Apparently I either missed the first chapter when it dropped or simply forgot it in the mean time, but the only things I really have to say about it is that you definitely have Usagi spot on, Luna sounds pretty good from my limited impression of her, and Ami's one line was all but physically painful to read because that's not how life works, Ami! I notice a couple other spots I could comment, but they've already been covered by others.
Moving on to Ch2... Well, first off it's nice to see Doug's and Usagi's efforts are paying off. I didn't recognize the pair training in the park who let her join them, but I'm not very up on SM lore, let alone all the possible cameo crossover media in recent years. Disguised Ranma and Kasumi (or at least a call-out to them) according to the Concordance, so presumably when/if I get around to reading DSR that will be resolved.
Oh dear, Jadeite, you seem to have pulled the pin on the Doug Grenade. When you do that, the Doug Grenade is not your friend. Though him commenting on other people's arrogance in combat when he very much comes across as being pretty sure he's the baddest mofo in the valley most of the time is kind of a laugh on its own, to be fair to Doug he usually is if he decides to pull out the stops faster than his opponents can knock him down. I mean, he's on the premier world-wide superhero team in his homeline for a reason, and it ain't because he can cook a mean hasenpfeffer.
It's kind of a shame Furau couldn't have been turned and redeemed somehow; actual competent subordinates are a treasure. Of course, given the fanatic loyalty of most if not all youma to that just makes it more important that she was removed.
Since you asked specifically about Usagi's freak-out, her attacking physically would have been OOC in the original material, but with a few weeks of protagonist-speed martial arts training under her belt and the increased confidence from that as well as generally improving her academics it's plausible here, the more so as she only keeps at it for a short time before flip-flopping between that and the frightened teen girl that would have been her default otherwise - she's not that different so soon, after all.
While it could as easily just be the morale boost from his pep talks, it's persistent fanon if not canon-I'm-not-aware-of that Tux-boy actually activates a recovery and/or buff of some sort when he shows up, and even if not the case now with the way he felt and reacted to I'm Alive combined with his thoughts about being useless just before, he might well develop something like that on his own. (Of course, Doug may well arrange some more organized magic study for him as well, in a later chapter or even by the end of this one, but I'm writing this as I go along to try to avoid forgetting things)
Braga is surprisingly competent as well, actually, and Beryl actually cares about her troops? How can this be?
A more nuanced portrayal of the Dark Kingdom is rare in the extreme, good on ya'.
Moving on to Ch2... Well, first off it's nice to see Doug's and Usagi's efforts are paying off. I didn't recognize the pair training in the park who let her join them, but I'm not very up on SM lore, let alone all the possible cameo crossover media in recent years. Disguised Ranma and Kasumi (or at least a call-out to them) according to the Concordance, so presumably when/if I get around to reading DSR that will be resolved.
Oh dear, Jadeite, you seem to have pulled the pin on the Doug Grenade. When you do that, the Doug Grenade is not your friend. Though him commenting on other people's arrogance in combat when he very much comes across as being pretty sure he's the baddest mofo in the valley most of the time is kind of a laugh on its own, to be fair to Doug he usually is if he decides to pull out the stops faster than his opponents can knock him down. I mean, he's on the premier world-wide superhero team in his homeline for a reason, and it ain't because he can cook a mean hasenpfeffer.
It's kind of a shame Furau couldn't have been turned and redeemed somehow; actual competent subordinates are a treasure. Of course, given the fanatic loyalty of most if not all youma to that just makes it more important that she was removed.
Since you asked specifically about Usagi's freak-out, her attacking physically would have been OOC in the original material, but with a few weeks of protagonist-speed martial arts training under her belt and the increased confidence from that as well as generally improving her academics it's plausible here, the more so as she only keeps at it for a short time before flip-flopping between that and the frightened teen girl that would have been her default otherwise - she's not that different so soon, after all.
While it could as easily just be the morale boost from his pep talks, it's persistent fanon if not canon-I'm-not-aware-of that Tux-boy actually activates a recovery and/or buff of some sort when he shows up, and even if not the case now with the way he felt and reacted to I'm Alive combined with his thoughts about being useless just before, he might well develop something like that on his own. (Of course, Doug may well arrange some more organized magic study for him as well, in a later chapter or even by the end of this one, but I'm writing this as I go along to try to avoid forgetting things)
Braga is surprisingly competent as well, actually, and Beryl actually cares about her troops? How can this be?
A more nuanced portrayal of the Dark Kingdom is rare in the extreme, good on ya'.