Welcome to the July Writing Challenge!

What's a writing challenge, you ask? Writing challenges are when I give you prompts or specific guidelines you must adhere to in your writing or give you specific goals to reach and everyone who manages to do the task successfully is a winner. This isn't a contest, so no one will be voting or choosing winners. Everyone is a winner! Isn't that awesome?

Well, as long as you meet the goal anyways.

This month, our theme is.... *drumroll*


It's time to give the non-senshi some love. Why don't you tell us Naru's first meeting with Usagi? How Ikuko and Kenji fell in love? Or what's the secret behind Motoki, regular nice guy who never seems to be targeted by all the monsters that have visited Tokyo in the past few years?

You could also bring focus to characters that only appear in one incarnation, like Sailor Heavy Metal Papillon, Sailor Kakyuu, Sailor Cosmos, or Phantom Ace from the manga; Sailor Astarte, Loof Merrow, or Count Dracul from the musicals; Dark Mercury, Sailor Luna, Mio, or Princess Sailor Moon from the live action. Basically anyone that needs more love!

The senshi may make appearances too, but they cannot be the focus of the story.

There is no maximum word limit, and the minimum is 300 words.

Everyone who posts a piece that meets the outlined guidelines above will win the challenge! And when you have won enough challenges, you got these awesome bumpers!


So what are you waiting for? Get writing! You have until July 31st, 2015 to post your story.

Are you allowed to involve elements of someone else's fanfiction?

Uhh.. can you give an example? I'd rather avoid using someone else's ideas if you can ^^

Okay, I'll go back to my original idea... sorry.  (Mostly names, but more probably would've seeped into the fic...)

Okay, being on hiatus for 6 months also screws up your reading-comprehension. Yay.   So, here's my entry for this, where we get the story of Kaitou Ace before he became Danburite.

I don't know when I started dreaming of a beautiful girl with long blonde hair. Perhaps I've been doing so for all of my life, but the dreams have become more often now, bombarding me with visions of this girl who I have to find.... 

"Maybe one day, we'll love each other." she says, on her way off to battle. I want to believe that she'll come back alive, like the amazing soldier she is, but there's a part of me that knows that we're all going to die.... 

Did we meet, this girl and I, in a past life? Am I destined to find her and save her from her inevitable death? 

"Saitou, for the last time, could you put down your hand?!" my cousin snaps, pulling me out of my memories and fantasies about this girl, this awe-inspiring princess and solider.... 

I slam my cards on the table, not knowing or caring about what I'm holding. 

Oh wait, you left the ace of hearts in your hand. Just put that down, even though you don't want to let go of it for some reason.... 

"Well, by some insane luck, you quashed us all with four jacks, Saitou." my cousin quips, as that girl shows up again in my dreams, the dreams of a world that feel millions of times more real than this poker game with my cousins and other random relatives. 

(---) 

To the girl I met once upon a time.... I desire to find you. 


In my dreams, I chase you through our past, through the winding paths of the palace.... although I know that you will never see me as your equal, perhaps we can try again.... 


Let's meet again, my princess. Perhaps this time, no one will have to die... 


"Saitou, you're letting this audition drive you completely bananas. I know this is the first time you have to write your own music, but you haven't been eating or sleeping for the past three days." my mother says as I throw out another attempt at writing a song for the golden princess of my dreams, this girl whose death I have to prevent...

The more people who hear my music, the more likely it is for this girl to find me.... and who knows? Maybe she'll have the same dreams as I do, and we can avert our deaths and just be happy.... 


But I have to make this song perfect. It has to at least match her level of perfection. 


"....thanks, Mom. I...." I begin, as she passes me some food and I try to figure out how the hell I can explain why I have to win this contest without anyone else I know thinking that I've gone completely off the deep end. 

Then again, most people don't lose the girl they love in a past life to war and have compulsions to find her...


(---) 

"Wow! I never thought much of stars before, but that one's really pretty!" a cheerful blonde girl with long hair exclaims as she sits down on the same bench as me. 

"That's actually Venus, but it's nice to meet you." I answer, hoping that I can at least come up with something good in a new environment, after my parents very strongly suggested that I get out of the house before I killed myself via a lack of fresh air. 

I mean, if all else fails, just test out your songs on her? She does look kind of familiar....


"Nice to meet you too! I'm Minako Aino! What're you writing?!" she asks, wrenching the notepad out of my hands. 

"....Miss Aino, I'm Saitou Kuroda, and I really don't see why you want to read my horrible attempts at writing love songs." I answer, inexplicably beginning to smile. 

She's really adorable. It makes me want to kiss her. 


"So you're an idol?! That's really cool, for I want to be one or a volleyball player when I'm older.... and your song is actually really good! It's really sad, though... and you don't have to be so formal with me!" Minako exclaims, passing me my notepad as a tall man joins us on the bench. 

"Thank you, Minako. I'm planning on auditioning to become one." I answer, pulling the ace of hearts out of my pocket and looking back up at Venus. 

It feels.... so familiar. Like I've been there before, and it's calling me to it... but that's not possible. At all. 


"....so, nice to meet you two! I hope I'll see you again, and we can observe the Evening Star together!" Minako exclaims as she runs off the bench, leaving me with the other guy, who has decided to also start reading my horrible songwriting attempts. 

Okay, I don't think you're anywhere near the target audience for my music... well, maybe he has a daughter?


"....you wish to find this girl, do you not, Saitou?" the man asks. 

"How exactly do you know that I'm talking about a real person?" I answer, for there is something about this guy that makes me want to punch him in the face. 

"Because I can help you." he says, acting like I'm an idiot. 

"Could you at least tell me who the hell you are?!" I exclaim, desperately wanting to punch him. 

"...in this world, I am known as Khalid Kobai. But you knew me as someone different, Adonis." he answers. 

(---)

I wake up who knows how long later in a dressing room, and I have to call the police, for that guy I met on the bench did something to me, and who knows what he could do to Minako or other innocent people....

"....Ace, you're on in ten minutes." someone says, pulling me out my thoughts. 

I won?! Somehow, I won that idol audition?! How the hell did that happen?! Did everyone else die?!

I should be happy. I should be happy that I finally have a chance to save the girl in my dream. I should be happy that my song didn't suck and I made it through the auditions and that I have a chance to sing and perform in front of people.... but I'm not. 

For I don't feel like myself anymore.


On another note, I really want someone to draw that scene where Ace, Minako, and Kunzite are sitting on a bench and observing Venus.

This is really nice! Obviously I enjoy all things Minako and her past as Sailor V - there are so much to be explored there since she's the only one with additional past life background like Saitou/Ace being Adonis and all. And it's nice to see that Ace originally did not have evil intentions toward her until he was manipulated.

Don't forget to grab the challenge bumper if you haven't already and thanks for participating!