The Origins Episode of The Jellax Saga as well as the first appearance of Jamanen herself.
Jellax takes place a few years after the end of the original series, Usagi and Ami are exploring an abandoned amusement park, where people have been reporting a figure run around and turn on the rides. After a brief heart-to-heart with Ami, the two enter a mansion on the park, believing that it is where the figure is said to be. Little do they know, though, that they have fallen into a trap...
Can be read here: https://the-jellax-family.deviantart.com/art/Jellax-127683062
Tropes that appear in this fanfic:
- Ascended Extra: Jellax/Jamanen is this since she goes from being a one-shot character to the main villain of this story. It's even lampshaded slightly, with how Jamanen says how the Black Moon Clan held her in low regard since they didn't try to find her.
- The Bad Guy Wins: Regardless of future portrayals, Jamanen is the antagonist in this story. And boy does she win big time!!!
- Cliffhanger: At the very end, Jamanen has enslaved Ami and Usagi and the other Scouts come in. While there is no doubt that the Scouts will intend to rescue their friends, the story does not show how likely that is or what will happen to them next.
- Darker and Edgier: In comparison to the rest of the stories, Jellax/Jamanen is much crueler and sadistic than in other works. She mocks Usagi after capturing her, makes her believe she murdered Ami, and doesn't comfort Usagi when it's shown that her transformation is painful for her.
Of course, her cruelty could all be a ruse for a grander plan.- It's even darker than the Official Release, considering this story ends with Jamanen winning with little to no backlash against her, something that never happened in the anime.
- Deconstruction: While not the focus of the plot, the story can be seen as a deconstruction of both Sailor Moon (if not the Magical Girl genre as a whole) as well as the Monster of the Week trope.
- In the case of the former, Usagi laments that being a Sailor Senshi/Scout takes a lot of time and work, meaning that the Senshi's/Scout's personal lives are constantly being pushed to the side—including important events, like schooling or jobs.
- It can also be seen as a deconstruction of "secret identities" for both Magical Girls and superheroes in general—even though Usagi doesn't say it, one can assume that a large part of the problem is that she can't, or feels she can't, tell anyone why she has to miss important events or responsibilities. Which only puts more pressure on her.
- Despite being a Monster of the Week, Jellax/Jamanen is still a living being, and thus can still feel things like anger, betrayal, desire for vengeance, and more. Moreover, considering she is now freed from the Black Moon Clan, she now can pursue her own goals, using her own methods...
- Her actions can also be considered a deconstruction of more competent monsters like herself. While in the original episode, Jamanen was shown to (mostly) just be an unusually smart Droid who used tactics, and even managed to capture the other Senshi/Scouts, she still brazenly attacked Sailor Moon at the last minute—letting Sailor Moon easily destroy her. In contrast, here, Jamanen not only took the time to wait until she was fully healed before attacking again, but she made sure to capture all the Senshi/Scouts present before any could attack.
- In the case of the former, Usagi laments that being a Sailor Senshi/Scout takes a lot of time and work, meaning that the Senshi's/Scout's personal lives are constantly being pushed to the side—including important events, like schooling or jobs.
- Downer Ending: Usagi and Ami are converted into Slime Slaves. As Jamanen is putting the finishing touches on them (putting on bowties) the other Scouts find the three, only for Jamanen to reveal she intends to enslave the rest of the Scouts. THE END!
- Early-Installment Weirdness: Some things about Jamanen and the Jellax have been retconned from this story, such as Jamanen referring to herself as "Jellax" or how she claims she was created by the Dark Moon Clan rather than enslaved. This is probably something of her intentionally lying, but at the time the writer probably was making her own backstory and didn't plan to expand. There is also the case of how Ami and Usagi refer to themselves as "Sailor Scouts", which only happened in the DiC dub.
- Moreover, some things are described a bit oddly; Ami is said to have green hair and tanned skin, despite being said to have blue hair earlier on. Most likely, this was a combination of a mistake on editing and the writer confusing Ami for Michiru.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: Usagi gives a downplayed, even somewhat reconstructed version of this. In the beginning, when she and Ami are at the Amusement Park, Usagi laments how being a Sailor Scout has cost them their jobs, schooling, and free time, to the point where they still have to clean up the villains' mess even years after they've graduated from high school. Despite Ami's own words a few moments about how they also have lived incredible double lives, one cannot help but feel a twinge of sadness for Usagi.
- Unreliable Narrator: Even without the context of the rest of the Saga, there's a lot of things that we only have Jamanen's word to go on. Did she really survive Usagi's fight, or has she been resurrected, one way or another? Did Jamanen really devour/absorb people who snuck into the park, or did she just make that up to get Usagi scared/sad? Did Jamanen really expect the Black Moon Clan to come after her, or did she intentionally hide from them?
- There's also some examples of Alternate Character Interpretation here as well; was Jamanen's adoration of a Jellaxed Ami genuine or was it Jamanen being happy she had so completely and utterly defeated a foe? Along with that, what about Jamanen's Evil Laugh at the end? Was she actually just that much of a Card-Carrying Villain, was she intending to get the other Scouts' attention, or was she just trying to be dramatic? When she was questioning, and maybe even comforting, Usagi as she was being turned into Jamanen's new slime slave, was that her giving another Pet the Dog moment, or was it showing how, deep down, Jamanen always has been the kind-hearted High Queen in the main series?
- There's also some examples of
