I got my boys (now 4 and 6 – where does the time go?) back into MLP recently, and then drew a gift for a friend. My 4yo immediately asked me to draw him Twilight Sparkle…with the Ursa Minor.
I’ll color this later. Things the 4yo definitely does not care about: the Ursa Minor is slightly transparent, so the background should be visible through him. Things I will be annoyed about if I don’t do it: That thing I just said.
Apparently I will always make more work for myself. Some things never change.
So. I’ve been obsessively listening to the Protector of the Small books lately. (Sarah Ovens does a lovely job.)
And the last time I got to Page, I started to wonder if Neal was as oblivious to Kel’s crush as she seemed to think. Yes, she’s supposed to be this hidden emotion master, but she is, after all, 11 years old when she suddenly starts feeling this way, and gets twitchy and slightly blushy around him sometimes…and no matter how you spin it, Neal is 16. He’s lived more life, went to the university for a few years, has a bunch of siblings…I just can’t see how Neal didn’t realize Kel had a crush on him. Especially when he noticed Cleon’s crush on Kel.
But, like any decent friend who is also much much older, he just ignored it, because that’s what good friends do when they notice something they know the other person desperately doesn’t want you to notice.
😳 how did this NEVER occur to me
My theory is that every massive Kel fan is also Kel. So focused on our own mission to repress/hide emotions and get tasks finished that we’re pretty blind to what the people closest to us might actually be picking up on. 😂
It took me twenty years to realize this. Twenty. Years.
So. I’ve been obsessively listening to the Protector of the Small books lately. (Sarah Ovens does a lovely job.)
And the last time I got to Page, I started to wonder if Neal was as oblivious to Kel’s crush as she seemed to think. Yes, she’s supposed to be this hidden emotion master, but she is, after all, 11 years old when she suddenly starts feeling this way, and gets twitchy and slightly blushy around him sometimes…and no matter how you spin it, Neal is 16. He’s lived more life, went to the university for a few years, has a bunch of siblings…I just can’t see how Neal didn’t realize Kel had a crush on him. Especially when he noticed Cleon’s crush on Kel.
But, like any decent friend who is also much much older, he just ignored it, because that’s what good friends do when they notice something they know the other person desperately doesn’t want you to notice.
🌹 Rewatch or reread your favourite Tux-centric chapter, episode, or musical! As a key character from the very first episode, he features prominently throughout the series. Some highlights include episode 034, where he accepts a challenge from Zoisite and reveals both his past and his true identity to Sailor Moon; episode 053, where he and Usagi babysit a toddler together; episode 116, where he takes Chibi-Usa and Usagi on a family outing that ends in disaster; episode 132, where a friendship with one of his female peers sparks jealousy in a mutual friend; episode 136, where his apartment is closed for deep-cleaning and he is forced to stay at the Hikawa Shrine; or episode 165, where he is taken to the capital of his ancient kingdom, Elysion, to meet with the priest Helios. He is the impetus of the plot in Sailor Moon R: The Movie, and features in the quasi-parody Episode Zero short from the 2003 live action, The Secret of Tuxedo Mask’s Birth.
🌹 Tuxedo Mask has several official image songs across different canons you can play for his big day:
🌹 Mamoru’s favourite food is simply “chocolate,” so today is the perfect excuse to indulge. Try some rose-flavoured truffles, or mature dark chocolate to match his refined tastes. He is also consistently associated with coffee in the various official pop-up and permanent Sailor Moon cafes, possibly because of his sophisticated image, or possibly because he’s a grad student running on caffeine and spite. Why not combine the two with a brooding mocha?
🌹 As an egg-head, Mamoru’s hobbies are generally intellectual, enjoying reading, analysing poetry, and studying foreign languages, so consider patronising your local library.
As Earth’s guardian he also likes flowers and nature, particularly, to no one’s surprise, roses, so a stroll through your local botanical park or community garden would be perfect.
On his other extreme, he also has a taste for luxury cars and riding motor cycles. If renting a bike or dirt bike for a spin isn’t your thing, maybe you could visit the arcade for a virtual race instead.
And it should come as no shock that a man who elects to fight crime in a three-piece suit and tophat has a taste for the dramatic, so since Mamoru has volunteered for community theatre in the past, why not see a local performance? Maybe… Snow White?
🌹 Dress like Mamoru for the day, if you can stomach it! As a young man in the 90s with no one to help dress him, he had a hard time navigating through the pitfalls of late-20th century
men’s
fashion. Still, he favoured business-casual blazers over turtlenecks or T-shirts, and when dressing more comfortably opted for bold, layered colour-blocking or graphic prints. As the series went on, and in the manga or Crystal, he dressed more classically, opting for simple button-up shirts and slacks in warm or earth-tones, occasionally favouring a Chandler Bing vest. When brainwashed, all bets were off, so if you have anything cow-print today is absolutely the time to bust it out.
His most iconic outfits were definitely his eponymous tuxedo and his green blazer/black undershirt/grurple (grey-purple) slacks/saddle shoes - or you could dress head-to-toe in lavender, like his fit as future King of the World. He’s also frequently seen with an enormous pair of sunglasses.
🌹
Get brainwashed!!
🌹 Make a puppet version of yourself!
🌹 Reflect on some of the wisdom Tuxedo Mask has dropped in all of his flowery (pun intended) speeches over at @tuxedowisdom.
🌹
Go thrifting for some absolutely absurd and fairly hideous decor.
He collects souvenirs, posters, and other decorations related to
space and the solar system, as well as minerals and gemstones.
🌹
Fav and read some Tuxedo Mask fanart and fanfic on sites like Pixiv, Twitter, and AO3 - or contribute your own new content! Don’t forget to tag!
Feel free to reply and reblog with your own ideas of how you’re going to celebrate the walking meme that is Mamoru Chiba!
HEY THIS IS IMPORTANT whats your favorite place to find drawing references?
so far we’ve got
senshi stock
croquis cafe
line-of-action.com
quickposes.com
posemaniacs
clip studio paint models
pexels.com
sketchdaily
eggazyoutatsu atarichan drawer
designdoll
if you have any more please reply!
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I just saw Shazam! and it made me so happy. It also dredged up my desire to go back to school, get a master’s in art history, and focus my studies on the evolution and effect of comic books.
