It’s also the 8th anniversary of Usagi and Mamoru’s Universe. I can only wish we’ll be around that long.

In other news, our new hostee Sailormoon Fanfiction Archive is still looking for authors. Go check it out if you haven’t already.

Anyway, I got around to a lot of maintenance. The gallery and wiki now match the main site layout. Went through the awards queue and awarded the necessary awards. I also fixed some minor issues with the downloads page and some typos and such.

In Other Moonie News…

SMFFG has an awesome new layout.

IzumiRika has some footage of Rika on the runway.

Usagi and Mamoru’s Universe had a big ol’ update two weeks ago.

MoonKitty.net is pumping out the SuperS guide.

Sailor Moon Fanfiction Archive – exactly what it says on the tin.

This archive is run by MoonlightNeverFades and has much stricter content guidelines than our PGSM Fanfiction Archive (no adult, no slash), but it accepts all versions of Sailor Moon.

Meet Sara Baker. This is a completely true story. I can show you pictures of the other young lady from that photo in a costume I made if you want to make sure these are real people.

I am opening up 5 special parasol commission slots.

Some examples of my work. I can also make any custom design you can come up with.

Normally my custom commissioned parasols run from $25-50 each before shipping and handling, but these 5 slots will be $30 no matter how complex the parasol you want. $10 will go to base supplies and shipping costs and $20 will be donated to The Sara Baker Trust Fund for each parasol.

If you are interest in a parasol, contact me at kaligoddess at gmail dot com.

But enough bad news.

Lilly-Chan will be hosting a Sailor Moon Universe Panel and a Naoko Panel at Animazement. You can read all the details at her site.

MoonKitty.net has an awesome new layout. You should check it out.

Ayaka502.net has a new layout as well.

IrumiRika.com is reporting that Myuu, Miyuu, Ayaka and Rika all met together recently (Keiko was filming and couldn’t come). How cool is that?

And as you can imagine, I had a different set of priorities for awhile.

Meanwhile, my awesome affiliates sent me a bunch of Holiday presents. Thank you guys so much!

We also won an award from the Deep Submerge Awards.

And we have a new affiliate: The Sailormoon Funny Faces Gallery.

A friend of mine needs some help. Please take a moment to read this
story below and do what you can, if you can.

After you read, consider this: Can you donate a few dollars to make a
difference in Sara’s life? What little bit can you give that would mean
the absolute world to this friend? If everyone that reads this can give
just a few dollars, we can help Sara reconnect with the world! These
might be challenging financial times, but consider all that you have:
your freedom to move where you want, the option to eat some delicious
food, the chance to wrap your arms around someone you love. What can
you do for someone who has had those things taken from them?

Donations can be sent to PayPal – donate@sarascourage.org
Or mailed to:

Sara Baker Trust Fund
#10350222753
Exchange Bank
8220 Old Redwood Highway
Cotati, CA 94931

_________

THE STORY

One year ago, my friend Sara Baker AKA Glory was on her way her way to
school. Sara was 19-years-old at the time, a college student, happily
in love with her boyfriend of a few years, making art and having fun.

As she was merging onto a highway, a reckless driver tried to pass her
on the right and hit her. The bump sent her flying out into traffic
causing her to lose control of her car. She tried to come to a safe
stop and pull to the side of the road, but something when wrong in the
last moment and her car was sent flipping over into a ditch on the side
of the road, bursting into flames.

Passers by came to her aid, trying to break the windows to get to Sara,
throwing mud on the flaming car to try and keep the flames from her.
Miraculously, she had no injuries from the accident. She is taken to
the hospital to recover, likely to wake up with a really bad headache.

However, in the hospital, Sara was struck by another attack, silent and
devastating: she suffered a stroke.

Sara is now what’s called “locked-in,” a condition which allows her to
feel her whole body but without being able to move voluntary muscles,
with the exception of her eyes. She is a quadriplegic that can feel
everything: every itch, every fly that lands, every pain.

Sara will never draw again; not the way she used to. Every day she
lives attached to tubes that feed her and help her breath. After 11
months in the hospital she is finally home, but life will never be back
to normal for her. She requires constant care, and she is obviously
very limited in what she can do for hours and hours.

She’s a fighter though. She’s gotten back some mobility in her head and
lips. She is working on strengthening control of her vocal chords and
working on gaining more control of her tongue so she can eventually
breath through her mouth and eat again. When she coughs, her legs move
up to her chest.

Sara communicates with her mother, nurses, and her few visitors by using
a computer that types based on her eye movements. As the computer
scrolls through rows of letters, she looks up when she wants to select a
row. The inferred light on the glasses reflects off the white of her
eyes to make the selection. Then she waits for the selector to get to
the letter she wants, and then she starts over until she has spelled out
what she wants.

This video shows how it works:
http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c365/SuperSailorAstera/glory/?action=view&current=P1060755-1.flv

I went to see Sara a few weeks ago and we talked for hours. It was
strange because I was used to talking to her online, and in some ways,
talking through the computer was kind of similar (all be it slower). We
had a few laughs and it was great to see the same funny, smart kid was
still in there. But there were sad parts too, like when she told me how
much she misses making art. I asked her if it hurt and she told me,
“Always.”

Most of the time, she’s in good spirits, keeping herself busy with lots
of movies and her physical therapy, but lately things have been getting
a lot harder for her. She’s suffered some emotional set backs in the
last week, and she is starting to be more isolated. She is lonely a lot
because she is really disconnected from everyone.

The technology she has doesn’t allow her to access the web in a way that
works for someone in her condition. The technology she needs is, as you
can imagine, very expensive. Cyberlink will not only allow Sara to get
online, it also has means for her to make digital art. Sara’s mom is a
single mom and she takes the brunt of Sara’s care like a true hero. She
is just making ends meet with the money required for Sara’s care on top
of the rent and other everyday expenses. She cannot afford to get this
technology on her own.

I am determined to make a difference for this brave girl. She does not
have to be alone in herself. There IS technology out there to reconnect
her to her friends. We HAVE to do something to help.

Please, if you’ve read this far (thank you) spread the word! It only
takes a little bit by a lot of people to really make a difference.

Please let me know if you donate, I’d like to try to keep track of what
we raise. So far, her online friends at the web forum Tower of Time
have raised $1090, but so much more is needed. Please help if you can,
and if you cannot afford even just a dollar, then please pass this along
to everyone you know.

You can follow Sara’s story on the blog that her friends and family
update here: http://sarastatus.blogspot.com/

Thanks again for taking the time to read this.

Sarah Forde
Sarah@sailorastera.com

The PGSM Panel went fabulously. We had a full room and had a lot of fun. Lilly-chan has a bunch of pictures up, including the panelists, the Sailor Moon shoot;, and a shot of her with Kappei Yamaguchi. (Also, that piece of paper Sakky-Attack is holding so proudly is an Honorable Mention in the Costume Competition. Go say congrats!)

In other news, our affiliate Usagi and Mamoru’s Universe is celebrating its 7th anniversary!

Anther affiliate, Innocent-Ami has updated with a cool new layout and sent us a lovely present for our own 3rd anniversaty. Thanks Ami-chan!

During the months of August and September, the Deep Submerge Awards will be accepting nominations. Please go and nominate your favorite sites.

And as for Kirari Site updates, all four of our fanlistings: The Special Act Fanlisting, The Kirari*SailorDream Fanlisting, The C’est La Vie Fanlisting, and the The Romance Fanlisting have gotten facelifts.