A Teaser from Chapter Four

[Bob Schroeck]

"Luna," I asked after some thought, "what are the odds that Her
Nibs bound all the guardians' souls together so they'd all be
reborn around the same time in the same area?"  I snorted.  "Or,
better question, how likely is it that she would have been 
stupid enough *not* to?"

Luna laughed.  "'Stupid' was a word *no one* -- not even her 
enemies -- *ever* used to describe Her Majesty."

"Then we've got, what, another half dozen or so Guardians all
around us, just needing a swift kick in the butt to wake up and 
join the fun?"

I saw the realization of what I meant dawn across her face.  "I
do believe that you are right."

"It'd be a waste to sit back and wait for them to wake up on 
their own," I said, and took a sip of my tea.  "So what do you 
say we *give* them that kick?"

[DHBirr]

"A swift kick in the butt...."

"Avengers ASS—"  No, somehow I don't think it works quite that way.

[SilverFang01]

Maybe that will help curb Uranus and Neptune's 'hard girls making hard choices' approach. Especially with the better trained Inners.

[Labster]

I dunno about that, SilverFang.  The problem with that is Haruka and Michiru were proven right in canon.  Of course, Usagi was also righteous; the whole S season was a dialectic on the topic of what it means to be a guardian.  Doug will be in the middle of this dynamic as he's a goofy guy making hard choices.

Her Nibs

*snicker*

[robkelk]

I dunno about that, SilverFang.  The problem with that is Haruka and Michiru were proven right in canon.  ...

Were they? No example comes to mind.

[Bob Schroeck]

Yeah -- from what I recall, Usagi proved their sacrifice has been unnecessary.

[Labster]

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I don't know exactly, but it feels like there was something about the scene where Usagi gets back from the fight with Pharoah 90.  She comes back bearing the infant form of Hotaru.  It's a scene that could have looked like a Madonna and child, except that it didn't.  Instead, her clothes are tattered, and her eyes look dead, defeated.  We don't get to see exactly what she did, but Usagi obviously lost something important that day.  I mean, if she hadn't, does the next episode even make dramatic sense?  If she had come out of the other dimension, gave a smile and a V-sign for saving everyone, there wouldn't be anything left to prove, you know?

So I feel like the outers were proven wrong about the "win at any cost" philosophy, but on the other hand, they were proven right about the "military victory against true evil always requires sacrifice" part.  (And even more so, if you continue on to the Stars manga.)  Haruka and Michiru were too eager to sacrifice, but when it came to the end, Usagi literally had to wear her soul on her sleeves to win.

[ckosacranoid]

Of coarse, what is doug going to think about the pink spore when she comes back for training and annying everyone the first time or others?

[Bob Schroeck]

Doug isn't going to even know about her. As the prologue should have made clear, Doug is present for only the first season of the anime, the Dark Kingdom arc, and one of the things that Usagi does when she does the reset at the end of the season is give Doug a gate out on what he thinks is his first day in that timeline.

I suppose I should note that she does not literally turn time back, but instead does the equivalent of copying a year-old backup over the world. Astronomically, it is 1993; as far as all human records are concerned, it is 1992. (And the first epilogue will mention the discovery of the "Lost Year" shortly after the reset.)

[hazard]

One thing to keep in mind is that when Neptune and Uranus committed suicide to get the artifacts needed for the Grail they were proven both right and wrong.

Yes, sacrifice was needed. But until that point they had been eager to sacrifice. Being confronted with sacrificing themselves brought them up short. Not for long, they made that sacrifice knowingly and willingly, but it still exposed the hypocrisy. That it's alright to sacrifice so long as someone else pays the price.

Contrast this with Usagi, and the Inners, who are clear they will sacrifice, yes, but they will not sacrifice someone else.

[Bob Schroeck]

Just a note... with the chapter split, this bit is now from chapter 4, and by the time you read this I'll have actually changed the thread name accordingly.