Okay, you evil people have actually made me think about a Sailor Moon Step when I never intended for one. The following little scenelets have been coming to me over the past week, with the last one manifesting midmorning today as the result of a collision in my mind between the phrase "Magical Princess Schwarzenegger" from the earlier thread, and Doug's likely opinion of Tuxedo Mask's general utility in a battle.
Enjoy.
-- Bob
-----------------
"Look, Luna, were you a military advisor back in the old SilverM? Tactical advice, strategic things, stuff like that?"The cat looked a bit confused. "Noooo," she admitted. "I wasa royal advisor on protocol and etiquette.""Right," I said, valiantly avoiding sarcasm. "Well, then, Lu,why don't you just leave the business of training Usagi to fight in my hands, and when we find your Moon Princess, you can tell us how to say hello to her properly."---------"You, I like. You're a mensch," I said, and Artemis preened. I jerked a thumb toward Luna. "*She's* an old biddy." The white cat snickered while Luna faced away from me and superciliously raised her tail and nose.---------"That's *not* the way it was done in the Silver Millennium!" Luna sniffed.I grabbed the annoying critter by the scruff of her neck beforeshe could dodge, and hauled her up to eye level. "And whathappened to the Silver Millennium?" She scowled at me but saidnothing. "I rest my case."---------"Listen to Luna," I told Usagi. "Consult her, learn from her.But don't trust her fully. She has her own agenda, which may notbe *yours*. Allow her to advise you, but don't let hermanipulate you."Usagi turned an uncharacteristically-serious gaze upon me. "Andwhat about *you*, Doug-sensei? What agenda do *you* have?"I grinned and laughed. "Good girl! You'll be a leader yet." Ipatted her hand. "I have two goals right now. One is to makesure you get trained well enough that you can survive to meetyour destiny, whatever it is, on your own terms.""And the other?""The other is to go home."---------"Is that all you can do? Throw flowers? Because you really should be packing more heat of some kind. If it has to be magical, well, we can work with that. You can enchant guns, you know. I've done it." I paused for a moment. "Not intentionally, mind you, but I've done it."Usagi perked up. "You can? Cool! Maybe you could make Mamo-chan a great big machine gun that shoots roses!" She wrapped her arms around a huge imaginary long-arm, sited along its invisible barrel and started spinning around in place, blowing away enemies that existed only in her imagination. "Badda-badda-badda-badda-boom! 1200 roses a minute! Those youma won't stand a chance!" she bellowed. "We'll mow'em down! We'll shred'em!"The room was silent for a long moment as two cats, Tuxboy, the other Senshi and I stared at a Usagi lost in the fantasy of being Magical Princess Schwarzenegger. Then I turned to Mamoru. "You know, that's so silly it just might...""No," he said."Okay," I replied. "It was just an id...""No," he repeated.-------------
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
Enjoy.
-- Bob
-----------------
"Look, Luna, were you a military advisor back in the old SilverM? Tactical advice, strategic things, stuff like that?"The cat looked a bit confused. "Noooo," she admitted. "I wasa royal advisor on protocol and etiquette.""Right," I said, valiantly avoiding sarcasm. "Well, then, Lu,why don't you just leave the business of training Usagi to fight in my hands, and when we find your Moon Princess, you can tell us how to say hello to her properly."---------"You, I like. You're a mensch," I said, and Artemis preened. I jerked a thumb toward Luna. "*She's* an old biddy." The white cat snickered while Luna faced away from me and superciliously raised her tail and nose.---------"That's *not* the way it was done in the Silver Millennium!" Luna sniffed.I grabbed the annoying critter by the scruff of her neck beforeshe could dodge, and hauled her up to eye level. "And whathappened to the Silver Millennium?" She scowled at me but saidnothing. "I rest my case."---------"Listen to Luna," I told Usagi. "Consult her, learn from her.But don't trust her fully. She has her own agenda, which may notbe *yours*. Allow her to advise you, but don't let hermanipulate you."Usagi turned an uncharacteristically-serious gaze upon me. "Andwhat about *you*, Doug-sensei? What agenda do *you* have?"I grinned and laughed. "Good girl! You'll be a leader yet." Ipatted her hand. "I have two goals right now. One is to makesure you get trained well enough that you can survive to meetyour destiny, whatever it is, on your own terms.""And the other?""The other is to go home."---------"Is that all you can do? Throw flowers? Because you really should be packing more heat of some kind. If it has to be magical, well, we can work with that. You can enchant guns, you know. I've done it." I paused for a moment. "Not intentionally, mind you, but I've done it."Usagi perked up. "You can? Cool! Maybe you could make Mamo-chan a great big machine gun that shoots roses!" She wrapped her arms around a huge imaginary long-arm, sited along its invisible barrel and started spinning around in place, blowing away enemies that existed only in her imagination. "Badda-badda-badda-badda-boom! 1200 roses a minute! Those youma won't stand a chance!" she bellowed. "We'll mow'em down! We'll shred'em!"The room was silent for a long moment as two cats, Tuxboy, the other Senshi and I stared at a Usagi lost in the fantasy of being Magical Princess Schwarzenegger. Then I turned to Mamoru. "You know, that's so silly it just might...""No," he said."Okay," I replied. "It was just an id...""No," he repeated.-------------
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.