that settled into my
heart and stayed there.

And Games Wizards Play
threw me some scraps. I rolled my eyes a little bit at the minor gay character,
because I am a Connoisseur of Gay Representation, please, this is almost quite
literally nothing. But then.

Oh, but then.

Page 528, US edition:

“Nope, I’m ace,” she said. Nita
blinked.

“Asexual,” Lissa said.

Cue the water works. Seriously. I was sobbing with joy over
this minor character who got introduced ten books in. I can demand real
representation for gay people, for wlw, because I have seen it before, I know
it can be done. I have never, in my life, seen the word asexual casually used
in a real, published, non-queer lit book. This minor character suddenly meant
the world. This small, throwaway scene, ran me straight through the heart. I am
real, I exist, I am right here on this
page.

I am actually tearing up about it again.

It means so much to me now, when I am 22 and well-versed in
all the labels I can use to define myself. If I had seen this at 11, 12, 16,
when I had not yet found the words but knew I was not what people said I should
be? It would have been world changing.

It makes me look differently at the minor gay character.
When I had nothing, he would have been something.

LGBTQIAAP main characters are incredibly important, and we
should keep demanding them. I don’t think we always have to be grateful for
scraps. But I think it’s important to not discount them. I think it’s important
to remember how we would have reacted to them before we knew everything we know
now. A minor character might be the only light in the dark for a kid who doesn’t
know what they are yet. And it’s incredibly frustrating that there are so many
instances when we don’t even get those. There are so many series that I loved
that gave no hint to my existence. Young
Wizards may not have given me much, I wouldn’t even really call what it did
representation, but it told me I exist, it’s telling some kid who just found it
at the library they exist, and that’s not nothing. It’s a huge incredible
something.

It takes one line. One word.
There is no excuse to not throw one word to the people who need it. We can talk
all day about good representation and what that constitutes, but in the
meantime, just one word is going to make a difference. We need to know we
exist. And when we’re children, or teens, we need to know there’s a way to
exist when the way we’ve been taught feels wrong.

Everything makes a difference.

And that difference might mean everything.

Staff, let’s talk

January 21, 2016 ~ sittingoverheredreaming ~ Leave a comment

docholligay:

Tumblr, I have an idea. You’re desperate to monetize this
site. I get that. Running websites costs money, I know how the world works.

I am desperate for you to create a website I can use
effectively.

I was on livejournal back in the day, and they had a thing
called “paid accounts.” The free account was always free, but the paid accounts
had special benefits.

If you offered paid accounts, I would buy one. I would give
them away for giveaways. I would give them to my friends as gifts. I had a paid
account back in my LJ days!

I think 25-30 dollars
a year is fair for the amount of entertainment I get off this site, considering
that tumblr, inc, does not make the content but serves as a vessel. That works
out to 2.50 a month at the high end, which is more money than you are making
off me currently because I use an ad blocker because we are at war. (Previous
to you taking replies away, I actually didn’t! Because again, I understand how
costs and money work) But also low enough that I think you’d be surprised how
many takers you’d get.

Let’s stop fucking with each other and just turn this into a
monetary exchange. I’m tired of the horseshit. You need money, I need a fucking
useable fandom website. Leave free tumblr accounts as they are, I don’t care.
But here’s what I want in a paid account.

NECESSARY:

I want replies back. No ‘we’ll get around to it’ no ‘replies
are coming.’ I want them back the day you run my Paypal. You have the code, don’t
even tell me you can’t turn it on for a particular blog, because you did the
exact thing with messaging.

I want to be able to upload videos direct to tumblr that are
longer than 6 damn seconds. Give me some storage space.

Custom themes or some bullshit, I don’t actually care about
this but other people might

No ads for paid users

I would LIKE:

To create a button where I can decide to make a post
rebloggable or not when I create it.

To have a quick dropdown when I ask a question so I can ask
it from a sideblog.

Fanmail back

Now, I am not a great fool, and realize there will be GREAT
HUE AND CRY if you try to establish this. I don’t care. And you shouldn’t
either. First of all, there’s great hue and cry every time you do literally
anything. Secondly, the people who will complain the loudest are very likely
already using an adblocker, because we are on the internet and savvy to it, and
you are not making money on them anyhow.

And please don’t insult me, tumblr, by telling me it’s about
‘the love of the site’ or some crap. The changes you’ve implemented are
designed to make this more of a look-reblog-move on site where things go viral
and advertising can easily be slipped in, versus a conversational place. But I am
telling you, ‘I will give you money to stop fucking with me’

Let me give you money. And stop fucking with me.

I AGREE WITH THIS SO HARD. It’s something *I* would pay money for, and I’m in a pretty tight financial place. But!! This site is one of my main modes of entertainment, I splurge on Netflix, I would splurge on this.

I think ALSO a cool feature for paid members is a size limit increase on pics/gifs. Nothing huge, but something just significant enough to make it worth it for the people who make that sort of content too.

January 21, 2016 ~ sittingoverheredreaming ~ Leave a comment

Dearest @captainsnumple tagged me, and I always love these things 😀

•A – Age: 22

•B – Biggest Fear: I’m a person who fears a lot, but I think rn what I fear the most is letting things pass me by *because* of fear.

•C – Current Time: 11:31 PM

•D – drink you last had: water, but to be marginally more interesting before that I had lemonade

•E – easiest to talk to: definitely my awesome roommate

•F – favourite song: right now it’s “Believe” by Mumford and Sons.

•G – grossest memory:I’m picking one I don’t find that gross but I know it is. So sometime in middle school or highschool my black lab managed to get at all my family’s easter chocolate. Ate it all. Didn’t get seriously sick, but DID vomit and poop all over the house. I was the first one home, so I had to clean it up. Which normally I *would* find gross, but it all smelled very strongly like chocolate. So it was pleasant, ignoring that it was dog shit.

•H – horror yes? Horror no?: Horror yes but a HUGE caveat about certain types of horror. I love monsters and suspense. I DON’T like horror that’s based too closely on real fears (which is why Jessica Jones fucks me up bad sometimes, if it were any less good I’d have noped out).

•I – in love with: ahaha i can’t think of a serious answer here

•J – jealous of: people with moneyyyyy

•K – killed someone: if it’s asking if I have, no, if it’s asking if I would, 99.99% sure it’s still no.

•L – love at first sight or should I walk by one more time: nah man sit your ass down and talk to me that’s the way to my heart

•M – middle name: Michelle

•N – Number of Siblings: one

•O – one wish: I wish for nice things to happen to everyone I care about

•P – person who last called you: my mom

•Q – questions you’ve always asked: One of my main default conversation starters is “how’s it going” (the other is complimenting their clothes/nails/makeup)

•R – reasons to smile: i smile about star wars and my trash ships a lot rn. also great people.

•S – song you last sang: Fast Car came on at work today and I couldn’t help singing a little

•U – underwear colour: ahahaha I’m wearing atrocious neon striped ones because I’m s u p p o s e d to be on my period and don’t want to be wearing boxers when it finally comes.

•V – vacation destination: dude send me somewhere warm and quiet and I am happy.

•W – worst habit: not texting/messaging people

•X – x-rays: well dental ones aside, I’ve gotten a few for pneumonia. I didn’t get to really look at them but what little I saw of them was really cool. BONES MAN.

•Y – your favorite food: BURRITOS BURRITOS BURRITOS.

•Z – zodiac sign: Gemini

December 27, 2015 ~ sittingoverheredreaming ~ Leave a comment

The awesome @awesomefrauellauniverse tagged me so here goes 🙂

1) Are you a dog or a cat person? Why?

I am so intensely a cat person. I like dogs, but they are just so much. And they’re fragile! I’m a worrier, and there’s something very comforting that cats can jump down from things and be alright. AND I really like that cats are petty and vain and moody because I am ALSO petty and vain and moody. And cats are great about letting you know if they want attention, whereas dogs just kind of always do. I JUST REALLY LOVE CATS.

2) What is the first memory of your childhood?

I have a hard time putting my childhood memories in chronological order, but I have a very early and fairly vivid memory of getting my mom to let me try some of her coffee. We were coloring in my room and I know I was around three because I still had Minnie Mouse wall decals. I did not like the coffee. She had it in one of the mugs from our first trip to Disney World (I was two and remember nothing of it).

3) Do you like what you do for a living? And if not, what would you like to do?

Working in a bookstore isn’t really the dream or anything, but I like it about as well as I’d like any other job. I’d like to write for a living, but right now that isn’t an option for me, so this is good enough. (Though I’d like it infinitely better if I got paid a little more)

4) If you could wish for a superpower, what would it be?

Shapeshifting would be fun!

5) Describe your perfect day.

Any day I end up in a random diner with friends tends to be pretty perfect in my book. There’s something about having done something fun and then just, oh here’s a diner let’s eat there! I love that atmosphere.

6) How did you and your significant other met? And would you mind if your story was turned into a H&M story?

I am very single, lol, and all my prospects are v boring met at work deals. And uh, the last boy I dated before coming out I met through fencing. Despite Haruka obviously being a sword gal, I can’t see her actually in the fencing sport. Michiru tho, I’d buy. Maybe if Haruka joined some small stuff club for fun?

7) What´s your favorite moment in 2015?

Oh man, 2015 was a long year of ups and downs. Uhm. Hm. One favorite moment… for a single moment, not a bigger thing, I think I have to go with the moment the first time I saw Fun Home (I won tickets through my dorm) when I realized I was watching a show that reflected so many of my own feelings. It was just so important to me that I came upon something so real by chance.

8) What do you like most of your otp?

I love that Haruka and Michiru are both deeply flawed people, with love for each other that is flawed, but they get to love each other and be so celebrated anyway.

9) How old have you been when you first saw your otp, and what did you think of them?

Oh man, I first encountered HaruMichi when I was v young (6? 7? Idk) through the latter two movies, but that was it so I didn’t think much of them. Then when I was 16 I read the manga and even though they weren’t great in it I was immediately like, #goals (while being a TOTALLY STRAIGHT GIRL. of course)

10) Please describe yourself in four words.

silly emotional nerd blob

11) A wish for 2016?

I wish that it is a better year for everyone than 2015 was.

Alright, now here’s my questions, and rather than tagging people, since so many of these are going around, I’m going to just invite any of my followers who want to do it to do it, or, like Doc did, invite you all to answer in my disqus.

1. What’s the best gift you’ve ever gotten?
2. If you were in the Madoka universe, what do you think your wish would be (or, would you make one)?
3. What’s something that people find surprising about you?
4. Do you have a favorite video game?
5. Any books you’d recommend?
6. Favorite warm drink?
7. What are you most proud of in 2015?
8. Tell me something cute.
9. What’s your favorite piece of clothing that you own?
10. What’s something silly that makes you swoon every time?
11. What Hogwarts house are you? AND, IF YOU FEEL LIKE INDULGING ME, what house would you put me in?

Hotaru and/or Usagi for the ask meme!

June 2, 2015 ~ sittingoverheredreaming ~ Leave a comment

Ooo I never get asked about these two, this is exciting!

Hotaru:

sexuality headcanon: Homoromantic demisexual

gender headcanon: I can see her as a demigirl or genderfluid between girl and agender. I think the weirdness of her post-S/Infinity life would lend itself to her questioning early and finding she doesn’t have that strong of an attachment to girlhood. And of course her moms are supportive, so she’s very confident about it.

a ship I have with said character: Chibiusa/Hotaru

a BROTP I have with said character: Excluding her three moms, since I’m not sure if family stuff counts as Brotps, I think she and Rei would end up good friends as Hotaru gets older. She’d start off admiring Rei as a role model, and as they spend time together they’d settle into a quiet sort of friendship.

a NOTP I have with said character: I don’t think I’ve actually seen any pairings for Hotaru that aren’t Chibiusa/Hotaru, so I’m not sure

a random headcanon: Hotaru is actually one of the senshi who’s most at peace with her powers. She never fears Saturn once she understands what she is; she never feels the conflict between senshi and civilian life. In her mind Hotaru and Saturn are a singular whole. Part of this is her rebirth and how early in life she transforms, but part of it is just her nature.

general opinion about said character: She is amazing, and I wish we’d seen more of her.

Usagi:

sexuality headcanon: If you look up pansexual in the dictionary, there is a picture of Usagi.

gender headcanon: She’d probably never think about it directly, but she identifies very strongly as a girl.

a ship I have with said character: Usagi/Everyone 😛 Specifically, Usagi/Seiya, Usagi/Ami, and sometimes Usagi/Mamoru, depending on my mood and the canon

a BROTP I have with said character: Usagi/Michiru, I really love the dynamic of Usagi both idolizing her and humanizing her

a NOTP I have with said character: Usagi/Demand. Why is that a thing people ship. I do not understand.

a random headcanon: Usagi thinks about telling her family she’s Sailor Moon a lot. She loves them, and sometimes the feeling that they deserve to know is overwhelming. But every time she tries, she fails. Ikuko and Kenji are loving parents, but they’re oblivious. Sometimes, they make her feel invisible.
“Mama, I have something serious to tell you.”
“Is it your English grade? When are you going to start studying?”
“Daddy, what if I told you I’m a soldier of justice?”
“I’d tell you I’m the king of France.”
In the end, Shingo is the only one she tells, and only after she leaves home. He’s known for years at that point.

general opinion about said character: Usagi is so, so important. I will love her to the end of my days.

Also reinako 3

May 29, 2015 ~ sittingoverheredreaming ~ Leave a comment

3. Which one outlives the
other, and how they cope

NO. (By which I mean, yessss.)

PGSM sort of covers one way
this could go, and in general I think Rei would handle it in more healthy ways.
So I’m going to go with Minako living longer. It’s what I tend to imagine
happening anyway.

How Minako copes depends a
lot on how Rei dies. If it’s in battle, she’d blame herself 100%. But she’s
also already prepared and compartmentalized for that possibility. She’d have
bursts of self-destructive behavior when she can’t hold it in, she’d probably
have a hard time getting into any sort of relationship again, but on the
surface she’d appear fine and seem like the same old Minako.

Illness is probably the sort
of death she’d handle best, especially a more drawn out one, because she’d have
time to come to terms with it while Rei’s still there. And she’d know Rei
fought as hard as she could, and there was nothing anyone could do.

The worst is an accidental
death. A car crash, or something sudden like a heart attack, anything unforeseen
that blindsides Minako is going to be the hardest to take. Because that hits on
things that are so much bigger than just Rei. Minako has made a lot of
sacrifices in her life. She gave up her childhood to be a soldier, and I think
in any non—PGSM continuity, she gives up her chance at fame, too (or sees it
that way). And it was all supposed to be worth it. She did these things, and
got her people in return.

But then Rei dies in a
completely unrelated way. Rei who she’s come to love in so many ways. Rei, who
she built a real relationship with, who gave her things she thought she’d never
have. So her belief in the whole exchange shatters. Nothing she did matters,
because the things and people she loves can be taken away regardless. She does still have guilt over not being
there when it happened and not having done anything to stop it, and she tries
to throw herself into that because then at least it has meaning. She as a few
months of being over protective of everyone. Usagi is not getting in a car unless she’s driving (nevermind that Ami is
the technically better/safer driver, Minako needs to be there). She throws out
all of Haruka’s junk food. She hovers in Mako’s kitchen at her restaurant,
watching everyone handle knives and hot liquids (Mako bans her pretty quickly,
because she gets in the way).

It’s only the knowledge that
Rei believed in their fight and would want Minako to keep going that holds
Minako back from acting out and spiraling down to the point of no return. Rei
would never forgive her for giving up. Rei would never understand.

So Minako keeps going. She
fights and loves harder than ever, but she never really moves on and she never
stops being angry.

Years after, she can joke
that her rage is Rei living on inside her.