#LOL Tsubasa's face!

[lavender-tea-dragon]

Doodles of the littlest guy of ever because he has been poking my brain with a stick and I decided to poke BACK-

[tsubasaclones]

small/cheap anime figures from like early-mid 2000s usually have a charm to them even if they look kinda wonky. i think they’re fun because they’re kinda silly

i don’t care about “animecore” or whatever i just have ended up with a good amount of older figures for older series that i like and they’ve really grown on me

[otomegamesandme]

Em's Personal Favorite Shoujo and Josei manga!

Since one (1) person mentioned they would like a recommendation list of shoujo and josei mangas, I decided to throw one together of my personal favorites! Some of these are well known, some aren't. I also kept it short, so it's more a sample of my tastes. Future lists will probably revolve around themes/genres, but for now here's this!

My Lovesick Life as a 90s Otaku

Demo: Josei

Genre: Romance, Slice-of-Life, Historical

This is a short four volume series about a middle aged mother who reflects back on her teen years and being a big otaku in the 90s. I honestly loved this? There were so many cameos of classic series, and I enjoyed the characters and themes in this a lot. It did make me cringe, just because it reminded me how me and my friends used to be as teens in all the good and bad ways. That relatability is also the reason I was a big fan. It does wrap up pretty quickly at the end, but for a short series, it's one of the josei series I've read that left an impression on me!

Magic Knight Rayearth

Demo: Shoujo

Genre: Fantasy, Isekai

It feels like a crime to not mention Clamp when talking about any of my favorite manga (Tsubasa Chronicles is my favorite Shonen and Chobits is my favorite Seinen, so they're really just winning). Choosing between this and RG Veda was difficult, but this is such a classic. I loved the characters, the world, and how the story reveals itself to be a gut punch at the end. If you still haven't read it, here's yet another rec post telling you to check it out.

Children of the Whales

Demo: Shoujo

Genre: Science Fantasy, Tragedy

This follows a group of people on a floating island, the Mud Whale, which is trapped in a sea of sand. One day, when they send people out to search one of the sunken islands in the sand for resources, they find another human, and through meeting her, learn the truth about their home.

The story telling in this is gorgeous. The mangaka said she was inspired by a lost journal she found, and you really get that feeling while reading it. This is also a series to read if you just feel like being Really Sad. It's one of my all time favorite series, but I did have to read it with breaks between volumes (for reference, I normally binge like five volumes a day when I'm really into a series). There's a rich world and history in this, and each detail feels so carefully considered and thought out. This is one of the series I wished more people talked about.

Dokuhime

Demo: Josei

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Tragedy

A group of orphan girls are raised to be living weapons by consuming poison. They're then sent out to enemy countries to seduce and kill the men in charge, as their bodies are all poisonous.

This doesn't have any official English translations and I came across it randomly one day and just fell in love. It's an older series, and there's plenty of triggering content here (violence and SA being major). But I loved this world and characters so much? My summary does not do it justice, but the dynamics with the main character and the three princes in the country she's infiltrating is so interesting. It also reads very much like a dark fairy tale, especially with how it's structured and the way it goes through each scene and chapter. I know this is likely too old and unknown to ever get picked up officially, but maybe if I get more people to read it, we can all bother seven seas via their licensing survey or something-

A Condition Called Love

Demo: Shoujo

Genre: Romance, Slice-of-Life

I don't think this needs a summary since it's a recent popular one lol, but I love messy characters who face consequences for their messy actions and are forced to grow as people!! I love when bad habits in a relationship get challenged, and it doesn't automatically lead to breaking up but trying to fix things. Hotaru and Hananoi just have my favorite relationship in any modern shoujo series I've read, and while the series isn't over yet, I can imagine them remaining a favorite for a long time.

Chihayafuru

Demo: Josei

Genre: Sports, Slice-of-Life (and romance in the background)

If you know about Chihayafuru, it's that everyone who talks about it is Not Normal about it lol I have never encountered a series with such a large cast where each one is given such weight and brevity as this series. I know it's about such a niche Japanese sport, but listen, the growth and story arch of these three main characters, and how they're affected by the people they meet and how they affect others and grow is just...so good. You want God Tier character work, this is the series you read.

Prince Freya

Demo: Shoujo

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure (and romance if you squint)

I love brutal shoujo. The first chapter of this was not what I was expecting, and it's probably because I went in blind. Anyway, this follows the story of Freya who lives in a kingdom trying not to get conquered by an Empire taking over the continent. The only person keeping the kingdom standing was the Prince, who was poisoned and killed. Since Freya looks almost exactly like him, she's forced to pretend to be the Prince of this country in hopes the kingdom won't fall to the empire.

Freya's character growth in this is a lot of fun to witness play out. I also really have been enjoying seeing the way the world keeps expanding and growing with each volume. I will say, the first few volumes have pacing issues, but by volume 3/4 it was all smooth sailing. I also really enjoy how unflinching it can be, and it doesn't shy away from death or violence when needed, but it also doesn't overdue it either. It's just a solid shoujo fantasy series, and the only bad part about it is waiting for the next volume to drop (Viz it's been 6 months, please-).

[sailorstarr-chan4]

I'M NOT COUNTING ANIME WITH AN ON-GOING/HIATUS MANGA. COMPLETE MANGA ONLY. Preferably anime titles that are at LEAST 10+ years old, too (exceptions can be made, of course).

This was a DIFFICULT poll to make, cuz I kept almost adding the likes of Skip Beat or Black Butler that still have on-going manga, or almost adding a classic like Rurouni Kenshin, except it actually IS GETTING A REBOOT THIS YEAR?! So this is my tentative final answer, with of course the disclaimer of "please don't yell at me for forgetting Your Fave. Just add it to your tags/comments! ❤"

I know there's sooooo many classics that deserve a face-lift in animation and storytelling, many of which I plan on watching one day. Let me know which ones you think deserve it the most! Or pick out the ones I selected here, mostly from the early 2000's lol.

Vote your answers nicely, let's see who will give the ever infamous Ouran-Needs-a-Second-Season-Or-Reboot a run for its money, and let's pray to the anime gods we'll get them all one day 🤞

[user-needs-new-hyperfixation]

For the character ask game, how about Fay D. Fluorite! (Or maybe Qi Rong lol whichever you prefer).

Send Me a Character & I'll Tell You✨️

Fai D Flourite (Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle)

(please excuse my spelling variant, I've been using this too long lmao) (I might do Qi Rong tomorrow but alas I havta go to bed)

My first impression: tragically, I have no idea. It's simply been too long. This man has been living in my head so long that my love of him could get its driving license.

My impression now: I feel like Fai is the foundation of all my blorbos. The horribly traumatized self-hating little guy who pretends to be strong and cheerful for the sake of those around him and has strong Mom energy is basically the template all my other blorbos are variations of.

Favorite thing about that character: he's so good, for all that he thinks he's so bad. He cares so much in spite of himself. He loves his children so fiercely. He's also just hella clever.

Least favorite thing: No notes, 10/10, all of his bad traits are Important to the makeup of what makes him special.

Favorite line/scene: the infamous punch signalling the end of the divorce arc is great and probably my favourite happy bit, and for sadness that part in Acid Tokyo when Kurogane jerks away from him and he slides down the wall and sits there with his hand over his face. Oof. Lovely pain.

Favorite interaction that character has with another: that moment in World Chronicle where Syaoran launches himself at Fai and Fai sort of stumbles back against Kurogane and stays there looking up at him all adoring and beautiful with Kurogane's arm around them both? Life-changing.

A character that I wish that character would interact with more: Yuuko, for the entertainment value

Another character from another fandom that reminds me of that character: so many characters I've loved. William James Moriarty, Xie Lian, Dani from Bly Manor, even freakin' Dean fookin' Winchester. They've all got a little something that reminds me of him.

A headcanon about that character: Does not only bottom, in spite of the obvious Yaoi Dimorphism 😂😂

A song that reminds of that character: pretty sure I first heard this song in a Kurofai amv a decade+ ago and it's stuck ever since. Also this for some reason.

An unpopular opinion about that character: see headcanon 😂 (actually I've seen a fair number of fics with him topping. I'm not in touch with this fandom enough to know what is and isn't popular.)

Favorite picture: since I'm already talking about it --

[blasphemecel]

🌹, 🚨 for vampire twink and 💄,🧣for the zesty french beefing with the 15 yo (sorry if this is a lot)

NO IT'S NOT TOO MCUH thank u

Tsubasa/vampire twink:

🌹 (rose) - What does your oc find attractive in other people? Are these traits found in their friends and/or romantic partners? Are they found in themselves?

He's pretty much only attracted to football skills JRJEWRKWJER He doesn't value anything else in people he's so unserious. He's kinda Kaisersexual that's his first crush ever. Also he thinks it's cute when someone is fragile and easy to prod at mentally

🚨 (siren) - What’s your character’s relationship with the law? Have they ever been arrested? What for? What are their opinions on law enforcement?

He hates cops (obviously bc all my ocs do). He doesn't have a crime record tho

Mael/zesty french beefing with charles the midfielder:

💄 (lipstick) - What does your oc think of their face? Do they have a positive or negative opinion? Do they wear makeup? Do they have a skincare routine? What traits do they like most about their face?

He's kinda ambivalent on it like ........ He believes his only good attribute are his looks but for example he'll act neurotic and unhinged and try to make sure he looks good even though he's supposed to be sure that he does ??

Also he has a skincare routine but he still has a few pimples since he always gets break outs due to stress lol. His favorite trait are his eyes!

🧣(scarf) - What comforts your oc? Is it an item? An action? A person? Whatever it is, how any why does it comfort them?

His only coping mechanism is drug abuse and drinking so like 😭 I guess his comfort items are beer and uppers REKWRKEWRJ

[cowboy-robooty]

Robooty Reviews: Yandere Kanojo (7/10)

My first manga I ever laid mein precious little eyes upon... hoo boy is this one nostalgic! You can definately see how it influenced my artstyle lol. It's incredibly charming imo and i fuckin love it. anyways this manga is about a yankee girl reina and her new nerdy boyfriend tanaka (who is most definately not a yankee) and them having slice of life swag together. It's all done in a 4-koma style but is incredibly charming with a delightful cast of fun characters and quite a few interesting dynamics + jokes! Just be careful, there two versions of this story, the print and online one and they contain the same plot but have different comics each. I recommend reading both since its kinda like getting more in between stories (except when it comes to the end with the more plot heavy stuff then they diverge a bit)

you know robooty okay GIRLSEME FOREVERR!!!! I LOVED REINA AND TANAKA AS A KID MMMM THEIR DYNAMIC IS SUPPPPPERR NICE I LOVE THEM THEYRE SO CUTE TOGETHER UWAAA!! I will say that when i was younger i struggled to appreciate tsubasa and hijiri properly, but now I quite enjoy their addition to the friend group. I also have always loved the cafe manager and his gay ass chef. I used to reference the pannel where he goes "okay now stand next to me so i can grab your ass every once in a while (itll keep me motivated)" all the time. I do appreciate how in the print version theres also the long ass baseball arc but thats just because i love baseball lol

but okay. imma be ngl rn guys. this manga scored a whole extra point or two purely because it has Ran and Kouichirou Ryuuzaki (reinas parents). Guys. They are the best fucking couple ever. I WISH THERE WAS AN ENTIRE SIDE MANGA FOR THEM THEYRE SO GOOD THEYRE SO GOOD UGHH I LOVE HUSBAND WIFEEEE!!! The yandere in the title is actually supposed to stand for "yankee-dere" (lol shows age doesnt it?) but its alright, because ran is a true yandere. Shes protective and smiley and cutsey and literally kills people and has a demon in her heart. and her husband kouichirou has a scary face and insane social anxiety so everyones terrified of him because he just stares at people but its because hes terrified of everyone else. ITS SO GOOODDDDDD!!!! SHES SO OBSESSED WITH HIM AND ADORES HIM AND HE LOVES HER INCREDIBLY DEARLY TOO GIVE ME THE FUCKING MANGA SPIN OFF THATS JUST THEM!!!! RANS INCREDIBLE I WANT HER TO BE MY GIRLSEME WIFE. AND I WANT KOUICHIROU TO BE MY BOYUKE HUSBAND BECAUSE HES JUST SOOOOOOOOOooOoO CUTE! I still draw fanart of those two... theyre amazing and adorable i love them...

ALSO THE YURI SIDE COUPLE. WELL... THEYRE IMPLIED TO BE YURI BUT OHHH MY GAWDDD. LOOK ROBOOTY DOESNT REALLY LIKE YURI AS IN I LIKE IT BUT I USUALLY DONT REALLY EAT IT UP BC I CANT GET INVESTED YKNOW? ME IN THE IDGAF WARS. BUT THIS YURI. SO. GOOD. I WANT MORE. MORE CHAPTERS. GIVE ME MORE FUCKING YURI. SUMIKA X NANAMI FOR FUCKING EVER UGHHH PLEASE GIVE ME MOREEEEE!!!!

Anyways, this mangas really good lol. I like it a lot, it isnt winning any nobel prizes but I find it quite charming and a really nice read when youre dicking around on the bus. The art is really good and the jokes land a lot and are quite funny ^_^ Please consider checking this one out guys!

[lilover131]

Chapter 70 Analysis

I’ll be frank right now. This analysis was hard to write. It’s hard to write not just because of how absolutely wrong all my theories were (lord, were they wrrrrrrrrrrrrooonnng), but because this chapter made me unexpectedly very emotional. I’m just speechless and cannot believe that CLAMP got me again like this. I just find it absolutely amazing how Ohkawa’s writing can steer you in a direction and make you think you know what is going to happen, and every single time, she turns you on your head. Fucking incredible. I honestly don’t know how she manages to do it. Just…everything clicks now and I see the puzzle in front of me showing its picture, and it’s beautiful and also so so heartbreaking at the same time.

 I’m not going to post a gif or image of the month this time, simply because I don’t feel like there is one that really is suitable.

Also, I apologize in advance for the crappy quality images in red of the screenshots I took. The English chapter has yet to come out in good quality and is currently only available on Youtube, so I had to make do with the red colored pages for now. 

 With that said, I’ll get started on my thoughts.

The color page this month is so stunningly gorgeous and it fits the theme of this chapter so well. It is beautiful and warm but also has a melancholy feeling that can’t be shaken. Sakura has a face that looks as if there is something missing, and by the end of this chapter, we know why.

 Admittedly, when the chapter first started, I was very confused. It seemed to jump straight to Kaito using the EXCHANGE card without time for anyone to stop it, thus making my theory that Syaoran would fight to keep it from happening completely wrong. Lol. But I’m not upset about this. Not seeing a Syaoran sacrifice made me relieved, at least for the moment…(I’m still not ruling that shit out for the future. Haha)

 But I wondered what it meant to see Sakura now as the Red Queen and Akiho as Alice. Did this mean Kaito had switched their lives after all? It certainly seemed to be the way things were going, and I was worried that he had been successful and wondered what the repercussions of this would be. It’s been well described in other CLAMP series (-cough- Tsubasa -cough-) that changing the fate’s design like this ultimately creates huge ripples and damages in the world around it. There is a reason it is considered forbidden magic after all, because of course if one could simply undo things or swap lives with people, why wouldn’t it happen all the time?

 The first thing noticed though in particular was that it wasn’t just Sakura and Akiho that seemed to swap in roles. The very outfits themselves were changed. Some of you might recognize them as the first versions of the outfits that Tomoyo had made and decided to start over on as they did not feel right to her. It seems now that this is because these outfits were originally designed for them to be in swapped roles, so Tomoyo’s intuition here seems to reign supreme again but also makes me wonder for the millionth time how she doesn’t have magic (lol). Another difference seems to be that Syaoran has taken on the role of cat in the originally intended method of just voicing rather than acting on stage. Initially, this also worried me as the reason he had done the role on stage physically was to be by Sakura’s side in case something happened, so by seeing him not do this, it made me curious as to whether his relationship with Sakura was still the same.

Moreover, we must keep in mind that the title of the story had also changed from what was originally written. Before, the story of the play was called “The Two Alices” (which now I realize is super sneaky Ohkawa!) before Naoko made a last minute change and titled the play “Alice in Clockland”. Even the story itself seems to have deviated from what we saw before in the previous chapters. Alice Akiho mentions that her family had a fourth chair at the table always open, but she never understood why. And Red Queen Sakura mentions how she doesn’t remember how she became Queen and only ever remembered being in Clockland. The story soon seems to develop to reveal that the Red Queen is actually Alice’s twin sister who was lost long ago. It seems to also have a happy ending with the Red Queen returning home to her family.

 Back on the rooftop of the school, Kaito and Momo are speaking. She asks him how he feels now that he has gotten what he wanted, which is still unclear to us at this point in the chapter.  He claims to be relieved that Sakura finally created the card he needed before Momo goes on to explain to us readers (bless her) on what has occurred. And boy, is it a doozy.

 The first thing was Sakura’s wish, which was simply to switch roles with Akiho and be the Red Queen instead. That seems fairly harmless in nature, but the second wish was for the artifact inside of Akiho to be exchanged to Kaito for his broken pocket watch. Naturally, taking on the artifact is absolutely huge because it was this very thing that the Squid Clan and the Association wanted to keep to themselves desperately. It was their grasp at power, which was all they cared about in this world. Additionally, Kaito had explained before that this artifact had already absorbed so much magic that if it took on anymore that it would crush Akiho’s soul, so what are the implications of that now in Kaito’s body, which undoubtedly already has a ridiculous amount of magic in it? We know already that he has shown no care for his own well being, so this seems to be more dire a situation than he was in before.

 Akiho now has Kaito’s broken watch, but she still has no magic in her body, so she could not use it even if she wants to, so this will not impact Akiho in any way. She seems to be completely free of the binds that tied her to her awful family who wished only to use her as a tool and did not acknowledge her as a person.

 But Kaito took it one step further…

 The scene changes to the end of the play where the girls are being applauded for their performance. Naoko tells them that she knew they were perfect for the role of Alice and Red Queen. And I’ll tell you right now that when I was initially reading this chapter, it was in French (because the English chapter wasn’t quite out yet), and I had to use Google Translate. Upon translating the next speech bubble, I found myself absolutely fucking speechless and wondering if I had typed something in wrong or if Google messed up the translation.

 Not only did Kaito take the artifact away from Akiho, but he also rewrote the past so that Akiho was born as Sakura’s twin sister. I think I can safely say that a majority of us had thought that Kaito was intending to swap Akiho and Sakura’s lives so that Akiho could have a happy life and Sakura would take on the misery Akiho endured. And I feel terrible now thinking he would actually do something so cruel, seeing as he honestly hasn’t really done anything to deserve that opinion. When you think about it, he never actually harmed anyone at any time, and even the trouble he caused was still much less dangerous than even what Eriol put them through (think about it, Eriol nearly had Syaoran cut Sakura in half when he controlled him with threads!). And additionally, most of the trouble was actually caused by Sakura herself with her out of control magic.

 Was Kaito shady? Absolutely. Was he secretive and somewhat manipulative? Of course. But does that inherently make him a bad person? After this, I just can’t see it. What I’ve always enjoyed about Kaito particularly is that he always keeps you guessing. You never know exactly who’s side he’s actually on, and I’ve rather enjoyed learning more about him because of that. But one thing that always remained unfettered was that he cared about Akiho. In fact, Akiho seemed to be the only thing he ever showed any care towards (other than maybe her mother, but we still don’t know exactly how that story ended, and I’m sure we will learn more soon).

 And now that we know what his intentions were, I cannot help but see the clues written all over the wall absolutely EVERYWHERE. CLAMP has literally been dropping hints for years, and I can’t help but be angry for missing it all! Granted, that was the point, but fuck I can’t help but be impressed by the writing just for that alone. Every single mention of how similar Sakura and Akiho were, the mention of them ‘synchronizing’, even Akiho’s fucking name! I have always had a feeling that Akiho’s name wasn’t always Akiho because it felt odd that she had a Japanese name despite being born to English parents in England, but now I can’t help but think that Kaito had her change her name so she could fit neatly into her new life. And still in my head I cannot forget that one scene in the anime (episode 10) with the SNOOZE card where he came to pick up Akiho, and Sakura and Akiho said something with the same reaction at the same time, and Kaito just laughed. I always wondered why he laughed like that, and now it makes complete sense. He was laughing because he had always intended to make Akiho Sakura’s twin sister, and it was funny to him because the two of them were already acting like twins.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlT4JhTNgVg&ab_channel=AnimeCat

Not to mention the many many scenes of Kaito seemingly investigating all aspects of Sakura’s life, like her father, Touya, the house she lived in, her mother, Syaoran, etc. He did all of this because he wanted to make sure Akiho would have a good life with Sakura’s family, and that she would be surrounded by those that would protect her. And like…I know many of us noticed this and theorized he was doing this because he wanted to swap Akiho with Sakura, but I feel awful that I never considered them being twins as an option and assumed the worst. What he proved here by making them twins was that he wanted to save Akiho, give her a better life, but without taking away from others in the process.

 But there is one major problem with this wish… or rather two.

 Momo looks to Kaito and tells him that even with his magic, he cannot contain the power of the artifact. It is at this very moment that the pages of the book artifact appear beneath his feet, and some of his memories begin to show in the pages. It was when he was younger and had volunteered to go with Akiho on her journey to absorb more magic. Both the Clan and Association did not like this idea and showed distrust towards him, worried that he’d try to use the artifact for himself. But they decided to make a ‘compromise’ (assholes) by stating that he could take Akiho on her journey if he accepted the ‘Seal of D’. This seal is actually a curse that is intended to keep him in check and will activate if he tampers with the artifact in any way.

 Kaito seems to agree to this without hesitation and is warned that he can never break this seal, and if he does anything to ‘the artifact’ (god I wish they would talk about Akiho like the human being she is), he “can never return”. Do those words sound familiar? CUZ’ THEY FUCKIN’ DO TO ME.

 It turns out that the voice we have seen and heard in the manga and anime several times saying “You can never return” was directed at Kaito. The strange disembodied voice in Sakura and Akiho’s dreams was that of one of the Clan/Association members telling Kaito he could never go back if he broke this vow. And this also explains why Kaito had such a grim reaction when Akiho brought up those words before from her dream. It’s because he knew exactly what those words meant, but he still decided to go through with this anyways. From the very beginning, he knew he was going to sacrifice himself, and although we had our theories about this for quite some time, it is absolutely confirmed now.

A magical seal appears over his chest, almost undoubtedly at this point the ‘Seal of D’, and in my initial read, I again was using Google Translate on the French pages before I saw this text, and it fucking broke me.

I started crying almost instantly. To know that he was a boy that grew up caring for nothing, wanting nothing, liking nothing…to say that the very spell that will undo him is the first spell he ever wanted to use. It’s fucking heartbreaking, and for the first time other than when he laughed, I could see a smile on his face that I knew was 100% genuine in every way. He’s not hiding anymore. It is the smile of someone who feels he has just fulfilled his purpose in life and is ready for the end.

 Momo emulates me and most of the fandom by shouting and crying that he’s an idiot before he completely vanishes within the pages of the book. Sakura halts briefly, having felt something, but appears to brush it off, and lord I wish she wouldn’t have. The rooftop is now empty with neither Kaito or Momo, and the chapter ends there (because of course it does).

 -Wipes tears and blows nose-

 Okay, so this chapter messed me up emotionally, but I honestly loved it. It’s so beautiful and devastating at the same time, but I think I finally have an idea of where the story will go from here. Sakura still should have her magic and she has already developed the ability to remember things despite rewinding of time etc. But I think RECORD will also play a part. The card has been extremely useful in showing things that didn’t even happen in the real world, such as her dreams, but it has also been shown in the anime to show records of past events that happened prior to Sakura even being born and never experienced. I also think the watch will play a part. We know now that Akiho has a broken pocket watch and will likely not be able to remember where it came from but have melancholy feelings when looking at it or some sort of heart ache. I think this watch will assist in bringing Akiho and Kaito back together.

 The ‘Seal of D’ also appears to have the same kind of appearance as the dragon from Sakura’s dreams, so I believe that the curse the Association and Clan put on him will have turned him into this dragon, and that he is currently roaming the world of the book. Because Sakura’s dreams showed the dragon in Tomoeda, I think that he will somehow break through the book in this form at some point, but there is still definitely the question about the Cloaked Figure, and it is still debatable who that will end up being. We know that part is still to come as Sakura has yet to wear the ‘sleeve’ she mentioned before that she would have on when she finally meets the Cloaked Figure for real. 

 God, just when you thought the climax was finally here, it seems we haven’t even reached the tip of the iceberg. This is most definitely why CLAMP needed another full volume to finish it, and I’m all for it.

  I am so fascinated to see the next chapter and what this new timeline is like. Does Akiho know about Kero and Suppi etc.? What has gone on exactly in regards to the Clear Cards? And what about Syaoran? Does he still have the Sakura cards? What are the actual ramifications of this massive timeline change? And Lillie? What happened to her if Akiho was never born her child, and how did this affect Nadeshiko?

 SO MANY QUESTIONS!!

 But we’ll get answers here real soon, and I look forward to talking about them all with you! See you next month!

[lady-lazagna]

Fury au where tsubasa and hikaru travel together. This actively makes things worse but does mean we get to see hikaru punch johannes

Depression duo, let's goooo :D

Tsubasa: Man, I can't believe we can't travel with the rest of the group. I feel completely isolated from our friends😔

Hikaru:👁👄👁 wow yeah can't imagine the feeling.

Hikaru gets to fight in the Destroyer Dome, furthering Gingka's belief that the WBBA employees are his dad's favorites lol. And there's even a record number of girls in that tournament already (a whole TWO) so Hikaru could build some homoerotic rivalries along with the rest of the gang! Good for her.

I imagine during the whole Tower of Babel debacle she'd be violently determined to get to the top, just absolutely clawing her way up that tower through every other blader, fueled by some need to prove she's far stronger than she was before. But when she gets up there and comes face-to-face with Ryuga, she's just... "nah." and walks all the way back down. Decides she doesn't need that rn. Knows Tsubasa's gonna get his ass beat. They can have a heart to heart about it later it's okay.

Probably also has a moment with Angst Mode Kenta like:

"What are you doing following that maniac"

"I just have to do this😤😔🥺"

*aims gun Aquario* "That's not a fuckin' answer mate"

If you'd care to elaborate on this idea, my ears are wide awake👀👂

[papirouge]

Do you have a fashion inspo blog?

Well, although I'm a millennial and technically from the generation that made blogging popular I have never been into fashion blog like that

Even when I was studying fashion I was more into reading magazines/industry news than blogs

It didn't stop me from digging a particular individual style though. And on that aspect, as far as I know, Toru Inagawa has been my biggest style crush. I discovered him because he was often featured into TUNE magazine (streetstyle magazine) and I immediately fell in love lol. I'm a sucker for everything oversize so I quickly became obsessed with him and his pants and knitwear

Fun fact: I am such a fan of him that when I went to Tokyo I was adamant in going to his second hand shop (he's the owner) and bought gorgeous oversize denim pants there. The same day I made an Instagram story tagging him and he looked at it 😳💗 Biggest "Sempai noticed me" moment!!! lmaoo

Toru in his younger/streetstyle days:

him lately (he's becoming finer tbh 👀)

he's super hot idc lol

For female inspo it definitely was Tsubasa Masuwaka. She peaked big time during her gyaru days ; her way of coordinating sporty items (beanies, varsity tees & socks) with more fashionable pieces (denim, cowboy boots) has always fascinated me

But beside her sense of style, the way she conducted herself, being so confident in her taste and how to properly convey it in the shootings she was featured in was very inspiring.

There's this documentary about her on youtube ; even if you don't understand Japanese you can have a glimpse of her style and allure (starting from the 4:00 mark). Keep in mind this was 15 years ago, so this style might come off as kinda dated but even today I think she still she had that visionary je ne sais quoi which totally explains why she is to this day the queen of a 10 millions yen empire lol Tsubasa has always been a smart businesswoman

I remember obsessively trying to buy that exact same kind beanie at New Look. Tsu chan really got young wannabe gyaru me on a chokehold lol

Today, now that gyaru fell off and she getting older, her style became pretty underwhelming (it a hit or miss really...). I'm currently reading her book "Tsubasa REAL" and the fashion chapter is okay, but it's nowhere as "WOW" as it was back when she got a big break as a gyaru dokusha model. It's interesting to see her rocking designer brand more than she ever did (in that documentary she's making a Shimamura haul - basically the equivalent of Primark in Japan) but....she never manages to pull it off and always looks like she's cosplaying

left: wearing Burberry and MiuMiu, right: wearing Prada and Gucci

Though it seems more like a global movement in the reiwa era, which is more beauty than fashion oriented(?)

I replied to an ask where I more thoroughly elaborated on the whole difference of era in Japan but to put it bluntly, reiwa is much more conservative and "safe" (styl & make up ise) so it makes sense that Tsubasa is going along and toned down her style?

I find fascinating how her makeup style perfectly represent the Heisei vs Reiwa aesthetic shift

Heisei: glamorous/big hair, tanned/glolden skin, heavy eye makeup & eyelashes, thin eyebrows, glossy lips, shimmer...

Reiwa: pale skin, little to no eye makeup, strong eyebrow, 涙袋/ namidabukuro (drawn or surgically enhanced tearbag to look more youthful)..

The last day I was (re)watching her video of listing all her plastic surgery and she admitted messing up her face with hyaluronic acid because she was so insecure about her big round shaped head, and used hyaluronic acid to have a sharper face, but the hyaluronic acid eventually migrated on her cheeks which made her face even rounder 💀 so now she's trying to fix it with HIFU (which is some sort of electrosound muscle treatment...). She lowkey sounds addicted but that's how far narcissism will get you.... (and it seems well ingrained in the family since she said her own parents told her when she was still in middle school to pinch her nose with a clothespin 1 hour a day to have a high nose bridge (which she did) 💀 and when people clown her for having weird shaped nostril she said it hurt her feelings because that's her "natural features"....like?? bestie, maybe if you didn't mess up your nose cartilage during your growth development your nostrils wouldn't look so weird. There's nothing 'natural' about it 😬)

This woman started getting plastic surgery very young (in her early 20s with eyelid surgery) and did so continuously up until now (she's in her mid 30s) so that explains why she's looking so uncanny when she doesn't have her pictures monitored/filtered to hell and back. Tsubasa has the same syndrome as Kylie Jenner, which is women trying to fit into a very specific beauty aesthetic that only looks good on Instagram but in reality looks super uncanny.

[ladyryukyo]

Tag Game: Ten First Lines

once again, stealing this from a different fandom but i love these kinds of games for writers. so. here's the rules.

share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics. if you have written less than ten, dont be shy and share anyway.

btw this is a mix of published fics (all linked) and wips. from most recent backwards.

After surviving the Wolf Canyon, Kyoya thought he would never be scared of anything again.

Demure spots Kyoya first in the sea of people crowding the airport's entrance.

"Sir Tsubasa," the prince says with distaste when Tsubasa straightens from his kneel.

Kyoya hangs tied with a thick rope over a pit filled with giant crabs.

The office is dark except for the small lamp on Hikaru's desk when she finally finishes up her work.

Madoka felt a little guilty for having dragged Hikaru outside on such an uncomfortably warm day, but she had begun to feel twitchy inside the B-Pit, where there hadn't been any customers anyway and the backrooms had steadily risen in temperature.

"I've always wanted to do this," Jack confesses as he tilts Chris' face with a gentle hand on his chin.

Madoka is exhausted.

On the way home from the funeral, Kenta doesn't know what to say.

When Kenta was little, he often used to visit his grandmother after school.

i always feel like im annoying when i tag people but also id like to see others do this so im tagging anyway and trying not to feel too much anxiety about it lol

@curedeity @andro-dino @starfishes-and-watercolors @crafty705

(but obviously everyone who wants to can do this i'd like to see it!)

[silvertsundere]

Silver Talks AniManga (16/07/23)

wow actually on time for once impressive myself, a p chill week, tho I wanna catch up to something again soon, only got a couple more series to do before I fulfill my goal of being caught with everything on jump and then I can start branching out to other stuff I've had an eye on for a while but anyway

blue - finale/completed

Anime

Pokemon Horizons Ep13

after 2 weeks of absence the pokemon anime is finally back, tho this one was kinda like a recap episode for half of it while the cast had a picnic. they teased the possibility of roy catching a new mon next ep but we'll see how that goes since riko isn't getting one too for the new few episodes (based on the revealed titles)

Atelier Ryza Ep3

a cute episode overall, centered around ryza using her alchemy to help people around the island now. also greatly enjoy all the ryza x klaudia food, just for me 🙏 also, when they had that magical girl transformation esque scene for when she crafted last ep I was like "that looked way too good for them to not reuse it" and they did, just significantly shortened so lol

Zom 100 Ep2

good ep, I was worried abou them being able to keep up the quality from ep 1 but even if we didn't get any fancy sakuga this time the quality was still good. the new girl is cute and kusunoki tomori did a good job as her. next ep is the mc's friend which I assume is the blonde guy from the op/ed (and that I think was cameo'd on a photo near the start of the ep), and the next ep will be the samurai girl? haven't read the manga so completely blind

Manga

Saihate Quartet Ch18 (Finale)

honestly only started reading this cause I wanted to post the tokusatsu reference panels and I'd feel bad doing it without actually reading it, and also cause it landed on a not very busy day. it was alright tho, it's a comedy so it's very "you either like it or don't", the concept is p fun but shallow, more suited for something like a oneshot I think, I don't regret reading it tho, it had it's moments

Dandadan Ch113

the climactic finale to the big alien invasion team battle, maybe anyway good chap, that flashback page with the cute okarun momo moments was good and it also had 2 of yukinobu's signature "how can this series be weekly" spreads

The Ichinose Family's Deadly Sins Ch33

they spent all this time skirting around the older brother's story, taking many detours along the way for other stuff. this chap they finally revealed the final piece, he was the one that saved them from dying in that one car crash that put tsubasa in a coma, dying in the process himself.. only for it to be revealed a couple pages later that he's still alive??? I really don't understand what the hell ichinose is doing, really is a sad state of affairs when this can go into the 30s when better stuff gets axed way earlier

Blue Box Ch109

lots of cute chinatsu faces in this chap and finally saw hina again after what feels like a billion years. hype for the next chap tho should be getting some very cute scenes 👀

Cipher Academy Ch32

the final match of this tournament arc is finally here and it's.. a game of that of all things? I was wondering how the hell they were gonna incorporate codes into that but they did it in a way that makes sense looking forward to how this goes

Martial Master Asumi Ch5

very cool chap, letting nito show off how strong he can really be when he's not holding back for some reason tho he's totally gonna get clapped next chap

Sakamoto Days Ch127

the first of the slur fights is over and it was really good. good guys ended up losing as I expected but at least they managed to really fuck up the girl which should make things easier in the future, tho I'm hoping heisuke is the one to take her down as payback for this fight

Undead Unluck Ch167

woulda liked to see more from this fight but it was good anyway, even got feng's backstory and the reveal that he's a negator too tho I figured that'd have to be the case. curious to see who the next member is gonna be since we're still missing quite a few

My Hero Academia Ch394

the longest fight in the whole manga is finally over sheeesh not in terms of raw chapters amount but when it started vs when it ended cause it had a ton of stuff in between, it was good tho. not much more left now, I think just all might and AFO and the deku fights are left? getting closer and closer to the end OH today was also the 9th anniversary celebration colour page, I wouldn't be surprised if they had horikoshi keep this going til the 10th anni just so they can do special merch for tha occasion but we'll see

Akane-banashi Ch70

incredibly good chap, don't really got much more I could say than that, just wow, god akane is sooooooo good. anyway now that akane's performance is done I'm p sure my previous prediction about the placements is gonna be true but ofc I still want her to win instead

[sinkableruby]

shouting emoji pencil and paper emoji

someone else asked the shouting one so ill answer that one there

📝Share a snippet of an unposted WIP, with or without context.

debated on which one to pick for one for a while but i like this one a lot... here's context first. this is for a college/human au fic btw:

ok so you know how like in preschool and stuff sometimes youd accidentally call the teacher mom or dad? well it's like that but instead its your uncle and instead of you its college student ougi and theyre very embarrassed about it and just tried to cover it up badly. also they use they/them pronouns in this one bc i felt like it. ok context over

Hanekawa’s face, though, turned sly. “Hmm… I wonder if I’ll just go and tell him you said that~” Ah, so that was an option.

They froze, smile stuck stiffly on their face.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves now. There’s really no need for that, Hanekawa-senpai. I will do your work for you.” They were quick to resort to bribery.

“For a month.”

“Are you trying to kill me? A week.”

“Two weeks.”

They looked annoyed. “Fine. It makes you feel good, does it, to push your work onto a highly stressed, busy college student?”

Hanekawa smiled. “Yup! That’s another win for me, Ougi-chan.” She was terrifying in her ability to toss around the most terrifying person I knew.

“I feel like I’ve gotten a new glimpse into Hanekawa-senpai…” marveled Kanbaru.

their rivalry continues even in this universe... fun

the fic is supposed to be a very long fluff fic where a bunch of koyomis friends and stuff come over to his house for a party and they hang out and play like video games n shit n have fun :)

its quieter in this snippet bc only a few ppl are there (ougi, koyomi, suruga, tsubasa) but itll definitely get hectic lol. writing the rest of this is a long ways off bc ive got a bunch of fics i wanna finish first (or rather, one big one that i want to get to before this next big one), but i like the little gags and jokes and interactions ive written so far

here's another bc i like it:

"Are you fucking shitting me," said Ononoki.

(she is losing at super smash bros)

[risingfire17-the-weeb-trash]

Imagine a Tsubasa-like universe with all your favorite anime series and you get to experience these different worlds. Who goes with you (and Mokona as the vessel, obviously) on your journey across anime universes? Challenge: not a SINGLE Clamp character or ship, so you can't include Fai :P

Ok I apologize because it's going to be a bit of a bigger group than the actual Tsubasa crew- this basically turned into my apocalypse survival team because who knows what I'm facing if I'm traveling between worlds! So here are my fellow travellers:

Osamu Dazai (Bungou Stray Dogs)- He's gun trained and has the ability to negate magical abilities (of course I don't know if that ability works outside of his world but it's a chance I'm willing to take!) And he hides his true capabilities behind his comedic relief façade and I'm here for it (basically he's my Fai stand-in because you said I can't include Fai!)

Twelve (Terror in Resonance)- bomb expert, highly resourceful in combat, and an absolute sweetheart! He'd help with group morale.

and speaking of morale....

Honda Tohru (Fruits Basket)- Because we need someone in this crew that does not have a sociopathic bone in their body! She'd be the moral support and moral compass of the whole crew, and the smol bean we all rally to protect! Also, I'm sure she can negotiate with any of our enemies- she tends to make people like her whether they want to or not!

Kamado Nezuko (Demon Slayer)- obviously we need someone who can decapitate someone with a kick but also be a cute smol bean that just wants belly scritches!

Rachel Gardner (Angels of Death): Because she's smart enough to get us out of any pinch! And because I want to see her frozen heart warmed by Tohru and kitty!Nezuko

Hinakawa Sho (Psycho Pass)- Because every successful apocalypse survi- I mean, travelling group needs a hacker. How else are we getting visas and foreign currency in every world we visit? Hopefully they all code the same lol (Also Sho is a precious baby)

Victor Frankenstein aka Fran (Code:Realize)- Look, you never know when you are going to end up in a world with more expensive healthcare than the USA, and as most likely penniless travelers, having our own doctor could be the difference between life and death. Also, he is probably the most psychologically healthy and level-headed person on the team (except maybe Tohru, but he has life experience to prepare him for whatever dark twisted worlds we may end up in, whereas Tohru is a bit naïve)

[liquorisce]

What first got you writing fan fiction? And what keeps you going (fun/plot/characters/comments)?

haaa lol, my first ever fanfic was scribbled into the back pages of my test notebooks in high school. it started as beyblade fanfic at first and then i ended up designing my own characters, replete with the whole look and everything lmao.

it was just… interesting, I guess. I wasn’t posting it publicly, I never shared my writing with a soul (until my mom found it and made me endure several hours of emotionally charged monologue on how I am a shameful child), it was really fun and I just desperately wanted to tell the story to someone or in this case something: which was a notebook that I eventually tore up and gave to the recycle bin.

My first ever fanfic I posted when I was midway through college bc I stumbled upon James lily fanfic somehow. Idek how??? Maybe I was looking for erotica and then I found out about “smut” and then “fics” and then holy shit my life changed.

Eventually one day I figured ok why not copy these scribbles on to a word doc and upload it to fanfiction.net. my first one was tsubasa chronicle/card captor Sakura fic. back then I barely got any reviews lol but I was kind of proud. I had a story up there. I felt like I had crossed some kind of limitation that I had set for myself. I went from not wanting to show what I’ve written to anybody, to being able to share it with people whose faces I can’t see, online. It was kind of thrilling.

I think a lot of my feelings toward the writing / story process has remained the same. There is a sense of urgency when I am in the zone and trying to tell a story, and when the words actually burst out onto that doc… honestly nothing can top that feeling. It’s the best I’ve ever felt. I get an adrenaline surge every time I hit the post button.

Like I said, I’ve been around since the time when barely anyone commented on my work, so I think comments weren’t the main motivator. It’s definitely lovely to get that email from ao3 of course, feels like a blessing 🫶🏼 but that isn’t enough to sustain interest, IMO. I’m Mainly chasing that feeling I talked about above 🙃

[lilover131]

Chapter 68 Analysis

It’s new chapter time!! And boy, was this a good one! I haven’t been this excited about the next chapter in quite some time, but that’s how you know for sure that we’re definitely in the climax of the story!

Also, this gif totally was my vibe while reading this chapter. 

Without further ado, let’s delve in! 

Call it Tsubasa PTSD if you wish, but seeing a absolutely adorable color page always has me worried that something bad is about to happen. Lmao! CLAMP has a tendency to give us these really heart warming pictures before crushing our hearts, but I’m going to have faith that there is a different meaning here. Perhaps this is to remind us of Syaoran’s promise to not let Sakura become unhappy. Or perhaps it is also a reminder of what Sakura said when she made the new Mirror card. She said she wished she could look in the mirror and see herself the way everyone else does. And in a way, Syaoran becomes her mirror in this chapter, but I’ll delve into that a bit more further into this analysis.

 The chapter starts off very similarly to the ending of chapter 50 where Momo narrates and asks what happiness is to her, and how it is that she can always believe everything will be all right even during times of hardship. ‘Alice’ comes to on a gondola-like boat moving down a calm stream between two huuuuuuge shelves containing thousands of books (I wish I had a library like that). I love CLAMP’s landscape designs once again, but the incorporation of the trees is quite nice here. It gives the vibe that this library is not just full of books but is alive.

The Red Queen asks ‘Alice’ whose voice she heard and asked if it was something important. Something flashes across her face that indicates that perhaps for a moment, a brief moment, Sakura is starting to remember who she is. The smile in particular feels much more like herself than the character of ‘Alice’. And it seems practically confirmed that she did have a brief glimpse of self recognition based on ‘Mr. Cat’/Kaito’s brooding expression and clenched fists. Lol!

 Kaito seems most displeased and doesn’t hesitate to let Momo know he doesn’t appreciate it by asking her not to give Sakura any more hints. He also reminds her that she’s supposed to not assist the characters in the book. Momo explains that it’s ‘narration’ she’s helping move things along by facilitating and not assisting in any way. Lol. Kaito gives his usual smile at her scolding, which is so weird on Syaoran’s face, and I feel this is his way of covering up how irritated he actually is by this. Hahahaha. He lets Momo know he’s still not particularly happy about it, but decides to let it go for now so they can continue following them.

 ‘Alice’ comments on all the books surrounding them, and the Red Queen states that books are incredibly important in this land, and that they have always been there for her. As we know, it was shown many many chapters ago (our first glimpse of Akiho’s past) how she had no friends as a child, and books were her only friends, so it seems almost like a flash of the real Akiho here. She’s still in there, though not out quite yet.

 However, these books in this library are no ordinary books. The Red Queen explains that each book holds a person’s memories and serves as a record. They contain a person’s feelings, hopes, and even the magic they created. I am totally creeped out by this because we know Akiho’s Clan (aka the Squid Clan or Asshats), performed a spell on Akiho so that she would absorb the contents of all grimoires that pass before her and engrave them on her very soul. She is an artifact meant to absorb magic, so all of these books….are potentially magic and memories she’s stolen (unconsciously I’m sure) from people. And that’s absolutely horrifying to think about. I figured she had absorbed a lot of magic from people, but that is way more than I ever imagined, so it’s no wonder why she’s so close to breaking!

 This also brings another theory to mind. Since we know they are in the Alice in Clockland book, I find this fascinating how when Akiho tried to absorb Sakura before in the pool chapter, it was pages of a book that sprung from her feet to capture her to ‘bring her magic inside the book’. And now that we know what else the Alice in Clockland book contains (memories), this leads me to believe that the book isn’t just something that Akiho owns, but is a reflection of her own soul. And currently, it is writing Sakura’s story within it to ‘record’ it too (this is a theory, so I’m not stating anything definitively here).  This might explain why Akiho can read the book when no one else can, why she dreams of the stories within its pages, why Kaito seems to be so invested in Sakura’s life and history, and even why Momo said before that they were synchronizing. What if Sakura’s story and magic are being written inside of the book that is Akiho��s soul? The one that was considered a ‘blank book’ by her clan before. What if they actually turned her soul into a book so it could literally be written upon?

Sakura seems confused by the name of the book, as she still is recognizing herself as ‘Alice’ and asks Akiho if she is the Red Queen. She states she does not remember who she was before she came to Clockland, but that she remembers she had a very special person and that ‘Alice’ has a name more befitting of who she is. The Red Queen begins to lift her veil, and it seems in that moment that she has returned to being Akiho and is bringing Sakura back to remembering her own self. @meimi-haneoka​ also mentions in the Japanese version that the font changes in her speech, which collaborates with Akiho coming back to herself (strong girl!).

 However, it seems it wasn’t needed as Syaoran comes to the rescue, shouting her name loudly and cutting through the world to get to her (I love how the cuts reveal book pages. Guess Syaoran skipped a few chapters. Hahaha). Kaito is quick to respond to this interruption and he applauds him for managing to not get kicked out of the world by the trickery he pulled earlier using Mirror. He states that only one cat can be here right now, and he lunges forward to try and grab Syaoran. But suddenly, Syaoran seems to vanish in his grip and the light left behind zooms behind Kaito to..Syaoran? That’s right everyone, Syaoran fooled Kaito using Mirror, and I am absolutely living for it. Like, I am so proud of my boy, I can’t even. What a freaking 1000 IQ move.

Sakura calls out his name, indicating she is fully herself now, and Syaoran apologizes for his late appearance (not that he needed to, since he totally made up for everything in that moment). Sakura shakes her head and gets emotional (man, I would too) about how she couldn’t remember who she was until he called her name (which is exactly why Kaito wanted him to stay away!). Syaoran continues being cool af by telling her that she will only ever be Sakura to him and no one else, which seems to reassure Sakura that everything will be okay. It’s almost like he was telling her “I will always help you find your way back”.

Kaito returns to his usual form, but potentially not by his own doing? He states that Syaoran didn’t just retrieve the Sakura card version of Mirror, but that he also dispelled the illusion created by the new Mirror. It’s unclear if Syaoran forced this change on his own or if just happened by default due to Kaito’s ‘attack’ on him. Momo had mentioned before that even the slightest of magic tricks could ruin his disguise, so it’s possible.

 Syaoran is looking up at him rather intensely, and Kaito starts to analyze Syaoran again, praising him for a moment at his magical growth, before stating personal details about him. I swear to god, Kaito get so chatty when he’s around Syaoran, and I find it so fascinating to observe. I speak a lot more on this particular subject in my post titled “Syaoran and Kaito Analysis” which you can find here.  It has definitely been observed by me and others that Kaito particularly likes to bring up details about Syaoran’s life to him, and it’s unclear exactly why he does this, but it’s entirely different from how he interacts with other people, and I love it.

 Technically, he mentioned Syaoran’s mother and her divination skills once before, but since time was turned back the last time they fought, Syaoran actually doesn’t remember this conversation, so it is a bit of a repeat now. However, he does actually say something not entirely confirmed before but now is. He confirms for us that Akiho’s clan (the Asshats) takes particular interest in the Li clan and despises them due to their connections to Clow Reed. Now, this was implied before in Akiho’s first backstory chapter where the clan was ranting about Syaoran’s birth and how they felt they were being beat by the Li Clan due to Akiho being the only child of the same age and having no magic of her own. It was very likely this anger over Syaoran is what stirred them to do what they did to Akiho, but having Kaito confirm this just gives it another creepy factor. I mean, in a nutshell he just told Syaoran “I know this information about you because this magical family who hates your family stalks the ever living shit out of you”. Being “famous” to a clan that hates you is not a good thing at all. Not good indeed….

 But Kaito doesn’t say much more and flashes his pocket watch, claiming that Syaoran cannot stay here. His pocket watch looks more broken than ever, a metaphor for his life, and it really seems he doesn’t have much time left. Syaoran, not sure of what is coming, uses Mirror to copy Flight, and OMG THE RESULTS ARE SO FREAKING COOL. SYAORAN, WHY ARE YOU SO COOL IN THIS CHAPTER?!! He forms really cool looking wings made of glass, which resemble the glass pieces that stem from the Mirror card’s back, and Flight respectfully goes to both Sakura and Akiho. I was seriously wondering how much Mirror would be able to help him last chapter, but holy moly is he making amazing use of her.

The chapter ends with an intense stare down between the boys and Syaoran making a declaration that he will definitely bring Sakura (and Akiho implied too in the Japanese version) back with him, which obviously goes against Kaito’s master plan. It seems obvious the next chapter is going to include an epic fight between these two again, and I cannot wait!!!

I also cannot forget to mention Akiho’s sudden quietness once Syaoran appears. Her lack of reaction and the fact that CLAMP specifically keeps her face concealed has me incredibly concerned that she’s gone into ‘book-mode’ and that will certainly complicate matters in the next chapter if so. GOD, I’M SO EXCITED.

 Anyways, I’m very much looking forward to the Christmas chapter, and I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!!