nogimyu team moon (2024) usamamo

I decided to draw Usagi and Mamoru to catch up=^^=

Have you ever counted how many tropes and all sorts of romantic scenarios this couple has in the canon? I figured out:

- from non-friends to friends to lovers

- forbidden love of people from different worlds (the theme of the love of the lunar princess and the earthly prince, I think, has not been revealed)

- when one of the lovers loses his memory, and the other does not

- when one pretends that he does not love another to save his life (Endymion's dumbest idea)

- lovers in a past life

- meeting their future selves and their future child.

And that's not counting fighting side by side, fighting each other, and self-sacrifice to save the life of a loved one. And I'm sure I missed something else)

I drew another photo in the series of those in Mamoru and Usagi’s rooms

I know we all love the Mamo's-smile-after-the-kiss in Eternal. However, there's a gem that was left out from the movie and its the Senshi fangirling over their otp just as we of the fandom do 👀

Mamousa shippers tag yourself

I'm Venus

the miracle romance 💖💕

Inktober: Day 14 … don’t even remember why I drew this.

An Ode to the Rose

The girls sat in a booth at the Crown Arcade quietly. Valentine’s Day was tomorrow, and as usual none of them had a special someone to whom to give chocolates. Ami, too engrossed in academics, was studying unperturbed while the others sat, lost in thought.

“This is depressing,” Minako said finally, taking a swig of her boba smoothie.

“Tell me about it,” Makoto sighed. “I would love baking chocolates, and there are tons of guys, but none of them seem right.”

“Boys are overrated,” Rei said with a scowl.

“Says you,” Usagi said, sticking out her tongue.

“Not all of us have steadfast crushes,” Rei said, sticking out her tongue. “And it doesn’t matter anyway, because it’ll never happen!”

“Why do you have to be so mean, Rei-chan!”

“I’m just stating facts. You’ll never get together.”

“You never know. I’m telling you-”

“Yes, yes, we know,” Ami cut in, her eyes darting about. “But we can never know for sure, and we’re too busy with other things to worry about it.”

Her meaning carried over to the rest of the girls. “Don’t be such a killjoy, Ami-chan,” Minako said. “We’re teenage girls. We should live a little.”

“Well, what should we do then?” Makoto asked.

“Love letters!” Minako said. “We’ll dedicate them to our future boyfriends! They’ll be happy to see how much we loved them before we even knew them!”

The others sweatdropped. “Are we going to show the letter to each boyfriend we have in our lives?” Rei asked, an eyebrow raised.

“No, no. Serious boyfriends - or fiancés.”

“So we write them, and then what? Do we read our letters to each other?”

“No!! That’s too private. No, we’ll make a show of putting the letters into special envelopes and sealing them together. Then we’ll have a celebratory drink!”

Usagi smiled. This was starting to sound like fun. “So we write the letters at home, then bring them here? And have a shake afterwards?” Minako nodded. “Let’s do this!”

“I’ll craft some envelopes and have them stenciled with cranes,” Rei offered.

“Great idea, Rei-chan!” Makoto said. “For good luck!”

“Alright, I’ll do it,” Ami murmured.

Usagi glomped the blue-haired genius. “Yay, Ami-chan!”

“My - book -”

“Sorry.”

“Then we should head home! This is going to take some time,” Minako said.

“You guys go ahead. I don’t want to hear a lecture from Luna, so I’m just going to write mine here,” Usagi said. When the girls left, she dutifully pulled out a notebook and a pen. She sat for a while, staring off into space.

Of course, the girls thought she was crushing on Tuxedo Kamen. They didn’t know that she had two crushes - the other being one Chiba Mamoru. They both pulled on her senses in magnetic ways, for good or for bad. They were both mysterious and attractive guys. 

They were both out of her league.

She wondered if she should write a letter to either of them. What were the chances that she’d end up with one of them? She shook her head. This was supposed to be fun. She could keep the letter a secret forever. Letters, she decided. She’d write a letter to each of them. To whom should she write first? She decided she’d write to Tuxedo Kamen first; he was the easiest. Thus she began:

Dear Tuxedo Kamen,

I wish you knew how much I’m in love with you. When you rescue me, you take my breath away. You’re so strong and fearless and you always know what to do. I’d be lost in battles without you to guide me. I wish we knew each other better. I want to be your friend, your girlfriend, your lover. I know we’re not enemies. I feel it in my heart when we look at each other. If you’re reading this, it’s because you feel the same. That thought makes me so happy. I hope you let me into your life.

With love,  

 ()_()     ( ^.^ )  \/

Okay, and now for the other one…

“Are you studying, Odango Atama? Has the world come to an end?”

She covered her letter with her heart in her throat. “Go away, baka,” she hissed. To her fury he slid into the booth opposite of her.

“No way, I’m not missing this moment for the world.” He pulled out his phone and snapped a picture.

“Did you just take a picture of me without my permission!”

“I have to immortalize the moment - it’ll probably never come again.”

“Oooh you JERK!” she shouted, lunging at him. But that was her mistake, because at that moment, Mamoru’s deft hands reached out and grasped the love letter. “No, please don’t read that!” she cried.

“You’d think it’s a love letter the way you carry on,” he taunted. His eyes widened when she flushed. “It’s a love letter? Who do you have a crush on?” he demanded.

“Just please, give it back - it’s a silly letter, it doesn’t mean anything.”

“Valentine’s Day is tomorrow,” he noted with a frown. “Are you planning on giving this to him then?”

“Mind your own business, please!”

“Your safety is my business!” he shouted, before stopping with a slight blush, looking embarrassed.

Usagi just gaped at him, a pleasant warmth spreading through her with his words. “I’m not giving the letter to him,” she said quietly, reassuring him. “In a way, he doesn’t know I exist.”

“In a way? What does that mean?” Why did he look so crestfallen?

“Please, just give it back.”

“I will if you tell me who it is,” he said perversely. “Otherwise I’ll read it myself.”

“How dare you,” she hissed. “This is blackmail.”

He shrugged, then an eyebrow rose. “I’m waiting.”

She let out a huff, then glanced furtively about. “It’s Tuxedo Kamen,” she answered quietly.

His gaze turned inscrutable. “You have a crush on Tuxedo Kamen?”

She blushed furiously. She could only imagine what he was thinking! “I know, I know, he’s out of my league,” she muttered, “as I’m so very undateable - as you love to remind me.”

He had the grace to wince. “So…” he started, seemingly trying to gather his thoughts, “you decided to crush on a guy that you couldn’t date regardless?”

“I’ll have you know I so could date him; he’d just have to ask,” she hissed without thinking.

“But you said he doesn’t know you exist.”

Right. She facepalmed. “You’re right; it doesn’t matter. The girls and I are writing love letters for Valentine’s Day. We’re making a thing of it since we don’t have boyfriends. We don’t plan on giving the love letter to anyone. Like I said, it’s just a silly letter. Now may I have it back?”

He reluctantly handed the letter over to her outstretched palm. She made quick work of stuffing it into her notebook and gathering her things. Of all the things to happen! One crush now knows about her other crush! Would the Earth just open up and swallow her whole!

She shuffled out into the sunset, leaving a brooding upperclassman behind.

Later that night, she heard a faint knock on her bedroom window. She startled awake. Luna had already decided to stay over at Ami’s for the weekend. She looked at the windowsill and saw a familiar silhouette hovering there. She hurriedly opened the window to let him in. “Tuxedo Kamen-sama,” she breathed as he entered. “What are you doing here?” Was there a youma? Did he know who she was?

“I overheard you had a crush on me,” he murmured.

Her eyes widened. She wasn’t expecting to hear that. “Where did you hear that?”

“The Crown Arcade, of course.”

She flopped onto her bed, stunned. There was a good chance she knew his civilian form! “So what happens now?”

“We talk. We get to know each other.”

This was unreal. He was willing to talk to her, Tsukino Usagi, when he barely said a few words to her alter ego. “Oookay…” she said, casting about for a topic. She decided to satisfy her curiosity. “So what’s your relationship with Sailor Moon like? Are you two a couple?” What he was doing right now was pretty intimate for someone who was rumored to be in a relationship with someone else. Also, she can find out if he knew it was her or not.

“It’s complicated,” he said after several moments. 

She wasn’t sure how to take that. It wasn’t a no - but it wasn’t a yes either. The nijizuishou complicated things. She felt bad suddenly, like she was taking advantage of him. She was going to get intimate information from him without him knowing that she was Sailor Moon. But how could she fix that? Should she henshin in front of him? Luna would kill her!

“How do you deal with it all?” she asked. “I mean, you are up at all hours of the night, and I’m sure you have things to do during the day. It must be so hard.”

He swallowed. “Caffeine helps. And I do things that release stress. I…talk.”

She nodded sagely. “That’s good. We all need someone to talk to.” A moment passed. “I’ll talk to you. I won’t talk about any of the superhero stuff, because I know you need to keep that secret. But I wouldn’t mind being your friend.”

He smiled tenderly at her. “And more?”

“I would love that,” she admitted.

“What else do you love? What’re your dreams?”

She smiled wistfully. “I’m a simple girl, really. I love food, manga, romance, and friendship. I dream of a beautiful, peaceful world. I don’t know what I’d do for a career, but I definitely want to be a wife and have kids. I want a family.”   

“Family is precious.”

“Yes. I feel blessed because I know not everyone has one. Like my friend, Mako-chan. She’s been an orphan since she was eight. She was in an orphanage until recently. I’m her family now.”

“Most people wouldn’t care about orphans,” he said. “You have a huge heart.”

“Do you care about orphans?”

“I am an orphan. I was in an orphanage until a few years ago. I’m not telling you this because I want your pity. I hate pity.”

Luminous eyes regarded him. “You were forced to be alone,” she intuited. It explained a lot about his distant personality, she realized sadly. 

“I’ve been alone as long as I can remember. I’ve always thought I was meant to be alone, until…”

“Until what?”

“Until I met you.”

She gasped. “No way - we know each other?! I know you outside of the mask?!”

“I can’t tell you who I am,” he said regretfully. “I don’t want you to be in danger.”

“I understand.” She really did. She wasn’t going to force his hand just because she was Sailor Moon and therefore was already in danger. 

“If I may, may I see the letter?”

And there it was, her identity laid out on a piece of paper addressed to him. She decided she’d give it to him. The decision alleviated the guilt she’d just been feeling. She wordlessly walked over to her bag, rummaging about until she found the slightly crinkled page. She handed it to him, waiting with bated breath as he skimmed it over. Startled eyes locked with hers.

“I’m glad you know,” she said simply, breaking the silence. “I understand if you want to leave now, since, you know - it’s complicated.”

He sighed heavily, taking a seat on her bed. “I had no idea,” he murmured. He then moved the letter slightly. “There’s two sheets here,” he said in surprise.

Oh no. “No, please don’t read that!” she cried, but it was too late. Stunned eyes rose to hers after a moment. “I didn’t know if we’d ever be together,” she said desperately, trying to explain. “He wouldn’t ever date me either, so if you ever changed your mind, it wouldn’t be an issue to let him go. He doesn’t even like me.”

“Then why do you like him?”

“I don’t know?! And you’re - I just - I can’t discuss this with you. I can’t talk about my crushes with each other; it’s just wrong!” She sobbed. “I think you should go. Please.”

He left quietly, leaving a crying Senshi in his wake.

* * * * * *

The next morning, Usagi showed up to the Crown Arcade with her letters somewhat neatly folded into thirds in hand. A glance around showed she was actually early for a change. She headed to the counter, where Mamoru already sat drinking coffee. “Hello, baka,” she said.

“Hello, Odango.” Was he nervous?

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” she said awkwardly.

“What, no chocolate?” he teased. 

“What, no! Why would I give you chocolate?” she stammered. Did he somehow find out about her crush? Tuxedo Kamen wasn’t a friend of his, was he?

“Well I know it’s not traditional because I’m a guy and all, but I’m going to give this to you now.” He held out an envelope to her. 

“What?” Her mind drew a blank.

“Just take it. Open it in private.”

She took the letter and ran to the restroom. After she slipped into a stall, she opened the letter and started reading.

Dear Tsukino Usagi,

Protect with roses you, maiden, whom I tease. I’m in love with you.

Coffee is not why come I to dine at the Crown. I’m in love with you.

You’re brave, beautiful, kind, strong, and inspiring. I’m in love with you.

With these words do I cast aside complications. I’m in love with you.

Please give me a sign whether to give us a try. I will wait for you.

With love, Chiba Mamoru

She just got a love letter. A love letter from Chiba Mamoru, who turned out to be Tuxedo Kamen! Her crushes were one and the same. Here she'd been talking about him as her crush, twice! The events of the prior day fell into place. Now she understood why Tuxedo Kamen knew about her letter. She wanted to feel guilty about it all - but it looked like he also had two crushes, too! They were both her - Usagi and Sailor Moon. Incredibly, he wanted them both. Butterflies erupted in her stomach and her chest felt light. He loved her. He wanted to be together.

She stuffed the letter into her subspace pocket and finished up in the bathroom. She locked eyes with him when she came out; he’d been anxiously looking in that direction. She made a beeline to his side, casually sitting on the stool next to him. They each faced away from each other, waiting. Then there was movement beside her. A thornless red rose with a sharp tip had been placed next to her. With trembling fingers she picked it up, holding it to her nose. “I love roses,” she murmured, uncertain how to proceed. Why was she suddenly nervous?

“Girls usually do,” he replied neutrally, his body tense.

“Especially red ones. They’re special.” She blushed. “I’ll always love them. I really want some chocolates, though.”

“Craving sweets, Odango Atama?”

“No, wanting to gift my crush some chocolate for Valentine’s Day.”

He stilled. “That’s a shame,” he said after a moment, turning to face her.

“Yeah. I’ll have to make it up to him next year.” She was bestowed the most brilliant smile she’d ever seen him have. 

The girls came in then. She reluctantly left him to join them in their booth. They placed their letters into Rei’s beautiful envelopes. Minako called Motoki over. 

“What are you girls up to?” Motoki asked cheerfully.

“It’s Valentine’s Day, and we didn’t have anyone to give chocolates to, so we’re writing love letters to our future boyfriends-”

“More like fiancés,” Rei corrected.

“Right. So when the time comes, we’re going to have them open and read the letters.”

“How romantic!” Motoki exclaimed.

“Right? Rei-chan even handmade these envelopes for good luck!”

“Very nice,” he marveled. “So what now?”

“We need drinks! For a celebratory toast to love!”

“Well, what do you want?”

“Chocolate shakes!” Usagi said, suddenly inspired. “And give one to Mamoru, too. My treat.”

Mamoru had been watching them the entire time. His gaze burned into Usagi’s while the other girls just gaped.

“You’re giving Mamoru a chocolate shake - on Valentine’s Day?” Rei asked.

“You’re finally admitting it!” Minako crowed, laughing.

“What?!” the girls exclaimed.

“Oh, c’mon guys. I am the Goddess of Love. I know these things.”

Usagi got up out of her seat and sat next to Mamoru again. When the chocolate shake arrived she turned to Mamoru and held it out with two hands.

“I just want you to know that I’ve loved you for ages and I was wondering if you’d accept this chocolate shake from me as a token of that love.”

He took the shake from her, slowly lifting the cup to his lips, taking a sip from the straw, his eyes never leaving hers. Then he was placing it onto the counter, inched forward, and captured her lips with his. It was a soft, chaste kiss, full of promise.

“So, do you want to give him his letter now?” Usagi heard Minako ask.

“Quiet, Minako-chan,” Rei hissed.

“What? I just calls it like I smells it.”

“I don’t think that’s how that saying goes,” Ami said.

The End

Another wonderfully unique take on love letter. And a kiss at the end! Ten points for kisses!

Creature

Read right to left.

Comic by Cockpit.  Translated by Sailor Scribbles.

by  anxflower

art republished with artist’s permission  

Here’s to the pair who brought to life some of the cutest Usagi/Mamoru moments in Sailor Moon history!

sailor moon ੈ✩‧₊˚ one gifset per episode

sera myu appreciation

Instagram story comic (I was thinking about how in one of his image songs, Mamoru mentions writing about sailor moon is in his diary. HE’S SENSITIVE OK!!!!!)