There's a whole story with this, but here she is first:

https://preview.redd.it/xzw63na2dnz21.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e639fbc8810f78a93a4a49dd88110d276cb8a59b

Sidenote: I got her last year, but after lurking this sub for a bit, I decided to post her here.

Long ago when I was a kid, my step dad bring me along to this one flea market all the time had one specific store that was my favorite. It was a Japanese store that always had the coolest anime imports. They had original [and some bootleg] SM stuff. Her wand/staff replicas, etc. AKA some of the collectible stuff that now goes for hundreds of dollars.

But they also had this Eternal Sailor Moon clock/alarm that I wanted SO bad. It was before I had even read the manga [and obviously before I knew anything about the Stars season] to know about Eternal Sailor Moon. It made me need it even more! The clock also talked/shouted out her transformation, it was incredible.

I’d saved my own allowance/chore/work money to get it. But my stepdad was a dick about it [he was relatively all the time though] and refused to let me get ANYTHING Sailor Moon related because, and I quote ‘You’re not going to like SM forever. You’ll grow out of it and then you’ll have spent your money on nothing because you won’t like it anymore.’

I argued and pleaded my face off that there’s no way! I’ll always love SM!

Queue to last year entering into my 30's and guess what? Still fucking love Sailor Moon. [FU Dad] I’ve been salty about it ever since [especially with how expensive the replica wands/staffs are how, even the new ones]

When my current SO and I first got together [close to around four years ago now] and were talking about anime loves, I told him about the story because I stumbled upon a bootleg version [this clock may not be official, but the bootleg I found looked bad] of the clock online and my lament about never being able to get the original. Especially now that the clock is around 20 years old. It was just a casual mention, just a fleeting comment and I found one terrible, tiny, grainy picture of the original clock and showed it to him and then that was it, the conversation was done and I never really thought about it again.

I had to leave out of state for my bday to go deal with a family affair [that I did NOT want to do], and my SO wanted me to open at least one bday gift early, before I had to leave.

It was the clock. THE same clock that I had seen so many years ago.

I couldn’t believe it. As soon as I pulled it out of the box I couldn’t breathe. And she still works. Clock, alarm/voice, everything. Most of the same clock, if you can even find it, it's lucky if the clock works, and the alarms have been long ago dead.

I stared at the clock in my hands and started sobbing. I mean like, full on ugly crying. My SO was very confused at first that he had made a terrible mistake but I was just so happy. I cried harder when I put in batteries and heard her voice.

My SO never expected me to be this emotional over an old ass SM clock but I’ve wanted this for over half my life and never thought I’d see one, let alone HAVE one [that still works!] It was also almost cathartic and vindicating that I could literally tell my step dad to go fuck off [he ended up becoming abusive, as well] that I had the same clock I had wanted since I was little. And it was so fucking thoughtful of my SO to just sort of save that passing story in their mind, and then hunt down this clock [and it's not cheap, like at all] to get it for me.

Even now sometimes when I look at her on my bookshelf, I'll get teary-eyed and my SO will ask what's wrong and I'll just start freaking out that I still can't believe he got me the clock.