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4 Things to Avoid When Writing Fanfiction

One of my favourite characters is Ryuzaki Sakuno and since she is a minor character in Prince of Tennis, I look to fanfiction for development or romance stories. I hadn't been to fanfiction.net as a reader for awhile and decided to visit.

Well, the number of rookie mistakes I found was phenomenal! While I am not a famous fanfic writer, I have had some moderate success. That being said, here are some tips and things to completely avoid:

1. "This is my first story...I suck at summaries..."

If you admit to sucking at summaries, then what's to say the story isn't going to suck? People love good summaries so they can judge whether it is worth their time. By writing such things, you are making a decision for people. 

For me, this is such a turn off. Take the time to write either one good sentence or two brief sentences. It makes a huge difference!

2. Ensure characters are not Out of Character (OoC)

I'm sure your story will have particular situations that will need the characters behave in a way never before seen on screen. The important thing is to keep the dialogue and actions realistic.

For example, if given a very stressful situation, Atobe would not have an Eiji like, talkative session. Instead, Atobe would maul it over internally because he cares about his reputation and needs to be viewed as confident.

Little things like this make a huge difference. The only time OoC is appreciated is in the humour category. A writer's skill is shown when people can laugh or think, 'that is so like ____'.

3. Grammar

For the love of writing, please use Microsoft Word or any other writing software that has spelling and grammar check! Some stories with great potential have been ruined because writers were more concerned about getting their chapters up faster rather than checking it over twice.

Fast doesn't mean good quality.

4. Keep notes in an author's note section

One must endeavor to maintain a good flow in each chapter so readers can enjoy your stories. It is important to create the proper mood from the get go. Don't put notes in the title and, obviously, not in the content.

These are the most basic tips that can be offered. If you can avoid all 4 no-nos, then you are on your way to success! Always remember that there will be reviewers that will give their two cents if they think something is not right. 

Some can be nice and some can be downright terrible, so always try to cover your back ;)
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Sailor Moon Crystal: Episode 2 Review



As mentioned last time here, the awakening of Sailor Mercury occurs. It’s a little disheartening that each episode is released every two weeks but I suppose it makes it that much more interesting for us fans.


This episode focused on Mizuno Ami’s isolation from her peers and of course, the sadness that comes with it. There are various times where it is mentioned she doesn’t have many friends and each time, it seems she hears these opinions which further bringing her morale down.




She’s definitely popular but of course, in a way which makes people jealous of her high IQ. These initial scenes build a foundation for Usagi’s and Ami’s meeting and blossoming friendship. From the get go, Ami notices Usagi, possibly due to her bubbly nature.



We are then introduced to Queen Beryl and the new layout of her dominion is quite nice. It looks like more than a dark pit from the original and now, more of a dark castle.




Returning to the city, Luna suspects Ami is one of the scouts. They become instant friends as in the series, she is the closest to Luna. Usagi wanted to be friends with her for somewhat selfish reasons – increasing grades and learning how to study.



But then it becomes a normal friendship with a trip to the arcade. There, Ami is able to gain respect of the gamers since she does extraordinarily well in the Sailor V game, earning a ‘pen’ (her transformation talisman) and Usagi wants one too, tampering with the machine until she gets the disguise pen.



In this episode, the main conflict is with Ami’s cram school – Crystal Seminar. It is computer based so the minion is able to draw energy. She has chosen Ami as her star pupil.



Usagi and Luna catch on to Ami's strange behaviour after inviting her to an ice cream outing and rush to save her with Usagi transforming into a doctor.



Once there, Usagi gets into trouble and Sailor Mercury is awakened. Naturally, Ami's transformation scene is shorter but the amusing part was that it looked like she was figure skating. 



The significant change here is the lack of attack sequence – when the scouts attack, it is instant. That may be because there was only a few minutes left before the end, indicating the show will be focusing more on character development than on battle time since the last two fights have been quite short.


After the help of Tuxedo Mask, Usagi and Ami become good friends with Ami wanting to know more. Usagi and Luna were Ami's first friends and now she's become a much happier individual.



Then we get a glimpse of Rei. So next time, the awakening of Sailor Mars!



The first episode served as a plot set up and there is a lot of ground to cover so I can see why (in comparison to Sword Art Online II, where the plot is really picking up after episode 3). The rest of the episodes to come indicate that they will focus on the characters themselves since we now know the mission, some of the baddies, etc.

With this episode, I felt the bond Usagi and Ami have and why Ami would be inclined to serve her once she awakens as the Princess – Usagi was the first to speak with her, breaking the barriers of Ami’s isolation.

Now I’m looking forward to seeing Rei’s characterization – will they keep the manga character or will they stick with the previous anime version?


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Sailor Moon Crystal: Episode 1 Review



The long awaited Sailor Moon Crystal finally made its appearance last week and boy, was I happy to see it!

There are many who have been pulling every single aspect of the show apart but I am among those who is appreciating the show for what it is.

That being said, the following review will be a bit biased since I liked the first episode that much ;)

The episode begins with beautiful shots of the galaxy as the camera comes closer and closer to Earth. The music is something I felt was overdone but eventually, we come to Earth.



Then, mostly the outline of a princess and her prince is shown but we all know who they are. 



Cue the opening sequence, which I was incredibly pleased with. It did all the characters justice with some added scenes of Usagi and Mamoru. It was definitely more upbeat and interactive like many of the anime openings of this generation.





At this point, Usagi wakes and realizes she’s late. We don’t see her face until she meets Luna. Before that, she interacts with her mother, who has undergone design changes as well.



Personally, it seems that she looks much more like Usagi than the previous series. Her anger seems to be much more subdued in comparison to the previous, where it was completely exaggerated. It is still amusing when Usagi is kicked out of the house.

Naturally, after Usagi and Luna meet, the plot moves forward.



After they part, we are introduced to Usgai’s classmates and her opinion of each. Another character to undergo significant design changes is Haruna-sensei. Her signature suit is intact though albeit not as bright!



When Jadeite is introduced, the show took on a dark turn that the previous didn’t really offer as it was full of comedy. It’s at this point that I thought very highly of the show. Previously when the baddies came, it usually was combined with comedic stunts with a touch of malice. 


Now, whether it’s due to the toned down comedy, the dark colour palette or the music reminiscent of Diabolik Lovers, the show so far does justice to the evils occurring on Earth, which the scouts are needed for.





The main conflict in this episode is the baddie taking over Naru's mother's jewelry shop in order to retrieve energy from them. This is under the orders of Jadeite.




After Usagi leaves, she bumps into Mamoru. When I watched the show at a younger age, the romance between these two specifically didn’t appeal to me in any way. I thought it was overplayed.

However, with this installment, the subtle hints and dream sequences are better played out. Usagi isn’t, yet anyway, drooling all over him with the hearts in her eyes. It suits my preferences. 


Then came time for her to help her friends. Now, her transformation scene is something I wasn’t fond of and is the aspect that I liked better in the previous series. In this one, they used 3D effects and really showcased the spaghetti-fication of the characters.



As expected, when the battle comes, Usagi freaks out and begins crying. 



Tuxedo Mask, not super impressed, guides her and her crush is formed. Near the end, while everyone talks about the new heroine, we see Ami walking away from the building.



Guess who’s going to awaken next?

Overall, I felt this episode met expectations with all of the hype. The characters actually look their age, the animation is much more fluid and the colour palette is great. Pacing was done well and covered enough ground to set up for the rest of the episodes. I also love the minute details that make the overall difference - Usagi's hair strands, facial expressions, etc. It's not as exaggerated but showcases some major talent on the animator's part as the emotions are conveyed.

The only major concern I had was of the relationship between Naru and Nephrite's relationship, which was my favourite. I truly hope it stays in the picture because it was so sweet.

That's it for now, until next time!


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