October 2011
I'm not the misguided anon, but I was wondering what your opinion was on HeliUsa?
They’re pretty cute. I’m not really in Sailor Moon for the romance/couples (which probably means I’m totally missing the point), so I don’t really have strong feelings about them either way. But I think they’re well suited to each other. I wish we’d been able to see more of Helios’s personality, and more of their relationship. Their reign as King and Queen would be really interesting, I think.
could you please post some chibi-usa and helios stuff?
Uh, I’m not really this kind of blog? There are a bunch of other Tumblrs that specialise in this kind of thing, maybe you could try asking over at burningmandala or girlsbydaylight or any of the other Sailor Moon Tumblrs out there that post more regularly… I mean, I’ve done it before for Jupiter-anon I guess so I’ll try? But this is a really weird place to ask.
I really think that having tumblrs for all the SM characters is a cute idea, but why why WHY the crappy spelling? I could see how on Usagi's it might make sense - but on Minako's? Just why? And even then, there's a difference between throwing in some questionable grammar and using forty exclamation points for every post with even two sentences of text. It's just so horribly annoying and makes them seem 11 years old. Ugh.
Minako’s shitty spelling is intentional because intentionally poor grammar/spelling is actually a thing on the Internet/Tumblr, and unlike the other characters (Chibi-Usa excluded), Minako would have a lot more experience with “Internet culture”.
No offense, but on the surface, Minako is a shallow and ditzy person. And I think anything beyond her surface would only occasionally pop up on her Tumblr. Seems like you’re applying your own interpretation of her character and ignoring the canonical evidence that supports her being a space-case - or you just haven’t come across the multitude of Tumblrs that type pretty much just like her.
If it annoys you, is it really impossible for you to ignore it? Seems like you’re taking a fictional Tumblr run by a fictional, teeny-bopper character a tad too personally.
Even though he's one of my favourites
I was struggling a bit to find things to put on Mamoru’s Tumblr, but now I know.
#hipster shit
#terrible sweaters
So, those Tumblrs I mentioned?
There are 11 of them. That’s what I said; 11. That’s enough for each of the main Sailor Soldiers, plus Mamoru! (Some of you will probably already see where I’m going with this.)
If you’re anything like me, then you really enjoy things like Sailor Moon-themed Polyvore sets. If you don’t know what they are, Polyvore is a website where you basically make outfits/fashion sets and arrange them into a nice neat graphic, much like the displays you see in any fashion magazine. Fans of things started to make Polyvore sets themed around the things they are fans of, Sailor Moon obviously being no exception; though they aren’t related directly to Sailor Moon, as a fan of the series, you can appreciate them (if they’re done well) because each item in the set reminds you of the character the set is themed around.
And again, if you’re like me, then you also enjoy Ask Tumblrs, and like to read very short fanfictions or roleplays.
So what I’ve done is I’ve basically made a set of “roleplay Tumblrs” - but not to participate in any one, specific RP, but rather to roleplay what a Tumblr would look like if it were owned by that character. So they’re like a combination between a fanfic, an Ask Tumblr, and one long extended Polyvore set (except obviously for things other than fashion).
What’s the point of them? Well, to be honest, there isn’t really one. The thing I want to achieve most is that when you’re browsing the Tumblr, you just get an overwhelming sense of the character.
But I’ve been running these Tumblrs quietly for a little while now, and I have to say, they’ve been a fantastic way to learn about new things and hobbies through an interest in Sailor Moon. I guess my goal for other people is the same; that through Sailor Moon they could learn about interesting new stuff.
What can you do with these Tumblrs? Submit stuff! (Usually it’s under the link title “suggest something”). If you’re browsing the web and you see, say, an article you think Ami would agree with, or a pair of shoes Minako would die for, submit them!
You can also ask questions! They’ll be answered in-character. So that’s how they’re kind of like an Ask blog.
What kind of stuff can I find on the Tumblrs, and where are they? Each Tumblr has a different theme, obviously, though some of them will cross over in some areas (as many of the characters are fashion-conscious, many of the Tumblrs in turn post/reblog things about fashion).
On Usagi’s Tumblr, princessdumpling, you will find:
cute animals (especially rabbits) | cute + sweet food | girly, princess-like fashion | cute things in general
On Mamoru’s Tumblr, princetophat, you will find:
quotes | literature | photography | roses | romance | jewels | the moon | sentimentality | being dapper | hipster stuff | bad sweaters | occasionally kittens
On Ami’s Tumblr, cyclingtotomorrow, you will find:
quotes + literature | medicine + science | art in science | technology
On Rei’s Tumblr, flamemessenger, you will find:
religion (Buddhism, Shintoism, Catholicism) | Japanese culture | occasionally fashion | occasionally crows | occasionally sex | art in fire | feminism
On Makoto’s Tumblr, coconutsandroses, you will find:
food porn | recipes | wedding things | babies | roses and other flowers | handsome men | craft
On Minako’s Tumblr, aphroditeovermyshoulder, you will find:
pop culture | “unpopular” pop culture (Twilight, Justin Bieber, etc.) | Japanese idols (particularly those involved in Sailor Moon) | popular video games | music | fashion | cats | Sailor V
On Setsuna’s Tumblr, chronoskey, you will find:
fashion | jewels | quotes | mythology | history | historical fashion | elegance | tea
On Michiru’s Tumblr, violontide, you will find:
pinups | fashion | makeup | music | photography | classic art | quotes | nudity
On Haruka’s Tumblr, racingwind, you will find:
LGBT issues | motorbikes | cars | pretty women | takarazuka | nudity
On Chibi-Usa’s Tumblr, sugarheartattack, you will find:
internet memes | cute things | jokes | animals | technology | royalty | folklore + fables | cryptic posts about the future | minor infringements against the fourth wall
On Hotaru’s Tumblr, deathreborn, you will find:
lamps | whole lotta lamps | might as well have called it “fuckyeahlamps” | candles + lights | death | the macabre | quotes | literature + poems
Michiru + Haruka’s Tumblrs are occasionally NSFW. I should also post some minor trigger warnings for Ami’s, for medical stuff (though I’m not trying to gross people out), Setsuna’s, for historical stuff, and Hotaru’s, for things relating to death.
But each Tumblr may post things that don’t fit into one of these categories if it otherwise seems like something the character would be interested in. Sometimes they will also post things that are directly related to Sailor Moon; I’ll be reblogging some of those here to SailorFailures, too. I also intend to start making original, in-character content for the blogs during the upcoming holidays.
Most of the Tumblrs are on about 2 pages of content now, and are queued to publish once a day.
These are pretty far-removed from Sailor Moon, and I’m not expecting these Tumblrs to get many followers, but that’s ok. I’ve had a lot of fun making and running them, and I hope you get a kick out of looking over them.
And in case you’re curious about where this places me on the “obsessed fan with no life” scale, I think it makes me a Boss Battle.
A warning to Sailor Moon fans on a scammer/photo thief!
Ok, I know that I use this as a craft blog, but I wanted to go off topic a moment and warn people about a scammer that’s popped up online recently. This is also a warning for Sailor Moon toy collectors that photos of rare toys, wands, lockets, etc are being stolen, edited, and tried to be passed off as someone else’s!
Backstory: I’ve been using this site called Listia recently—it’s basically like a glorified swap site done ebay style. You list “auctions” of stuff you don’t want (old clothes, books, whatever) to earn “credits”, and you can bid on other people’s stuff with the credits you earn. Many people offer free shipping on their items, too, to keep in the spirit of “free stuff”, but some people will charge you shipping (especially if it’s a big item).
Well, in the last few days, there has been an EXPLOSION of fake listings for Sailor Moon wands, lockets, and rare toys…it’s probably the same person, but there is a chance it might be two or more people (though it’s weird they’d all start listing things at the same time).
The person/persons had used stolen un-watermarked photos from Sailor Moon toy collectors that they found first on DeviantArt (which was how I recognized it as a fake in the first place—I knew the photos couldn’t possibly be theirs, I’d seen them before), then they listed items with photos they ripped off of eBay, as well as taking pictures from Livejournal sales posts and altering them to try to make them look like their own.
Each time they’ve tried to list these fake listings, they’ve been asking for high amounts of credits and high shipping charges, trying to rip-off naive Sailor Moon fans. Each time, I’ve confronted this person with proof of stolen images, and they eventually have been deleting their listings and starting up new ones.
So far, they’ve used the following usernames:
Sarah123 (or something similar)
usagi_chan
katy37If anyone here on Tumblr is a member of the site, I warn you all to be extremely careful with anyone who starts a listing on Sailor Moon items (or ANY items really) that seems suspicious. The scam listings are always something like this: pictures of piles of Sailor Moon toys grouped together (especially rare and highly-coveted ones) OR a single picture of one really rare toy or set. S/he’ll have a description along the lines of “a friend got me this/these when they went to Japan in 1996”. They’ve been trying to entice bidders by saying things like “each bid of 500 gets one toy pictured”. They’ll have zero feedback, won’t list their location, and claim to be “tight on money” so they’ll want you to pay for shipping charges out of your own pocket. They’ll also want higher than usual shipping—$5 to $15, even for something small. Sometimes they’ll also purposely use crappy pictures they’ve altered or blurred to deter people from claiming their photos are stolen as well.
Here’s where you need to use common sense: ANY SAILOR MOON FAN worth their salt will know that someone would NEVER just give away Sailor Moon toys that are possibly worth hundreds of dollars! It’s especially ridiculous when you pair it up with the fact that this person claims they’re “tight on cash” so they want YOU to pay for shipping. (If they were broke, why wouldn’t they just sell the expensive and rare Sailor Moon toys? :|a )
When questioned in comments, this person will also use incredibly dumb logic to try to convince people they’re legit: when I posted a link to the eBay auction they stole an image off of (it was this auction, for the curious: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160670543982 ) and called them out on it, they tried to claim that the person running this auction was their “friend” who was selling a similar item, but that it wasn’t the same picture (when it obviously WAS). So, by their logic, they had a friend who happened to have exact same item, selling it on eBay for $350, while they were giving THEIRS away for free? And the photos just HAPPENED to look the same? That is some messed-up logic there. (I contacted the eBay seller, and they confirmed they have no idea who this person is and that the photo WAS stolen.)
They will also sometimes claim their camera doesn’t work, so they can’t take more photos when people request proof of ownership, and then an hour later they’ll update it with crappy, edited photos made to look like webcam photos that are just more stolen pictures.
Lately, they learned they can “hide” comments on their listings, too, so if you see a listing for something Sailor Moon and lots of comments on it are hidden? They’re probably hiding comments of people warning others not to bid and that they are a scammer.
TL;DR - If it sounds too good to be true? It generally is. This person is purposely trying to exploit Sailor Moon fans just to get virtual money and a few bucks in Paypal. While that might not seem like a lot, if they keep doing it over and over, $11 here and $5 there can add up fast. A scammer is a scammer, and I don’t like the idea of someone who sounds like they have a pretty decent knowledge of Sailor Moon & Sailor Moon toys ripping off younger fans, parents of Sailor Moon fans who don’t know any better, or those who aren’t familiar with current market values of Sailor Moon toys.
So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE reblog this and/or submit it to any Sailor Moon blogs, toy collecting blogs, anime blogs, whatever. The more people who know, the less likely it is that this person/persons will succeed in scamming others. I will update this post with any other user names this scammer might come up with if/when it happens.
Sorry for the wall of text, guys, but hopefully this will help others from getting ripped off!
EDIT: I’m adding some screencaps of some of these fake listings to give you guys an idea of what to look for. (The one of the manga is an example of how they take people’s personal pictures and edit/blur them purposely to prevent claims of stealing photos.)
Signal Boost! People are seriously trying to scam a site like this? That’s awful.
Thank you for a long reply. :) I asked becouse ChibiUsa and Mamoru are my favourite characters and when I decided to read some forums, fansites etc, I was suprised that a lot of people hate them... Maybe becouse I've never watched engilsh dub version (I'm from Poland).
Aw, you’re welcome! Yeah, people who haven’t seen the Dub seem to have a lot more of a neutral view of the two characters. Mamoru has become a favourite of mine the more I’ve looked at him. Chibi-Usa… well, I don’t hate her any more, hahaha.
Hi, Frizzy! I always want to ask you about that, but I was too shy.. what do you think about ChibiUsa and Mamoru? I know, you like them, but, in your opinion, why they are so hated in fandom?
Aww, don’t be shy! An honest question about an opinion/facet of SM is always welcome.
The quick answers, from what I’ve seen, are “because of the dub / because they hate kids” and “because of the anime / because they think Usagi deserves someone else”.
Like many other fans, I hated “Rini” when she first showed up in the Sailor Moon Dub. She was whiny, bratty and selfish. And as a tween, I hated anyone younger than myself, partially for being annoying but mostly because I was realising that only a few years ago, I had been just that irritating. But in the original, Chibi-Usa has a lot of redeeming qualities. She was still bratty and annoying - but she was a kid. I think the Dub blurred the reasons Chibi-Usa originally had for the things she did, and exaggerated the flaws in her personality. It’s the same reason why so many Dub-only fans hate Raye/Sailor Mars. So they usually just aren’t as familiar with her original Japanese version; when they think of her they just remember the bratty little kid from the Dub. Or they remember how much they hate children in general.
On the other hand, sometimes they just forget that Chibi-Usa is actually a kid. They hold her to the same standards as the other characters, who are much older than her, and deem her as immature or childish, which seems ridiculous since she is a child. And I guess a lot of people have their own assumptions about what a mother/daughter relationship should be like, and decide that if Usagi/Chibi-Usa’s relationship doesn’t match up, Chibi-Usa must be being disrespectful. I’ve spoken before about how the idea that a kid should show respect to someone only a few years older than them, when that person is being immature, selfish and childish, for a reason that logic does not allow them to comprehend, is frankly ridiculous.
Mamoru’s personality in the Anime was seriously kicked around when compared to the manga. He’s portrayed as uncaring, distant, too serious all the time, and often doesn’t even seem interested in Usagi. This personality type, though exaggerated and old-fashioned (even by 90s standards), is common in Japan - not that it’s universally liked, of course, but still - but in other countries, we expect the exact opposite of young men in relationships, so he seems unnaturally cold and kind of a dick. So they see him hesitant to kiss Usagi in public, or not acting as romantic towards her as she does to him, and immediately assume that he’s an asshole who doesn’t really love her (ignoring that while Mamoru may have lower-than-average romantic tendencies, Usagi too usually goes 5x overboard with her affection).
Another big reason is usually just that they want Usagi to be with someone else - commonly Seiya, sometimes Rei, sometimes someone completely different. Usually the first reason feeds in to the second - they think Mamoru is an uncaring jerk, so they think Usagi deserves someone better.
This is pretty common in fans who have only seen the anime. Fans who hate Mamoru and then read the manga seem to end up a lot more neutral; even if they still think Usagi would be better with someone else, they can see that Mamoru is an alright guy.
Apart from that, they’re easy targets. Everyone remembers something annoying/assholish that Chibi-Usa or Mamoru did, so it becomes easy to just focus on those times and turn them into the fandom’s punching bag. They’re easy to make the butt of jokes. Most people don’t take this so seriously, but some people do get carried away.
I hope that made sense; I’m ridiculously tired right now and I’m having a hard time retaining information from the beginning of the sentences I write. Thanks for the question!
What website are you using for these?
The first site you find when you Google “name anagrams”.
THEY KEEP GETTING BETTER
Mad underage titties talent
I JUST COULDN’T FIX YOU. I AM A FAILURE AS A DOCTOR.
All vote for “Rei = heroin” to become the new “talent = boobs”?
Awwwww. “Well sit down, Small Lady, and I’ll tell you the story…”
Accurate?
“Cheers! Happy engagement, Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama!”
THEY’RE HUGE
I barely catch you on my dashboard anymore. You're too great to not hear from daily :( I've missed you and four king hell. I've learnt to check on your blog without relying on tumblr. I'm sorry I'm such a terrible fan. I dishonor you, my goddess.
Haha! I’m hardly a god, but thankyou for saying so! I know I haven’t been as active on here as I used to be, and 4KH has definitely not been treated very well. Right now school is getting really, really busy for me; I have two presentations tomorrow (today), another on Friday, an essay version of one of the presentations next week, and two other essays due around the same time. Then I have an exam, but there should be a short break before that. I’m not complaining - part of the reason my workload is so heavy is because I procrastinated so much - but that’s the reason why I haven’t been so active; not because I’m losing interest in Tumblr or 4KH! When all this is over I will have a long, loonnngggg and luxurious break, and you’d better believe I plan to Internet the shit out of it.
As for having to go to my blog to see some stuff; that happens to me too! Does anyone else feel like sometimes the dash doesn’t show everything? Weird. Anyway, it certainly doesn’t make you a bad follower. Thanks for the sweet message!
Ami was one of those girls who needed to study her ass off to get to where she was, whereas [my OC is] just genuinely smart.
Nope
Just a reminder to let you know I haven’t forgotten about CHOBERIBA, and because this is so bad it can be posted twice.
That awkward feeling when you’ve made some new Tumblrs and you’re too embarrassed to share them because you already have like a hundred.
How do you think that Senshi/Shittenous pairings would work out in arrangements other than the usual fanon types? For example, Kunzite/Makoto, Ami/Jadeite, etc.
Hmm…! Kunzite + Ami could work well together. Minako + Zoisite, too, would be interesting, since they’d basically be swingers. If Rei were to go with anyone I think she and Nephrite would have an interesting relationship if only because they’d kind of hate each other. Jadeite would be alone; it’s already hard enough to picture him with Rei. And I don’t think anyone else could give Makoto what she’d want in a relationship; Kunzite would probably make her feel dumb/patronised, and Zoisite would never be able to be romantic enough. Jadeite would be Jadeite and that’s a no-go.
Hi! After you mentioning Mop Girl a long time ago, I decided to go and watch it. I JUST finally finished watching the series (I had a lot of things delaying me in between), and I loved it! I cried a lot in the last two episodes though. ^_^ It was also, except a bit of PGSM, the first 'real-people' Japanese program I've watched and I'm really really glad I did! Thank you! Also, do you recommend any others in a similar genre/style?
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! The last couple of episodes are real tear-jerkers, aren’t they?
Actually, I don’t watch a whole lot of J-Drama; Mop Girl was one of my firsts, too. However, Keiko is set to be starring in a new show soon called “Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ate de”, which from the previews looks really really good. I will be watching it for sure. FuckYeahPGSMGirls has a lot of info about it. So I guess that’s the only recommendation I have at the moment.
How about other followers, though? Do you have any J-Drama recommendations for us?
Edit: Also, it’s not a series, but I highly recommend the movie “Handsome Suit”. It has Keiko Kitagawa in it (although she is not in it as much as I had thought she would be, unfortunately), but it does have Shousuke Tanihara in it a lot (he was the male lead in Mop Girl) and it’s really really hilarious.
