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''My name is Shoutan Himei. I'm sixteen years old, and I'm very tired.''

Take a basic MagicalGirl template, influenced most of all by ''SailorMoon'' (note the title). Infuse some ''NeonGenesisEvangelion'', mix in the tone and atmosphere of ''{{Animorphs}}'', and add some of the self-awareness of ''{{Scream}}'' on top. What do you get? The scariest ''mahou shoujo'' story this side of ''ElfenLied.'' A WebOriginal written by {{Twoflower}}.

Unlike most stories in the genre, it doesn't begin with the heroine's origin story. In fact, as the story opens, Himei has already spent ''five years'' as Sailor Salvation, and acquired a lifetime's worth of horrific memories fighting as the sole grunt soldier in a futile war against [[TheHeartless the Yamiko]]. Having initially JumpedAtTheCall, she sees it as cause for celebration when her boss and MysteriousProtector, Magnificent Kamen (nicknamed "MagnificentBastard" by Himei and her TalkingAnimal sidekick Dusty, and a [[{{Jerkass}} completely unlikable character]] despite the trope-y name), finally gets fed up with her complaints and fits of UnstoppableRage and fires her. After all, more even than most, she [[IJustWantToBeNormal just wants to be normal]].

There's Just one problem: she ''can't'' be. Kamen cut her off, but she still has her powers, and still gets the unbearable splitting headaches that signal the birth of a new Yamiko. There's no escape, [[DrivenToSuicide except one option]]. And that option is looking more attractive every day...

Written in 2000 and 2001, it thus predates some of the more famous subversive takes on the genre, such as ''FutariWaPrettyCure'' and ''{{Mai-HiME}}''. Available via [[http://www.pixelscapes.com/sailornothing/ this link]].
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!!This story contains examples of:

* ADarkerMe -- The Yamiko are the physical manifestation of this. They're just like regular people, but with absolutely no inhibitions or moral concerns.
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer -- A standard HighSchool trope
* AllergicToEvil -- Himei detects the birth of a Yamiko via nearly debilitating headaches.
* {{Americanitis}} -- {{Inverted}}. The setting is basically American with just enough Japanese cultural references added to fake taking place in Tokyo.
* AnachronicOrder -- Chapters 8 and 9, the former being "stream of consciousness" and the latter much more orderly, both venturing into MindScrew.
* AndYourLittleDogToo -- If Himei almost losing her friends and boyfriend were enough to trigger a HeroicBSOD, you just ''knew'' the guy who kidnapped her ''cat'' was going down.
* AndIMustScream -- [[spoiler: Ami. Oh god, Ami...]]
* AntiVillain -- Dark General Cobalt.
* TheAtoner
* BattleAura
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor
* BigFancyHouse -- Seiki's, to some degree.
* BlackEyesOfEvil
* BrokenBird -- Himei without a doubt.
* CallingYourAttacks
* CardCarryingVillain -- Deconstructed, as being pure evil makes the Yamiko ''incapable'' of plotting and scheming.
* CatchPhrase -- "This should not be happening"; Himei also grimly quips that "I'm very tired" wouldn't sell any action figures. However, she gains a new one later: [[spoiler: "I want to live."]]
* ChildSoldiers -- The sailors.
* ClarkKenting -- In chapter 4, Shin explicitly draws the comparison with Superman, noting, "The magic even extends to MPEG."
* CollapsingLair -- [[spoiler:The entire Yami-Gaia]]
* CompleteMonster -- Most of the Yamiko, especially Dark General Radon.
* CurbStompBattle -- Very, ''very'' few Yamiko can stand against even a normal-power Sailor. None can withstand their UnstoppableRage [[spoiler: except the Dark Queen.]]
* DarkerAndEdgier
* DarkMagicalGirl
* DeathSeeker -- [[spoiler:Argon.]]
* {{Deconstruction}} -- ...of heroes and villains both, and MagicalGirl stories in general.
* DefectorFromDecadence -- [[spoiler:Dark General Cobalt]]
* DespairEventHorizon -- Himei being on the edge of this pretty much sets the tone of the entire story.
* DistantFinale
* TheDragon -- Argon
* DrivenToSuicide
* EarnYourHappyEnding
* EmotionlessGirl -- Sailor Nothing
* EnemyWithout -- Happens multiple times, each with significant plot effects.
** Aki: [[spoiler:ruins her reputation and tries to kill her. Alerts her to both the existence of the war (including Himei's involvement in it) and her own repressed feelings about her life.]]
** Kotashi: [[spoiler:tries to rape Shin, forever changing their relationship, and brings her a few steps closer to the Truth.]]
** [[spoiler:Himei: One of the most powerful Yamiko in existence, and possibly ''the'' most powerful newborn Yamiko in history. Actually tries to ''mercy-kill'' her and her friends (along with Dark General Cobalt), who barely make it out alive.]]
** Seiki: [[spoiler:''successfully'' rapes Himei, which finally cracks her much-worn psyche and leads her to lock herself in the bathroom and slash open as many arteries as she can, in graphic detail.]]
** Shin: [[spoiler:subverts the pattern, as it was actually a ploy to take out a Dark General. It works, but then backfires as the Yamiko knocks out the real Shin and tries to murder her rapist uncle, intending to frame her for it.]]
* EnigmaticMinion -- Cobalt and Argon.
* EvilOverlord
* EvilTowerOfOminousness
* EvilTwin
* FateWorseThanDeath -- Take your pick.
* FiveManBand
* FiveBadBand -- Although it's tough to say which roles Neon and Xenon fill, exactly.
* FlashbackNightmare
* ForTheEvulz -- The motivation of pretty much all the Yamiko except for Cobalt [[spoiler: and Radon]]. Justified in that they're largely incapable of even ''having'' a more complex motivation.
* FourIsDeath
* GenreSavvy
* GiantMook -- The insane, nigh-unstoppable, Sailor-killing Super Yamiko.
** Ironically though, [[spoiler: they end up killing more Yamiko than Sailors, given that [[DefectorFromDecadence Cobalt is the one behind the leash.]]]]
* GirlPosse -- The fashion club.
* HannibalLecture -- [[spoiler: Aki's Yamiko]] to Aki.
* TheHeartless
* HeroicBSOD
* HeroicSacrifice -- [[spoiler: Ohta.]]
* HeroicWillpower
* HeWhoFightsMonsters -- The whole reason the story isn't over in the first chapter.
* HoYay -- Ohta and Cobalt.
* HurtingHero -- Himei
* IDidWhatIHadToDo
* IJustWantToBeNormal -- Very.
* InfiniteCanvas -- Used in a few places, especially chapter 7.
* InTheNameOfTheMoon
* ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy
* IWishedYouWereDead -- [[spoiler:Shin to Ami]]
* JerkAss -- Magnificent Kamen, Ami
* JumpedAtTheCall -- ...and regretted it. Later, though, others actually "Call" themselves.
* KickTheDog -- Magnificent Kamen kicks it harder and harder as the story goes on.
* KickTheSonOfABitch -- [[spoiler: Ami. Even [[IWishedYouWereDead wishing her dead]] turns into this.]]
* {{Kuudere}} -- Himei
* LaserGuidedTykebomb -- [[spoiler:Revealed to be the purpose of the Sailors.]]
* LastKiss -- [[spoiler:Himei and Seiki -- ''three'' times]]
* LateForSchool
* TheLibby: Ami
* LonelyRichKid -- Seiki
* LonersAreEvil -- Cobalt concludes TheQuietOne will spawn the darkest, most powerful Yamiko ever.
** This is actually a subversion, as it is stated in the first chapter that the purer the individual, the more evil the Yamiko.
* LoveMakesYouEvil
* LyricalDissonance -- One character runs right into it when he is told what the meaning of an American song he's enjoyed listening to [[spoiler:while trying to cope with his parents' death]]. To little surprise, it's a song by TheyMightBeGiants.
** To be more specific, it's "Everything Right Is Wrong Again", which is quite possibly the worst thing to have been listening to in that situation...
* MadArtist -- Argon
* MagicalGirl
* MagicWarrior
* MeaningfulName -- In Japanese, ''Shoutan'' means "crying in pain". ''Himei'' is "scream" or "shriek".
* MindRape -- Thankfully, the victim tends to block the memory out. Probably closer to "Spirit Rape" anyway.
* MindScrew -- Justified: the chapter where this happens is narrated from Himei after [[spoiler:being raped by Shadow Seiki]], and her mind is currently not sure of how [[AnachronicOrder "cause and effect" is supposed to occur]].
* MinionShipping -- As observed elsewhere, Cobalt and Ohta have a definite [[TheSimpsons Burns/Smithers]] vibe.
* MysteriousProtector -- Magnificent Kamen in the backstory, though also a total jerk.
* HighOctaneNightmareFuel -- The six-year-old girl's Yamiko. [[spoiler: The Super Yamiko. The fate of Ami.]]
** That six-year-old with a ''pencil''.
--> "All I ever wanted was someone to play with, and they never would. Now you're trying to hurt me, too, and I have to hurt you back..."
* NonActionGuy -- Kotashi
* ParentalAbandonment -- Minor forms. Seiki lives alone, which he can barely stand, and Himei's parents just don't notice her injuries.
--> "I told mom it was a fashionable thing at school now to tape your left hand."
** Far worse was the behavior of Shin's parents in her backstory: although not the classical form of abandonment, [[spoiler:leaving your daughter with a known child molester as ''babysitter'' has got to be one of the most negligent acts of parenting '''ever'''.]]
*** It gets worse when you realize that [[spoiler:he did it to others in the family, too.]]
* PersonalityPowers: Himei's favored attack is called "Nothingness", [[spoiler:Aki's is "Amazing Grace", Shin's is "Rude Awakening".]]
* ThePowerOfFriendship -- Darker than usual, but used as straight as possible.
* PowerTrio
* PureIsNotGood
* PsychoForHire -- All Yamiko, especially Neon and Xenon.
* RapeAsBackstory -- Pretty much describes [[spoiler:Shin's backstory]], but not so much [[spoiler:Himei in a later chapter]], whose experience is explored in more detail.
* RapeAsDrama -- Several times, including [[spoiler:Shin and Himei]].
* RapeIsLove -- Subverted. [[spoiler:Himei knows, deep down and through long experience, that Yamiko-Seiki's actions have nothing to do with Seiki himself, and loves the latter.]]
* TheReveal -- [[spoiler:Kamen's, the Queen's, and Argon's]] true identities.
* SaveTheVillain: [[spoiler:Shin stopping her EvilTwin from killing her rapist uncle]].
* SchoolgirlLesbians -- Eventually subverted as Aki realizes that while she does love Himei dearly, it's not that kind of love. [[spoiler:DoubleSubversion in the epilogue, when it's mentioned that she has a girlfriend, Keiko.]]
* SchoolNewspaperNewshound -- Shin; explicitly, she wants to unearth the truth wherever she can.
* {{Shadowland}} -- Even once using the phrase "[[NamesTheSame shadow realm]]"
* ShellShockedSenior -- Himei...while still in high school.
* ShutUpKiss -- [[spoiler:Himei's and Seiki's first]] LastKiss
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism -- Thrown ''way'' out of whack.
* SocialServicesDoesNotExist
* SuicideByCop -- Inverted: The "cop" knowingly walks into an unwinnable fight.
** [[spoiler:Dark General Argon]] plays it straight later.
* SuperpoweredEvilSide -- The Yamiko, especially [[spoiler: Himei]] (and ''how''!)
* SurroundedByIdiots -- Cobalt
** Note: [[spoiler:that is both during and AFTER his tenure as a Dark General. After the end of the Yami-Gaia, however, it's mere human stupidity bringing him down. Thankfully, Ohta's available to again bail his ass out, or the poor sucker might just get DrivenToSuicide after the dog and pony show had already ended.]]
* TakingTheBullet -- Subverted in the final chapter [[spoiler:as Aki is merely wounded, not killed, in the process.]]
* ThemeNaming -- The fashion club and the Dark Generals.
* ThereAreNoTherapists -- There are therapists, but they never do anyone any good.
* TripleShifter
* UnstoppableRage
* TheWoobie -- Poor Himei. Poor, poor Himei.
* WakeupGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld
* WhiteHairedPrettyBoy -- The Dark Generals
* WhoWantsToLiveForever -- [[spoiler:The unnamed priestess who started this whole mess]].
* WordOfGod -- Right on our [[JustBugsMe/SailorNothing It Just Bugs Me page]].
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