Unknown to the inhabitants of our world, there exists a whole entire other universe with stars and planets just like our own -- a mirror image. This world exists on the far side of a magic mirror, and in this world, there are kingdoms, sailor soldiers, and cavaliers just like our own. There are Black Moon Senshi to mirror the White Moon Senshi of our world, and Black Earth Cavaliers to mirror the White Earth Cavaliers.
Among these, one sailor soldier, Sailor Selene -- the Black Moon Queen Nehelenia -- has been to our world before. In her first life, Nehelenia and her guardian cat Zirconia both became corrupted. Obsessed with prolonging her own youth and beauty by devouring the dreams of others, Nehelenia laid waste first to her own world, then crossed through the mirror to claim our world, as well. There, she took captive the Dream Priest, Helios, and corrupted the dream world, Elysion, in search of the human whose dreams would extend her life indefinitely.
She was defeated by Sailor Moon, Sailor Chibimoon, and their court of senshi -- but she returned once more, taking Prince Endymion captive. Princess Serenity took pity on her, purifying her corrupted soul, and offered her the chance to go back in time to her childhood, to live her life over again, this time learning to love and trust in people other than herself.
And so she did. Things were peaceful in the mirror world -- till one day, the mirror was crossed from the other side. Black Lady Serenity and the dark sorceror Wiseman attacked Nehelenia, stealing her Great Crystal -- the Marcasite Crystal, twin to Serenity's Silver Crystal -- and escaping back through to our world.
Seeking to reclaim the Marcasite Crystal, the source of her royal power, Queen Nehelenia and her lover, the Black Earth Prince Alexandros, sent their starseeds across the mirror and back through time in order to be reborn in Destiny City.
Nehelenia and Alexandros were reborn as Corinna Grant and Dylan Rasmussen, high school students. Now awakened to their identities as a sailor soldier and cavalier, they are gathering their courts of retainers while they search for Black Lady, Wiseman, and the Marcasite Crystal, in hopes of reclaiming it and bringing the thieves to justice.
They take their courts from regular human beings and sailor soldiers alike, choosing anyone they think will suit the starseed. Selene has named her best friend, Veronica Harvey, as Sailor Aphrodite, captain of her guard, and Madison Heller, formerly Sailor Izar, as Sailor Gaia. Alexandros has taken his friend and roommate, Jesse Alvarez, as his captain and former twin brother, Cavalier Hector.
They are gathering for war.
Prince Alexandros, a.k.a. Cavalier Alexandros of Oblivion, a.k.a. Dylan Rasmussen
Prince of the Black Earth, wielder of the Pyrite Crystal. He is the Black Earth counterpart to the White Earth's Prince Endymion.
In his every day life, Dylan Rasmussen is a sixteen-year-old student at Hillworth Grammar School, a brilliant but rebellious teenager who indulges in recreational drug and alcohol use and shrugs off all rules, standards and considerations but his own. He is intelligent and levelheaded, but eccentric and self-absorbed.
Prince Alexandros, the Crown Prince of the Black Earth, is a troubled young man in his own right; though he is intensely loyal to Nehelenia, with whom he is very much in love, he suffers from deep-seated self-doubt and paranoia that causes him to be two-faced, manipulative and possessive of those he loves, in particular Nehelenia and his twin brother Prince Hector. He is heavily dependent on Hector, relying upon him for many earthly matters and life skills and taking him very much for granted. He is selfish and deceptive, but not evil and not incapable of self-sacrifice.
Alexandros and Nehelenia are former lovers from their adult lives in their homeworld, and teenaged sweethearts as well; Dylan keeps his friends close and his girlfriend closer, but this doesn't seem to prevent him putting his eggs in as many interpersonal baskets as possible.
Dylan's friend, roommate and once-twin brother is Jesse Alvarez -- and what tangled webs they weave.
Captain Hector, Cavalier of the Hollow, a.k.a Jesse Alvarez
Brother to the Crown Prince of the Black Earth, leader of the Parallel Cavaliers. He is the Black Earth counterpart to the White Earth's Captain Kunzite.
Jesse Alvarez is a seventeen-year-old boy at Hillworth Grammar School, a troublemaker from a broken home who's a bully, young revolutionary and general firestarter. He's a petty gang leader who nonetheless has big ideas about authority and abuse of power, though when he takes it into his own hands tends to be just as bad -- an object in motion who thinks the world owes him something and wants to take it with interest. Nonetheless he's a dreamer, not a schemer, a man with a mission, justice-conscious.
He's devoted both as Jesse Alvarez and Captain Hector to his Prince, Dylan Rasmussen, who in this life is also his Hillworth roomie and in Jesse's eyes can do no wrong -- or at least, any wrong is probably justified, including jacking Jesse's entire life to become the vessel of Hector. This doesn't stop his resentment running just as deep as his love for Alexandros, which is a silently ticking timebomb. His pack of cavaliers are more a courageous group of emotional vikings than a well-oiled soldier unit: Hector champions gut instinct, not cold logic.
He's devoted to Nehelenia's cause for a number of reasons -- though, despite their championing of the same prince, they can have a tense relationship. This also leads to acerbic, ruinous quarrels with his bonded partner, Captain Aphrodite.
Queen Nehelenia, a.k.a. Sailor Selene, Senshi of the Mirror, a.k.a. Corinna Grant
Queen of the Black Moon, wielder of the (currently stolen) Marcasite Crystal. She is the Black Moon counterpart to the White Moon's Princess Serenity/Sailor Moon.
In her everyday life, Corinna Grant is a sixteen-year-old student at Meadowview High, a talented photographer and slightly-less-talented singer, and ardently vocal about any perceived injustice in the world. She is outspoken and often abrasive, but also intensely well-meaning.
Sailor Selene, the reformed Queen of the Black Moon, is equally as well-intentioned; in the wake of her former corruption she has become, instead, obsessively dedicated to making the world as good and just a place as she can, starting with herself. She also tends to be autocratic and unilaterally decisive -- she is a Queen and seldom believes she needs to ask your opinion or your permission to make a decision. In short, she does not always play well with others.
Nehelenia and Alexandros are former lovers from their adult lives in their homeworld, and teenaged sweethearts in this life as well; Cora has rose-colored glasses where Dylan is concerned, and this can tend to come through somewhat irritatingly in conversations with other people.
Cora's best friend is Ronnie Harvey -- who often has to talk Cora down from the ledges, so to speak.
Captain Aphrodite, Senshi of Thrall, a.k.a. Veronica Harvey
Leader of the Parallel Senshi. She is the Black Moon's counterpart to the White Moon's Sailor Venus.
Veronica Harvey, better known as Ronnie, is a seventeen-year-old student at Meadowview High School who spends her waking hours either by her best friend's side, indulging in various horror flicks, or egging on a good debate. A very outgoing and assertive individual, she tends to make her opinions known to those around her - regardless if they want to hear them or not.
As Captain Aphrodite and the leader of the Parallel Senshi, she runs a tight ship where her senshi are concerned. As opposed to her brash partner, Captain Hector, Aphrodite prefers to have a course of action before leaping into the fray and is calculative and logical in her approach. A natural motivator, she pushes her team and supports them in an older sister fashion; depending on the circumstances, she can be either friend or strict leader. Her greatest weakness is her most precious treasure: her Queen. Her logic can become easily flawed or manipulated should the situation involve Selene in any way.
A close friend and follower to Nehelenia, Aphrodite is especially protective and loyal to her Queen, regardless of her dark past. To both Ronnie and Aphrodite, Cora/Selene is the human embodiment of justice, and she has dedicated her life to guarding and upholding that justice. She will do whatever it takes to ensure the safety and well-being of her monarch, even if it means sacrificing her own in the process.
She is wary but respectful of Prince Alexandros and accepts the fact her Queen loves the Prince... even of Aphrodite herself fails to find the Black Earth's Prince worthy of Nehelenia's adoration.
Sailor Gaia, Senshi of Clay, a.k.a. Madison Heller
She is the Black Moon Counterpart to the White Moon's Sailor Earth.
Madison Heller is a seventeen year old student at Meadowview High, when she shows up to class. She's headstrong, opinionated and crass, and often comes across as a misogynistic douchebag due to her propensity to stereotype girls as pretty, stupid things; she ignores the fact that she's a girl herself.
Sailor Gaia, formerly Sailor Izar, Senshi of Oak, deals with her problems directly. She does badly with subterfuge; she does not know the meaning of a sneak attack; she attacks first, and rarely remembers to ask questions later. She's noble in a sort of a** backwards way, always willing to do the dangerous missions, protect the weak, feed the homeless-- not for any other reason other than she has high opinions of her own abilities. She's brazen and rash, and is more concussed than a hockey player.
Gaia was a distant cousin to the Black Earth twins, a bit fussy, very vain; she was no great friend of any member of the court and tended to keep mostly to herself. She sometimes oversteps her boundaries in regards to Sailor Selene, who she tends to want to protect like a pretty, precious flower, forgetting that she's a soldier just like she is.
Madison is only an acquaintance of Cora Grant, though grew up with Jesse when he was fostered to her family. He was a "bad influence"-- or she was, depending on who's telling the story.
The main difference between the mirror world and our own world is that, in the mirror universe, there was no cataclysmic war between Earth and Moon during the age of the Silver Millenium which resulted in the senshi and cavaliers being killed, sealed, and reborn in the far distant past. Instead, the royal dynasties of the Black Moon and Black Earth have continued their reigns uninterrupted to the present day, legitimized by the magic powers and Great Crystals conferred on their royals and heirs.
This idea of a divine right to rule has perpetuated throughout the ages -- why else, people argue, would such vast cosmic power be granted to the ruling dynasties, if they weren't worthy? -- but has not gone unchallenged, especially in recent decades. The monarchies are criticized as might-makes-right institutions, where martial strength is prized exclusively as a justification for leadership, at the expense of any other values which might form the basis for a benevolent government.
This opposition has, during the current era, been mostly verbal, political, and non-violent. Within the lifetimes of the current Parallel Court members, their kingdoms have been, for the most part, peaceful. As a result, although -- compared to the other senshi and cavaliers in Destiny City -- the Parallel Court members have known their magical identities, trained their powers, and become familiar with their teammates, they have little in the way of real battle experience.
The Black Moon's empire consists of its capital kingdom on the moon, as well as the separate kingdoms of each of the other "uninhabitable" planets. The Black Earth kingdom alone is a separate entity from the moon's empire: Earth alone supports life, and so is singly the largest of any kingdom, spanning the entirety of the blue and green planet. It is a power unto itself. The other kingdoms, including the venerable Moon capital, are confined to small, magically domed regions on each planet. These kingdoms sustain life only by virtue of the ancient deep magic of the planet itself: providing a breathable atmosphere, temperature and gravity necessary to support an everyday human existence. Interplanetary travel relies on the same deep magic, and a series of well-protected mirror-gates between each world.
Technologically, the mirrorworld is not as advanced as our own; since magic remains an open and recognized force in the mirrorworld, it's taken a more pervasive and integrated place in everyday life. Low-level, simple magic is common -- ranging from basic healing to animal taming to agriculture. With magic to rely on, the need for technological advancement is less immediate, and thus progress has been more gradual.
Members of the Parallel Court
Corresponding to Serenity and Endymion:Queen Nehelenia, Sailor Selene, Soldier of the Mirror
Prince Alexandros, Cavalier of Oblivion
Corresponding to Mercury and Zoisite:Sailor Hermes, Soldier of Mist
Laocoon, Cavalier of the Maze
Corresponding to Venus and Kunzite:Sailor Aphrodite, Soldier of the Thrall (captain)
Hector, Cavalier of the Hollow (captain)
Corresponding to Earth and Terra:Sailor Gaia, Soldier of Clay
Deiphobus, Cavalier of the Outskirts
Corresponding to Mars and Jadeite:Sailor Ares, Soldier of Smoke
Glaucus, Cavalier of the Landmark
Corresponding to Jupiter and Nephrite:Sailor Zeus, Soldier of Thunder
Aeneas, Cavalier of the Canyon (vice-captain)
Corresponding to Saturn and Mortalitas:Sailor Cronus, Soldier of Despair
Troilus, Cavalier of the Desert Island
Corresponding to Uranus and Aeris:Sailor Ouranos, Soldier of Permission (vice-captain)
Achates, Cavalier of the Cliff
Corresponding to Neptune and Maris:Sailor Poseidon, Soldier of Bounty
Pandarus, Cavalier of the Jungle
Corresponding to Pluto and Tempus:Sailor Hades, Soldier of the Future
Scamandrius, Cavalier of the Uncharted
Corresponding to Luna:
Zirconia, Guardian Cat
Powers and Weapons
The Black Moon Senshi have powers similar to the members of the White Moon Court -- these will be discussed between staff and the players, as we have some suggestions but are definitely open to your ideas. <3
The Black Earth Cavaliers, like the White Earth Court, carry rapiers as weapons. When lifebound to a senshi, their weapons take on a trace aspect of their element.
Uniforms
The Black Moon Senshi wear uniforms with charcoal-colored corset bodices and off-the-shoulder collars in their primary color. They wear skirts in their primary color, and long ribbon sashes in their secondary color are tied around their waist and bowed in the back. Their uniforms have gold-beaded accents, and gemstone accents in their sigil shape. Their skirts have an under-layer of uniquely-patterned lace which is echoed over part of their bodices as well.
The Black Earth Cavaliers wear uniforms with a charcoal-colored base as well; their uniforms are military-based, styled after the fashion of the French musketeers. They wear their senshi counterparts' gemstone sigils on their uniforms as well.
Mirrorwalk
Members of the Parallel Court, senshi as well as cavaliers, do not get distributed and cannot use cellphone communicators; however, they all have the general Mirrorwalking ability: they can communicate through mirrors and even through sufficiently reflective glass, such as a store window, and can only be heard by other parallels who similarly have a mirror at hand. They can also travel directly through mirrors (but only true mirrors, not just any glass), provided the mirror on either side of their journey is physically large enough for them to fit through.
Questing for a Parallel - Q&A
Q. What Parallels can I quest for?
A. Other than the ones already revealed (Alexandros, Hector, Selene, Aphrodite, and Gaia), there are no other Parallel Senshi or Cavaliers that are reserved. So quest away! The only other character that can't be quested is Zirconia -- who will be obtainable through a separate shop event.
However, be advised that only the Inner Court will be recruited at this time -- that's Hermes, Ares, Zeus, Laocoon, Deiphobus, Glaucus, and Aeneas. If you're questing the Outer Court, bear in mind that those are long-term quests, and it may be quite a while before we even begin considering them.
Q. What characters can become Parallels?
A. Regular human beings can transformed into Parallel Senshi or Cavaliers. Sailor senshi can also be transformed into Parallel Senshi or Cavaliers. The only characters who cannot be transformed into Parallel Senshi or Cavaliers are the Royals and their Ancestral Courts -- so no prince, princess, Zodiac (or seasonal handmaiden), White Earth Cavalier (or Helios), or White Moon Senshi can be subsumed by a Parallel Court member. Neither can a person with a corrupted starseed be subsumed -- so Negaverse agents can't become Parallels either.
Being chosen to become a Parallel is another matter entirely. Senshi are chosen by Nehelenia, and cavaliers by Alexandros, so -- unless they're in a desperate situation -- they'll choose people they think will suit the soul they're taking on. This means they'll tend to avoid choosing people they don't get along with. It also means, except in a desperate situation, the people chosen to inherit the souls of Black Moon Senshi will be female, and those chosen to inherit the souls of Black Earth cavaliers will be male.
Q. What does it mean to be a Parallel?
A. As a Parallel, a person becomes essentially two souls in one body. Over time, the two souls will eventually merge together into one person and one coherent, balanced personality -- but initially, the host personality and the parallel's personality will be two separate and distinct people. For the most part, the host persona will be the dominant one -- however, the parallel's personality will assert itself when it feels it's necessary (or when it just really wants to). In this way, it's not truly possible to go against your faction: the Parallel you're sharing a soul with would also have to want to go against their faction, which is deeply unlikely.
Q. Do I get to come up with the personality for the Parallel, or just the host?
A. You get to come up with the personality for the Parallel, as part of your quest. <3 We'll let you know if there's a problem.
Q. Do I get to choose my character's uniform colors?
A. Yep! Please do.
Q. Can I design their uniform?"
A. You can design a uniform for them if you have an idea for one -- but it isn't necessary! Shazari may alter your design for consistency. <3
Q. Who draws the Parallels?
A. Shazari. If you're questing for a senshi that currently exists to become a Parallel, therefore be aware that your character would move off of their current art track with Natsube, never to return, and onto mine. Therefore, if you'd prefer to stay with your current artist, questing your character to become a Parallel isn't a good idea. <3
Q. Who can approve my Parallel Quest?
A. Currently, all shop stampers can provide crit and stamps on your parallel quest.
Q. Who should I ask if I have questions about the parallels?
A. Try Shazari first for questions about Parallel Senshi and codalion first for questions about Parallel Cavaliers.
Recommended Reading
{R} All the Stars Were Falling - Nehelenia, Alexandros
Corinna and Dylan examine the park where a meteor came down, looking for signs of someone they've been waiting for for a very long time. First appearance of Nehelenia and Alexandros.
{R} This Dream Is For You, So Pay the Price - Corinna, Rea
Corinna comes upon Rea in the park, and the queen remembers the unicorn. Old rivalry resurfaces.
{R} For My Brother - Alexandros, Hector
Dylan Rasmussen makes his choice for the Cavaliers: Cavalier Hector deals with it.
{R} A Passed Pawn - Selene, Aphrodite
The queen chooses a captain of the guard; Sailor Aphrodite is reborn.
{B} Let's Get Physical, Physical... - Selene, Izar
Sailor Selene has her first run-in with a youma. The youma has nothing to do with the Usurper. Sailor Gaia is reborn.
{B} Holding Them Up - Aries, Selene, Alexandros
Corinna and Hero are caught in the middle of a convenience store robbery. The world cries out for justice. Meanwhile, in a shocking turn of events, Dylan actually tries to do his homework. The first meeting of a parallel and a Zodiac soldier.
