#I also remember cardcaptor sakura from around the same time

[ecargmura]

Pokemon Horizons Episode 75 Review - Memories Of A Long Time Ago

This episode answers so many questions about the mysteries what had transpired a century ago, yet it also raises more questions about Laqua and a lot of other things. Despite that, I think this was one of the best episodes of Pokemon Horizons as of now.

Because the flashbacks were told through Rystal’s perspective, we, the viewers, learn a lot about her. She found Terapagos one day when she was adventuring through Paldea’s Great Crater, but didn’t know it was a Terapagos, so she named it Pagogo. Since her Pokemon was so rare, she’s often a target of bounty hunters, but fortunately, one day, during one of the chases, she meets Lucius who scares the hunters off with his Rayquaza. It turns out that both of them are looking for Laqua, a place often told in fairy tales and thus its existence is considered fiction. People snuffed them for still believing in fairy tales, but fortunately, they found another Laqua searcher in Gibeon who does give scientific evidence that it exists.

They go through many adventures until they reached Laqua and when they did, tragedy ensues to the point that she’s the only survivor alongside the baby inside of her, Layla. It must have been so tragic for Rystal to lose both her lover and her friends all in the same day and that her beloved Pagogo reverted back into its dormant state that she decided to carry it around as a pendant as she lived the rest of her life as Layla’s mom before dying an early death, according to Diana. While Laqua is depicted as Pokemon paradise and is peaceful, not much is explored on it, which is probably for Liko and the others for find out and witness for themselves.

Regarding Rystal, I want to talk about her voice actress. She’s voiced by Yukana, who is known for voicing C.C from Code Geass, Meiling Li from Cardcaptor Sakura and Tear Grants from Tales of the Abyss. I don’t think she was in a Pokemon anime before this, but she really did a great job! I think the only other Pokemon media she’s been in was Pokemon Masters as Mina.

Despite a lot of the flashbacks having Lucius, there’s actually a lot we don’t know about him because it’s told through Rystal’s perspective. We know about what sort of person he is, his ambitions and his dreams. Yet, we’re not sure about his true feelings about Laqua, his companions and the journey. Because of this, I speculate that Lucius is still alive in Laqua, but in a weakened state like how Gibeon is. Given the sinister nature of the Laquirum, I would assume he’s turned evil because of them, but that’s just crazy speculation on my part. I did like that the flashbacks that we saw from the Hero Pokemon in past episodes are actually shown clearly in this episode. The scene with Galarian Moltres nuzzling against Lucius is shown. The flashback of Lapras remember Lucius is shown. I do like that callback a lot! Though, I do like that the one thing we do know about Lucius is that his Pokemon were scattered after preventing a disaster and that’s how Roy ended up with Rayquaza’s Ancient Pokeball a century later.

There’s also a lot we don’t know about Gibeon. He was introduced as someone searching for Laqua like Lucius and Rystal, but it turned out that his goals were more selfish than the other two, who wanted to keep its existence a secret. Gibeon wanted to take the Laquirum and use it for unknown purposes, but it’s also the cause of the tragedy. His actions caused a lot of present-day mysteries like how the Laquirum came to be outside of Laqua and how he is still alive to this day. His actions was also the reason why his Zygarde depowered into its 10% form and stayed that way for a century. Also, notice how different his hair color looks. In the flashbacks, his hair has a gray undertone that Amethio has on the left side of his hair. However, present-day Gibeon’s hair changed from gray to pure white with pink tips. I wonder what caused this change… I do feel like Spinel has something to do with it.

With Rystal entrusting Pagogo to Liko, Terapagos officially becomes hers. While this is obvious with how she has been its caretaker since the beginning, it’s finally nice to finally seal the deal. I’m glad for her, honestly. However, a part of me can only be a bit bitter about this capture from the sheer fact that Terapagos has been a source of trouble for the group back in the third arc. It’s because of Terapagos that some episodes often wastes its run time as the kids try to search and rescue it and then the rest of the episode often becomes clunky. Maybe that’s the writer’s fault, but I guess seeing it be used as a source of conflict multiple times did make me not like it. Still, it’s a deserved capture for Liko. It makes me wonder if Roy and Dot will get their third Pokemon, and if they do, will they be Legendaries or Mythical?

Speaking of which, there’s actually a huge debate on social media regarding Ash and Liko’s main character status and people arguing who was the first to capture a legendary. There’s also debates on whether Goh and Roy are also protagonists. Some say yes while others say no. Just to let you know, in Japan, Horizons is often referred to as the ‘LikoRoy’ anime, meaning both are protagonists, while the anime with Ash is considered as the ‘Satoshi (Ash) anime. Think of it as food for thought.

Now that Diana leaves the group, the Rising Volt Tacklers continue their search for Entei. They decide to track down an acquaintance named Sodayo who is appearing in the next episode. The previews seem to indicate that he used to be a member of the Rising Volt Tacklers, so I’m interested to see more lore on the adventurer group, especially his dynamic with Mollie. I think this has been my longest review for this anime by far. What do you think about this episode? Let me know your speculations on Lucius’s status and Gibeon being alive.

[theoceanswaves0]

Time to be abnormal about Jewel Joker, thoughts below, spoilers for chapters 1 and 2

—> I can’t believe we’re back in the year of our Lord 2024 with a sequel, I never would have imagined

—> Like in my opinion, Encore wrapped up enough conclusively that I wasn’t really sure what they could do for a sequel. It’s the same reason I wasn’t sold on them doing a movie back in the day (and thankfully we didn’t get one)

—> But I’m actually pretty interested in the premise and the characters they’ve introduced so far. Erito is a nice evolution of the mean girl adversary Amu has faced in both Utau and Rima - both of them were pretty upfront about not liking Amu at first, which is honestly pretty indicative of the elementary school experience. But middle school? Totally different ball game. People laughing at you behind your back, spreading rumors, pretending to be nice while secretly hating you… oh how I don’t miss those days.

—> And the best part is that AMU KNOWS! I like that she isn’t oblivious here! Like they could have so easily written her not picking up on it and they didn’t! That’s going to make this conflict and dynamic much more interesting!

—> Something I don’t like though is Amy’s fan girly behavior around Tadase. I was pretty sure she was past this later in the OG manga? I don’t mind her getting flustered every now and then and I know it’s been almost a decade and a half since we left off, but I was hoping this part of her characterization would be more consistent (especially compared to the anime)

—> Also did I just not pick up on how sus Tsukasa was before, or is he just worse here? Like he sends these 2 to Arcana DAYS before they’re supposed to start middle school, and doesn’t say that they’ll be boarding there? He must have rolled a nat 20 for charisma with Amu’s parents bc IDK how her father would have okayed that (since he’s Tadase’s uncle, I don’t think his parents would have many objections). But then later after getting there, they find out THEY CAN’T KEEP THEIR PHONES?? THEY CAN MAKE 1 OFF-CAMPUS CALL ON SUNDAYS FOR 10 MINUTES?? I know this is functionally to force Amu and Tadase to get to know the other students, and possibly for Rima to try and make friends on her own (which would nicely parallel Amu attempting to befriend Rima in the Día arc) but like??? Did Tsukasa know this??? If he did, why didn’t he warn them???

—> The Arcana uniforms are DOPE. I love how, unaltered, they kind of look like detectives. Kind of fits the mission they’re here for!

—> And of course, the style game is still on point! I was enjoying the fashion and styling montage with Amu and Niya, since I always headcannoned Amu becoming a fashion designer in the future (her mad style game, and it easily blending elements from each of her charas).

—> I say enjoyed because then Niya got a little too forward with asking Amu out… only for her to firmly turn him down and set boundaries! I know the “cool and spicy” persona has been limiting to her at times (mostly people not being able to see past it to see the entirety of who she is), but I think it’s completely warranted here and not inauthentic. I def remember boys being pushy in middle school, and Amu already has enough on her plate.

—> The tech gap doesn’t bother as much as it could have. My understanding was that the OG story started in 2006 (when the first chapter was published), and it ended in 2008 (I have a theory to explain this but I’ll share in a separate post). So even if I continue to believe that Jewel Joker is still set in 2008, I can still buy it a little (since smart phones were around, even if they weren’t commonplace, though streaming is stretching it a bit). Compare this to the whiplash of Cardcaptor Sakura, which would have been set in the 90s, and seeing smartphones in Clear Card…

—> Now I know logically, they’re keeping the story contemporary with modern tech and fashion, but I refuse to believe that Shugo Chara isn’t still set in 2008. I’m particular about time being consistent, so I realize it’s a me issue.

—> We’re left on a cliffhanger regarding the Arcana games. My guess is that chapter 3 will explain the rules and set up, and possibly tease any rivalries that’ll crop up as a result.

—> In the scenario that they decide to make more anime, I hope they’ll decide to start off by doing a more faithful adaptation of the manga and then cover Jewel Joker. (mostly so they avoid having to pad out the seasons like they did in the OG days). Since we never got the ending of the manga or Encore adapted, this gives them the perfect chance to do that.

—> Which leads me to ask the following question…

[meimi-haneoka]

Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Chapter 74: Comments + JP-ENG translation differences

Here we are, welcome back everyone!! End of the month, time for another chapter leading us into this exciting finale for Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card!! I want to start this post with a little foreword before diving into the chapter itself and the eventual translation differences ✨ I just wanted to say that I write this post with a sense of pride but also with even more sense of responsability compared to the previous months. You've probably stumbled upon my recent report of the latest CLAMP Space, where the authors have talked about CCS Clear Card, and their support/blessing to "people addressing the translation differences in their monthly posts on their blog, because they felt uncomfortable about them". Although they never straight up gave names, I certainly feel like they were talking about blogs like mine. And so I'm humbled (and even a little nervous) to be able to keep doing this, since I've wondered multiple times if it was even proper for me to write these posts every month, as if I was leading a crusade against the official English translation. In fact, I'm not. And I hope that's clear enough. When the ENG translation respects the vibe and original intention coming out from sensei's words in the manga panels, like this time around, I always make sure to say positive things about it. But try to understand me, the irritation runs deep because these are years of translation differences accumulating and at times even changing the perception of the story. And then, you stumble upon English speaking fans on the internet who got the gist of the story wrong or disrespecting/failing to appreciate it because of such translation mistakes (we go from Sakura calling Syaoran "Li-kun" in one of the earliest volumes, to Kaito saying that he wanted to give magic to Akiho, wtf??). And I think it's such a pity. It's not fair. The fandom deserves to know what the script is trying to say with a meaning as closer as possible to the original one. I hope I'll be able to help in that regard, for what's in my possibility and with my limited skills, till Clear Card will be over. ✨

OKAY, now let's cut the chatter and see what happened in this chapter!! I'm happy to say that this time around, translation-wise, we don't have anything impairing the correct understanding of the plot, just nuances! As usual, before starting, we can't skip the gif of the month!!

The Color Page

Oh my gosh! Sakura! You look amazing here!!! Such a fierce stare!! She looks just like a powerful and respected magician and OMG THEY GAVE HER A BLACK OUTFIT!! JUST LIKE I'VE BEEN ASKING EVER SINCE THE BEGINNING! I don't know, maybe the veteran followers of this blog can remember, but I've always wished to see Sakura in a black costume/dress in Clear Card 😊 She looks stunning...and what's more, she's once again with the gears and clocks decorations, just like in the period of the Clockland play. But, heheh, this time the clock looks different. The big clocks that were featured during the Clockland chapters (with Sakura + Syaoran, Akiho and lastly Kaito) were often "strange". They all had the same design, the one with SyaoSaku was "regular", but the ones next to Akiho and Kaito had their numbers either in messed up order, or straight up wrong (what kind of clock got '0' as the only number?). I had already assumed by then that they had a significance we had to decode along the development of the finale. This one in this color page, however, really looks like the most classical clock with roman numerals. The order of the numbers and their position seems correct. So could this be a sign that Sakura is about to restore order into this mess that Kaito's desperate wish created? The text on the JP version is the classic incantation to release the Dream staff from the key (we haven't heard it in a looooong time because she manifests her staff immediately, by now!) I also want to point out that we *still* don't have any announcement of "Clear Card ending in next chapter" or "Clear Card ends in 2 chapters!" like it's custom in these serializations, so I can say with confidence that Sakura won't surely be over in chapter 75 (at the beginning of July) but probably not even in chapter 76 (at the beginning of August). Are they aiming at chapter 77 (beginning of September)? Double 7, it's a lucky number for CLAMP ✨ For those worried about "3 chapters aren't enough to finish this!!", please consider that it's not so much about the number of chapters, but the amount of pages. This chapter for example is already longer than usual, 35 pages. That's what really matters, and we could get even an epilogue or some additional pages in the volume version! And now onto to the actual chapter!

An Important Discussion

Yukito, Nakuru and Touya are leisurely spending time at Yukito's home, with a funny scene of Yukito feeding some mikan to Nakuru (and she seems delighted by the cozyness of Japanese kotatsu!). Suddenly, Touya announces that Sakura is coming over. Yukito worries about how it's getting dark and that maybe it'd be better to go pick her up along the way, but a grumpy Touya says there's no need for that: along with Sakura are also coming Syaoran, Akiho and even Tomoyo. Yukito and Nakuru can't help but being surprised, and Nakuru wonders "The all-stars are coming? What's going on?" 😂 I found so hilarious the use of the term "all-stars", which in Japanese usually indicates a whole cast of a performance composed of famous actors, and sometimes it's applied to sports team too. But the room temperature drops immediately when Yukito looks at Touya, with a very pensive face, and it's immediately clear that something serious happened and Sakura is coming to discuss that. Touya might not know exactly what, but as we can see, he's already got a feeling.

Sakura and the kids arrive, apologizing for coming so suddenly, and they sit down, all with very serious faces (save for Tomoyo. Tomoyo never loses her calm composure 😆). Sakura starts dropping the bomb immediately: "I want to talk to you about something very weird" and "I want everyone who knows about the Cards and magic to hear this". Sakura is dead serious, and she informs Syaoran (sitting at her left side) that she's just told everything to Akiho shortly ago. She also tells Kero and Suppy to come out of her purse, for the second time (since the first was halted by the rewriting of the forbidden magic) putting an end to the farce of Kero constantly needing to act like a plushie in front of Touya!! Remember when the fandom used to point out that it was weird that Kero kept hiding from Touya, despite saying himself at the end of the Sakura Card Arc (after Touya gave his powers to Yue/Yukito) that he was perfectly aware that Touya knew everything about them? That really felt like a "plot hole" (maybe at this point the only REAL plot hole) for the longest time, and I am honest when I say that I had already given up hoping to see an explanation for it, wanting to treat it like a "glitch" in the narrative and using suspension of disbelief to overcome it! Well well well, CLAMP surprised me again! Cause in this chapter they actually tried to give an explanation to that "discrepancy"! And of course, being this about Kero, the explanation is rather silly (confession - I didn't understand Kero's reasoning very well, but I'll give my interpretation of what he said): Kero saw that even after that event, Touya didn't try to interact with him and thought that maybe he didn't consider him a cute and gorgeous magical creature, but rather something else....(was he butt-hurt?) Suppy of course is spitting fire cause why the heck did we need to keep pretending to be plushies?? and Kero's reply is "Because I thought it'd be fun pretending to be plushies together when you came over!". Now, if you remember how difficult and taxing it was for Suppy to force himself to stay still, you can understand why he's so mad! 😂 Touya says, quite annoyed, that he simply didn't try to interact with him because he thought that Kero was getting a kick out of acting like a plushie! I feel like sensei have quite reached and almost broke the 4th wall with this scene, because Sakura here says something that I'm pretty sure many of us have thought in regard to this "discrepancy": "I did wonder at some point why you kept that up despite I was telling you multiple times that I had the feeling my brother was onto you". And it's true, we've seen that in volume 4! Well, to me it felt like a stretch, but eventually we got an explanation for that situation so I guess it's better to leave it behind us! 😂

Cause we have more important matters at hand. Sakura places her phone on the table, showing Eriol & Kaho in videocall!! NOW all the "stars" of this show are present! 😂 So Sakura starts her recount of the most recent events, saying "It's really weird...but I swear it happened". After everyone listened to Sakura, of course they're all surprised. Nakuru wonders if there's any magician who can really have the power to "rewrite" a world...Eriol says that as far as he's heard, there isn't any magician among the living ones who has that degree of power. However, if said magician had access to a "medium" able to use the "forbidden magic", then it's another story. And that's the Book Sakura told them about. Sakura confirms that the one who told her all of this is the Guardian of the book herself. And then, to Akiho: "The plushie shaped like a bunny that you cherished so much was the temporary form of that Guardian. You named her 'Momo' ". Here I have to point out that the way the ENG translated it infers that Akiho remembers about Momo ("You know that stuffed bunny you loved so much?"), but actually in the JP version it's mostly Sakura informing Akiho that she used to cherish a bunny-shaped plushie, cause Akiho has no recollection of it. In fact, right after, she answers "But that's the title of a book I really love so much!". THERE IT IS! I've mentioned this many times in my social media accounts, and even lately in my "literary references" post here on Tumblr, but it turns out this simple answer by Akiho kinda confirms that she might really have named Momo after that book. And it's not only a beloved book because of its story, but also the one she was reading when she met Kaito for the first time. I've always thought that having her most beloved plushie named that way, and having precisely that book when they met for the first time couldn't have been unrelated. So I'm really happy for this scene here and I hope it'll get eventually confirmed better later.

Sakura takes Akiho's hands (she'll do that a lot this chapter and I simply love it) and reassures her about something that I was SURE she was going to say:

JP: "The fact that we became twins is an effect of the rewritten (world), but the fact that you are an important person to me didn't change at all, Akiho-chan"

I've preferred putting the JP version here because once again we have the usual stuff that I complain about lately: Sakura in JP used 大切なひと (important person) to describe her relationship with Akiho, and this is absolutely coherent with all the previous times. In ENG they used "you're special to me", but the adjective "special" in Japanese (特別な) in relation to a person has been consistently used in the latest chapters to describe the person Sakura is in love with (and not only Sakura). So they shouldn't have used that adjective in particular. They should stick to the literal translation. Especially cause that "special person" will come up in a few pages. I know I sound pedantic with this separation between "important person" and "special person", but I mean, CLAMP sensei are consistently keeping that distinction so I'm convinced the translation should do its best to keep it, because it's a guide to lead the readers among the relationships of CCS. Which sometimes can be quite complex.

Touya teases Sakura again with the sis-con joke, and Yukito teases him back by saying "Are you talking about yourself now?" (I love how Yukito always teases the big and grumpy Touya 😂they're really made for eachother). Tomoyo comments that it's been "a sight for sore eyes" (the term used in JP is 眼福, ganpu, and it's used when you see something precious) to see Sakura in the role of the big sister and Akiho in the one of the little sister. Akiho is moved by the fact that, despite everyone knowing the truth now, nobody shunned her or rejected her presence, and exactly like I imagined, I'm 100% sure Sakura will keep thinking about her as a sister (not a blood-related sister maybe, but surely with the same importance of one) even after everything will be solved later. Cause the bond between her and Akiho was never a fabricated thing, but always been genuine from day 1. Even if they got close in such a short period of time, it's just what happens normally in real life too. Sometimes you bond very tightly with people over a short period of time, cause you feel you're so compatible.

So Sakura continues. She says that for this reason, she wants to bring (someone) back. She's convinced that what the Record Card showed to her is not everything. She feels like there is someone who is missing from both what the Record Card had shown to her and from this rewritten world as well. Syaoran is confused, "they're missing, and yet you're sure they're there?". Sakura understands that confusion and says "It's weird, right? I can't really explain how I know it, but I just do." And then, towards Akiho: "That person....is your special person, Akiho-chan". There it is, the infamous "special person" again. It's clear what Sakura is meaning here. "This is the person you're in love with, Akiho-chan". Of course Akiho's face cannot be any other than a dismayed one at hearing that. And then the pain comes, all at once, piercing her heart and leaving her speechless. Sakura says that the Record Card wasn't showing anyone with Akiho in one of the scenes, and yet she saw her extremely happy. That was enough for Sakura to know that someone was indeed there with Akiho.

I'm Always Searching For Someone

We're shown one of the most important scenes for anyone liking Akiho and Kaito (and their bond), the night that Akiho was so brave to confess her feelings to him through a covert (and very local) way, claiming that "the moon is really beautiful". And in the same occasion he accepted to spend some time strolling and talking to her. It was clear from the moment that scene happened that it would've become important later. And the readers who know what happened and what we lost are feeling probably the same pain Akiho is feeling right now, only that she's unaware of what is causing it. Akiho says "I'm really happy to live with you, Sakura, and everyone in the Kinomoto household, but...I've been in pain. Because I'm always looking for someone who's not there...". So Akiho did feel the effects of that void. The void that only your most important person can leave when they're gone. It's just that, we've seen her being so happy with her "new" family, and yet exactly like most of the fandom imagined, that didn't really work to fill the void Kaito left. It's impossible to fill that void because that person is just irreplaceable. This scene of course stabbed my heart but I had imagined that we would've seen it sooner or later. Sakura gets more confident with the confession of what Akiho's been feeling, and tells her that she thinks the one she didn't want to lose and the one who rewrote their world are the same person. "So I'm going to bring them back". Sakura announces with a smile, but Kero just wonders in dismay how she's going to do that. Sakura believes that the pocket watch in Akiho's possession will show her how. As if on cue, Akiho takes it out of her purse and places it on the table in front of Sakura's phone, where Eriol and Kaho can see it. They recognize it's a magical artifact specialized in time magic, but they also recognize that in order for a magician to be able to use it, they would need to have a tremendous amount of magical powers. Akiho suddenly panics. It dawns on her. I think the mental connection she's made is "if Sakura wants to use this to bring my special person back, she would need to achieve an amount of magical powers that could put her in harm's way". Aside, of course, from all the other dangers that a "mission" like that could pose to our heroine. And of course she'd never be okay with that. But Sakura reassures her. "You aren't making me. I want to." Sakura explains that both when she was dealing with the Clow Cards (and we see a scene of the Final Judgement, the one where Kaho gives her the Moon Bell) and when she was transforming them into her own Cards (they show us a scene from the last battle with Eriol), she was able to overcome her troubles thanks to all of the people who loved her and cared about her.

Sakura, JP: "Therefore I want to do what I can for my important person, too"

Again the use of 大切なひと (important person) in relation to Akiho. I think this panel in particular is pretty important (and the big font indeed suggests so). I feel like it's the core, the heart of Clear Card Arc. Sakura, whom until now was accustomed to be cherished and pampered in a protected environment by her loved ones, is starting to take the first steps towards self-assertiveness and maturity. Sometimes those loved ones would overdo it with the loving, and ended up depriving her of her own agency. Sakura is finding herself, she's starting to trust her instincts and capabilities more and more, and that leads inevitably to a question: "what do I want to do with these gifts life gave me and blessed me with? What can I do to give back to the Universe all this love I'm receiving?" Searching for her self-identity will inevitably make her step out of her comfort zone. She'll take risks. Even on herself. She'll need to assess situations, make decisions. And here she decided that she wants to use her natural gift (her magical powers) to help someone in need. Someone important to her. Someone dear who lost someone irreplaceable and lacks the means to bring him back. Sakura decides to step in, help her "sister", doing exactly what she herself told her during last chapter: if I happen to be good at something that you can't do, I'll help you out. That's the beauty of being all unique and different.

I've seen people often wondering what's the purpose of Clear Card Arc, if we really needed to this arc and such. Well, to me the answer was made manifest in this chapter. 🙂

But back to our story, Tomoyo understands that moment has finally come, so she says that maybe she can't use magic, but she felt it was best to bring along with her a certain big bag (that we all know what contains, right??). She also says that she had the feeling she had made an asymmetrical costume before, but when she went to check, she realized she hadn't made it yet...

Listen to me well, because this is the solution to the mystery of the cryptical thing Ohkawa sensei said in relation to one of Sakura's costumes, during the latest CLAMP Space! Basically, she hinted that there was a reason why we hadn't seen Sakura wearing officially (for a Card battle) this costume yet, and that we would find out why soon. I know the ENG translation here talks about "complementary outfits" (referring probably to how Tomoyo will later reveal complementary outfits for both Sakura and Syaoran), but that only shows that they misunderstood the word アシンメトリー (lit. Asymmetry). Tomoyo here was literally talking about asymmetry because the "costume she thought she had made, but didn't find in the end" was precisely the one Ohkawa was hinting at during the latest Space, the one Sakura was trying on in chapter 36 and 37! Tomoyo had a sense of deja vu, about having made an asymmetrical outfit before, but actually couldn't find it because...well, the forbidden magic had removed any reference to the Clear Cards! (including, apparently, the costumes!) So that goes to show that Tomoyo, despite not having a crumble of magic, was also subjected to the deja vu and weird feelings of "discrepancy" that such rewriting of the world would cause. But hold on tight, cause another reference is on the way!

Tomoyo continues saying that while she was sewing the sleeve of the outfit, she had the strong feeling that this costume would turn into a very special one. And what do we have here? OH YES, it's THAT sleeve, the one we've been waiting for so eagerly! The one that Sakura saw in a dream with MCF once! Sakura back then asked to MCF if they would meet outside the dream when she'd be wearing that outfit, and MCF only cryptically said that it would be "the beginning of the end". Considering now we know that MCF has been mostly a byproduct of Lilie trying to communicate with Sakura and inadvertently messing things up, I do wonder about that MCF. Was Sakura, by any chance, actually was supposed to see Kaito and she saw the robe instead, because of Lilie? Or is that an actual member of Akiho's clan? Only this finale can tell us the truth. Sakura will certainly meet someone, with that costume.

Sakura thanks Tomoyo, always so ready to show her support, and she does something very sweet, as a result of regaining all of her rewritten memories: she tells Tomoyo that she'll do her best to come back without getting the costume dirty, but if it eventually starts fraying, she knows that Tomoyo will be there to repair it.....yeah....doesn't it remind you of something?? Of course I bet any Tomoyo fan knows very well what scene Sakura is referencing with this line....

When Sakura told Tomoyo she repaired her torn costume with the Repair Card in chapter 40, Tomoyo expressed the wish to be her the one repairing those costumes, with her own hands. Because she had created them specifically for Sakura, so she would also want to be the one to repair them in case they'd get damaged. Basically telling her "I made these with all my love for you, and I'd prefer that a Card didn't take my place even when needing to repair them. I want the costumes that you wear to be made completely by my own hands". Always reminding us that making something with your own hands for your loved one is the greatest proof of love for any character in CCS (which is something I find truly wholesome and beautiful). Sakura here shows to have understood and accepted that wish fully, therefore acknowledging Tomoyo and her feelings. Tomoyo is uncharacteristically surprised for a second, and then with the happiest smile she confirms that of course she'll be there to repair it!

Sakura looks at her brother Touya, who only grumpily tells her to respect the curfew. Sakura is confused because they never had a curfew time at home, but her brother replies "Come back before dad gets worried. That's our curfew". (in ENG there's an additional part here, I guess to fill in a bubble that would be left empty) Sakura confidently replies "Got it".

Nakuru is all giddy, excitedly announcing that they decided to go to war and they need to decide the formation!! Suppy mocks her, telling her she's talking as if she were playing one of her warring states games (in JP the term used here is 戦国ゲーム - sengoku game - and I've found there's a specific game called indeed Sengoku, but it seems the same term extended to indicate all the war games set in the Sengoku era), but that doesn't deter Nakuru, who says that if she gets chosen, she will certainly participate actively (here the ENG uses game language from what I can see - not an expert - but good job!)!!

Sakura's plan is different, though. She says that tonight she'll be going only with Syaoran. She knows that if everyone could go with her, she'd feel more confident and reassured, but...

Sakura, JP: "If I want to find Akiho-chan's most important person, I have the feeling that it'd be better for me to go with my most important person"

Here we go. We temporarily leave aside the "special person" terminology to go back to the more famous and loved "my most important person" term, to indicate THE ONE person someone loves the most. 一番大切なひと (ichiban taisetsuna hito). The term we all learned because it's been so crucial to indicate the person someone was in love with during the old arcs of the story. The term Sakura eventually used for Syaoran at the end of CCS volume 12 to finally give a "definition" to the love she felt for him. Now she uses it to define Akiho's feelings for Kaito. This is "the" term that takes precedence over all the other terminology used, and also goes to show how important and solemn the moment is. Sakura's intuition tells her that in order to find Kaito, Akiho's most important person, she should go with Syaoran, her own most important person. This is probably because her magical intuition (let's remember that Sakura got the power to see the future) grasped that her bond with Syaoran will be absolutely pivotal in order to have a positive outcome for the mission they're about to embark on. They will probably have to put that bond at work....maybe to explain, show, help someone understanding something that he still doesn't seem to grasp perfectly? Or rather, a stubborn refusal to understand it, which caused them all to be in this situation they're in right now? What's for sure is that if Sakura and Syaoran manage to find Kaito, and if they'll also manage to free him from the Seal of D. + the artifact with all the magical books that Akiho had engraved in herself, their job won't certainly be over like that. Kaito needs to talk to someone. He needs to understand many, many things. Some of those things, Sakura and Syaoran can at least try to introduce them to him. Because while it's true that Sakura wants to bring him back for Akiho, she also needs to make sure that coming back is also Kaito's wish. Because they can't force him if he isn't 100% convinced himself. I'm sure this is a very important thematic for CLAMP, respecting someone's self-determination. And since his state of mind, last time we saw him, was that he was perfectly expendable and that he was absolutely not necessary in Akiho's life, they need to change that perception. And there's also the fact that, despite being so different, Kaito and Syaoran are pretty similar in several aspects too. So maybe the role Syaoran can have in "communicating" with Kaito could be very important and impactful. Maybe that's what Sakura's intuition was trying to tell her.

Here, the ENG translation decided to translate that "most important person" with "favorite person". I have definitely turned up my nose at seeing that (why not leaving the iconic term?) but in the end I decided to relax because, at the end of the day, the result is similar. It indicates a person for whom your preference and importance is above everyone else. What really *mattered* in this scene - and lo and behold, it seems ONLY the English and Portuguese versions got it right (let me know about the Chinese one, cause I can't read that one) - is that Sakura used the same term to describe what Akiho feels for Kaito, and what SHE feels for Syaoran. "I am aware that this missing person is for Akiho an existence of the same importance Syaoran-kun has for me. Therefore, I will do everything in my power to bring them back, because I fully understand that kind of bond and I understand the void they leave in your life when they're not there" She knows, to some degree, what it feels like to miss your most beloved person, due to the period she had to spend apart from Syaoran. And they could still have phone calls and writing letters. Akiho's situation can only be worse. Sakura's understanding of that bond is also what causes her intuition to suggest her to go only with Syaoran. It's all connected. So it's of utmost importance that the translations use the same term when both talking about Akiho and Sakura. Then, about this scene, we could also say that it was a beautiful demonstration of how much Sakura (but also Syaoran) has grown up, now fully confident to declare in front of everyone that Syaoran is THE most important person in her life. Without blushing and without any drama. It's just a fact. After all they've been through, I think Sakura can feel confident enough in her relatinship with Syaoran, and there's no shame nor embarrassment in stating that aloud.

The people present here can only accept and show their support, and Eriol encourages Sakura to follow her intuition (remember the whole discussion about listening to the stirring of your heart, the so-called intuition? Yeah, a great lesson from Mama Yelan which will also be applied to another character soon). Sakura tells Kero that if she needs him, she will certainly call, and the guardian beast reassures her that he'll certainly hear his master's voice, same for Yue.

Then, lastly, Sakura takes Akiho's hands and holds them tightly. They share another sweet forehead touch (seriously, I love them so much ❤️). Akiho is worried, so worried, but also very resolute. She wants this as much as Sakura does. Sakura tells her that there'll surely be a moment when she'll request Akiho to do something only she can do, and asks her to please wait here with everyone till that time comes.

I'll admit it, I was really disappointed when I've read this scene the first time around. Not only because I had imagined all kinds of scenes in my head (included Akiho wearing one of Tomoyo's costumes) and they shattered that possibility (but oh well, I am prepared to that), but also because I feel like this isn't a good choice from a character development POV. I understand it, I really understand it, this is Sakura's story. She's the one who gets to shine in the finale. And we've talked about it before, there's no doubt that Sakura in this story goes through a journey to find her identity and what she wants to do. So now it's time to let her do that. But Akiho has been slandered for the whole manga, accused of all kind of things because of prejudice, and one of those was "she's weak and passive, she does nothing". Seeing her "on the sidelines" once again, when we're talking about rescuing her most important person, feels extremely off. Letting someone else do "the job for her" doesn't even feel like Akiho.

Then, as hours passed by, I thought...

Maybe Sakura wants to take care of the first part of the mission, because it'll certainly be the one where it's most likely to encounter some magical danger (dragon-chan???). And Akiho wouldn't be able to defend herself from that, devoid of magical powers as she is. She could potentially end up risking her own life. And then all of this would've been for nothing. And then I thought, wait, maybe Akiho knows that. She knows it very well, since she's a girl with a pretty good understanding of herself and her own limits. And this is certainly a limit she does have. So what she can do is to wait safely at home, as hard and painful as it can be, for the REAL, big moment when her presence will be absolutely necessary. Sakura said it with great confidence so it's 100% sure it will come. Therefore, as an Akiho fan, I will swallow this pill and wait together with her. 🫤

But the chapter isn't over yet, as Touya and Yukito go outside in the garden while Sakura and Syaoran get dressed for their departure! Yukito teases once again Touya, telling him that his face is scary and that Sakura's earlier statement ("most important person") must have caused him "damage" (still seemingly talking in game language). Touya of course doesn't reply, so Yukito continues, giving finally confirmation to the suspicion I've been having ever since this "rewritten world" started: Touya did notice something was off. He didn't know precisely what, but he knew it had something to do with Sakura. Yukito also gives us the opportunity to see just how kind and generous Touya is: he purposely didn't go back home often because he wanted to reduce his presence around Akiho as much as possible. Not because of negative feelings, quite the contrary: he was worried she'd get even more hurt if she established a bond with him, only to end up finding out that they weren't really brother and sister. (Meanwhile, we see a very cute panel of Akiho talking to Kero, Suppy and still in videocall with Eriol and Kaho!) And then, to follow the leit-motiv of this chapter, very centered on calling back stuff that had already happened in the original world, Touya says that he won't allow anyone to hurt his close ones (they used "family" in ENG, but the word 身内 can indicate also friends and such, the common characteristic is that they're very close). Got the feeling you've already heard these words, especially with the use of the word 身内 ? Yes, of course, it's vaguely the same threat he made to Kaito back in chapter 54, during the double date! 😂 Hmmmm, I have the feeling that if they manage to bring Kaito back (of course they will!), someone will want to have a word or two with him....let's hope he'll just stick to words! 😂 Jokes aside, it's very heartwarming to see how even Touya warmed up to Akiho, and took her under his protective big brother's wing! In fact, Yukito can't just miss the new opportunity to tease him (stop flirting so shamelessly in front of us, Yuki! 😂), telling him he's so overprotective for his sisters!!

The two lovebirds have finished changing their clothes, and we're all left staring at them agape, together with Nakuru: they look stunning, in their complementary outfits!! Sakura even got heels ❤️ And yes, dear readers, as already hinted when Tomoyo was speaking, this is IT, THE costume with THAT sleeve that appeared in Sakura's dream! It is the biggest indication that it's finally time for the last confrontation. Both Sakura and Syaoran look so resolute and ready to make a mess of space and time to bring Kaito back!! 😂 As many have noticed, Sakura got her Dream Staff with her, despite the Clear Cards have disappeared: my theory is that the Key was never removed by the forbidden magic, only the Cards, or maybe that the key came out now that Sakura got her memories back.

And this is where the chapter ends, with another huge cliffhanger!! Will we see Kaito, next time? Being a chapter number ending in -5, and being in the very last volume, I expect big things from it! Chapter 75 will be published on CLAMP's Youtube channel on July 1st, while the relative Nakayoshi magazine will be released on July 3rd (by the way, we'll have Sakura ONCE AGAIN on the cover and ANOTHER Sakura furoku!!). As usual, when I have less translation mistakes to talk about and more space for my feelings towards the chapter, I go overboard! Another freaking long post 😂😂 So I'll just leave you here, as usual I'll wait for your asks in my inbox! Bye Bye!!

[completeoveranalysis]

[?]

I WENT ACID TOKYO FISHING

I was looking for confirmation for the Fai thing I was talking about in the last post, but I found other things too!

Fai’s magic means that he can tell who is a clone right away. So, confirmed: he knew about Sakura right from the start. 

(It also means he won’t be able to tell anymore moving forward, since his magic is all gone, but like how likely are we to meet a brand new character at this point in the story who is secretly also a clone?)

(... statistically it’s still pretty high)

RE: Fai in the previous post

Hey remember that? When Sakura wasn’t breathing, but she was fine? 

Because her body is artificial!

Xing Huo’s magic circle is the same as Clow Reed’s - because she is a clone of Sakura, Clow Reed’s daughter, as well as it echoing the fact that it’s also Sakura’s initial magic circle in Cardcaptor Sakura. (The spoiler reason for this is also consistent with the logic here, but I’m not going to casually spoil Cardcaptor Sakura just in case)

SEE ALSO: Xing Huo’s decision to help Lava Lamp definitely makes sense considering that she’s a Sakura clone, but also her level of power! She was excluded from the ‘failed clone’ category Evil Wolverine tossed around last time, so her level of power shows that she was a much closer match to Sakura’s initial skillset - which explains why she has the strength needed to do the ‘Teleport to Yuuko Ichihara’ spell, which only the magically strongest people in the multiverse can pull off. She can also only cast it once, like some others (ie, most people who aren’t Fai)

Evil Wolverine says it’s “only natural” that she decided to help Lava Lamp. Again, most likely because she is originally a Sakura clone. 

But now that she’s betrayed him, he’s adding her to the pile of ‘failures’ who he can’t use like he wanted to. (ie, like empty puppets, which she has now proven she is not)

Evil Wolverine mentions that he can’t reliably create clones that have the same level of power as their original. In this context he means Syaoran, but it also explains why there were just so many failed Sakura clones - because he just really just can’t pull them off that well, so it’s an uncommon occasion when they turn out as perfect as our Sakura! (And also why Xing Huo was closer to success, if not all the way there)

(Do you think he had failed Syaoran clones running around at some point too?? Can I see them???) (Or was Syaoran much much easier to replicate since he’s not as hyper powerful as Sakura?)

And this is just emphasising the tragedy of the Syaorans :’D 

Where even the fact that Lava Lamp has to fight Syaoran at all is heartbreaking, because he has a deep connection to the soul Syaoran was building and DID want to be friends with him the whole time!

And now he has to watch Syaoran stab Sakura, meaning Sakura is stabbed by (a) someone who looks exactly like himself, (b) his failed attempt to help Syaoran secure his soul and become his own person, and (c) someone he desperately wanted to be friends with. 

Which is :’) all around

[aliceinclockland]

COMPLETELY UNRELATED TO CARDCAPTOR HIGH AU IN THE WORKS (i wake up at literally 1am here for work pls hav mercy) BUT.

IMAGINE CARDCAPTOR CHARACTERS DISCOVER THE ENTIRE CCS MANGA AND READS IT THEMSELVES?

this has been inspired by a twitter post bc that tweet made my rusty brain start working again. thank u to that person (and to cinzia's wonderful drawing of yunaaki 🥺🥺)

okay so what I'm thinking as a backstory is that this is post clear card arc (incl. special chapter).

the Kinomotos are doing some spring cleaning in the Fujitaka library basement and then Sakura discovers these books (im thinking the collectors edition) that has a simple, yet captivating cover... and also happens to be magical?

just by seeing the book, sakura feels a little magic in the book, and what surprised her is that its very faint but she can recognize that it is hers.

she then asks her father about it and he just shrugs, saying that he doesn't remember how, where and when did he get them from. Sakura then asks permission to read the books, and she does.

the two then starts reading the books together, until they finished the first book.

um... actually, she didn't read the book... yet.

she contacted tomoyo, asking her if she published a book about their adventures (just like how tomoyo published the video for the animated series to happen).

tomoyo's response is no, and asked her why did she think she did... well, the cover looks like an uncanny illustration of sakura and her parents in the first serialization (cue the infamous Tomoyo reaction "my!")

few minutes later someone rings the doorbell for the kinomotos and fujitaka was surprised to see tomoyo , as sakura hasn't informed him that she'll come by and visit.

they brought the book to school and made everyone see it in lunchtime. naoko volunteered to read it first and remarks that the illustration looks so much like sakura a day after, and that the book is really good and was drawn well. then chiharu and yamazaki took it home to read and said the same thing naoko said. then it was syaoran's turn.

akiho also was informed about this book and asked kaito whether it was part of the books that went to the kinomoto library when sakura removed the book from kaito's soul— kaito said it was a possibility, and is now as intrigued as akiho and wants to read it themselves.

the question would be: would they be intrigued enough to go back to Tomoeda to borrow the book and examine it?

well, color everyone surprised when they saw sakura walk to school WITH akiho a couple of days after the "book fiasco" (everyone forgot about it very quickly).

they've all made some small talks before class starts, and akiho walks around thr faculty to also do some paperworks while they're still in tomoeda.

kaito on the other hand is bringing their stuff to the hiiragizawa mansion (my canon is that eriol gave them a key so they have a temporary home whenever they wanted to visit— bc he knows they will do so when they have a proper excuse for it + akiho's book collection is still in the "basement", safe and sound).

syaoran then sends kaito a picture of the book— still in his possession, bc he needed more time to read it (in other words he wanted his mother to know if there's anything that's going to cause his girl any harm and wanted to be prepared), kaito immediately recognizes it as one of the books that went to the basement when sakura did the deed. he then facetimes syaoran to confirm the suspicions, but also clarifies that it's not the blank book but rather, the book that was once called "alice in clockland". (i miss momo so momo definitely must have a mention here).

you might be asking, "how the hell can kaito CONFIDENTLY facetime syaoran?" well another headcanon i have is that eriol occasionally calls the two during their world tour, just to check up on them, and give them some advices and guidance on their trip (he— eriol— also reports to sakura about how they are doing). kaito feels uncomfortable answering those calls at first and lets akiho set his phone up so that the two of them will be in view as eriol tells kaito that he needs to get used to modern technology because "you'll need it one day".

also their phones are from the one and only, Tomoyo Daidouji. tomoyo sends them prototypes, with all of the tomoeda people's numbers saved in there. the two actually keep all of the gadgets tomoyo mails to them and akiho enjoys using them everyday that she can.

back to present, kaito explains to syaoran that the clockland book was used to record sakura and akiho's life, so he can cast the spell where he could incorporate akiho seamlessly into sakura's life without anyone "sensing any discrepancies". that explains why the book's characters are much alike from their counterparts in real life, including the physical description, but they're not sharing their real names with the characters.

akiho then comes home to the sight of the two facetiming each other, and said hi to syaoran on the other line. she then did the same but with sakura, and the two just talked about everything (by everything i mean EVERYTHING— sakura telling akiho what she learned in school, what recipes she's been learning, her magical experiences, etc., and akiho tling sakura all of the places she and kaito have visited, what books she have read, the culture of the country where they were, and also showed some sovenirs she got (aside from the books she's currently putting on her library)

they then talked about the book, and how sakura felt that the book was her, but wonders why the character doesn't share the same name as her real life self. akiho then explains how important someone's name is and reminded her that she only told her real name to sakura after everything that went down. they then chatted about what name would be perfect as an "alias" for sakura...

i honestly would've written way more if my brain didn't stop braining just after i wrote the last paragraph smh...

I'm planning to do this as an ao3 series but i still need to work on my wordings and grammar bc i am bye-lingual 🙃

that's it today byeeeee~ see y'all after a few months 😭

[self-loving-vampire]

I can't remember what the very first anime I watched was at all but I do know that during my childhood - before I even started going online to find stuff and relied on whatever was on Salvadoran TV - I saw at least a couple of episodes of the following.

Dragon Ball (original, Z, and GT).

I didn't like DBZ nearly as much as everyone else in Latin America seemed to. A lot of the fights felt not only slow but also kind of mechanically uninteresting.

Cardcaptor Sakura.

I surprise myself by feeling this nostalgic over such a cute and soft show. It's very different from what I normally like. I guess even I have a softer side sometimes (@thirteen-jades this is not an invitation to forcefem me).

Corrector Yui.

I have very few memories of this show. It was about an internet magical girl or something? I want to rewatch it sometime.

Ranma 1/2.

My parents explicitly forbid me from watching this, so of course I did it anyway when they were not around. They really didn't like the idea of a character who could transform like that. I only watched this one pretty early on before scheduling made it difficult to even find so I had only vague memories of it prior to a rewatch I started with my girlfriend.

Pokemon.

I got into Pokemon before anyone at my school knew what that was. I remember that much. I was more of a casual fan (could not play the games for the longest time since my parents thought games Encouraged Vice) and only watched the anime for a while before falling off eventually.

She was great, though:

Sailor Moon.

I have memory gaps about this one as well. Pretty sure I watched less than 10 episodes total, out of order. I think it was on a channel I didn't really know the schedule of, and at the very least I'm pretty sure it wasn't the same one that had most of the other shows on this list.

Digimon (all series up to and including Frontier).

I know they're not really comparable but I think I preferred the designs in Digimon over the ones in Pokemon. Also, I distinctly remember that this scene in particular poked at my ryona and defeat kink before I even knew what sex was:

Monster Rancher.

What the hell even happens in this show? I remember some of the monsters but absolutely nothing about the events of even a single episode. All my memories of it are just gone.

Yu Yu Hakusho.

Felt way more interesting and varied than DBZ to me, and I also found the characters to be more appealing in lots of ways. Still only remember it vaguely, though.

Rurouni Kenshin (oof).

In hindsight the fact that Soujiro was my favorite character makes me eventually becoming a Kohaku kin kind of predictable. Anyway, I think this was one of my favorites and also a good source of fuel for my growing ryona kink. Love shows where attractive men injure each other so viscerally (one of them even gets a chunk of his shoulder bitten off in a major fight).

Unfortunately, the creator completely sucks in such a way that also makes parts of the show feel hollow now.

Mon Colle Knights.

Only vague memories of this one too. It was decently cute, I guess?

Saint Seiya.

The Latin American dub of this is actually so much better than either the English dub or the European Spanish dub it almost feels unfair. Even the opening sounds about as good as the original, and I say this as someone who generally thinks Spanish is an ugly language with bad vibes. No wonder it seems way more popular in Latin America relative to the US.

Cyborg 009.

It was okay, I think? Not really into that older style of cyborg design. I can barely remember much else.

Yu-Gi-Oh! (only the original series at that time).

Like with Pokemon, I was into this before it became big in my area. I haven't forgotten nearly as much about it as I have with many of the other things on this list either. Especially where the first season is concerned I'd say I remember everything reasonably well (obviously not the turn-by-turn details of every duel or anything but yeah).

I notice that with a lot of the shows on here the main draw for me really was just seeing all the cool monsters, but I did come to enjoy the game and just the sincere insanity of the setting too. I also now associate this with master and Past Me.

Duel Masters.

Mimi was kind of cute. I liked her outfit. The show itself was... kind of weird, to be honest. It's one of those shows where the dub was basically a joke (more so in English, though).

Captain Tsubasa.

Those guys can get really intense about football. Can't remember much other than an episode where a guy is trying to overcome a fear of being hit by the ball or something? Pretty sure I only watched this one when I was stuck somewhere where I could not watch or do much else.

Plus some others I am also failing to remember. Genuinely kind of distressing how hazy my memories of these things are.

[natycupcak3]

NatyCupcake's Tumblr Blog's very long "about me"

Hello all beings from Tumblr! I am Naty. I am 18 years old as of the date I am writing this. My pronouns are they/she, plus a list of neos I've yet to decide on... I am Brazilian, therefore English isn't my first language. I identify as a transgender non-binary xenogender person! (if you do not know what xenogender is, click here.) I have created this blog mainly to interact with the Pop-Culture Pagan community that seemingly resides mainly in this site, as well as witches and pagans in general. I am a Poképagan, which means I am a Pagan that believes Pokémon spirits/deities exist in this world and we are available to work with them as spirits/deities in a pagan context. For example, at this moment I work with The Creation Trio (Arceus, Dialga and Palkia), Jirachi, Solgaleo, and soon Xerneas. I have an altar set for the five and I will add Xerneas as well to the altar whenever I have stuff for her. My Pokémon altar is made of the cards of said pokémon, dolls/figures of said pokémon, and crystals. For example, for Arceus I gave a Jade/Jadeite, inspired by the movie "Arceus and The Jewel of Life" where the Jewel of Life is, well, a Jade (at least as far as I can remember). Don't think I'll post pictures of my altar immediately in here, if i do... I'm just a bit scared bad stuff will be sent my way, I apologize :,) I am very much a baby witch, as well as in the broom closet. I am able to light some incense and do some stuff with candles from time to time, as well as some simple protection spells, but nothing else, pretty much. I would love to change that sometime though! I am very interested in tarot, even owning a pokémon themed tarot deck I bought from Etsy! I brushed it off telling my parents they were just normal pokémon cards. They don't seem to mind my altar either. So, I'm alright! Hehe Now, for non-spiritual stuff: I love to draw and listen to music! I am a furry artist and I've been in the fandom for around 9 years. My favorite music genres are J-Core, Speedcore, Drum n Bass, EDM, Vaporwave, etc. Basically just electronic music. I also really love anime, my favorite genre is magical girls/mahou shoujo! My favorites are Cardcaptor Sakura and the Precure franchise. My favorite Precure Seasons are Go! Princess, Mahou Tsukai, Smile, and Tropical Rouge. Something I should also mention is that I am a system and otherkin. I am a disordered system (OSDD-1a). Other mental stuff i have going on is autism, ADHD and BPD, so please do be patient with me! As for my otherkind (is that the correct conjugation? hehe) I am fictionkin and a therian. I have a ton of fictotypes, but my theriotype is a golden tiger. I can't remember the exact kind of tiger, but it's probably a siberian one. I will use singular and plural pronouns exchangeably, so do not correct me, please. For the serious stuff: DNI if syscourse participant, anti otherkin/therian, basic DNI (can't think of anything else to put in here... if in doubt, ask). I am planning on using this blog for digital altar stuff, as in reblog/post things of the pokémon deities i work with such as images/gifs, prayers, offerings, etc. Although if I don't post for a long time, don't worry! I simply forgot to post or don't have any energy to, and it snowballs until i completely forget about this app- but please don't worry! ... Well, if you do worry or just want to be friends, do add me on Discord! My username is the same i use everywhere (natycupcake). I am in there every day and I'd love to meet fellow pop-culture pagans or just people who want to be friends with me! :D That is all, people! Gods, that was long. Thanks for reading it all if you did! ;P Until we meet again~

[yaoioioay]

@elaine2895

Hey~ Thank you very much <3 And I don’t mind, don’t worry!! Sorry if I took my sweet time and I’ll answer here. Hmmm… this is going to be such a mess >.< BEWARE SPOILERS

First of all: K-POP ships!!

Chanyeol x Baekhyun (EXO)

Hoshi x Woozi (SEVENTEEN) Honestly 2020-1 feels like such a fever dream for all the howoo moments we got XD Hosh managed to win him over with hugs and persistence and Woo got tired of aggressively rejecting him, he just went oh well if you can’t beat the, join them, so now they’re being disgustingly cute and domestic together.

Minho x Han (STRAY KIDS)

Wooyoung x San (ATEEZ)

Jungkook x Jimin (BTS)

-

Zuko x Katara. Loved them <3 From when they were stuck in a cave, to taking revenge for Katara’s mother, to fighting Azula together and Zuko protect her!! kyaa! They’re literally yin and yang, fire and water, push and pull.

Sokka x Suki. The normal ones, but they are still so badass. They have such a comfortable and loving relationship! (ATLA)

Then my CLAMP soulmates!!!

Kurogane x Fai. Very straightforward, distant but caring ninja-samurai and secretive, sly but kind mage <3 They have an understanding, the only adults of the group, become parents and role models for Sakura and Syaoran. Kuro sees through his lies and even if he dislikes his methods he’s very protective of him. You can’t tell me they spent 6 months in Yama alone, where nobody understood Fai and nothing happened. -_- Also when Fai becomes a vampire Kuro is the only one he can feed from.

Tsubasa x Tsubasa. Syaoran and Sakura are my favourite straight couple ever, no matter the series. Syaoran going through different worlds just to retrieve the memories of the one he loves, even if she’ll never remember him *sob sob* (Tsubasa Chronicle)

Syaoran x Sakura. Couples that simp together for the same guy, stay together. They’re the cutest.

Toya x Yukito. My first yaoi ship, young me was so happy when they actually got together. Yuki having another being inside him and Toya being very aware of what happens around him, always wanting to help Yuki, to the point of letting him consume his energy and all his powers. Yuki being kinda jealous of the girls around Toya, being used to being his number one (Cardcaptor Sakura)

Doumeki x Watanuki. The devotion <3 Doumeki always protecting Watanuki, taking on his pain, giving him blood, giving him half of his eye *sob sob*. Is it gay to get together with a girl who also loves Watanuki, just so you can make heirs that will stay with him forever, while he’s stuck being basically immortal in the wish granting shop (xxxHolic)

Fuuma x Kamui. The sexual tension and the pain, oh the pain. Probably my bloodiest ship, they keep hurting each other but I can’t resist *sob sob*

Sorata x Arashi. So beautiful, enemy to friend to lover. They pop up from time to time in other works as a happy married couple (X)

Seishirou x Subaru. The most toxic relationship ever where your boyfriend kills your sister. And even after years, while you’re busy angsting and being emo, he’s still obsessing over you and continuously stalking you (Tokyo Babylon)

Fujimoto x Kobato. Kinda angsty but also really sweet (Kobato)

Rikuo x Kazaya. Very mysterious and intriguing, one distant and cold on the outside but really caring on the inside, the other wanting to know all his secrets and to just help him *sighs*

Kakei x Saiga. The most domestic of lovers, with supernatural powers. Reincarnation of Kokuyo, a son of Satan and Hisui, one of the four Angels Masters of the elements, from Wish (Legal Drug)

Yasha x Ashura. Kinda weird but also still very beautiful.

Kendappa x Souma. Best yuri romance (RG Veda)

Then we have my MXTX pairings!!

Hua Cheng x Xie Lian. Hualian invented first love. Hua loyalty and devotion, he was a homeless kid, the prince told him “if you have no reason to live, make me your reasons” and he took that literally. For 800 years, he did nothing but try to find Xie and worship him. And when he meets him *kyaa* he’s so shy, but they work so well together and they’re really domestic XD

Feng Xin x Mu Qing. Cat and dog, always fighting each other, but can surprisingly work well together, they’re in sync for people that declare they hate each other. They really care for each other deep down, but 800 years of misunderstandings and unsaid things stand in their way.

He Xuan x Shi Qingxuan. Kinda unhealthy, starts as the hottest yuri couple, but then we find out Xuan was hiding his identity from Shi and got close to him because he wanted to take revenge on his brother he having switched their destinies. Then proceeds to test and hurt and mentally torture him because they would still want to save his brother after knowing everything (Tian Guan Ci Fu)

Lan Wangji x Wei Wuxian. Steady devotion. Full of ups and downs, Started as frenemies with Wei teasing Lan and them not getting along, but still developing crushes on each other. Then demonic cultivation got in their way and ruined everything, but Lan was still devastated when Wei died and spent years atoning, punishing himself, taking care of their son and looking for Wei’s soul. And when he finally was reincarnated, he was always there, to defend him, fight with him and comfort him through everything.

Xue Yang x Xiao Xingchen. Really unhealthy relationship. Enemies to friends to almost lovers. Xiao was the one to arrest Xue, which led him to being hurt and developing an obsession with making Xiao suffer, so he went to his best friend and killed his family and blinded him. Xiao then went to a healer and gouged his eyes to give to him and when his friend in anger told him to go away, he exiled himself. Xiao later saved Xue not knowing who he was and nursed him back to health, and Xiao stayed with him for years. At first he wanted to hurt and humiliate him, he made him unknowingly kill people, but later he started caring about him, but everything was ruined when Xiao’s friend found him and Xue made him kill him. From then all the truths came out and Xiao couldn’t handle it so he killed himself. Xue was distraught, but he managed to seal his soul and kept obsessing over trying to save him in any way.

Jin Gyun x Lan Xichen. “The only one I never thought of hurting was you”. Wangxian, but gone wrong. Xichen kept on being loyal and believing his friend over anyone else, and in the end he was wrong and he was tricked into killing him (Mo Dao Zu Shi)

Qin Jiu x You Huo. My recent favourite <3 The world keeps interfering and keeping them apart, they can’t be open about their relationship, the system keeps erasing their memories. They met and fell in love from scratch 3 times and finally they can be together now. Their subtle devotion to each other, Yuo always wearing the earring Qin gave him. Qin always wearing a scarf because he used it to cover his bloody wound to not make Yuo worried at the end of their second time and even without his memories, he keeps wearing it because he knows he doesn’t want to worry someone. Yuo taking the punishment instead of Qin their first time, Qin waiting patiently for Yuo to wake up in the hospital at the end because he promised he would and together they would find a solution for Yuo eyes their first time. Qin always being a little shit and naturally teasing You, no matter if they’re enemies, him longing for Yuo and subconsciously knowing they want the same thing even if everyone keeps telling him they’re on opposite sides.

922 x 154. Cute dynamic, and it surprisingly really works out for them in the end (Global Examination)

Diluc x Kaeya. sWoRn BrOtHeRs in a Chinese game… 👀. Inseparable in youth, always on the same train of thought, until the incident. They both broke that night, Diluc became the most brooding and self-destructive vigilante. Kaeya stopped telling the truth and became the flirtiest and shadiest knight. There is a distance between them, but they still love each other, no matter how Luc tried to kill him and scarred, or all the lies Kae told him and all the pain he gave him. Communicate through letters, big names in the underground information network, often team up together, always spending time with each other even if they tease and insult each other all the time.

Alhaitham x Kaveh. Their banter is always so amazing. Super serious, logical, basically a robot x super dramatic, passionate and sentimental. Both super smart, geniuses on their fields, friends since school, ROOMMATES, act like an old married couple or exes. Can wholly be themselves with each other. Al always teasing and showing emotions, Kav always pouting and nitpicking.

Ningguanng x Beidou. Rich mommy x Pirate mommy. Independent strong women who see each other once in a while, are always together then, play chess together, trust each other the most.

Lisa x Jean. Married. Shady librarian x Grandmaster of the Knights. Super flirty, frivolous and lazy x super serious, diligent and hard-working.

Ayato x Thoma. Thoma best waifu, perfect househusband material. Ayato always teasing him. They’re basically married.

Venti x Xiao. Immortal angsty short wind boys. Venti’s music is the only thing that can ease Xiao’s suffering.

Zhongli x Childe. Started as a mission but gradually fell in love with each other. Childe is Zhongli’s sugar daddy, you can’t change my mind. Zhongli is all of Childe’s wildest fantasies came to life, someone stronger and better at combat than him, who’s also super hot and a god?! ALSO THEIR MARRIAGE CHOPSTICKS!!!

Albedo x Sucrose. Cute introverted mad science nerds (Genshin Impact)

Malleus x Leona. Bickering kings, always fighting, but they understand each other the most, they’re the only ones who don’t fear the other’s power.

Rook x Vil. A Queen and his hunter. Vil relies so much on his vice and Rook admires Vil so so much… I mean ‘Beautiful Vil’, really?!! -_- (Twisted Wonderland)

Diavolo x Lucifer. Diavolo is the number one Lucy simp, always looking for him and telling him how beautiful he is, how much he treasures him, how much he cares… Lucifer is also a simp, ready to fight anyone who disrespects his lord, always ready to do whatever wants (Obey Me!)

Lucifer x Sandalphon. Coffee ship, their relationship is basically full of devotion, miscommunication and sacrifice. I just want them to be happy :’( (Grandblue Fantasy)

Sephiroth x Cloud. Super intense nenemies! My god, the remake, did you really need this much sexual tension, why do they stand so close together, why does Seph have to whisper everything in Cloud’s ear? “I will never be a memory, Cloud” kyaa! Really Seph?? As long as he remembers you, you’re going to stalk him throughout all the franchises? Man you kill your crazy superior once and he’s gonna come back even crazier and obsessed with you. For real though, this is a very toxic relationship, especially with Seph referring to Cloud as his puppet and taking away his free will, no matter how much can Cloud kick his ass, Seph is just so controlling and dominating (Final Fantasy 7)

Castiel x Dean. The deadliest hunter with several issues and his guardian Angel <3 I mean Cas literally saved him from Hell, Dean then showed him what it means to be human and caused his rebellion against Heaven, they keep saving and sacrificing for each other. Cas would always choose to save Dean among millions of others. Went through so much, ups and downs, always found their way to each other, no matter the mistakes they did , they could always rely on the other (Supernatural)

Derek x Stiles. Started as antagonistic, with Der threatening to bite Stil’s head off numerous times, but always coming to his rescue in the end. Stil always figuring everything and having a plan to save everyone every time and Der being there to support and defend him. “You two make a good couple.” Literally everyone could see it, too bad it didn’t happen in the end, we were so close :( Stil held his paralysed body in a pool for 2 hours, he made him the king in his chess board, he’s really really sad when Der is leaving. Der literally subconscious is Stiles calming him down and trying to break the situation logically, he trusts him the most out of anyone (Teen Wolf)

Klaus x Hayley. Best divorced even if they were never married type of parents. They change and learn for and from each other. Very protective, you better never touch their family.

Elijah x Hayley. Loved them, Elijah protecting her from the start, their intensity, the sexual tension. Elijah despair and devastation after he learns that his actions killed the person he loves *sob sob* (The Originals)

Rakan x Xayah. Best couple!! Rakan is always there to protect her and she’s such a badass and they love each other so much!!

Sett x Aphelios. Badass couple, opposite attract. Brutal crime boss and pit fighter hiding a heart of gold and silent and stoic warrior Lunari!

Yasuo x Riven. Two people in search of redemption, answers and a purpose, finding it in each other <3 (League of Legends)

Percy x Annabeth. I love them! Their relationship is amazing, the slowest burn, they keep overcoming adversities together, getting past their hung ups. Their devotion and synergy, they’re the perfect team together, Annabeth wisdom and strategy, Percy improvisation and raw power. Tartarus <3

Will x Nico. Darkness and the Sun, opposite attracts <3 (Percy Jackson / Heroes of Olympus)

Wade x Peter. Spideypool is so much fun! Two very different people, with different values and methods that still work magnificently together and are always hilarious when they hang out. Also them trying to understand the other and learn from them <3 (Marvel)

Dick x Jason. Love their dynamic, from former Robins to becoming vigilantes with their own sense of justice. Starting on a bad foot, with jealousy and resentment, but still getting closer and depending on the other, Dick call I’m him ‘little wing’ <3 Then Jason’s death *sob sob*, his antagonistic return and still later coming to help defend Gotham and patch things up with the Bats. They both got into fights with Bruce, be it verbally or physically (Batman)

Lincoln x Octavia. Very intriguing and beautiful, from the start he saved her, and kept on protecting her, she was finally free with him. But then his death *sob sob*, his last words “I love you”. And from then everything was never the same (The 100)

Hak x Yona. So wonderful, really slow burn. Yona character growth, from spoiled little princess to badass warrior queen. Hak constant devotion to her, always protecting her and caring for her (Akatsuki no Yona)

Hatsuharu x Isuzu. Angsty yet wonderful. Rin is distant and behaves coldly but she’s so selfless and self-sacrificing, always trying to keep Haru’s best interests in mind and to protect him. He only cares about her wellbeing and happiness, he’s ready to defend her from everything and always support her.

Kyo x Tohru. Perfect romance, kinda slow but steady. Always there for each other, ready to anything to make the other happy, able to accept every part of them.

Yuki x Machi. Hatori x Mayuko. Kureno x Arisa. All amazing and cute, didn’t expect them to work out this well.

Shigure x Akito. Weird, but it surprisingly works, similar kinds of people, manipulative assholes (Fruits Basket)

Usui x Misaki. One of my favourite couples ever! They’re so cool and sweet together, nothing beats two super competent people trying to navigate feelings. Usui finds out Misa, the student council president at his school, secretly works as in a maid cafe. So he keeps going there to tease her and discover this new side of her. Usui is naturally smart and rich, but lonely and Misa is very hard-working, trying to help her mother and sister and really busy, she doesn’t have time for simple things. Their relationship is simply beautiful, they unknowingly help each other fill the void in their lives, but without being codependent, their existence is just richer because the other is in it now (Maid Sama)

Ren x Kyoko. Lovee them <3 Ren, experienced actor, Kyoko, newbie trying to become a new woman after her recent breakup, she’s very talented and her spark intrigues Ren. Their relationship is very slow burning but also very intense at moments (Skip Beat)

Ren x Nana. *sob sob* Beautiful yet tragic relationship. Very real, full of very high ups and really low downs.

Nobuo x Nana. Also very real, really cute and comfortable together, but sometimes that’s not enough.

Takumi x Nana. Surprisingly not bad, two people just having fun chasing something that caught their eye, can be pretty serious (Nana)

Otani x Risa. Super cute and wholesome and emotional romance between a short guy and a tall girl! (Lovely Complex)

Yuu x Nao. Funny and cute but also beautiful, interesting dynamic. From two people being interested and comfortable around each other, to accepting every part of themselves and the other, to overcoming various adversities, to Yuu stealing and erasing all abilities because of a promise he made to Nao (Charlotte)

Dazai x Chuuya. Double black!! Most interesting relationship, slightly toxic but very hot. Dazai being a manipulative dick, but very deep down caring for Chuuya’s wellbeing. Like, I’m the only one allowed to tease and kill you, I’ll destroy anyone who even thinks of trying. From 15, when he manipulated him into joining the mafia, to all their time together, as the strongest combo, capable of wiping entire organisations of ability users overnight. But in the end he left him behind *sob*. Always bickering like an old married couple. The nicknames they have for each other XD

Fukuzawa x Mori. Also dark and kinda unhealthy. Ex-assassin, turned bodyguard fo the very deadly underground doctor, turned president of the Armed Detective Agency and boss of the Port Mafia. They’re very weird people, one is obsessed with cats and talks with them, the other is a lolicon and his ability is a little girl who always talks back to him and that he loves spoiling. Basically a divorced couple that keeps on fighting custody battles, Ysano, Oda, Dazai…

Ranpo x Poe. Super cute and funny. Poe is such a fanboy and would do everything Ranpo asks him for. And Ranpo is simply living his best life and enjoying every moment of their time together (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Vanitas x Noe. Vanitas x Jeanne. Noe x Domi. Jeanne x Domi. I ship all of the together so much. Vaninoe are so funny, their dynamic is hilarious and they’re always bickering but also saving each other. Jeanne and Vani are so hot and so cute together. And Vani actually feeling real emotions for her and being surprised that someone could love someone like him *kyya sob*. Domi and Noe are also incredible together, the trust they have in each other, always being ready to do everything for the other. And Jeanne ad Domi are adorable together, two sweet and cute badass women vampire, who are surprisingly compfortable around each other.

Jean x Chloe. Cute domestic couple. Jean is Chloe’s protector and companion, he’s very devoted and caring towards her (Vanitas no Carte)

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Sukuna x Fushiguro. Sukuna is the n°1 simp and no one can convince me otherwise. From their first fight, Sukuna has only been interested in one human, everyone else is nothing. I mean he reunited with his servant after 1000 years and what did he do, go to save Megu, he was like my Megu senses are tingling, better check it out.

Gojo x Geto. “We are the strongest”. To still calling each other best friend even on opposite sides. To your boy saving you because someone thought using your body and attacking your boyfriend was a smart idea…*it is*

Maki x Nobara. Most badass beautiful capable of kicking ass couple. Senpa-kohai relationship, “I repspect you Maki-san”. To Noba being the most aggressive lesbian ever, from Fumi to Saori, even with Mai. Start Shibuya together, separated, end up disfigured on the verge of death. Just waiting for them to appear on a panel together, from the new scarred Maki with short hair to seeing Noba in an eyepatch (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Gintoki x Hijikata. Very similar but still really different, like two faces of the same coin, the snape is the same, the details are different. Two thorny kids, difficult past, tragic backstory, raw strength and agility, similar ideals. Always hilarious together, but also work splendidly well together and in their darker moments are ready to save, motivate and encourage the other.

Gintoki x Tsukuyo. Soo cute yet cool. He saved her world, then she helped him keep fighting, then he saved her from her past and she kept on helping him overcome every obstacle in his way. She has a super cute crush on him and an get pretty nervous and clumsy around him, when drunk she’s just aggressively flirting and ordering him around.

Kyubei x Tae. Was actually really good, since the Yagyuu arc I shipped them, once Kyu stopped being an asshole and we discovered their backstory, I started rooting for her. She’s very protective and always trying to spend time and hang out with her (Gintama)

Zoro x Sanji. Always fighting and bickering. Loyal to the crew and to each other, surprisingly comfortable together, on the same wavelength, would die for each other.

Marco x Ace. Fire x fire. Love it, mostly based on headcanons. Blue phoenix who can heal and hot-headed fire logia. Marco was the one to convince him to join the crew. Poor Marco he lost everyone *sob sob*

Luffy x MEAT. The one and only true ship in all of 1000 chapters of One Piece.

Sabo x Koala. Usopp x Kaya. Super adorable and sweet

Nami x Vivi. They got along so well during Alabasta, Nami made some huge sacrifices to help Vivi and get there as soon as possible, she really cared about her and gave it her all to free her country without expecting a reward in return (One Piece)

Grimmjow x Ichigo. Very hot, blue and orange. Savage hollow, thinks himself king, always wanting to get stronger and win against other people. Not so normal hybrid teenager, find himself in the middle of all the chaos, only wants to protect his friends, if only they didn’t get kidnapped at every turn. Doesn’t really want to fight, but deep down he instinctively chooses to. Their fight made Ichi stronger and brought out all his instincts and he saves Grimm, teaching him mercy and how to be more human.

Renji x Rukia. From childhood friend, to schoolmates to estranged to lovers. Renji totally had a crush on her when they were little, she felt left behind in school and what’s more they got separated when she was adopted by the Kuchiki and him being happy for her did more bad than good. When he was sent to capture her, he didn’t want to seriously hurt her and when she was imprisoned, she wasn’t scared of him still kept teasing him. He then gave his all and sacrificed everything in order to save her and they lived together ever happily being dumbasses and helping Ichigo.

Ikkaku x Yumichika. I want to know more about their past!! Couples who fight and keep secrets together, stay together. For real though, Ikka hides that he has a Bankai from everyone except Yumi and he hides the true form of his Zanpakuto. They seem polar opposite, Ikka is a meat-head muscular bald brute and Yumi is an elegant delicate beautiful guy. But in reality they’re both bloodthirsty and savage fighters.

Kyoraku x Ukitake. Also want to know more about their past! Best friends since the academy, they’ve known and been partners for a thousand years, always fighting together and protecting each other, always enjoying their time together.

Ulquiorra x Orihime. A monster and the woman who didn’t ever fear him and taught him what a heart was.

Isshin x Masaki. Forbidden romance, a Shinigami and a Quincy, they saved each other against White, and he gave all his powers for her and they lived a joyous normal life as humans and became parents.

Yoruichi x Soi Fon. Master x servant, but without too much power imbalance. Fon idolises Yoru and is a sticker for the rules, but Yoru is very chill. The only thing she wanted was to not get left behind, why couldn’t she bring her along when she escaped Soul Society? This caused Fon to be hell bent on surpassing her and even more rigid in her rule abiding. But after getting her ass kicker, she resume worshipping the ground Yoru walk on, this time as her equal (Bleach)

Shikamaru x Temari. Best pairing, from the chunin exam, they had chemistry and an interesting dynamic. Shika needs someone to kick his ass into gear.

Asuma x Kurenai. Tragic perfect couple. Really sad *sob*, poor Kure, Mira and team 10.

Naruto x Sasuke. Should’ve ended up together. There’s no way someone is so obsessed with another guy unless they’re in love. “Because you’re my friend” my ass. Naru had a panic attack when he thought someone killed Sasu. Got stronger for him. Forgave him after everything he had done, after he killed so many people.

Sakura x Ino. Should’ve been together, ex-best friends, both obsessed with Sasu. Should’ve have overcome and made up in the chunin exams, after their fight (Naruto)

Hizashi x Aizawa. From classmates to teachers! Hizashi cares so much and he’s the only one who calls him by his first names, always bothering him, but also letting him sleep. They’re basically a married couple.

Mirio x Tamaki. Cuute, super friendly and very shy couple. Both had difficulty with their quirks, but learned and motivated each other, now two of the strongest in the entire school. Mirio is Tamaki’s light, always believing in him and saying that one day he’ll manage to eat even the Sun and surpass him, he just needs to have confidence in himself.

Kirishima x Bakugo. The only one Baku trusts, and can be completely comfortable and himself with. Treating him as his sidekick, but also believing in his abilities more than anyone. Always patient and accepting with him.

Hawks x Dabi. Could’ve been great. Hawks going undercover in the League of Villains, getting closer to him, learning about him, and maybe finding out the thrush about Endeavour and defecting for real. Mostly headcanon, but even in the series they have this weirdly intense moments, the sexual tension! Also I think there’s more to be revealed (My Hero Academia)

Hisoka x Illumi. ‘All the best people are crazy’ personified. Probably really toxic and deranged, two crazy good fighters, always teaming up and conspiring together. From the Hunter exam, to Yorknew, to the election arc, to the boat en route to the Dark Continent. Hisoka paid Illumi to kill him, that’s basically a marriage proposal in Hisoka weird fighting language. They’re insane and probably actually working together even now. Also very weird, Hisoka gets hard in good fights, even agains 10 years old and Illumi has the worst brother complex (Hunter x Hunter)

Hiei x Kurama. Should’ve been canon :( A fire demon and his fox, Hiei is such a fanboy, like he’s always complimenting and hyping him up and is always ready to defend him. And Kurama is the only one who can get away with teasing him. Immortal super strong demon couple.

Kuwabara x Yukina. Soo cute, I shipped it from the start. Kuwa is so protective, a real knight in shining armor, and Yukina is always there to welcome him back and heal him

Yusuke x Keiko. Such loyalty and steadfast support. Always there and ready to help each other, they’ll always come home to each other, no matter the obstacles (Yu Yu Hakusho)

Magna x Luck. Best friends & rivals. The pulling your crush pigtails kinda couple. They understand and respect and care about the other more than anyone else. Their hug <3

Yami x Charlotte. Asta x Noelle. Gaja x Lolochepka. All very cute and adorable, I’mrooting for all of them. Finral x Vanessa. Best BROTP, I would’ve loved if they actually had romantic feelings for each other. Definitely better for Fin than some random noblewoman (Black Clover)

Gajeel x Levy. The best!! From enemy to friend to lover! He basically tortured her, then when he joined Fairy Tail, he looked out for her and tried to protect her. He became intrigued and they got closer and closer, during the time skip they were together. Same job, same house. Lily, Gaj’s partner knows that Levy always comes first, she’s the one he cares about the most, so his duty is to protect her.

Sting x Rogue. Yin and Yang, Light and Darkness dragon slayer. Always together, the strongest combo, Rogue always believes and relies on Sting to keep his darkness away.

Gray x Juvia. From enemy to one-sided attraction, to love. Juvia start as kinda of a crazy stalker obsessed with the person who defeated her and saved her, making her rain disappear. But she’s really devoted and caring towards Gray. And he starts to treasure her as a comrade and friend, but also wants to make her happy and feel loved.

Natsu x Lucy. Stranger to best friend to I love them together. They’re so comfortable with each other, they would and have gone incredibly far for each other.

Jellal x Erza. Friend to enemy to lover. Childhood friends turned enemy because of brainwashing. Later he tries to atone by distancing himself from her, but whenever they meet he’s always ready to protect her, and their attraction is undoubtable.

Zeref x Mavis. Very tragic and angsty cursed couple. They meet, spend time together, fall in love, he unintentionally kills her, becomes crazy, wants to destroy the world, she tries to stop him, he hurts and tortures her, he is defeated, they are reincarnated and can finally be peacefully together.

Elfman x Evergreen. Surprisingly cute ship, had no idea these two would work so good together, but they really really do (Fairy Tail)

Erwin x Levi. From enemy, I was contracted to kill you, to partners, tell me what to do and I’ll do everything for you. Erwin is the smartest and Levi is the strongest, together they’re invincible. Levi made a promise before Erwin died and he’ll keep it no matter what.

Ymir x Historia. Surprising and actually good, Ymir seemed cold but was actually trying to protect her, she reveals her secret to protect her once again, Historia is obsessed with getting her back. Too bad it didn’t work out (Attack on Titan)

Kanda x Allen. Always clashing and bickering, but fight together well. Kanda accidentally screws Al over because of denial and trying to forget about his ex-lover’s reincarnation Karma, but manages to have a nice final moment with them. He then swears to follow and defend Allen throughout his journey.

Lavi x Lenalee. Lavi cares a lot for a Bookman, who is supposed to be neutral and observe history without interfering. Always trying to protect her and lift her spirits (D.Gray Man)

Takemitchy x Hina. Mitchy determination and devotion to Hina and saving her is incredible. And she can motivate him with just a word and she’s always there to care for him when he most needs it.

Kokonoi x Inui. Kinda canon, kinda not, slightly unhealthy relationship. Childhood best friends, Koko had a crush on Inu’s sister and when their house burnt down tried to save her but mistakenly took him. Obsessed with money because he wanted to pay for her treatment, but didn’t make it in time. Now they live unsatisfied and with a bunch of unsaid things between them.

Baji x Chifuyu x Kazutora. Such complicated dynamic. Fuyu loves and idolises Baji. Baji is really close friends with Kazu. And Kazu killed Baji, but Fuyu still cares about him.

Kakucho x Izana. A king and his knight. Really codependent on each other. Tragic ending.

Hakkai x Mitsuya. Hakkai is such a fanboy and only has praises for Mitsuya. Living and working together in the present timeline.

Draken x Emma. Sweet and tragic *sob sob*. Emma had the hugest crush in Draken and is always trying to get his attention and take care of him. Draken may seem cold, but he loved her deep down and was ready to do everything necessary for her to be happy (Tokyo Revengers)

Yamamoto x Gokudera. Interesting dynamic, always at each other’s throats, and can’t actually work well together, but when things get serious they’ll fight for each other. Yama can be silly and joking, always thinking everything is a game and doing things instinctively, but if someone hurts anyone he cares about he becomes a deadly badass. Dera is instead very rational and methodical, but still very protective of his friends.

Mukuro x Hibari. Muku was the first one to ever defeat Hiba, he swore vengeance, and Muku takes every opportunity to rub it in his face. They don’t actually meet that often, but they know each other’s strength better than almost anyone and believe that in they will not be defeated by anyone else.

Xanxus x Squalo. Loyalty, Squalo vowed to serve him as his right-hand man and to never cut his hair until he loses. Xan can be a dick and seem to not care, but if he’s hurt right in front of him, he’s ready for retribution.

Colonnello x Lal. Cute, she was his trainer, he had a crush on her, he followed her to the Fated Day and sacrificed himself for her, even if it didn’t work out. Even now they’re so adorable every time they meet. When the opportunity to lift the Arcobaleno curse presents itself, he wants to do it for her.

Ryohei x Hana. Very surprising, can works really well. Ryohei is a meath-head, only thinking of boxing and training and she thinks all men are monkey and she’s best friend with his little sister (Hitman Reborn)

Nagisa x Kayano. That kiss, Kayano totally has a crush on Nagi.

Karasuma x Irina. They’re so cute for such badass people. Irina having a crush on Kara is adorable and trying to woo him, but it not working because he’s oblivious. Them resolving their issues and Kara saving Irina in the Shinigami incident. For a government agent and an assassin they manage to settle down very comfortably (Assassination Classroom)

Alibaba x Morgana. To strangers to best friends to lovers, Morg really cares about her saviours and always tries to protect him and Aladdin. Ali finds her attractive, but he doesn’t do anything other than worry for her and be by her side, until the end of the world is imminent, then he proposes.

Judal x Hakuryuu. Juda always wanted to be Hakus’s magi, but Haku always refused. It’s not until he traveled the world and Sindrian and gained powers on his own and was defeated by Orga that he asked Juda for help. They work very well together and they’re very dedicated to each other, Juda was prepared to learn more grand scale magic that would exhausts him just to help him reach his goal and Haku is also very worried about his wellbeing and he’s better with him around. Haku is also the only one who knows Haku’s real name and visited his hometown (Magi)

Soul x Maka. Best meister and weapon pair. They manage to be able to work well together, they cover each other’s weakness. Soul is very protective and Maka is ready to accept every part of him.

Death the Kid x Black Star. God of Death junior obsesses with symmetry and loud assassin who swore to surpass even the gods. From rivals to friends to believing in each other more than anyone else and saving the other when they need it (Soul Eater)

Kamina x Yoko. I loved them *sob*. They had some real chemistry. Kamina is a chad and Yoko is the coolest (Gurren Lagan)

Tomoya x Nagisa. The most gorgeous tragedy *sob sob* (Clannad)

Isaac x Miria. My favourite immortal thieving couple. They’re so silly, I love them.

Claire x Chane. Jacuzzi x Nice. Firo x Ennis. Lad x Lua. They’re all amazing and interesting!! (Baccano)

-

Kageyama x Hinata. Perfect combo, they’ve taught each other so much, how to play together, how to be a real team, how to be rivals and best friend and how to become even stronger. Going through very high ups and some downs, they manage to overcome everything, from studying to different opinions in how to play the game, to the most difficult opponents, to life.

Iwaizumi x Oikawa. Iwa was always there for Oi, to play with him, to support him, to help him through his insecurities, to help him win, to reach the same goal. From childhood friends to the future, they’ve always been together and even if they’ve chosen different paths, they’ll always have each other.

Kuroo x Tsukishima. Kuro was Tsukki’s mentor, the one who with Boku finally convinced him to try harder and become better, because only like that he cloud enjoy volleyball to the fullest. Both middle blockers, provocation master vs saltyshima, both quite smart and methodical in their approach to the game.

Bokuto x Akaashi. Ace and his setter. Aka is the only one who can control Boku, predict his mood swings and bring his very best playing.

Asahi x Nishinoya. Ace x libero, the strongest in the air x on land, shy and quiet and anxious giant x loud and extroverted and fearless shorty. Good pair, give each other energy, cover for each other. At the end of the series they travel together.

Daichi x Sugawara. Dad and mom of the group, captain and his vice, same age (Haikyuu)

Aomine x Kise. It starts it’s Kise, player who can learn any moves by just seeing it being bored and wanting a challenge, and Ao, a prodigy who loves basketball more than anyone else. Ao inspires Ki to try basket and even having started late, he manages to catch up to the strongest players very soon. Ki is always challenging Ao to improve, but even if he wants to win and surpass him, deep down he doesn’t want him to lose. Ao also really cares about Ki, he punches a guy who wanted to hurt Ki, even risking being disqualified from the tournament and wants Kagami to be serious and at his best when facing Ki. When they double team an opponent together they are unstoppable.

Midorima x Takao. Hilarious, Mido is always ordering and being carted around by Taka. Taka is always teasing him, but on the court they are an amazing pair. Mido blindly trusts Taka with everything he has and Taka is ready to support him in anything he may need.

Kagami x Kuroko. Perfect pair on the court, strongest light and shadow pair, thanks to Kuro’s passes Kaga can play more freely. They learn a lot from each other and are always overcoming the next obstacle together.

Yuga x Riko. Super cute, he really cares about her, to the point of actually eating her cooking after he saw how determined she was. She promised him to not cut her hair until they won and she gets jealous when he looks at other girls (Kuroko no Basket)

Hiruma x Mamori. Started from distrust of the manipulative jerk who coerced Sena, her childhood friend/little brother figure into the rugby club. Also joins as a manager to keep an eye on him, good at organising, the only one smart enough to keep up with Hiru’s intellect, good at memorising strategies and signals, becomes invested in his wellbeing, start to care about him, always there to support him and take care of him. In the end goes to college with him instead of Sena (Eyeshield 21)

Kojiro x Kaeoru. Divorced but still fucking parents energy. There is no way they aren’t gay for each other… “We still have heat other, don’t we, Kaoru?” <3 Always bickering, know each other better than anyone else, always insulting and fighting the other. From classmates who loved skateboarding to adults with jobs, that participate in underground skateboard race with a secret identity.

Langa x Reki. Soo cute, Reki being the best friend and hype man, getting Langa into skateboarding, them having fun just hanging out together. But they still have realistic progression, to Langa wanting to do more and seek out the next thrill, no matter where from to Reki feeling left behind and inferior, but still trying to protect and encourage him (SK8)

Victor x Yuuri. Mentor and student, the one who inspired Yuuri to skate and the one who will spark new inspiration in Vic, to better himself next year. They learnt so much from each other and are always ready to support and motivate one another.

Otabek x Yuri. Super chill friends, inspire and motivate one another, really comfortable together, always trying to spend time together, saving and helping each other (Yuri on Ice)

Daewhi x Mira. Soo cute and beautiful and angsty. From enemies to best friends to lovers to being separated for years to married. He starts by beating her, to being her teammate, to fighting together and protecting each other. But then they are both on the brink of death but brought back by different people for different purposes and are separated. She doesn’t remember him, he looks for her for 17 years and doesn’t want to hurt her even when she’s on the opposite side. Are separated yet again, but thankfully reunited, but they still have a war to fight.

Mori x Ilpyo. “You have no idea how safe you make me feel” kyaa <3 From friendly teenage martial artists rivals to gods. Mori is very straightforward and obsessed with fighting, Pyo is very cunning and strategic, but also really cares and want him to be better because of a promise he made to his grandpa. Even after being beaten Mori cares and acts friendly with Pyo, even protecting him and granting his wish. When Mori is stuck in the Sage Realm, Pyo goes looking for him and they then keep protecting each other and fighting together to get back home. Even after 17 years, when Mori reappears he trust Pyo unconditionally, no matter what anyone says to him.

Baek x Uma. Very surprising, she falls in love with him almost immediately, he saves her because his father told him to always take care of someone who has given you their heart. She dies but her soul remains attached to him and so she’s always with him. They try every mean possible to get her body back, but are separated. Even 17 years later he’s still waiting for her and trying to find a solution (God of High Scool)

Baam x Khun. “I wish I had met Bam first” “Ah, I see he was loved”. Very naive and innocent Bam, trying to follow his everything Rachel, and cunning and ruthless Khun, who completely believed in his sister, only to end up betrayed. Their character growth is astounding, they keep growing as individuals but also part of a group. Like Bam confronting Rachel and threatening to kill her after she pun Khun in a coma or Khun deciding that he would do everything in his power to help Bam and to keep his light from being snuffed out.

Urek x Garam. He met her when he was broken-hearted and it was love at first sight, he tried every which way to impress her without results. He’s always trying to get her attention and flirt with her without any success. Probably deeper, we’ve seen Garam advising Endorsi about deciding if she’s cursing on Baaam because he has the power to become a slayer or because of who he is. That’s similar to her situation, she’s a disgraced princess of Jahad and Urek is an Irregular with the potential and enough power to slay king Jahad, but he’s not interested, he cares about going outside the Tower and they probably had a disagreement about it, since their wants are different, the only things left for him was avoid the floor of death and anonymously help her (Tower of God)

Eames x Arthur. “You mustn’t be afraid of dreaming a little bigger, darling” kyaa <3 Always bickering and teasing each other but working together flawlessly, they have each other’s back. Mostlyheadcanon about their past and how they met (Inception)

Sherlock x Moriarty. Unconventional detective and crime lord love story, “Catch me if you can, Mr. Holmes.” Kyaa <3 Will has a plan to reform England class system by making him, a noble, the number one public enemy and being defeated by the hero, Sherlock. They unexpectedly become friends and even while Will is hiding things, with Sherly he can just me comfortable and let go of all his responsibilities and plans and just be a normal intelligent person enjoying time with his equal. In their final confrontation Sherly decides to save him and they both fall, they spen two years together in America, healing and just living together.

Mycroft x Albert. The power couple, office romance. Them flirting and subtly threatening each other, being interested in the other and helping each other’s plans (Moriarty the Patriot)

Izumo x Seri. Such a cool couple, second in command from different groups, always flirting, going undercover at parties and kicking ass is so badass. He’s the owner of a bar and lost both his best friends, she comes to his bar every so often and requests the strangest drinks, also afraid of losing her boss. Comfort and understanding, always exchanging information and helping each other even if they’re on opposite sides.

Mikoto x Totsuka. Totsu became Izu and Miko’s friend after insistently trying. He was the weakest, and very careless with his safety, so Miko and the rest of Homra are very protective, he’s the mood-maker and the only one who could talk back to him and calm his anger and aggressiveness, silence the beast howling for destruction inside of Miko, an effect of his power. After his death Homra is on a path of vengeance and Miko is slowly losing it and in the end he joins him very soon after.

Mikoto x Munakata. The red and blue king, fire vs ice. Polar opposite, raw unbridled violence vs cold indifferent calculations, both stubborn. They are often on opposing sides, but are good friends and equals, trust each other to keep them in check and do what needs to be done if they go out of control.

Saruhiko x Misaki. Childhood friends, Misa is an idiot but quite emotionally smart and a good person, Saru is very intelligent and quite detached from the world around him, they become friends and do reckless things, until one day they catch Homra’s eye and are saved by them, so they join. Due to the new environment, Saru’s jealousy and him being uncomfortable with Miko as his king, they separate ways with Saru being an asshole before leaving. After joining the Blues, Misa considers him a traitor and is they always fight, but eventually they solve their differences when Muna sends Saru on an undercover mission where he could die and Misa ends up saving him (K)

Shizuo x Izaya. Really violent ship, always at each other’s throats. A human with monstrous strength and a manipulative arrogant asshole, who loves all humans and hates monsters, but is still fascinated by them and trying to use them to bring chaos and make him god. They try to kill each other multiple times, usually with Iza swiftly escaping and Shizu chasing after him, sometimes Iza tries to frame or put Shizu in dangerous situations, others they just fight until someone is seriously injured.

Kasuka x Ruri. Kasu, Shizu’s brother, isn’t able to feel basically any emotions, so he chose acting as a career to try and express himself to the fullest. Ruri was a make-up artist for Kasu and later became an idol, she was secretly used for occult rituals and experimented on because of her supernatural healing ability. When she finds out her father, whose life was being threatened by her captors, was killed years ago, she goes on a rampage and escapes, she then becomes the serial killer Hollywood, leaving her victim’s unrecognisable. In an encounter with Kasu, she is saved by his words, him feeling like a monster because of his apathy and her because of how she is, they come to an understanding and are able to accept even those part of themselves.

Shinra x Celty. Very weird but surprisingly romantic. Eccentric doctor obsessed with his father’s experimente, has the strangest friends and a dullhan without her head, can’t speak unless she has her phone. They actually really care for each other and even I’d Shinra cam be pretty Creepy and controlling and possessive, Celty is amazing and tolerates every side of him and when given the chance to reclaim her head and go black helm, she decides to step wurg him (Durarara)

Lelouch x CC. LL is always teasing him, their interactions are so fascinating and entertaining. But still they have the utmost trust in each other and keep on rescuing and saving the other, even if they don’t admit it out loud, it’s because they care and not just because they can’t have them die for their plan to succeed. “If I destroy the world and remake it, it’ll be because of my accomplice, CC”. Kinda happy with Lelouch of the resurrection (Code Geass)

L x Light. Kinda unhealthy normally, but Light without his memory handcuffed to L <3 Deadly game of car and mouse, trying to always be a step ahead the other, getting close to each other to win and find secrets about each other, but really starting to care and become friends. Even Kira was sad after he killed L, he knew nothing could cure his boredom now. Without anyone in his way he started becoming overconfident and deleting his work to others, making him sloppy and allowing N and M to defeat him (Death Note)

Guren x Shinya. Super devoted and loyal to each other. Guren loved him enough to cause an apocalypse to try to bring him back to life. Shin is always teasing him and bickering with him, but he really cares for him, he’s constantly covering for him and cleaning up his messes, assisting and support him in combat and out and there is no one he believes in more.

Yuuichiro x Mikaela. They’re obsessed with each other. Mika is so self-sacrificing and ends up dying and becoming a vampire, Yuu swear vengeance and to become stronger, when they meet again, nothing else matters but them and the other’s safety. Mika would do anything for Yuu, even taking care of the other humans in their group and Yuu is so happy to have Mika back, when he dies again, he’s obsessed with getting him back, not matter if he’s become a demon.

Crowley x Ferid. Vampire partners. From Ferid killing everyone Crowl ever cared for 700 years ago to now where whatever Ferid says, goes, no matter what. They’re so chill and strong together, Ferid is actually stronger but Crowl instinctively protects him, he always goes along with his plans, no matter how crazy and how much even his subordinates try to dissuade him (Owari no Seraph)

Lawless x Licht. Their names are Jekyll and Hyde. Lawless is a broken servamp, interested in theatre, always quoting Shakespeare, who’s lived too long and passes time by choosing rich eves and killing them when he gets bored of them. Licht is an internationally famous piano prodigy who can move people to tears with his music, he thinks he’s an angel and really cares about animals but not humans. They’re always bickering, but Hyde is also very protective of Licht, initially in a nobody can play with you but me kind of way, but then in a caring way. And Licht call Hyde a demon and is always kicking him, except when he’s in his hedgehog form, but he helps him overcome his past and he’s geniully distraught when he’s hurt.

Kuro x Mahiru. Really good! Mahiru helps Kuro through all his problems, motivates him to fight once again and helps him regain his true form and mend his relationship with his sibling (Servamp)

Yogi x Gareki. So cute!! From Yogi being super protective of Gareki to him actually caring, winning him a bracelet and wanting him to not worry. Them helping each other and constantly saving each other when they need it.

Hirato x Akari. From arrogant teacher and mischievous student, to SSS asset and researcher, always absorbed in his work and manipulative captain of squad 1 of Circus. Hira is so protective, he’s ready to body anyone who so much as puts an hand on him, at the same time, he’s always teasing him and wanting to spend time with him, trying to get him drunk or in the weirdest situation (Karneval)

Yuri x Wolfram. One of my earliest yaoi ships. The only couple where I’m happy when they slap each other XD Simply wonderful (Kyo Kara Maoh)

He Tian x Mo Guan. I had no idea I would get so attached to Redhead and here I am, I ship them so hard. Rich manipulative asshole x poor aggressive hard-working thug. After they’re all on the same side, you can really see Tian getting interested in Red and trying to get his attention by whatever mean, always teasing or play fighting him. Also he becomes super protective, every time White goes after Red, Tian is ready to throw hands and murder a bitch. Also throwing money at him just to spend time with him and do things for him, giving him an earring to replace the old one he was forced to have <3 Them just taking care of each other every time, both physically and mentally.

Zhan Zhen x Jain Yi. So cute and funny and wholesome <3 Childhood friends, Jain developing a crush, Zhan being protective and caring form him, not wanting him to disappear or get hurt, Jain making moves because he just loves him too much, Zhan accepting him and always making sure he’s safe and happy (19 Days)

Kirishima x Yokozawa. Really cute. Yoko is trying to get over his unrequited crush, and after he got drunk he finds himself in Kiri’s bed, he then tricks him into going out with him and sling the way they fall deeply in love! Very wholesome, especially Yoko trying to parent Kiri’s kid.

Takano x Onodera. Soo good! First love to estranged to lovers!! Where they end up working together and Taka is trying to rekindle their romance, this time better and more mature. And Ono is trying to resist but deep down he still loves him and is slowly wing won over.

Yukina x Kisa. Older baby-faced man has a crush on younger extremely popular man. Fascinating dynamic, trying to overcome insecurities, exes and various other difficulties (Sekaiichi Hatsukoi)

Uenoyama x Mafuyu. Super wholesome and emotional, getting past traumas and playing music together.

Akihiko x Haruki. Good chemistry, Haru has a crush with Aki, but doesn’t really act on it, Aki knows and when drunk tries to do it, after sobering up he realises that he doesn’t deserve Haru, but still wants him and wants to be a batter person worthy of him <3

Akihiko x Ugetsu. Yuki x Mafuyu. I loved these as well *sob sob*. Why can’t we have everything? Very slightly unhealthy relationships, but still very beautiful (Given)

Yuki x Momo. From fan to member of his group. He was always there to support him, first as an enthusiastic fan and then as a friend during his darkest moment. Became his equal but still kept trying to help him by trying to look for new opportunities by any means possible (Idolish 7)

Asami x Akihito. Very hot crime boss and hotly cute photographer trying to take pictures that show him guilty. Very kinky, from punishment to care to real love (Finder)

Charles x Rayflo. Vampire slayer vampire x the one who made him one. Seems like they don get along, Cherry’s always insulting Ray, fighting and aggressively feeding from him, but he deeply cares about him, he’s always so gentle and caring afterwards, also he’s super protective, whoever touches Ray better watch out, because he will find you and discover a way to kill you no matter what or how immortal you’re supposed to be. Would do anything to save him and spend more time together with him (Vassalord)

Shiki x Akira. Super hot. Shiki is super controlling and dominating and with him Akira is so submissive (Togainu no Chi)

Noiz x Aoba. My fave <3 Aoba has an ability which allows him to mix his consciousness with other people's through his voice and use it to control them, though he can also destroy them and leave the victims in a comatose-like state. He’s a caring, honest, and open-minded personality, but has a short temper. When he’s distressed, his other personality awakens that desires chaos and destruction, and can be very sadistic and masochistic. Noiz doesn’t feel anything, no touches, pain or temperature changes, causing him to sometimes hurt other, his wealthy parents thought him a disgrace and imprisoned him so he ran away from home. Now he lives indifferently to the world around him, often acting reckless due to his inability to feel pain and turning to a virtual game where he can feel and illusion of sensations. He’s an information broker and a skilled hacker.

Koujaku x Aoba. Childhood friend, compassionate and strong-willed, a bit of a womanizer. Illegitimate son of a yakuza leader, him and his mother to escaped. After getting a special tattoo, he mindlessly killed his family. Despite his dark past and impulses, he retains a positive and gentle personality.

Mink x Aoba. Mink is from a tribe that grew special herbs to give a person them a sense of peace. Because the plant's effect was mistaken as mind manipulation, his tribe was slaughtered and Mink was captured to be experimented on. After he Mink broke out, began plotting his revenge, as a result, Mink hardened and distanced himself from personal attachments. He has a stoic, ruthless, controlling personality, constantly using violence as a means to reach his goal. Despite his rough exterior, he does have integrity and a gentle side he rarely shows.

Clear x Aoba. Clear is an android who loves singing. Always cheerful, polite and kind, he can be childish and eccentric, his antics often cause others be annoyed with him (Dramatical Murder)

Ivan x Giancarlo. My fave <3 Gian is a lucky motherfucker, expert in jailbreak, this time it’s been decided that if he can break out with the other executives, he’ll become the boss of the mafia. Ivan is a foreign executive, always try-hard, wanting to be acknowledged and respected, maybe a little excessive at times.

Giulio x Giancarlo. Really crazy and bloodthirsty fucker x lucky one

Luchino x Giancarlo. Suave heart-breaker with issued and a past and a very interesting personality.

Bernardo x Giancarlo. Childhood friend with trauma and fear of being buried alive (Lucky Dog)

[miraculouscontent]

(non-Miraculous asks)

Assorted

Anonymous asked:

Lmao I don’t like winter either, except for me it’s because in the winter I don’t get to wear cute clothes and I don’t even have a cute jacket to make up for it, much less a jacket/hat/headcuffs/gloves matching set. Even on the rare occasion I do wear a skirt in the winter I have to wear super thick leggings/thermals, although at least there’s legwarmers. I don’t actually dislike winter itself, actually, just that it’s damn near hard to dress stylishly while also warmly during that season.

...You know what, fair.

I don’t like wearing “cute” clothes, but I’ve played character customization games before and tend to adjust my outfit based on the weather and snow leaves like no options--

Cardcaptor Sakura

Anonymous asked:

I've just figured out why you love Cardcaptor Sakura so much! Because it's...SOFT! Honestly, can relate.

S O F T

Anonymous asked:

May I ask why you didn't like the Clear Card arc(I faintly remember you possibly answering this question before so I'm sorry if you did!). I've only watched the regular Cardcaptor Sakura and pretty much the only scene in the Clear Card arc that I can remember is Syaoran confessing to Sakura, which I adored(and would make me tear up if I had a soul.). The opening is sweet, but I remember hearing that it coasts by on everyone's nostalgia. Is that true? Please don't be Sailor Moon Crystal Part II!

Syaoran confesses in the original as well, and then Sakura confesses back in the “Sealed Card” movie.

First things first, they do this weird thing where they take from both the manga and the show, which causes quite a few continuity errors. I haven’t seen the series in a while but I remember a particular issue with the two bears.

Furthermore, the series recycles a ton of past things from the original seasons.

Sakura being kept in the dark? Check.

“Mystery” villain? Check.

Dreams that Sakura barely remembers anyway until it’s convenient for the plot? Check.

Sakura being “at fault” in someway (the first+second season was her being inexperienced, the third being her not being powerful enough)? Check.

Characters know things and then intentionally keep Sakura out of the loop no matter how much it might hurt her. Also, without spoiling aspects of the series, it’s really annoying that the problem Sakura has this time is the exact opposite of the problem she has before, so it’s like oh, so she can’t win then. Fantastic.

Sakura is extremely powerful and yet is kept in the dark while everyone who knows just sort of coddles her. The series ruined a lot of characters for me (they’re still fine in the original) like Touya, Syaoran, and Kero/Yue, all because they keep being vague to keep the already uninteresting mystery stuff a secret.

It’s too the point where I just stop caring about the plot because characters will keep dancing around it, and the big mystery of these “clear cards” doesn’t actually make sense in certain episodes. Again, without spoiling it, the reason doesn’t line up when you go back to past episodes based on the knowledge that Sakura has.

It’s just a very exhausting series and it left me angry and dissatisfied. I put it on the same level as Yashahime in terms of “continuation of a past series but that I become frustrated watching.”

Anonymous asked:

I just found out on Wikipedia that in the Cardcaptors dub of Cardcaptor Sakura, Tomoyo was not only changed to Madison Taylor, but her elegant, polite, and refined speech was changed to VALLEY GIRL lingo! The reason for this was apparently that viewers wouldn’t know what to make of her ladylike-ness and deference to Sakura, which is also why they removed her crush on Sakura in the dub. So the producers think American kids are idiots?! Wow, I mean...I knew the dub was dumb but not THAT dumb.

lol, I saw a few seconds of the dub and was like, “n o p e.”

(I also got another set of asks from this person that I couldn’t really recover because I’m missing multiple pieces from it, but I’ll say that I 100% agree that Syaoran is bi erasure to some degree and people listing him as a “bi antagonist” is just--ugh, and also that people calling him a “simp” simply because he respects Sakura is incredibly annoying. Reminds me of how people treat Luka, because men who respect and adore their love interest are "weak.” Also agree that the show does the gay male relationships way better since Tomoyo’s and Tomoyo’s mother’s feelings are unrequited.)

(I did get this though:)

Anonymous asked:

Hi, yes, I am the same person who wrote about bi erasure in Cardcaptor Sakura! And, yes, I am right, thank you! I was at first worried that you’d disagree or that I’d come off a little too harsh or so but I’m pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t the case and I’m glad you liked the ask! I’m also the same person who talked about Syaoran being called a simp by fans, because how dare you respect girls and not think they have cooties! He’s ten years old, can we not please? The bar for men is in hell!

Nah, you’re absolutely right. I feel like people are so used to the generic male love interest who treats the girl like garbage “bUt haS a hEaRt oF gOlD sEcReTlY” that wholly-respectful love interests get criticized for being “simps.”

other media

Anonymous asked:

I saw that yandere ask and your response and I can't believe you were able to find a way to make yandere simulator wholesome in some way. I would unironically read that fanfic idea

Aww, thank you! I appreciate it!

I’m a huge sucker for happy endings even in the face of very dark concepts.

Anonymous asked:

finally watching svtfoe and i might have only just finished season 1 but i just can not see the appeal of $t@r¢0 like i get that they're the mcs but the whole relationship seems like the type that wouldn't last long term living together

even the l0v3 squ@r3 somehow makes more sense

and that's a low bar to cross

I don’t remember enough of Star VS the Forces of Evil to list specific moments, but I do remember not being invested in Star and Marco as a ship. I was disappointed knowing that they’d inevitably be endgame.

Anonymous asked:

On the TV Tropes Heartwarming page for "My Little Pony: Equestria Girls--Magical Movie Night" it says under General "Twilight Sparkle has been through so much during the Friendship Games and at Camp Everfree, that it's extremely heartwarming to see Human Twilight finally being allowed to be a normal and happy teenage girl playing with her new best friends and not have life constantly finding new ways to torture her." And I was like, "Gosh, do i wish I could say the same thing about Marinette."

True. I’m not crazy about SciTwi but I do want Marinette to get her happy ending.

Anonymous asked:

I watched a video that went over what went wrong with Star vs. that not only showed that shipping was a major factor in the shows demise, but it also showed that the show had a Continuity Coordinator until the episode "Coronation". Guessing Miraculous never even had one to begin with?

Continuity?? In Miraculous?

Nah.

Anonymous asked:

This is coming late but I remember you mentioning Candace before. Did you not like P&F because of how she was treated? Though at least she got her laid-back, supportive, understanding guitar boy. ): Luka and Jeremy would likely get along well. Do you think Candace and Marinette would? Maybe they can help each other out with their stresses. Maybe Marinette can meet Stacy and see what a real best friend is like. ._.

She was part of the reason, yeah. “Doomed to fail” characters just make me feel so bad for them, and then there was that one episode that had the scenario of “what if she managed it” and everything went to hell. It wasn’t “Chat Blanc” bad, but I just didn’t like the implications.

And yeah, I think Candace and Marinette might get along.

Anonymous asked:

How did Princess Tutu end? Because I’ve been meaning to see it for a long while now, as I love Magical Girl and it seems like a “darker” take on the genre done RIGHT, since it’s not about tearing apart this genre made for girls to force the girls to suffer without any empowerment, or punishing girls for having power fantasies with some stereotypical trait applied to all girls tacked on, and it’s also shonen which PROVES that a Magical Girl show aimed at a male audience doesn’t HAVE to be about destroying the feminist basis of the genre in order to stroke their egos(I feel like I’m always repeating this, but it’s the only way I can say it that makes sense to me.). But I think you said somewhere that it has an unhappy ending. As far as I’m concerned, Ahiru went back to being a duck and Fakir swore to always stay by her side anyway, which I think was meant to be happy, although I hate the trend of “Magical Girl has to get rid of her power for love”. But was that the actual ending?

I don’t want to look it up because I’m scared, and I understand if you don’t want to answer this ask because it brings up bad memories and your followers who are currently watching Princess Tutu might not like it, but I really am curious. I still plan on watching it, but I wanna prepare myself for disappointment in case it’s not the brilliant “Dark Magical Girl done right” show that I was hoping for and that everybody else says it is. Then again, everybody says Madoka is good so there’s that.

It’s a sad ending from what I know, so just be warned; what you said I think is how it actually ends.

Anonymous asked:

Out of topic but you're reading "My gently raised beast"? I love that webtoon :D!

Yeah, I’m really liking it so far! I adore how Belinda/Blondina can be such a savage and a little morally gray at times.

Sex/Race Issues

Anonymous asked:

Isn’t it weird how attraction to men is considered feminine regardless of gender?

...I’ve never thought about that. Huh.

Is that related why bi women are usually seen as something “sexy” by men? Because I don’t know a lot about women’s stereotypical reaction to bi men but I imagine it’s not the same.

Anonymous asked:

What are your thoughts on Magical Boy anime(Cute High, Is This a Zombie, Mahou Shoujo Ore!, etc.). I personally do not like it, since the genre has always been about female empowerment and using femininity to fight evil(although there is a good number of gender fluidity in these shows as well, so one could easily say it’s weaponizing girlhood and womanhood, as well as femininity), and telling the not often told story of a female coming-of-age. It was always meant to be something female-dominated to contrast every male-dominated action genre out there ever, which is part of what made it special even if it shouldn’t be. So to see Magical Boys at all is a huge downer, because it shows yet another example of men hijacking a genre or safe space meant for women. Speaking of which, while most Magical Girl shows nowadays are of the grimdark “girls must PERISH for having power and ambitions ‘cuz PATRIARCHY”, most Magical Boy shows are not the type, and are usually lighthearted and fun like Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, Precure, and Tokyo Mew Mew, which sends the message that girls can’t have wants and dreams or try to be powerful while guys can, because anything girls have for themselves that makes them special and empowered will eventually be taken from them and given to guys, who really need it. Somehow. My last problem with it is that these shows are almost always parodies, which creates an unsettling picture of things that empower girls being laughingstocks. Your thoughts?

I’ve never seen any, though it does feel a little weird like - sort of like you said - we’re not allowed to have our own things, y’know?

Like if the boys at the park didn’t allow the girls to play the sports they were playing, so the girls invented their own sport/game, and then the boys steal the idea and start doing it themselves.

Like--they can do it, doesn’t make it feel any less sad.

Anonymous asked:

Hey, remember how you all said that someday people will look back on shows like Miraculous Ladybug and characters like Adrien and Chat Noir with disgust? Well, maybe people will feel that same way about dumb faux deconstructions like Yuki Yuna or Madoka Magica. I think we're on our way to that too as I see more people questioning and despising their fucked-up shit. For example, in 2018 Madoka Magica won the Sisterhood Award in Japan's Sense of Gender, because it supposedly shows relationships between girls in new and original ways that have never been seen before.

Fortunately, the comments were full of people who were upset at this, saying "I have no idea why Madoka Magica is so popular" or "male otaku-aimed anime featuring girls tends to be shitty with developing their bonds with each other and just delve into a cesspool of les-yay baiting" and how other Magical Girl shows aimed at women deserve that award more. Someone else blogged this and stated that if anything, Madoka Magica teaches the lesson that friendships between girls will always end in suffering, one or both parties dying, or catfighting over a man(and dying because if a boy doesn't love you then why keep living?).

And the comments were full of not people dissing her for her views or for "not understanding", but agreement, with one person pointing out how Heartcatch Precure, which just finished airing before Madoka, had more intricate relationships between the Magical Girls, and how every single one of them had a working mother, arcs dealing with their sisters aunts and grandmothers, and had Magical Girlhood be matrilineal(which other shows like Saint Tail, Devil Hunter Yohko, and Sailor Moon also do), which is more than the bog standard token working mom in Madoka when everyone else has dead female family members, if they're not outright living alone.

Or how Hugtto! Precure had the message "you can pursue any career you like; screw gender roles", with the blue girl sticking it to her brother by playing the guitar although he said it wasn't "ladylike" and showing a boy who unashamedly wears dresses. Or how Cardcaptor Sakura has a canon lesbian character(with unrequited feelings, but at least she isn't outright TORTURED by the narrative for having them, and her bond with the female lead is one of the cornerstones of the plot) who also had a working mom and all-female bodyguards, and a canon gay male couple(with none of the uke/seme bullshit). Or how Sailor Moon develops the friendships between girls in a genuine and stabilized way, doesn't punish them for having power, and doesn't have subliminal sexist stereotypical messages about them.

A user on Quora said it best(mildly paraphrased): "This show doesn't treat teenage girls like useless idiots, even if it allows them, occasionally, to behave like useless idiots." And Naoko Takeuchi explicitly said that she wrote Sailor Moon with the intention of showing strong heroines who bond with each other and that "a girl's best friend is another girl".

Meanwhile you have Gen Urobuchi saying that Magical Girls(read: girls with power) are destined to become detached from the world and that they need to be punished for their hubris like they're Al Qaeda(and yes, he used them as an example.), saying he was inspired by porn games as opposed to Faust, and sending messages to girls that they're all over emotional, weak-willed, naive, and destined to be victims of the world just for having dreams and sexualities and power fantasies (aka "hubris"), and how this is the natural order of things(not a critique like other people love to claim).

UranusxNeptune is proclaimed canon by Word of God, HomuMado and Kyosaya are left ambiguous at best. And yet Madoka gets the award over all these shows because it being male-written and male-aimed alone makes it superior to the female-written and female-aimed shows that have been doing this for longer and better(even though it reinforces lots of the misogynistic concepts prevalent in the real world.). It's insane. Even people who LIKE the show were saying that Madoka Magica does not deserve this award, or any credit for being "feminist" or "revolutionary". And I agree with them, even if I don't like the show. It's infuriating. I hate it, and I'm glad that other people hate it, too.

Ah, so we’re making progress at least!

Just... very, extremely slowly.

Anonymous asked:

Hi, I sent that “white man triggered about representation” ask and the missing part was him saying that the reason women and/or minority groups don’t deserve representation is that they haven’t contributed enough to society at large and made no accomplishments in society because they were too busy being an oppressed grain percentage of the population(for minorities at least).

Yeah...he also said some shit about how if media was “realistic”, then there’d only be five minority members in the secondary cast(not even in the main cast; SECONDARY!) and they’d all have five lines between them. Yes, really. And that “blackwashing”(still laughing at that word) is bad because it both makes white people feel “marginalized” and that black people get a bigger idea of their role in society than they actually have, much less deserve, citing that “Everybody looses(sic).” Kinda like how white people have felt for an eternity?

And when I told him that white people only choose to feel marginalized, and that nobody wants to see white male leads and predominantly white/male casts anymore(he kept coming up with excuses for his stories to be about White men, saying that execs kept telling him to make his characters diverse even though everything he makes is apparently sex Ed for teenage boys or park safety that’s somehow aimed at white men because they can’t relate to a black woman) he claimed I was being offensive and tone-deaf just for using brutal honesty, and only responded to the things

(another missing ask?)

Medieval times, because history doesn’t give a damn about teaching us anything about women and/or people of color if it’s not about oppression, slavery, and subjugation. Which he explicitly stated he agrees with, that we learn about Civil rights all the time in school because/but that there isn’t anything else to the culture of those who aren’t white men. He even had the nerve to ask me how represented I thought he was as a white man in this country(how about “TOO DAMN MUCH!”)?

And asked if the representation in media should be proportionate to the percentage and contribution of certain groups of a given population, which is obviously trying to trick me into agreeing with his shitty logic that white men are the only ones who deserve to be represented in media because they’re the only ones who did anything influential and life-changing in the real world.

But by his logic, we should all be represented equally because men AND women from ALL ethnic groups have made contributions to this society. And if he’s shitting about population, then there are actually more people of color in the world than whites, seeing as the term literally means “anyone who isn’t white” and white is one of only so many groups out there, and there are slightly more women in the world than men? So shouldn’t that mean that women of color should be the most represented(I don’t really think that, of course, I’m just showing his hypocrisy.).

I don’t know why he even likes My Little Pony, a female- dominated show, if he thinks shit like this. Why doesn’t he just go watch those male-dominated shows about White people? After all, there are a lot of those to choose from. Ugh. You’re right, I should have blocked him. I can’t stand people who think like this and don’t know why they do so! It’s like those straight white males from the 50s who are all like “those Mexicans/women/gays are taking away everything from us!” This is basically every straw man argument in the book and I fucking hate it.

I have to do a double-take whenever I see the word “blackwashing.”

I don’t know, I just don’t understand this whole thing about white people getting more representation, and the whole thing about secondary casts is dumb. Like, why does “the majority of the world is white” (for example) equal “well I guess we have to make our main cast white” then???

So I guess shows that feature Mexican characters should be white then if it’s made by an American studio? And if the answer they’d give is “no” because “well in THAT case, it makes sense because white people aren’t as prominent there,” then what about fantasy stories where it’s a world not based on any real life locations? Maybe black people are the majority in that world? Is there a problem then (no but for real; fantasy series that inverses everything and the least represented people are represented the most, and straight people barely exist)?

Not only that, but what about personalities? I guess that means that you can’t make a personality for a character anymore; it has to be based on what the majority of people’s personalities are.

Even if they wanted to run on the logic that “we have to follow the percentages the world has,” wouldn’t that mean that black people technically deserve more rep based on all the past films/shows from like--decades ago where black people were basically nonexistent? Sounds like we’re just evening the scale now.

Anonymous asked:

The other terrible thing about guys saying “we included girls in our shows so now it’s your turn; when are you gonna include us?!” is that it’s so sexist and hypocritical not just because the playing field is already non-equal as I said before and you did as well, but because even the demands are not equal. I just noticed it today, and it infuriates me. Women ask for the bare minimum when it comes to being included in(already ubiquitous) male-dominated shows, like they might ask for a girl to be included here and there, but they almost never ask for the main character or even most of the characters to be female.

Like in the Death Note fandom for instance, I hear loads of people complaining(and rightfully so) about the show’s sexism, and one of the most common complaints I hear is that Near or Mello should’ve been a girl; I’ve never heard even one person say that L or even Light should’ve been a girl as well, or even both(or all four); it has to be one or the other. Granted, this might be because they understand the genre is aimed at boys, but it’s more likely that women are expected to not ask for too much for themselves.

Meanwhile with guys it’s the opposite, when they ask to be included in female-dominated shows(which we already don’t have enough of), it’s always a demand to put them front and center, to make them the main characters, sometimes even to remove all the women and replace them with men.

Take the Precure fandom for example, a lot of male fans say they want a male Cure, but they don’t stop there, they say they want a male Cure to be the lead character. There’s even a petition online to get Toei to produce a Precure installment with a male lead Cure. Some go so far as to say they want an all-male team of Cures. Their reason? To show guys that it’s okay for them to be feminine heroes too.

So you see now why I have a problem with men intruding upon a show meant for girls and demanding they be put front and center? And it’s not just Precure either; men in the Sailor Moon fandom think it’s sexist that they make only women able to be Sailor Senshi, and that they treat masculinity as weak just because they herald femininity as strong(ignoring the existence of Makoto and Haruka), that Project MC^2 should have had a male character in the main cast who was just as competent as the girls, that SIX: The Musical should have a version with all kings(even though it’s about the REAL LIFE wives of Henry VIII reclaiming their stories once and for all, like I’m fine with genderbent covers on YouTube, but these men are literally ignoring the cultural impact of misogyny and how it influences these women’s stories, tearing apart a feminist narrative, to make it center around men.), and, most aggravatingly, that MLPFIM is sexist and needs to have a male pony in the mane cast, if not as the de facto mane character.

It’s infuriating how men can’t handle it when things are simply NOT ABOUT THEM. It’s like someone said in response to the male Precure petition I mentioned above: “Let the women have this one.” When will men get over their whataboutery and realize that some things are just NOT ABOUT THEM?! It’s infuriating. I love when men get into “girly” shows, but I’m also worried now because they’re always stomping all over girl-power, female-centered, and feminist works and demanding that they be made male-dominated and put men front-and-center like everything else.

It’s like if you’re a mother and you only let your son have cupcakes after dinner and never your daughter, so she asks for one of her brothers’ cupcakes, not even the biggest, cutest, tastiest cupcake, just any cupcake, even if it’s the smallest one. And then when the daughter finally gets cupcakes after all this time, the brother basically tries to take them all away from her as if he hasn’t been having all the cupcakes this whole time. It’s not FAIR.

Women ask for the bare minimum of female representation in male-driven works; men ask to be given all the spotlight in female-driven ones as if they don’t have enough already, when women actually DON’T have enough already. Yeah, it might be because women realize those stories are still meant for boys, but then guys should realize that these shows are made for girls, or maybe guys should suck it up and allow a show aimed at them to star a girl(plus shows shouldn’t be gender-segregated in the first place.). It feels like women are used to not asking for too much, while guys think they can get whatever they want.

I feel exhausted just reading that, omg. The entitlement on display.

Watching this anon and the above anon at the same time is just a big showcase of over-represented people feeling under-represented because other people asked for a smidge of attention.

Didn’t basically the same thing happen with BLM and feminist movements in general? Entitled white guys were just like, “tHEY JUST WANT SO MUCH ATTENTION. SO SELFISH. U_U”

I s2g, if these same people were flung into an alternate dimension where they got under-represented and discriminated, they’d just break down crying over hOw iGnoReD tHEy aRe.

Anonymous asked:

So, as you know, I’m working on a Magical Girl story and the main character’s best friend who is part of her team basically has a Knight complex where she thinks she has to be a perfect flawless hero who saves everyone and if she can’t then she’s not a good Magical Girl. And she’s developed severe depression  because of it, thinking she’s worthless if she doesn’t live up to her self-imposed standards of a hero, until her friends help her to realize that her worth doesn’t come from being a hero and that she puts herself under too much pressure to fit that perfect, unrealistic, unattainable mold.

And over time, she heals and realizes that not being perfect and always on the lookout for help is okay and that she can find a balance and make mistakes and do things for herself. It doesn’t make her any less of a hero because of it and she still gets to be brave and awesome and kickass alongside the other girls! Showing that it’s okay to be heroic but not to revolve your whole life around it.

Now, if Puella Magi Madoka Magica had done the same thing with Sayaka Miki, showing that it’s okay to be a hero and want to protect your loved ones(or that boy you like) but to not push yourself too far, then I would be totally down for that! It would’ve been MUCH better than the crap we got. But instead we got a girl putting her life on the line and fighting to protect those she cared about and being brutally tormented for it by the narrative, because girls shouldn’t want to protect anyone. ;(

:(

(Congrats on your story though! That sounds really interesting!)

Anonymous asked:

I’m watching a video about the sexualization of Kim Possible and how Sadie Stanley got hate for being a teenage girl playing a teenage girl because she looked her age and then people couldn’t project their mastubatory fantasies on a live-action child character while pretending they’re not ephebophiles...ick. And in the comments someone said that teenage girls have various body types and shouldn’t be sexualized for it.

Then someone asked them how you would design a busty teenage character without fan service or problematic elements(just because of the tail episode or the fact that the cast is nearly entirely female), but also deny any elements of sexism that are actually there by pulling Death of the Author all the time?! Anytime something problematic comes up in the show they just ignore it or say they’ll pretend it doesn’t exist so that they can keep hyping it up as feminist. And it sucks.

Madoka is aimed at adult men. It is a show that tears apart a female-driven power fantasy and makes the girls suffer for their hopes dreams and ambitions for grown men. It explicitly says that the reason this happens to them is BECAUSE they’re ALL overly-emotional, and that if Kyubey didn’t crush their dreams and make them the emotional expendable power sources of the universe, humanity wouldn’t be able to progress. The writers compared them to terrorists and said they didn’t watch a single Magical Girl show and instead based the anime off of porn games.

And while the original anime admittedly wasn’t very obviously fan service heavy, there’s still plenty questionable shots if you notice carefully, such as the camera zooming in on Sayaka’s crotch at the tail end of her transformation, episode 9 having Kyoko’s crotch take up the entire screen as she slomps down to eat, and focusing on Mami’s breasts as they jiggle. And the ongoing focus on other girls’ tits and ass as they transform, not to mention the swimsuit transformations which even have figurines.

The wiki has an entire ARTICLE on Mami’s “mammaries” and describes them as their own character in replacement to Mami, even having a lineup of all five girls in order from least to most busty. And obviously the flatter girls(I think Homura was the flattest) looked ashamed because you have to want to cater to that fetishizing male gaze. There are even eyeroll-worthy pictures of Sayaka and Madoka groping Mami’s breasts while she makes a blushing and wide-mouthed expression, and one of Mami riding a motorcycle in a bikini while smiling at the viewer, showing off her ass. And there’s one where Mami looks pissed because she’s no longer “stacked up top”.

I don’t give a shit what people say about “the show has no male gaze!”. A bunch of grown ass men made torture porn about teenage girls suffering and crying, it’s male gaze in its definition. And if it weren’t, the fandom wouldn’t pick up on it. The Sailor Moon fandom has a joke about Sailor Jupiter’s “talents” but the difference is that the joke is about making fun of the dub’s decision to censor any mention of breasts(aka censoring the female body/sexuality), while keeping in the “boing” sound(they were talking about playing the lead role in Snow White, hence the word “talents”.), so “talents” became a code word for “busts” similar to how “cousins” became a code word for “girlfriends” Oh, and the Sailor Moon wiki doesn’t have a whole page about her breasts themselves that reads like grown men were fapping while writing it.

Plus, the original scene was made for comedy and was about her OWNING her sexuality, rather than it being taken from her and molding her into a sexual commodity like Puella Magi and it’s fandom does to Mami(and let’s face it, the fandom wouldn’t be able to do so if the show didn’t endorce it first.). And let’s not forget that these are not only teenage girls, but LICHES, the show goes on and on about how being a Magical Girl makes them undead zombies and how horrible that is(what an excellent way to tear down a female power fantasy; women gaining power or fulfilling their dreams will make them monsters who ultimately lose their humanity; what hubris!), and yet does crap like this and everybody seems to forget. So it’s either that or they’re necrophiliacs ON TOP OF being ephebophiles. I dunno...I’m just pissed, I see this shit, and I’m pissed. I wasn’t even gonna send any Madoka salt today but then I saw this and I had to get it out to whoever would listen. So thank you for giving me the chance to vent.

Hey, no problem! Glad you could vent to me! Going through all of these sexism-centric asks is so sad, omg.

Anonymous asked:

You know when you really think about it, TV Tropes actually has a lot of nerve making an “Improbably Female Cast” trope when so many films have casts that are improbably male-dominated even when they have absolutely no reason to be and actually shouldn’t be. So many movies have an unrealistically large amount of male characters in a setting where there should be just as many if not more female characters. Crowd scenes tend to be over 60-80% male for virtually no reason, and unless a character is there for romance, to be ogled by the male gaze, to be a STRONG FEMALE CHARACTER LIKE OMG, to be motherly(if not an actual mother, unless it’s the type of story where she gets killed because you can’t have too many women walking around, that would be IMPROBABLE!!!), or any other stereotypical female role, they’re male by default, even when they could’ve been female.

Even non-human or fantasy creatures will have no female creatures in the species for no good reason. What’s the reason for the fucking Minions to all be male? And I mean the in-universe reason, not the “women are too smart to be funny haha I’m so respectful of women” bullshit that Pierre Coffin keeps spoon feeding MRAs that they think women should take as a goddamn compliment. Why are all the rats in Ratatouille male?! Why are all the dogs in Up male? Why are all the giants in the BFG male(there was even an entire scene dedicated to mocking the idea of giant women ever existing; giants are always male, you see.)?

And the worst part about this shit is that even when a species should be predominantly female, the writers will make them all male anyway, or make an animal male when they should be female! Like seriously, it’s like the male writers in charge of this shit don’t care about “realism” in their stories, unless it serves to include women(more on that later). The hyenas in The Lion King are all stupidly male even though hyenas in the real world are matriarchal and the males among them are pathetic weaklings who don’t do—and can’t do—shit. In The Bee Movie the major bees are all male despite bees being a female-dominated species where the males are literally just drones. In Finding Nemo either Marvin or Nemo should’ve changed to female to mate, but ah, then we’d have to write a female character. And she’s a fish who can’t be sexualized so what are we and the straight men watching this going to do? In Frozen Sven should’ve been female because female reindeer grow their antlers in the winter rather than the summer. In Barnyard the cow should’ve been female for obvious reasons. Where’s the Improbably Male Animal trope?

Where’s the Improvably Male Species trope? There is none because TV Tropes sees men as able to encompass a wide variety of roles, while women are seen as in the wrong the second they step out of line or take center stage. And when they do have women it’s often to have them spout some crap about sexism as a testament to equality, which is ultimately just an excuse to let your films stay male-dominated while pretending to pay homage to feminism.

And also because women must be endlessly hopelessly oppressed of course, and their gender must be their all-consuming identity. Why did Scarlett Overkill from the Minions have to be the first female supervillain in a fictional universe where yellow mad scientist aliens exist? Why did Colette from Ratatouille have to be the only female chef in her kitchen when a rat can cook and nobody questions it? Easy, because it’s a cheap way to keep your female characters in the minority. These male writers are using sexism as a gimmick to keep female characters contained.

These stories are never centered AROUND the female character and her push to be taken seriously in such a male-dominated field, nor do they push for more women to be encouraged to pursue such fields; they’re merely the Cool Girl who can hang with the boys, and the ONLY girl at that, meanwhile the justification for this is that “that’s just how it is” even though it’s a fantasy world where gender norms and sexism could simply not exist and it could just be taken for granted that girls can do things, instead of little girls who watch these movies always have to see that they’re automatically lesser than the boys around them just for being girls.

But when animals that should be female are male? Nobody questions it because “it’s just a movie, don’t take it too seriously!” It’s not about realism; it’s about excluding women and having as little of them as possible, then revolving their character around their gender and oppression so you can get applauded for being feminist(while still being allowed to make male-dominated movies) when you really just did the bare minimum. What if a movie came out with a female-dominated cast, had animals be female when they’re male in real life, and crowd scenes were pretty much 76% women? What if, in said movie, a male character showed up and instantly went on a rant on how whatever female-dominated job he’s in that the story focuses on goes out of its way to exclude men, or how he was discouraged from pursuing the job because he’s a man?

However, the main character is still female, and he’s just her hot, sexy accessory—oops, I mean boyfriend! A man in a sea of women. People would talk. What if most movies were like this? That would be insane, wouldn’t it? Then why isn’t this seen as equally implausible. I mean, just look at the tropes made on the rare occasion that they DO do something right. The discussion section will be full of men saying it’s wrong. Just look at the discussion section for Most Writers Are Male, which claims it’s sexist to recognize that media frequently underrepresents women because “sometimes the guy making the show doesn’t have any female friends to star in it!”, or the one for Missing White Woman Syndrome, which is full of white supremacists saying that nobody sees black girls as less worthy to be searched for than white girls, and that this trope is racist for saying that white girls who go missing don’t deserve to be looked for or found. So of course they’re gonna play it safe and criticize and invalidate women for daring to want to make themselves seen, because it’s too much of a risk to upset the status quo. Or else you’ll be attacked by people’s whataboutery. Damn, I hate it here.

All of this!!

May I also throw in stuff like Pokemon, where Pokemon like the Machop line can be female and don’t even look different?? Also that reveal where they showed that there were plans to make female forms for Pokemon like Psyduck and Charizard and Ariados and then were like ehhhhhhhh--

Anonymous asked:

Hi, so remember when you said in response to that Improbably Female Cast ask that people would be absolutely crucified for saying that a show has “too many pocs”, well, it turns out that TV Tropes does have a trope for that as well: Black Vikings. Like, that’s literally what it’s called, Black. Vikings. You don’t need to be black or a Viking to qualify for the trope, all you need to be is a person of color where you don’t “belong”. Somebody even pointed out that this trope is racist.

:|

I’m--

-_-

Anonymous asked:

I was just watching a video called “The Curse of Minky Momo: Anime’s Unluckiest Magical Girl”(for those who are curious, she basically gets run over by a truck at the end of the story, don’t you just love the 80s?! 🤦🏾‍♀️), and I was liking it until the part where the guy in the video(because of course it was a guy.) was talking about the plot and said “it’s a Magical Girl show, they’re not exactly known for their story.” and I just stopped watching the video after that. A guy condemns female-driven and centered power fantasies and wish-fulfillment, that show traits seen as “for girls” as a GOOD THING, and allows men to take inspiration from them by handling Theo problems in a “feminine” way, hence getting over their toxic masculinity and showing boys that it’s okay for them to support girls and have female role models, that show girls heroes who are girls, fighting together, befriending and empowering each other even if they like the same guy, saving/carrying dudes, and having power-centered things are looked down upon while female ones are praised.

I will fight them because no, it’s the fucking other way around. No one says “it’s a superhero story, it’s supposed to be bad” or “it’s an action flick, it’s not known for its quality content” or “it’s a buddy flick so you can’t exactly expect it to be good if you know what I mean!” People only say this shit about Magical Girl, about Princess movies, about chick flicks, about Barbie, about shojo, about anything female-oriented.

Granted, much of the stuff I said about why Magical Girl is awesome and inspiring to girls is taken from Precure, Cardcaptor Sakura, and of course Sailor Moon, and I haven’t actually watched Minky Momo and am not very familiar with pre-90s shows. So for all I know, perhaps Minky Momo did NOT have a good, structured story. Maybe Magical Girl shows at the time really were badly-written. But that’s different than lumping an ENTIRE freaking genre under the “badly-written shit” umbrella just for the vile sin of being...GASP! By, for, and about girls!

However bad Minky Momo was, it canNOT be bad simply because it’s a Magical Girl show, and suggesting otherwise is sexist. The only Magical Girl show I can think of that I dissed on first sight was LoliRock, and that was mainly because I was already well-versed enough in Magical Girl to see every trend and cliche repeated beat-by-beat. I thought it was bland and added nothing to the genre, that the stick-thin figures and lack of body diversity made them look like Barbie dolls(though I’m kinda right on that one.), that the lead Girl was still white, fair-skinned and blonde with long hair and blue eyes, that the songs were too auto tuned(which they are but they’re still pretty lit.), how cliche it was that they were princesses from a magical land, and that it took too much from Sailor Moon, Precure, and WITCH.

But NEVER because “yuck it’s Magical Girl it’s too girly and not enough men ew”. And I was still able to recognize its merits. My point is, a girl who is well-versed in Magical Girl and aware of its trends and generally loving the genre and taking empowerment from it(especially when she is MEANT to take empowerment from it) pointing at one show in the genre and saying “I don’t like this one, I’ve seen it all before” is ENTIRELY different from an outsider guy who the genre isn’t even meant for saying the entire genre is bad and incapable of good storytelling unless it’s willing to amp up the suffering and angst for him.

And the worst part is? None of the commenters said anything about that blatantly sexist line. No one condemned the guy in the video for basically insinuating that girls’ shows can’t ever be good “because, you know, Girl”. Although I will admit that I was sickened and didn’t read far much, and even if someone did say it, the response was probably “well I mean he’s not right except for Madoka”. So glad I didn’t watch that motherfucker. And for the record, I actually ended up loving LoliRock!

In a perfect world, you would’ve seen the top comment of, “dude, not cool, don’t stereotype all Magical Girl anime as not having good stories”

Heck, even from beyond the sexism thing, I just don’t like generalizing like that?? It feels so... wrong? Not only that, but being like, “meh, it’s a Magical Girl anime so my standards for the story was already low”??? It feels like that, anyway.

Anonymous asked:

Yeah the whole “white femininity overshadows Black femininity” thing is a really common racist notion in society and sadly bleeds into our media as well, even children’s media. Think of how Tiana from The Princess and the Frog is forced to be a “hardworking oppressed black woman” whose story takes place in New Orleans during segregation, while none of the other Disney Princess movies’ stories demand that their character be oppressed for their race(gender, yes, sometimes, but never race) and get Disney literally couldn’t expand their horizons enough to even think of making a Black-led Disney Princess movie that wasn’t shrouded in racism and hardships, as if Black people are defined by their race.

Now that I think about it, as a little girl, I remember liking Tiana but also thinking that she wasn’t a “real” Princess because we never saw her with a pretty castle and she barely got to wear her dress for long. Instead they put her to work. And on top of that is the fact that they purposely discussion. The point here is that Rapunzel’s white femininity is designed to overshadow Tiana’s Black femininity. The fact that the first and only Black Disney Princess is a frog for most of her movie and constantly has her hair tied back(unlike literally any of the others) is succeeded immediately by a blonde white girl who dances, bakes, paints, and twirls around in a purple dress with flowers in her hair, long luminous blonde hair that is rubbed in our faces, is not a coincidence.

An article I read stated that Rapunzel came on the heels of Tiana to reset the status quo, so that Disney could redirect back to what femininity and Princesshood REALLY means. And I agree with them! It’s like Disney created Tiana and went “good, now we finally got creating a Black Disney Princess out of the way, now let’s go back to designing a REAL Princess, by which we mean white, blonde, green-eyed, and our ideal representation of femininity. Phew, that’s better.”. And this isn’t an attack on Rapunzel! I actually really like her and her movie. She, Tiana, and Merida are actually tied for my favorite Disney Princesses. But that doesn’t mean she’s perfect. And while it’s obviously not her fault nor is it something she consciously does, her character design and concept is designed around white femininity, and when she comes directly on the heels of Tiana, it’s also designed around eradicating Black femininity. Could you even imagine how revolutionary it would be if Rapunzel were Black? It would

(missing ask?)

little White girls already get to see and be every single day in this society. But no, you can only have one Black girl represented one way, while white girls can be whatever they like. I know that Merida was tomboyish but it just reinforces this notion further as there are already so many white Disney Princesses. It just feels as if white girls don’t risk losing their white femininity even when portrayed as masculine. As if even the most masculine white girl is more feminine than the most

(missing ask?)

Honestly, reading this clears up so much I’ve always wondered about... idk what you’d call it. Black-targeted media? Black characters in media in general maybe?

I did notice the way they were often written but I didn’t know if that was just that black people had such different experiences that they had a “culture” of sorts that writing falls into automatically, or if they preferred to be written that way (I know I say it like it’s a hivemind and I swear that’s not my intent jfkdgjfg; basically what I’m saying is that I was always confused because it felt like white people could be written in any role even if they didn’t fit it whereas black people fell into a category).

I guess the way I can compare it is how LGB people often fall into the trope in media of “WE HAVE TO TACKLE THE STRUGGLES THEY FACE DATING SOMEONE OF THE SAME SEX” instead of just telling a normal story.

So hearing the whole thing about black princesses makes so much more sense.

[yutahoes]

Sakura

(Part Seven)

One - Two - Three - Four - Five - Six - Seven

genre : Chaptered, Fluff, 

pairing : childhood friends: soccer player! Nakamoto Yuta x single mom! Y/N

word count : 3.3k words

You’ll always be his Sakura.

@ailoveyuta @loona-4-eva @aiforyuu @2-3-t-i @cosmiclatte28 @url-lindo-sexy @nuoyipeach​ @aaasteroidsky​ @thisis-myname @yutazen01​​​

Her smile that time in Osaka is still imprinted in Yuta’s mind that it haunts him even in his dreams. It was winter in their last year of their teens when Yuta begged Y/N’s mom if she could spend the holidays in Osaka with his family. Of course, his parents were also behind this and promised that they’ll take care of Y/N. And even if he’s just remembering it now, he still can’t believe that her mom actually allowed her to go to another country. 

His parents quickly greeted her when she came to the airport, asking if she had trouble during the flight but she smiled at them answering them in fluent Japanese that made him proud. She seemed so natural talking to them, even calling them okaasan and otousan like they’re one family. “Yuta!” she called excitedly, arms wide open to hug him which he accepted. His parents were just smiling at him knowingly. “Bogoshipda.” 

Who wouldn’t? The last time he saw her was the day she left for Chicago. No, the day before that. Although he and his mom sent them off, he refused to look at her that time. "I missed you too." He whispered that made her smile widely. Something changed about her. Is it because they never saw each other for years? Or because his memory of her is stuck in the last time they were together? Is it because they already grew up? Maybe it's because of Chicago.

His family had been welcoming to her and they were equally amazed that Y/N can understand and speak Japanese. Since it's just days before New Year, their house is full of people but they made her feel like she is a part of the family. "You should bring her to Osaka Castle." One of his aunts claimed that made Yuta nod. 

"Why not bring her to Universal Studios?" Another asked and Y/N just nodded, looking excited. Yuta put his phone on top of the table. "Otousan, can you drive us to Hirakata Park tomorrow?" He asked which made everyone look at him.

Y/N was so surprised seeing a Cardcaptor Sakura exhibition that she squealed in excitement at the entrance making Yuta smile. This feels like the Y/N he knows. They kept on looking at the different artworks related to the anime she liked since she was young, even staying too long at some merchandise. "Should I buy that? Sakura is really cute." 

Yuta chuckled. "You can't even eat that." That made her glare at him, pouting. But Yuta remembered that merchandise, even telling himself that he’ll save up to buy that for her birthday. 

She was really happy to eat in a café that is inspired by the same anime. She kept on taking pictures saying that she'll show them to her mom. "I knew you'll love it here." 

"Can I just live here?" 

He laughed once again. "You can ask my parents to adopt you." 

Y/N wrapped her arms on Yuta's arm that made him freeze. What's with the sudden skinship? "Shall I call you oniichan?" 

He smiled at her then frowned. "No." 

It was almost nighttime when they reached Dohtonbori. Tons of pictures were taken and she kept on running around, claiming that everything in Japan is pretty. "It's prettier when there are cherry blossoms. You should go back in spring." But honestly, he just wanted her to stay here until Spring. Or maybe for a long time. 

Should he ask his parents to adopt her? But he doesn't want him to call her imouto. 

The lights illuminating the whole area looked magical. Why does he like it more today than when he's out here with his parents? Why does the light look more lovely today? The cold breeze made him pull his oversized coat closer. Why is it so cold? Glancing at her, he realized that she may be cold as well. Does Chicago have a cold season like this? 

Knowing that she's focused on looking at those little trinkets by the store, he went to another store to buy something. Her mom will kill him if she gets sick in this weather. Besides, it's going to be busier this time of the year. "Y/N." He called that made her look at him. He put on a white scarf around her neck, wrapping it nicely on her. "My Christmas gift." 

She had to laugh at that, raising a snow globe. "And I was thinking of buying one for you." She turned her attention to the different snow globes on the shelf. "You should pick one, Yuta." 

But he never looked at the snow globes. Instead, his focus was on her. The lights illuminate her, creating a picturesque background. The white snow falling gently on her, adding to the effect. He badly wanted to imprint that image in his mind. When did she become this pretty? When she turned to him, he lightly gasped. Why did he feel hot all of a sudden? Why can he hear his heart beating on his chest? 

Y/N shook the snow globe with the Osaka castle inside then handed it to him. "I'll get you this, onii chan." It annoyed him. Why does she like using that word? 

The whole week was full of preparations for the New Year and his relatives had supplied her with the rituals they must do. She helped in making mochi with his grandmother who seemed so fond of her. Even his grandfather, who is usually a scary man, smiles a lot because of her. She really fit well in his family. But not as his sister. 

When the clock struck midnight, he realized what it was. She was playing some sparklers with his cousins, laughing along with them. Her eyes twinkling the same way they did when she was staring at those snow globes. Taeyong was right all along. He is in love with her. 

Kareshi. It's a better term than oniisan. Something that he wanted her to call him right now. "Y/N, I…" But a ringtone stopped his words, someone was calling. "It must be your mom, you should pick up." The girl nodded, handing her sparkler to Yuta before heading inside the house. 

God, what is wrong with him? Is he really going to confess to her? He must be out of his mind. Yuta just finished the stick of sparkler before heading inside to check on her. She was seated on the couch, smiling on her phone. "They are all so nice to me, eomma." She then smiled when she noticed Yuta. "We're going to the temple tomorrow with obaasan." Hatsumonde. It's a Japanese ritual that they had done since he was young and since she's here, his grandmother wanted her to experience visiting a shrine. "You want to talk to Yuta?" 

The guy just shook his head, sitting next to her, but she pushed the phone to her which he reluctantly answered. "Eommeoni, annyeong." She sounded so happy talking to him on the phone but again his focus was on the door next to him who was playing the kendama, a Japanese ball and cup toy. "Please take care of Y/N." And even if she doesn't say those words, he knows he'll take care of her. 

When she dropped the call, Yuta saw her phone wallpaper. A guy playing basketball. It looks like a photo taken. Is she dating someone? Did she mention anything about a guy in her letters? Is that why she's prettier? Is she in love?

The question was answered when they visited the shrine the next day. She is indeed prettier especially when she wore a kimono that his cousin let her borrow, little trinkets adored her hair. She looked like a native Japanese. A yome. But he shook his head. He can't be thinking of that. 

They were getting their omikuji, him and her with another set of female and male cousins that are older than the two of them. When Y/N pulled her paper strip, his female cousin shook her head. "You'll probably get pregnant this year." She claimed that startled her. "Are you dating someone?" Y/N nodded. 

"You two are already dating?" His male cousin asked, referring to her and Yuta. She shook her head saying that he's a schoolmate from Chicago. So he's really seeing the guy on her phone wallpaper. When Yuta opened his paper strip, his cousin just tapped his back. "You should have confessed earlier." But he just stared at the bad luck written on his paper. 

His second regret. Why did it take a long time for him to realize these feelings? 

It was Yuta's Summer Break when his parents gave him the airplane tickets to Chicago that surprised him. They had talked to Y/N and her mom that he's visiting. And although he doesn't want to go there, he was forced by his family. "You should at least tell her that you like her. Maybe it can change something." 

The city was different and he felt really foreign, different than when he first came to Korea. "Yuta!" Y/N called, running to where he is and quickly hugging him. What is this girl doing? In front of all these people? "I skipped class to pick you up. Why can't you hug me?" He raised an eyebrow at her. Why is she so bold? Chicago is indeed different. Yeokshi Chicago. 

He jokingly crushed her on his arms but she didn't laugh, which is odd. He felt her breathing on his neck, hot and hard. "I missed you, Yuta." It felt different. Maybe because they're in Chicago. He didn't pay that much attention to that especially when she introduced a guy named Johnny Seo. The person on her wallpaper. The guy she's dating. 

Johnny is a really nice guy. He showed him what Chicago is while waiting for her to finish her classes. He made an effort to talk to him in Korean or English, sometimes in Japanese that he heard from her. He shared stories about her, the Y/N Yuta doesn't personally know. He knew what to order for her in coffee shops, even at restaurants. He speaks to her calmly, staring at her as if she's the only person who mattered in the world. And he knew, she's in the right place with Johnny. 

It was Saturday when Johnny and Y/N brought him to The Bean. The weather was hot and there were a lot of people because of the weekend but Yuta didn't care. "You haven't been to Chicago if you didn’t visit this place." Johnny claimed that made the girl nod. They took tons of pictures, Y/N teasing that he needed to show it to his cousins. 

Johnny offered to get them coffee, leaving the two of them in the park while still taking pictures. "Johnny is pretty nice." Yuta started that made her smile, nodding at him. "You never mentioned him in your letters." 

"I don't know what to tell you." She answered quietly. "But I like him. So much." He wanted to stop her that moment, wanted her to not continue what she's saying or it will just hurt him. "He helped me a lot to quickly adapt here." 

A bitter smile escaped his lips. The same way she helped him back in Korea. How dare she fall in love with another guy that way? But when Johnny came with their coffees at hand, he saw the twinkle in her eyes. The twinkle that made his heart flutter. She really does love Johnny. And who is he to take that twinkle away? Who is he to tell her what she can and can't do? He's just her friend. A very dear friend. 

He drank his coffee watching as how the taller guy fixed her hair, smiling at her with a lot of love in his eyes. Bittersweet. That was what it was. It's hurtful yet romantic. And he can't believe that he will always remember Chicago with those feelings. Yeoksi Chicago. 

Johnny loves Y/N. He's sure of that. And he honestly doesn't want to believe that it didn't work well with them. What really happened? Did she give up? Or is he the one who gave up? That was the question in his mind seeing Johnny in front of the two kids' school. He can still remember him but does Johnny even remember him? 

Yuta can see the two kids going outside the gates and honestly, he was scared that they'll run to their dad. He shouldn't have come here today. Why did he even come here? "Daddy!" He heard Jae call running to his dad. Of course, he must have missed him so much that the younger guy even called him 'appa' last time. But he noticed Cherry stopping on her tracks. 

She noticed him but he only smiled at her, planning to just go. He was about to enter his car when he heard the younger girl say, "Can I hang out with Yuta samchon?" That was when Johnny noticed him, Jae even waved at him excitedly. "He promised me that we'll go back to the library when he gets back from Spain." He did promise her. But her dad is here. Isn't she excited to see him again? 

"Is it alright if Cherry goes with you?" Yuta nodded. He wanted to hang out with them anyways. "I'll just tell Y/N." Cherry just walked chicly to him, her eyes as dark as when he first met her. Why is she like this? Does she not like Johnny? Jae told Yuta that he wanted to hang out with his dad, even telling him to take care of his noona that he found so adorable. 

Yuta bid farewell to the father-son, opening the backseat door for the younger girl. Cherry was just looking at her shoes when Yuta entered the car, starting the engine to drive her to the library she loved. "Samchon…" she called which made him look at her from the mirror of the car, humming as a response. "Can you buy me a cake today?" 

It was a request he can't say no. This was the first time that Cherry asked him for something and he's somehow glad that it is just a simple thing. He parked in front of a pretty café, helping her get down from the car, and even opened the door for her. "You can order whatever you want." He urged, eyeing all the selections of different flavored cakes. 

The girl pointed at a white cake with red cherries on top, making Yuta smile. A cherry cake. "Can you buy me the whole cake?" The guy just nodded. It's not bad to spoil her once in a while. He told the girl on the counter their order, handing him his card when she made another request, "Do you have candles?" Candles? Is it her birthday? Is that why Johnny is here in Korea? 

He let the younger girl put candles in between the cherries of her cake. "Is it your birthday today?" He asked and she nodded casually that startled him. Why are they together? She should be with her parents. "Don't you want to share the cake with your brother?" 

Cherry shook her head. "I always share everything with him. He and eomma never liked cherries anyways." He pursed his lips at that, she does hate cherries. Ironically, she named her firstborn with something that she didn't like. "And dad hates cherry." She was staring at the cake while saying those words in a hushed tone. Is she referring to the fruit or another thing? "Can you light it up, samchon?" Her eyes were moist, sparkling against the light, like she wanted to cry. 

He held the top of her head, smiling. "Wait up. I'll just go get something." He said then stood up. "Stay here and wait for me. I won't be long." But she only stared at him in worry. Yuta handed her his phone, promising that he'll be back quickly. He crossed the street to get her some flowers then cursed himself for not knowing what color she wanted. Does she even like flowers? 

To be safe, he followed the florist's advice in getting a white rose for 'his daughter'. There was a new expression on Cherry's face when he handed her the single white flower, an emotion he hasn't seen from her before. "Girls should receive at least a flower on their birthday." He reasoned out then lit up all the candles on the cake. She whispered something on herself as a wish before blowing the candles one at a time. 

Yuta took away the candles then started slicing the cake. He placed one slice on Cherry's plate, even topping it with cherries on top. It was the younger girl who gave him his slice of the vanilla cake. "Do you want to do anything else? Ice skating?" 

"Can we just go ice skating with eomma and Jae some time?" He nodded. She always thinks about them. "I'll just finish the book in the library today." 

It is her birthday yet she's silently reading a suspense book while seated on a bean couch. Yuta just bought her some snacks and got a book to read so he wouldn't get bored. He would smile at her little gasps and remembered how Y/N would be like that while reading manga. Cherry is indeed a splitting image of her. It's crazy. 

"Samchon," Cherry called, closing the hardbound book she was reading earlier. Is she done? That fast? "When you were young, what do you want to be when you grow up?" 

He chuckled at that question. She is still a kid. "I want to be a soccer player." 

"How about mom?" 

Yuta glanced at her. "She wanted to be an illustrator." He remembered how good her drawings are and even pursue that passion until her college years. "But you know, your mom suddenly wrote to me one day and said that she wanted to be a mom." 

"Can dreams change?" Cherry asked innocently. There's a certain air of maturity in the little girl that Yuta always forgets that she's just a kid. Now, she looks like a little girl who wonders about life. 

Yuta nodded at the question. "What do you want to be when you grow up, Cherry?" 

"A detective." That's a nice dream. Maybe that's why she likes reading all these Agatha Christie books. "When I become a detective, I will help children find their dads." That sparked his curiosity. What? "I wanted to find my dad." 

"Johnny is your dad." 

"He's not." She exclaimed which made Yuta wide-eyed. "Eomma got pregnant with me even before she married dad. She had Jae because she wanted to save her and dad's marriage." That was some wild accusations from a child. 

Yet, it seemed rather logical. 

It was a mystery to him why Johnny and Y/N broke up when he saw how much they liked each other. They had two children, isn't that enough reason to stay together? He remembered all the conversations with Cherry about her dad, how sad her reaction is, and how quiet her voice is when talking about him. The image of the younger girl who looked awkward seeing her dad flashed on his mind. She's wary of him. Not scared, not angry. She just doesn't look like someone who knew what she should do with her dad. She looked like she doesn't belong. 

But then again, maybe it's just her. 

Maybe he can help her. He can probably prove that Johnny is her dad. "Cherry, how old are you?" 

"Eight." 

'Seven years, turning eight' He can hear Y/N's voice in his mind saying those words. The same age as Cherry. The last time they saw each other was eight years. In Chicago. After that night. 

"Samchon, do you know who my real dad is?" 

Yuta gulped. He probably knows. 

Fuck, he might just be Cherry's dad. 

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Eight

[mikkeneko]

Got tagged by @veliseraptor for a writing meme!

How many works do you have on AO3? What’s your total AO3 word count?

193 works over 10 fandoms;  2,591,823 words.

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

I would count 10 real ones. Dragon Age; Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle; Critical Role; Marvel Cinematic Universe; The Untamed; The Witcher; Cardcaptor Sakura; Fullmetal Alchemist; Gundam Wing; Weiss Kreuz. Some of these pre-date the existence of AO3, and some of them are better off that way.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

A Villain State of Mind; Cover Up the Sun; Laughing As I Pray; I do solemnly swear; The Morning After.  All Loki fandom fics. Not too surprising as that was the most mainstream fandom I wrote for, and they’ve been around for a while now, lots of time to accumulate stats.

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I do! I have a somewhat complex set of criteria for when I respond and how. 

I will respond to all  comments left on works in my current/active fandom except  for: comments consisting entirely of emojis (mainly because I have no idea what to say to that) comments consisting of single words (same) or comments that seem to be about something other than my fic entirely or focus entirely on negativity (i.e., the commentor is using this box as a space to rant about how much they hate a character, the show, or another author/trope.)

I will usually but not always respond to comments on my next-to-last fandom. On older fandoms I will respond only  to especially long or thoughtful comments, or ones that specifically ask a question that I can answer.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

That would have to be Rise From Ash,  the Loki timeloop fic I wrote in MCU. Since it was intended to lead into Avengers, it naturally had a downer ending since we know how Avengers went for Loki; but the story also ended with him having a major mental health break and resolving to kill himself in order to end the timeloop, so, uh, that was pretty unhappy.

Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I think that the Never Gonna Tell A Lie series has to qualify for this one by default; two fics of the “characters from wildly different series meet in a bar” format, spanning seven different franchises.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Occasionally. I can’t answer in a lot of detail because I make a conscious policy of thinking about these comments as little as possible, so I tend to forget the details. Off the top of my head I know I received a few comments on my MCU fics of people complaining that the fic was nothing more than a Thor-bashing exercise (it wasn’t intended as such, but you can’t control how the audience will receive, I guess.) And then there was the whole infamous “ableist torture porn of a mentally ill man” episode.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I can recall. It may have happened that I just don’t know about.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Have you ever had a fic translated?

A fair amount! Sometimes people will leave a comment asking permission to translate. I have always granted it. Sometimes they go through with the translation and sometimes not.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! In Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle I co-wrote a couple fics with @faux-fires which were a lot of fun. (Which... doesn’t seem to be on AO3, huh. But Not Quite Paradise  is still on ff.net.)  And more recently @cerusee and I have been trading scenes back and forth for each other’s stories.

What’s your all time favorite ship?

I don’t know if I have just one. Maybe Kurogane/Fai. They really manage to straddle all my favorite ship dynamics.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Both of my WIPs in Critical Role fandom, Molly’s Moving Castle and Fjord Mustang’s YEEHAW! Fun and Pony Ranch,  are at this point probably never going to be finished. Partly because of Characterization Marches On; the characters that I thought they were when I started writing were not the characters they ended up being in canon. But mostly just because I’m no longer really in the fandom. 

Wonder if it’s worth closing out the WIPs on AO3 with final chapters describing how the fic would have ended?

What are your writing strengths?

I can do humor, I can do horror, I can do heartbreak. I can write a complex outline and stick to it, I have a fair amount of discipline and perseverance. People occasionally compliment my character voice, so I’d say that’s decent. I can spin up a plot for just about any situation. I love  adapting canon to AU. My dialogue is pretty punchy and my action sequences are adequate.

What are your writing weaknesses?

I’m really bad at writing OCs, as I admit to every darn time this comes up. I’ve also recently realized that I have a strong tendency to avoid writing about characters I don’t like, on several fronts.

The first way that manifests is that if there’s a main/good guy character who the fandom likes and I dislike, I will avoid writing about them whenever possible. I don’t do character bashing. (Which means that if I am  writing about a protagonist character, even if they’re being a jerk and the narrative is whacking them for it, that doesn’t mean I hate the character. It just means that the story requires that they get a good whacking, Thor.)

But the second way this manifests is that I will often just... avoid writing about the bad guys, if they’re unpleasant and I dislike them. Which in shorter things is fine! We’re here to read about the characters we like.  But in longer or more plotful things, that means that all of the villain’s bad things happen off screen  if they happen at all, so the audience doesn’t get a chance to really build up anger against them, so their eventual downfall is less satisfying.

I’m also weaker at writing romance than I would like, I’d say. If it’s a story that has a plot, the romance will frequently get shoved in around the corners or at the last minute. If it’s a story that’s supposed to be about romance, the characters will usually sidetrack into having philosophical discussions about moral relativity when they’re supposed to be flirting.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I’m not sure I understand the question. I don’t think this has ever come up in my fic. I do not speak any other languages fluently enough to have ever tried to write any part of my fics, dialogue or otherwise, in a language other than english. Is this asking my thoughts on other  people doing that? Sure, why not?

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

That would have been Gundam Wing! Gosh, it’s been so long that I barely remember what  that first fic was. But the biggest thing I wrote for that fandom was a ghost story on a space station, which was not very good, objectively, but I look back on it and think it had some seeds of a pretty cool horror/psychological drama going there. 

Was Duo Maxwell really  haunting the space station? Or was Heero Yuy just going mad with grief? Who can say.

Tagging! Well, Lise tagged me, so she’s out. How about... @hollyand-writes (if you have the time to spare,) @curiosity-killed, @thethirdamell, @plotdesigner, and @cerusee ?

[godbirdart]

Hey I follow you on twitter!!! YOUR ART IS HELLA GORGEOUS AND IM HELLA JEALOUS!! I have a few questions for you if you don't mind :) 1. how old were you when you started gettin into art and 2. any tips for someone like me to be better at creating characters and getting better at digital art and just in general?

aAAA tHANK YOU!!!!! i’m sorry this reply is 3000 years late!!!

I’ve literally been always drawing. Like, ever since I could remember, I’ve been drawing and creating OCs and generally just vibin off in my own little world. [so easily a couple decades of just doodling]

with creating characters, especially when you’re just getting into the swing of it, you gotta let your creative brain derive influence from existing media. loads of artists feel compelled to be 110% original right out the gate, and this actually does more to hinder their creative flow since they won’t let themselves experiment and take inspiration from existing ideas. it’s not BAD to want to be original, just don’t ever make that your primary focus when designing.

take when I first started character design for example [if i could really call it that, i was just making OCs for shits and giggles at that age] I was particularly influenced by two primary things.101 Dalmatians, because that was my childhood obsession, and Cardcaptor Sakura

The result? a spotless Dalmatian OC named Saraberos. Here she is:

while spotless Dalmatians had been “done” and that big jewel around her neck [as well as her name] was Very reminiscent of Keroberos, she ended up her own adequately unique thing!! You just gotta take what you love, mash it all together and apply it in a fun new way!

The same can be said about getting better at digital art!

Regardless whether its digital or traditional, getting better at art is something all artists strive for; but in trying to outdo our previous pieces we tend to forget that art is not a race.

A few key things I’ve personally helpful to remember while bettering myself:

watching/referring to tutorials is not cheating

using references is not cheating

other artists are your friends, not your competition

let yourself draw bad

every drawing you make, completed or not, is another little itty bit of experience towards your art goal[s]

it’s okay to play with art styles that aren’t yours, just don’t trace/plagiarize someone else’s work

always sign and/or watermark your work

never ever EVER value your art based on how much interaction it gets on social media. you’re still building your platform and bettering your skill. give it time and both will grow.

there will ALWAYS be artists younger and more talented than you; try not to take this to heart. they have access to art resources you yourself probably didn’t at their age. [tablets didn’t exist when I started, that’s for sure]

If you want to get better with digital art specifically, watch tutorials on Youtube! Ask artists about what brushes and programs they use! I personally use Clip Studio Paint for all my work. It regularly goes on sale, and unlike Photoshop [which I do not recommend ANYONE to use, don’t do it, do not give Adobe your money] you only need to pay for the program once. Clip Studio also boasts a huge catalog of art resources created by other artists that you can download and use to your heart’s content. Sometimes you have to pay for things, but you can usually find really really good brushes for free. Clip Studio should really give me money for how much I boast about their software to everyone fkljgld

Also, don’t be afraid to draw inspiration from your artist peers. If you see someone drawing something that makes you nod your head and say “huh, I wanna draw like that”, then do it! Do art studies! Experiment! Draw good! Draw bad! The world ends at your horizons, so don’t be afraid to grasp your pen and create!!

[ae0nx]

FRUITS BASKET S2 EPISODE 25 (SEASON 2 FINALE PT 2!!!) RECAP

Yayyy, I'm finally here at the last episode of season 2... I'm honestly still working through my final thoughts on this episode and I've just been waiting to write it out so I can stop swirling it around my head.

Oh Kureno...

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Mmmph... ain’t it beautiful. 😈

- Vibing extra hard to the opening cos it’s the last time I’ll hear it for a while (and also cos I’m distracting myself from the sads again)

I think I might do a ranking of the openings and endings so far at the end of this recap!

- There’s this music in the background that always plays when Akito’s manipulative powers are at work that goes so well with the uneasy tone of the scenes and it’s great.

Hana was giving me hardcore Tomoyo from Cardcaptor Sakura-vibes in this episode. I think it might’ve been the hairstyle but I dunno, Hana’s also obsessed with her best friend too so they might be more relatable than I thought lol

Ok. I hate to be predictable but Rin obviously gets Outfit Appreciation this episode. IT’S JUST FACTS. This is Rin’s best outfit so far. I wanna draw it, I wanna wear it. Yes. We should all aspire to include more arm sleeves in our outfits. 5 STARS.

Omg Yuki, tone it down 😂 WE GET IT. SHE’S MADRE.

Lol, where’s Kyo? I’m sure he wants head pats too. But, myyyy boy, Momiji...

...Did he really just pull the ‘let’s pray about it... together 💕’ move?! I am cackling 🤣

I kid, this was another cute moment between Momiji and Tohru. It’s just funny how everyone wants Tohru’s praise and affection... you know... like a GOD.

Ooooo, I hate to admit it... but I’m starting to love Shigure in full Trickster God mode. This whole episode he was sinfully delightful to watch. Voice acting - of course, was amazing. John Burgmeier makes Shigure’s lilty, carefree tones have such dark and sinister tone this episode. It’s not shocking enough that it feels like it’s a totally different person but it’s almost like as if you’re noticing something new in the painting you pass by everyday. That darkness was always there...

I am Hatori. Hatori is me. I’m starting to understand why Hatori stays friends with Shigure... 😅😅😅

*sigh*

“And now we move on to Kureno Sohma, 26, who is about to watch a random DVD given to him by a high schooler”...

I feel like a lot of things that happen to or around Kureno never seem quite right... or legal lol 😅

Oh Kureno... you poor Begotten Child of Eve... This scene is beautiful. But in general, Fruits Basket is so good with the use of colours and shadow and FRAMING in pretty much all of its scenes and scenarios. The way the whole scene is mostly dark but there’s a hint of purple showing how even though he is away from Akito, he’s never truly AWAY from Akito. It’s a nice touch.

It was soooo... cool to see Shigure in his true form. Haha, I have no other way to say it. He was being such a smart-ass and was incredibly cold towards Kureno but it’s really satisfying to see Shigure’s ‘real face’. Which is ironic because throughout this whole phone call we don’t actually get a clear view of Shigure’s face. 

That absolute drop in Shigure’s voice in the English dub was excellent as well.

All the pawns are falling into place... He really is the worst. I don’t like it. I like it.

CINEMATIC. I love how dramatic this scene and this anime is!!! Also, Kureno’s outfit is great, a long coat is always good. There’s also something very ‘Edward and Bella’ about this meeting and this reveal of the truth. It’s just... so early 00s and it’s great lol

But oh, look wow, Kureno doesn’t have the curse (!)

I love Kureno’s description of the curse breaking, it sounds so euphoric and beautiful! Also, I have to say, Ian Sinclair was fucking killing it this episode. I was a bit worried about him being Kureno at first because I’ve only known his performances as dynamic and slightly eccentric characters. But, he really nailed down Kureno’s calm and robotic kinda demeanour so that when his eventual breakdown happens...

It almost sounds alien and so broken like he’s been holding back his tears for so long but also a little bit pathetic which I personally love as a take on Kureno. Because... he is a little bit pathetic. 😬 His whole life is on stand still because of a promise he made to a 7-10 year old girl... when he was in middle school?! I know that tradition is tradition but I genuinely agree with Shigure berating him for letting this go on for so long.

I guess that’s always been my personal problem with Kureno. He could’ve potentially stopped so many Akito-caused disasters in many of the zodiac’s lives just by even telling his own truth. And I know that it’s explained that Kureno just wanted to calm Akito down and reassure her and I definitely felt for him in that moment... but I think I need more of an exploration of how Kureno genuinely feels about Akito without the loyalty promise. I just don’t understand why he’s carried this promise on for so long.

But anyways... I found Tohru’s reactions to what Kureno was saying very interesting...

Almost... like she finds this... relatable? (I dunno why I’m even trying to be coy when I’m behind rn lol) I’m definitely seeing the reflection between Tohru and Kureno now, lol

BIG REVEAL(!) I remember when I first found out that Akito was a girl from the manga and I don’t think I really thought anything of it 😂 Like I don’t really think I thought much about her gender, I definitely knew she was feminine but I kinda just read her as androgynous? Kinda the same as how I read Ayame at first. How did the anime-onlys receive this reveal?

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OPENINGS AND ENDINGS RANKING!

OPENINGS

Again - Beverly (Season 1, Opening 1)

Home - Toki Asako (Season 2, Opening 2)

2001 Opening

Prism (Season 2, Opening 1)

Chime - Ai Otsuka (Season 1, Opening 2)

ENDINGS

Lucky Ending (Season 1, Opening 1)

2001 Ending (THOSE STRINGS!! 🎻)

Eden (Season 2, Opening 2)

The Charm (Season 2, Opening 1)

One Step Closer (Season 1, Opening 2)

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Ahhh, I’m so glad I can now fully envelope Season 3 now. This was a great climax episode. Ian Sinclair really got me good in Kureno’s scene - teary eyed at 2am lol 

See you in Season 3!!! Yayy!

[meimi-haneoka]

Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Chapter 71: Comments + JP-ENG translation differences

(pic courtesy of Dyoring on Twitter because the JP one criminally covers the costumes) Looks like I'm still alive after that bomb that was chapter 70, huh? 😂 Welcome back to our monthly appointment with angst with the commentary on Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card, everyone! Last chapter might have bent me, but I'm not broken yet! Mwahaha! And yet, I can't say this chapter completely healed me, far from it! Sure, it's full of fluff and happy feelings...but man, how we feel his absence here. It's so apparent and glaring that it hinders the complete enjoyment of the chapter, which I'm sure is totally the feeling CLAMP wanted to elicit from us. If you care even a little about the new characters, you can't help but feel a sense of "this is not how it's supposed to be", while reading this. Fortunately, the cliffhanger at the end gives us good hope for the kids to start get into action to solve this mess at the earliest, hopefully with the help of someone we were waiting for? In the meantime, let's explore this chapter and all that it talked about...I don't have particular translation mistakes from the ENG version to report this time around (thank god).

Gif of the month, and then we go!

The Color Page

Well, this was a surprise? I didn't expect a color page like this, opening the very last volume of Clear Card Arc, but it's also true that there can be a quite powerful meaning behind those four outfits. They're literally representing the first discrepancies that originated after Kaito's rewriting of everyone's memories. Sakura's eyes are closed, she appears to be very pensive, no, actually as if she's contemplating something. About to make a decision. As she stands literally in the middle of all those outfits, this can be interpreted as way to convey how she's in the middle of these two lives they have lived and are living right now, and she's probably the one who can really do something about this whole mess. The conjunction ring. "Which outfit am I going to choose to wear?" isn't the frivolous question it might seem, but in this case it actually means "which life will I decide to keep?" Tough question, for an even tougher answer. But remember what Touya onii-chan said. "When it's up to me to decide what's real and what's not, then I decide to go with what I don't want to lose".

Besides the hidden meaning analysis, this is also a nice way to have set in canon the colors of *all* the main outfits for the play. (●ˇ∀ˇ●) (nice to know Akiho's Alice outfit actually got a gradient blue on her shirt!)

A New Life

The chapter starts with a very, very familiar scene, which might not have been drawn exactly the same as the original one, but it's definitely designed to remind you of it: the very first scene of volume 1, with Kero (and this time, Suppy) waking Sakura up to go to school!! I see what you did there, CLAMP 😏 In their latest Twitter Spaces where they talked about Clear Card, they did mention how the last volume would serve as a way for things to come full circle, and what's better than making a reference to the very first pages of chapter 1? We have the same Sakura introducing herself to the readers (breaking the 4th wall), same Kero shouting that it's time to go, same Sakura getting ready (this time she's evidently in a hurry though). We're clearly being introduced to her new life (that only we know is new) after Kaito rewrote their memories thanks to Momo's book. And well well well, what do we have here?? It's the very first panel of the chapter, no, of the volume, and we're already spotting something off, here??

Oooh, the Kinomoto home....grew an additional portion of itself?? Or did they build it in the few months that passed from the school play? I wonder what for...? heheh...(already knows)

But that's not the only surprise! We just need to turn the page and we are immediately taken aback by Sakura getting ready...with a new school uniform, which represents her second winter uniform (the one reserved for the colder months, just like it happened in Tomoeda Elementary) while she tells us she soon will be attending the 2nd year of Tomoeda Middle school!!! I was completely shocked when I saw her total-black new uniform!! I have to say that the idea of unifying the top and the skirt in a one-piece dress is definitely good, I really like it, but I thought that having even the black tights might be a little bit too much. Later we'll discover she's got black boots too. I'd need to see this in full color to judge! I predict the tie and decorations will be red! 👀 I want to point it out now, since Sakura says it immediately, but the French translation made it sound like she's already starting the second year of middle school, and honestly the ENG translation with the choice of words kinda infers the same: but from what we'll see in a few pages, we're in full winter (it's about to snow too) and Japan usually gets spring vacations between March 25th and April 5th (right between the end of a school year and the beginning of the next) so it cannot be really that imminent. I predict this could be February/early March at best. The JP text says もうすぐ which means "soon" but that can also only mean they're just in the last month of the school term.

So we basically had another mini time skip of about 5/6 months, considering the play very likely took place in September (kids were already wearing their long sleeved uniforms but some guests to the school event still wore short sleeves). If you ask me, it doesn't look like Sakura grew much in these 6 months. 😂

And when she quickly goes downstairs, that's where we find the other surprise (which was actually expected): AKIHO IS COOKING IN THE KITCHEN, apron over her uniform and all!! Yeah, remember? Thanks to the rewriting of their memories, now they're living their life as sisters! In fact, we see them interacting in a friendly and comfortable way, which is totally reminiscing of how they were interacting even before this big change happened. And yet, personally, I have a hard time getting used to the new arrangement. 😅 Sakura introduces Akiho to us as her twin sister, confirming they live together with Touya and Fujitaka too.

Sakura tells us people often comment about how they resemble each other very much, and as if on cue, Mokona sensei provides us with yet another very cute double feature of Sakura and Akiho smiling happily and lovingly at eachother. As much as I want Akiho to go back to her real family, I have to admit this panel totally melted me. ❤️ My lovely Akiho looks so happy....and that's why it also hurts a lot. Well, here come the first explanations of how this hell of a change can work at all, in this situation!! Apparently, Akiho has always suffered of fragile health ever since she was young (....) so she always lived with great-grandfather Masaki to get treatment and rest. With some friends we have been joking that, if this is the result of what Kaito wrote in the story he wanted for Akiho, he must have watched lots of soap operas, because the justifications totally seems at the writing level of one! 😂 Sakura says Akiho came back home to live with them only recently. And while Akiho excitedly yells that she's cooked the no-fry croquettes that Sakura taught her the recipe of, we also find out from narrator Sakura that this is probably the reason why Akiho still addresses her in a very polite way, with suffix -san and all. And sigh, my heart here broke a little because the no-fry croquettes....was the recipe Sakura taught Akiho specifically for Kaito, and that she successfully prepared for their date, eliciting a delighted comment from him. ☹️☹️Now she's still cooking them for her loved ones...but it's different. ☹️ Aaaaaa but here comes Fujitaka, ready to have breakfast and go to work, greeting both his daughters.........gosh, this sounds so weird. Will I get used to this madness before this chapter ends?? As it normally would be expected from him in this situation, Fujitaka addresses Akiho with a -san suffix too, so narrator Sakura says that probably that's also where all Akiho's politeness comes from. Fujitaka says that Touya conveniently left very early for his job, and Sakura adds that he'll go straight to his university classes afterwards. Uh uh uh, I wonder why CLAMP didn't want to show us Touya's reaction yet. Did he notice anything...? Fujitaka-papa gets ready to taste Akiho's croquettes....and with a delighted face he says they're delicious!! ......I mean, this totally works. Look at these two dorks faces, they light up in the same way. 🙈😅😅

Narrator Sakura keeps telling us about Akiho and how she transferred to her school before summer (and behind her, in the flashback, we can see the name Kinomoto Akiho written on the board), that she participated to the play for the school event and all...and that she wants to make so, so many happy experiences now that she's with her sister, to make up for the time they spent apart.

The girls leave the house and we get a chance to see the coats of the second winter uniform too: they're very pretty and compliment the whole outfits very well (they got big scarves and gloves too!). Some snowflakes start to fall down and Akiho just needs to sneeze once to unleash the scariest kaijuu in Sakura: ....that of the fussing big sister! 😅😅 she gives her her own scarf on top of Akiho's one and feels with her own forehead if she's getting a fever, demanding to know immediately if she starts feeling unwell! 😅😅Akiho worries that Sakura would get cold in this way, but she doesn't want to hear any of it!! Awwww, how can I not melt in front of this? 🥹My gosh Sakura really is super protective of Akiho here...and we immediately get another character to remark that: our dear Tomoyo!! She comments on Sakura's behavior in JP with this funny way which could be translated more or less with "powerful big sister manners", and I cannot really disagree! 😂 Akiho states that she's feeling better now, that she doesn't experience pain like before...but Tomoyo just knows that Sakura will worry no matter what, and the girl in question confirms so herself: because Akiho is someone important to her. Akiho cannot really do much else than blushing with happiness and thank her...😊 Tomoyo gives the final touch to this scene with one of her kind but sharp comments: "Maybe sister complex runs in the family!", making reference to a very early joke in CCS where Yukito teased Touya telling him he had a sister complex for how he's always so protective of his younger sister: well, guess what, now said sister gets to have the same complex towards her twin too 😂😂

We proceed with the chapter and we have Sakura meeting Syaoran in front of the school, showing us how nice and elegant the male second winter uniform (well, we mostly see the coat) is! Syaoran comments how cold it got overnight and as the caring and loving boyfriend he is, he inquires his girlfriend about her health. Luckily she's super healthy, and apparently, as she says herself, the Cards are too! Yessss, folks, it seems the Sakura Cards are back with Sakura, now!! Sakura didn't have a particular reason, but apparently the previous night she summoned Mirror to have a chat! Syaoran asks what she wanted to discuss about with him, and Sakura announces that she was thinking about telling everything to Akiho. Everything that happened while they were apart...about Tomoyo and her costumes, about Kero, Yukito and Yue, Kaho, Eriol, Nakuru and Suppi....and most importantly, about the Cards.

Now, before we proceed, I would like to talk about two different aspects that really stood out for me from this couple of pages. First: the relationship Sakura's got with her Cards. As I was saying, it seems the Sakura Cards are back with Sakura, and judging by the panel where Sakura says she wants to tell Akiho about them, the Clear Cards don't seem to be part of this scenario. The panel shows both Clow and Sakura Cards (because of course Sakura would need to tell her the whole story), but no Clear Card is present at all. We can only infer that probably everyone forgot about the Clear Cards too (although I still think they exist somewhere, it's just that they're hidden/sealed for now), and that Sakura might not have her problem with the uncontrollable powers anymore. Did Kaito fix that problem for her too, in some way?? Did he really go that far to ensure everyone's happiness...? And another thing I noticed, is that Sakura seems more...comfortable with the Cards and her own powers. Summoning a Card just to have a nice chat is the complete opposite of what she was doing at the beginning of chapter 1. She had put away her key, saying "I don't use it much anyway...and maybe it's better like that". The next thing you know, the day after she started producing incidents and Clear Cards. You see, I'm not sure how accurate this is, but ever since this started I've always thought that the problem with Sakura's rampant powers was caused by something of psychological nature. Since the production of the Cards seemed to be so connected to her emotions, in the beginning her power was so chaotic that the Cards were pretty much originating randomly (Gale does seem really random and not based on any thought or memory Sakura had), to become more and more connected with her thoughts and desires along the way. The more she got in touch with herself and her desires, the more the Cards were produced as a result of those, and eventually Sakura found out on her own that the Cards were originating from her own wishes. But that did not end there, because the Clear Cards started to change again when Sakura started to finally listen to Syaoran's advice to look into herself and listen to the stirrings of her heart, and started trusting her intuition and powers more: from merely following her wishes, the Cards started to take the appearances of her loved ones, which would become important later on in Clockland to help her remind who she was. Basically, anticipating her needs. Even if we didn't see an immediate reaction from her, finding her loved ones on her way contributed to wake up her conscience, with the final coup de grace from Akiho and Syaoran. So where I'm getting at is....could it be that Sakura's connection and trust in her magical powers, in this gift she's been blessed with, has become so strong that it ended up stabilizing it? While she was detached and almost refusing it before, dismissing her intuitions as "it's just my imagination", now she's learned to accept it as a part of herself and trust it more? If this is the case, I think that would be a very lovely character development for her. We'll see if I got it right.

The second thing is that I cannot help but noticing again how Kaito really avoided changing any important part (save for adding a sister) of Sakura's life: everything is still as it was before, the events in her memories still happened as they happened, it's just that everything that concerns Akiho has been staged differently, in order to fit her in.

Syaoran, as the honest and straightforward boy he is, comments that probably what Sakura wants to tell Akiho will be a shock for her twin, Sakura doesn't deny that but confidently replies that knowing her, she'll accept the situation just fine. Syaoran wonders if that will really be the case since she doesn't have magic (he poses the uncomfortable but necessary questions), he's evidently worried she might feel somehow less for not being blessed with that gift....and here Sakura replies something that I publicly thanked CLAMP for on my twitter account, because it was time for a character to spell it out:

JP: (Yes), because Akiho-chan is...a very kind and strong person.

Kind, because she would accept whatever concerns her dear sister with the purest heart, devoid of any jealousy. And strong, because she'd be able to withstand the inevitable feeling of comparison that would ensue. Yes, because Akiho IS strong. She's resilient. She wouldn't have survived her trauma and abuse if she wasn't strong. She wouldn't have that single crumb of information about her parents that connects her with them, if she didn't keep stubbornly insisting with her clan to tell her something about them. She wouldn't have stubbornly insisted when she saw her most important person shutting a door in her face because he couldn't share his burden with her. I beg you to not reduce her character to just a girl we should pity on, because she's nothing like that. Let's drop the narrative she's "passive" right now. Otherwise when we'll see what is probably about to happen, she'll seem "out of character" for you. When she's always been like this, all along. Syaoran comments that Sakura really trusts Akiho, and wonders if it's because they're twins... Again, Sakura shows how wonderful she is, but most importantly, how her emphathic nature helps her amplifying her foretelling powers without even realizing it. Because she makes a very relevant comment: JP: "Even if she weren't my twin, I'd still believe in her. Because feelings and emotions aren't measured with time"

Again, let me clap my hands till they hurt. Because I can't count how many times, along the years, I've seen Sakura's bond with Akiho being dismissed or questioned just because they've been knowing eachother for short time. "Why does she fusses about Akiho so much? She's barely arrived shortly ago!" This is Sakura crossing the T's and dotting the I's for everyone. The value of her bond with Akiho isn't measured with the length of time they've spent together. If she feels she loves her very much despite knowing her since short time, that love is true and genuine nonetheless. As for someone who's able to experience very strong bonds with people in short time, what Sakura says here feels extremely validating on a personal level, too.

This reminds Sakura that she wants to talk to Akiho about someone else too....with a blush, she says she wants to tell her about Syaoran, how they met, how he's always coming to her rescue, and also...that he's her most important person ❤️ (the trademark definition!)

And here Ohkawa is finally paying her dues by writing this cute lovey dovey moment between SyaoSaku in the chapter, where the two lovebirds hold hands (scandalous!! 😂) and share a romantic forehead touch that shows an intimacy that is unrivaled by what we've seen of them till now, while Sakura says (with a hint of sadness?? Am I imagining things, or are her intuitive powers at work again?) that she would like to hear from Akiho about her most important person too. Yeah. I would like to hear about that too....

And as if to say "WELLLL, ABOUT THAT-" Sakura suddenly falls into a dream-state, and guess who she finds in front of her, in a scene that is a complete reference to a panel from chapter 6?

YEA, you guessed it, it's MCF!! 😂 our Mysterious Cloaked Figure just can't avoid bothering Sakura even in her new, rewritten, happy life, but lo and behold, when Sakura asks them who they are, they remove their hood without any drama!! And who could it be under that hood? Dear CCS fans, this chapter was shorter than usual with just 25 pages, but oh my gosh, if it didn't end up with a surprising cliffhanger that actually makes you go "WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT BEFORE?" 😂

Young Lilie to the rescue!

A young Lilie stands in front of Sakura, introducing herself:

"I'm Lilie. I've crossed [time] and [dreams] to meet you"

Oh my gosh how cute she is, smiling brightly as usual! 😍 Since here she's clearly Sakura's age, we can see how young Lilie used to have her hair slightly longer than her daughter Akiho at the same age. ❤️ What is happening here? For those confused, or who aren't familiar with CLAMP's other manga, I'll copy-paste here what I've already written on my Twitter thread. What Lilie did here is customary in CLAMP's manga. People with lots of power are capable of crossing dreams, even in a different point in time. That's why Lilie says "I've crossed TIME and dreams to meet you". Lilie is already a Yumemi, so it isn't suprising at all that she can work her magic on dreams. She probably attempted this when she was still alive, of course, and about 13 (Sakura's age). Think of it as a "videocall from the past". Lilie is, at current state, of course still very much dead. She isn't revived or anything. This is a "communication" Sakura received from Lilie from the past, because of course she already knew how things could go and she made sure to reach out and help however she could. Remember Clow at the Final Judgement? He also left a "message" for Sakura from when he was still alive, through a dream. Time travel with your physical body might be another story altogether, but visiting people through their dreams is very "customary" in CLAMP's manga 😂

Now, we only need to see what Lilie will tell to our dear heroine. If she will spill the entire story, or if she'll give the necessary basic info but will wait for the girls, or rather, for her daughter to remember about Kaito on her own. Maybe with a little push. Of course I had already imagined (and even warmly called for) an intervention from Lilie, in some kind of way, but I guessed she would go talking to Kaito, as a ghost or something. That's where CLAMP surprised me again, making her go to talk to Sakura instead, and also revealing that MCF was her, or rather, one of the MCFs we have seen throughout the story. Because I'm still convinced that, basing on the scene, MCF wasn't the same person everytime. We have seen how sometimes it was Syaoran (and we'll probably find out why). Sometimes we have seen them outside Sakura's room, on a lamp post (and I imagine that one could've been really Akiho, maybe in a moment in her dreams when the artifact took control of her). We have a MCF often accompanied by a Dragon, we'll need to see who exactly that one is, too. Well, all in all, a few hours later I can say I digested this chapter a bit better, but man at first it was really hard. All this fluff, all this blushing, these warm feelings...people doting on Akiho, seeing her so happy....and I couldn't stop thinking about him....our Kaito who gave everything he could give of him to make this become true....where are you now...? ☹️ If I pause long enough to think about it, the stinging feeling comes back. I'm sure they'll come rescueing you soon. And you'll be so shocked, because the last thing you're expecting is that anyone would come searching for you. Claiming you back. Oh there's so much you're gonna learn, very soon, Kaito. And I can't wait to see it!!

Okay, let's now recap the next release dates for what concerns chapter 72:

April 1st, on CLAMP’s Youtube channel (digital, JP and other languages) April 3rd, on Nakayoshi (paper and digital, JP)

The situation is still the same with the digital releases, so for now we'll have to make do with reading the chapters on Youtube, first!

I remind you that there's also volume 14 getting released on March 31st! And on April 1st there's also SAKURA FES 2023!! Yay!! See you for next chapter and as usual my inbox is open for your asks!

[okayto]

Mini-Review: Cardcaptor Sakura

When 10-year-old Sakura Kinomoto opens a mysterious book, she inadvertently releases dozens of magical cards with unique abilities. The gurdian of the cards, Cerberus, emerges from the book and chooses Sakura to retrieve the missing cards while acting as her guide.

This is a classic show in the magical girl genre, and it’s as sweet and flowery as its cherry-blossom-named lead. It’s definitely aimed at kids, the same age as its 4th-5th grade characters, but it’s nice to watch a show that’s so dedicated to kindness.

One of the very fun things about the show is its approach to the traditional magical girl costumes. Sakura wears brightly-colored, elaborate costumes while capturing cards, oh yes, but not because she has a magical transformation. No, it’s because her best friend wants to make sure that Sakura’s adventures are captured on film, which means she must be dressed for film.

I love Tomoyo, who might be the actual weirdest character of the entire series (a wealthy 4th grader with genius-level costume design, sewing/tailoring skills, a squad of bodyguards on call, and a home theater used for replaying her videos of Sakura’s magical card-capturing adventures), but is also a genuinely kind character who doesn’t mind that her crush on Sakura isn’t reciprocated.

The bulk of the series--2/3 seasons--is dedicated to Sakura’s quest to recapture the 52 Clow Cards, complicated by competition from new classmates with their own magical powers, descended from the man who originally created the cards and who aim to retake the cards for their family.

They are fun characters in their own right, and nobody in this series is a bad person--some may have questionable-appearing motives, but while people aren’t always buddy-buddy with each other, this is not a show where people actively try to hurt one another.

One of my favorite aspects is Sakura’s relationship with her brother, a high schooler. They’re both nice people, but they are also definitely siblings. Whether its recurring jokes he makes about Sakura stomping like Godzilla, or poking each other, they get on each other’s nerves.

And he’s not stupid. He definitely notices when his 10-year-old sister starts sneaking around and acting weird, and actually figures out what’s going on--and lets Sakura think he’s clueless. Toya’s important to multiple parts of the story, and he’s concerned when something seems wrong, but he goes along with the pretense since it’s important to her.

Verdict

English dub? Yes, but I couldn’t stand it. It’s an English dub made by Animax and was broadcast around south and southeast Asia, not the Americanized Nelvana dub some of us might remember airing in the early 2000s in the US and Canada. While it’s uncut, the voice acting is not great, at times a bit shouty and scratchy. It was fun trying to place some of the accents the characters sounded like they had, though. (”Is Yukito...from Chicago? Boston?”)

Visuals: It’s a 22-year-old cartoon, it’s nothing standout, and still in 4:3 format. Still, it’s fun. And it’s hard to beat CLAMP’s fun fashion designs, and those of the cards

Worth watching? Yes, although I wish it had a decent dub--this would be the perfect watch-in-the-background show (although I enjoyed it with the subs that required my full attention). My biggest complaint? none of the Japanese theme songs--all light and fluffy--come anywhere close to reaching the anticipation that the old American dub Cardcaptors theme sparks with its chanting and drums.

Where to watch (USA, as of December 2020): Netflix (dub, sub); Crunchyroll (dub, sub); Funimation (dub, sub)

Click my “reviews” tag below or search “mini review” on my blog to find more!

[brooksdavis]

author interview

tagged by: @redbelles (meg, my beloved)

1. how many works do you have on AO3?

55 on ao3 and we don’t talk about the stuff haunting me on ff.net that i refuse to take down and yet never acknowledge

2. what’s your total AO3 word count?

337, 942 jfc

3. what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

a soul whose intentions are good / darklina

it’s my right to be hellish / darklina

to rise with stardust in my eyes / darklina

sweet (a little selfish) / darklina

a million people in a crowded room / darklina

they’re all in the same series, so i mean lol

4. do you respond to comments? why or why not?

comments give me the will to LIVE and to write, i eventually get to all of them but i tend to sit down and do it in bulk

5. what’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

formal apologies to every fan of the caskett!college au because currently they’re on the outs and i have to fix them lol. worst part is i’ve known the ending for like half a year and still haven’t written it...my bad, besties.

6. what’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

god idk this is hard. when i get the wedding finale of the suits!au written...probably that one. special note to when you’re ready, you know where to find me because this tyrandy college au is just such a sweet work of mine, i think. best friends to lovers excellence, just like they.

7. do you write crossovers? if so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

technically my tasm fics are all crossovers because i just plopped them in the mcu and said deuces. though to be fair, i wrote all of them before we got tom holland...whatever, so those. other than that, nada.

8. have you ever received hate on a fic?

creepy comments on a couple fics that i’ve deleted (why are they in the cloak & dagger fandom i’ll never know) and one really judgemental law school fact checker, like bro, i know i don’t know shit...but other than that, i’ve been pretty lucky.

9. do you write smut? if so what kind?

oh, bestie. 90% of my shit is smut, i’m sorry to say. i write all kinds, i think. referential, gentle, hard. fraught is my favorite kind tho, and i want them to all feel as hot and heavy but idk , pretty? as in my head. i am incapable of smut without emotions though i have written without plot before.

10. have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i know of

11. have you ever had a fic translated?

not to my knowledge

12. have you ever co-written a fic before?

nope! idk if i could, tbh - i’ve rped with people for years, but i see that more as original story creation with og characters than fanfic. i’m very protective about what i put out under my username.

13. what’s your all-time favorite ship?

i couldn’t have an answer here if i tried. my 2 or 3 of my top five tend to rotate, but if we’re doing ships via fanfic, peter/gwen, alina/aleksander, castle/beckett, nathan/haley, tandy/tyrone, zoe/wade.

14. what’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

all too well, my tasm2 fix it fic where gwen turns into spider-woman. one of the first fics i’ve ever been proud of but i just don’t know where it was supposed to go anymore :(.

15. what are your writing strengths?

oh lord, i don’t know. i like to use big words sometimes. and i think i do a pretty bang up job at characterization because if there is one thing i cannot stand its ooc characters. pretty difficult for me because i either do entirely in canon or complete au’s, but i try my best.

16. what are your writing weaknesses?

how long a fic will be, and forcing myself from conceptualization to writing. i plot fanfic in my head through like storyboarding? with particular phrases, and it can be very difficult for me to get from scene to scene sometimes.

17. what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

i always preface it with i can barely speak english and google translate is my best friend. especially with the russian (if you can call it that) in sab fic...i try, but like. 

18. what was the first fandom you wrote for?

technically speaking i learned how to type in 6th grade to write cardcaptor sakura fanfiction that will never ever see the light of day. published wise speaking, kickin’ it fanfiction. a disney xd show barely anyone remembers. no we will not speak of it.

19. what’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

charlie/gadi from the little drummer girl and damon/elena fron tvd. in the case of charlie/gadi, the dynamics in their show are just so nuanced and in depth i shy away from it because i wouldn’t even know where to START. also not one soul cares or wants to read but like, me. and for delena...i’ve been working my way through the tvd side of ao3 and have been shockingly disappointed with its offerings, and in that case i usually have to write what i want to see. cept i don’t know what i want to see yet. so hands kinda tied.

20. what’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

right now i am so dumbly proud of the to get attention from a grown up series it’s incredible. writing for it helped me get through the depression of losing my last job. but other than that, stand out fics for me personally are:

let me breathe you in til gravity bends / cloak & dagger

something that’ll haunt me when you’re not around / one tree hill

this godforsaken mess that you’ve made me / shadow and bone

the wound’s still hot, so new, it’s still numb / hart of dixie

reset, restart, and then replay / castle

i know this guy, who knows this girl / hart of dixie

more to lose than to try and make it better / one tree hill