#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

[drops-of-moonlights]

IN YET ANOTHER INSTALLMENT OF "drops forgot to post something", I completely forgot I had redesigned Nehelenia lmao.

I wasn't thinking often of ReStart until I finished dinner like a month ago and I was brushing my teeth it came to me.

"what if Nehelenia was the REAL Sailor Moon but Serenity usurped her once she took control over the system?"

and so here we are lmao. so general SilMil stuff here but Queen Serenity (then Sailor Lactis) singlehandedly defeated a threat our Solar System was facing, and so in exchange for her services she became their empress. Nehelenia was her first real ally and she allowed her to rule from the Moon as a joint effort, but as Serenity took more and more from her she grew resentful over having been displaced (as Serenity decided that she was, technically, the new Sailor Moon as it was her new home), and during the celebration of Princess Serenity's birth she decided to strike. We know the story, she attacks, the 6yo child soldiers beat her before Serenity traps her in a mirror with the plans of taking her Sailor Crystal later on to "fuse" it with hers (therefore becoming the real Sailor Moon) to make her daughter's. Nehelenia's banishment was what kicked off the Earth's rebel movement that Beryl would later join, and we know what happened then.

In my 'verse Nehelenia doesn't wake up until the time Chibs/Tsubasa and the Asteroid Senshi are the main active team, and she confuses her for Princess Serenity's reincarnation.

As for her redesign honestly I just wanted her to look a bit more alien and I wanted to give her a veil. that's really all about it lol. Her primary weapon as Sailor Moon (the other Senshi call her Sailor New Moon to differentiate) is a giant chakram like the one Usagi uses.

[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-).

[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 --

[kaiserposting]

🌹, 🚨 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!)

[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 🙃

[flydotnet]

Mundane

WHUMPTOBER 2023, DAY 20: “People don’t change people, time does.” Blanket | Found Family | “You will regret touching them.”

I originally had a whole other idea planned. In fact, I had it planned from almost day 1 of Whumptober... and then I didn't want to write it because it was for a fandom I'm not into at the moment and forcing myself to write it was too much. Combine that with semi-writer's block and you get me, panicking at 10PM I don't have an idea yet again.

This is very short as a result because, as I said, I really didn't want to write today, but I also didn't want to break such a long streak, especially on a round day count, so I bruteforced myself lol

This is, I suppose, the sweet version of "Répondez, s'il-vous-plaît" from like last week, except you also get Just Hidalgo! As a free add-on to your fancy vague-ass post-canon setting package.

---------------------------------------------------------

Mundane Sanctuary

Summary: It's a calm afternoon in a flat with four friends - nothing more, nothing less.

Fandom: Some post-canon Captain Tsubasa shlock, you know how it is around here

Word Count: 1K words

AO3 version available here.

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Being sick sucks ass, it’s always sucked ass, and it’ll never stop sucking ass. That’s a rule accepted by pretty much everyone, isn’t it? Whomever doesn’t get grumpy whenever it happens can try and justify their opinion, and he’ll try respecting it – it doesn’t mean it’s right.

Despite this, one of his friends has been adamant on that whole shebang not sucking ass, and honestly, JB can’t wrap his head around it.

Yet when he looks at his friend, trying to see if finally anger crosses his face, all he gets greeted with is a polite smile and slow, hoarse words.

“It’s really no big deal,” Yuzo tells him again, so it’s back to square one again.

“It should be, though, right? You can complain, you know!” JB turns his attention to the two other persons in the room. “Right, guys? I can’t be the only one to think that being sick sucks!”

“Maybe some people like whining about it less than you do, JB!” Max strikes back with a chuckle.

“That’s a little mean-spirited to say, Maxine,” Just adds.

“It’s just part of life,” Yuzo finishes as he balls up inside the blankets.

A shiver almost visibly courses through him as he does.

“You’re cold?” JB asks, all thought process about the righteous art of complaining about achy joints and stuffed noses ceasing on the spot.

“Y-yeah,” his friend stutters.

“I’m gonna fetch you another blanket then.”

He’s up as soon as he can even finish the sentence, barely seeing Max in the corner of his eyes picking up a thermometer before he’s into his bedroom and going through whatever may be in his closet. He almost never opens that thing for anything but his civilian clothes, and now, it’s biting him back in the ass: he needs to find a blanket that’s warm and sheets to put it inside on top of it.

He does manage to find it, however, and actually still in its original plastic bag – it may be unused, but it doesn’t have to be a bad thing, and at least it means it’s clean for Yuzo. That’s a very good thing if you ask him.

When he comes back, Max has her hand on Yuzo’s forehead and a frowny look on her own face.

“I’m back with a second blanket,” JB announces anyway.

“Ah, good!” She replies without looking at him.

“Is something wrong?”

“I think I’m a little warmer than before,” Yuzo chuckles, and even now, the congestion in his voice is so obvious it’s itchy to hear. “Not by much, though…”

“It’s still a rise in temperature and I don’t like that.”

JB gives his friends the second blanket, which Max proceeds to install on top of the first, mindful of the width of his trusty couch.

“I think Yuzo would know better than you if he felt off.”

She deadpans back at him.

“You’re both absolute catastrophes at admitting you don’t feel well. Remind me how we ended up in this situation, boys?”

“Ha…”

Yuzo coughs into his elbow in lieu of an answer.

“That’s what I thought,” she adds.

JB watches Maxine go back to her seat on the armchair right next to the couch – she’s the nearest to Yuzo for obvious reasons and neither JB nor Just was dumb enough to rob them of the proximity. God knows that can’t be that easy for them, with how tense in-laws can be. In a way, maybe they’re both their friends’ sanctuary (that sounds oddly deep for no real reason).

Silence ensues for a bit. It’s weird but far from uncomfortable. It feels right, in a way JB can’t quite put into words (not that he’s ever been very eloquent) – and there he is again with the thought of this being a sort of sanctuary. It doesn’t have to be an artsy-fartsy thing, after all, so why shy away from the idea?

“I’m going to brew us some tea,” Just says as he gets up from his seat, breaking the quiet. “Does anyone have specific requests?”

“I want honey in mine please!” Max immediately replies.

“Same here!”

“So honey for the four of us. I’ll see you in around ten minutes.”

He disappears from the living room and into the kitchen.

Before silence can settle once more, Max breaks it, smiling as she looks around.

“How many times have I been here… I lost count a while back.”

“Same, damn. I think at some point you were over here every single day.”

“It was handier for me to come here after class, rather than my parents’ place.”

Yuzo is silently following along, his eyes sliding from him to her and back to him while, like them, he sips on his tea.

“You still have your room back there, you know that?”

“Yeah, I do,” she laughs.

“Maxine has a room for her here?”

“Yeah, I do. Haven’t slept there for a hot minute, but it’s filled with all sorts of me things, I’m sure.”

“Can confirm, I haven’t moved a damn thing in there!”

“Does Just have one too?”

“He does, yeah, but you can’t really tell, he’s not been here as often as Max has. It almost looks more like any guest room than a friend’s, but oh well…” He shrugs. “It is what it is.”

Just’s back with tea soon enough, all neatly placed on a tray – there truly is nothing this guy can’t do without being at least a little artistic about it. He gives everyone a steaming cup, reminds them to mind the heat of the water before they start drinking, then leaves the tray on the coffee table near the couch.

“You know, this feels like having a family,” Yuzo states out of the blue.

The three others stare at each other for a brief silence.

“What makes you bring that up now?” Max asks

“I don’t know, it’s… Just a thought I had.”

“This is very humbling to hear,” Just replies, his face the softest JB has seen in quite a while.

“It’s difficult to explain,” Yuzo continues. “I’ve never had a very close relationship to my family, but when we’re together, I… think I know how people feel like when they talk about their own relatives. It’s warm.”

“That sounds about right.”

Both Max and Just agree in silence; meanwhile, JB decides sicknesses suck, but they don’t have to be that bad.

[isleofair]

Rules: list eight shows for your followers to get to know you better

@seaofolives said I was doing this, so I am. (Well, she said "you", so I guess you're doing this too? if you want?)

Tiger & Bunny - You CANNOT fully understand my most current and most profound brainrot if you don't know this adorable band of heroic goobers, and most specifically Nathan and Keith, and how much they all love each other.

Yuri!!! on Ice - Favorite comfort show forever and ever. It's not quite perfect because episode 12 is so rushed, but it's overall absolutely perfect for my heart. (Witnessing episode 7 live was... certainly a thing.)

Supernatural - Speaking of witnessing things live, I feel like you can understand my derangement much better by knowing that I watched this for THE WHOLE FIFTEEN YEARS AS IT AIRED. And then November 5th 2020 happened. And then that finale, and everything that followed. I would not recommend this to anyone (because I care about people's mental health), but I thank it for bringing me to Tumblr.

Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon S - Absolute core childhood memories all over the place, and even though it took me another lifetime to realize it, Haruka was totally my main queer awakening.

Star Trek - TNG - More, even earlier core childhood memories. I imprinted on Data like a very almost-certainly-but-never-diagnosed-neurodivergent duckling. And the whole thing made me forever feel like conflict should be resolved with intelligence, diplomacy, and respect for individuals and cultures.

The X-Files - Watching this as a teen unlocked my shipper gene in full force (and actually, obviously, taught me the word 'shipper' in the first place). Unfortunately, it evidently did not teach me to look out for shows that start out amazing and then devolve into an absolute trashfire (but hey, at least I never watched the revival).

Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis - One of my main fandom experiences, back in the LiveJournal days. (In retrospect, my giant crush on John Sheppard, a man who would rather jump out of a window than face a serious personal moment or talk about his feelings, was a pretty big personal-life red flag.)

... Honestly, just pick a random bunch of the anime series that were airing in Italy in the late '80s and early '90s, throw them into a blender, and you'll get at least half of the underlying structure of my brain. Absolutely necessary mentions: Anime Sanjushi, Saint Seiya, Creamy Mami (and all her magical girl friends), Samurai Troopers, Slayers, Captain Tsubasa, and a whole lot of stuff that was probably WAY too dramatic for me to watch at that age, lol.