#but we got syaoran! yay ^^

[landofanimes]

CLAMP EXHIBITION

2nd (and last) set of key visuals showcasing the 5 themes of the 2024 exhibition:

C for COLOR. CLAMP colors the world.

L for LOVE. CLAMP draws the forms of love.

A for ADVENTURE. CLAMP weaves the stories of adventure.

M for MAGIC. CLAMP casts its magic.

P for Phrase. CLAMP spins the phrases.

1st set: [x]

[miraculouscontent]

(non-Miraculous asks)

Anonymous said:

Ok this may just be me but I hate deconstructions. I feel like they are always mean spirited and try to be dark and edgy and thinks that every single person is an asshole because that’s “realistic” when no it’s not. This maybe because I like superhero stories and love it when the heroes overcome their struggles.

I can agree for the most part. Whenever I hear “okay but what if it was dArK--” I’m just okay, gonna stop you right there.

Anonymous said:

I swear, nothing bothers me more than people who want Miraculous Ladybug to literally just be Yandere Simulator(with Marinette as Ayano, Alya as Info-chan, Adrien as Taro, Chloe as Osana, Lila as Kizana, Kagami as Megami, and Luka as Budo). It just grinds my gears, especially because they're, once again, framing Marinette as a stalker, which just makes her look bad, AND pits all the girls against each other for Mr. Generic Harem Protagonist, once a-fucking-gain. Just go play the actual game, ok?

All I'm hearing is that now I have to ship Ayano and Budo and write a fic where the ghost girl uses fancy fantasy magic to merge her soul with Ayano and lets her actually have emotions, healing her from being a yandere while the ghost girl (in a way) gets to live a life she was cut short of, also allowing Ayano to be happy and go onto be friends with all the rivals.

Extremely convoluted but that’s the only way we get happy endings in this house.

Anonymous said:

I remember how, when writing Sailor Moon, Naoko Takeuchi refused to bow to older male writers wanted, say, for the girls to be stereotypical manga characters, with one being overweight, one being a stereotypical nerd, etc. But Naoko wanted each of the girls to be beautiful and feminine. While I don't like that they all share a body type, I admire how she didn't listen to grown men when writing for and about young girls. And I can't help but think about how Madoka is the antithesis of all that.

I can appreciate writers who put their foot down to stick to their values. There are limits of course, but yeah, a women writing women probably shouldn’t be listening to a man’s input. I’m sure good advice exists buuut...

Anonymous said:

What is your ranking of the seasons of the year from most to least favorite and why?

Summer - I work best in the warmth

Spring - Always brings images of flowers blooming to mind

Autumn - Things are getting cold and I don’t like it

Winter - It can go choke for all I care

Anonymous asked:

Someone on TV Tropes actually said that the name Feminist Fantasy should be changed because "feminism excludes men the same way meninism excludes women" and actually had the nerve to link that to the "Not So Different" trope, as if women haven't been excluded throughout the history of almost every human society. Fortunately, someone responded to them in a way that technically amounted to "do your damn research" but I'm still facepalming so hard at TV Tropes' "what about the men" rhetoric.

I feel like I lost braincells reading this.

Anonymous asked:

I feel like in fiction written by men there are only three flaws that female protagonists are allowed to have: clumsy, boy-crazy, or ashamed of their flat chests. I hate it.

Don’t forget, “having to listen to the men for how they’re supposed to feel.”

Anonymous asked:

Jatp. Nominated. For. Seven. Emmys. SEVEN!!!! Miraculous could NEVER. Literally.

omg!! Congrats to Julie and the Phantoms!

Anonymous asked:

WHAT ARE YOUR FLASHBACKS TO EVER AFTER HIGH?? I GOTTA KNOW? OMG?

Oh, I’ve seen basically the whole series, though the one I remember most is definitely Epic Winter. It was my favorite one though Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie so I’m biased.

I also like a lot of the “twists” and just--crazy concepts they rolled with, like with Red Riding Hood’s story and how Apple White gets woken up from her slumber.

Anonymous asked:

You're gonna be happy to hear this...I just started watching Cardcaptor Sakura today, and holy shit not only do I love it, but I also love how freaking META it is! I know you said you're not all that knowledgeable about Magical Girl, but this show is AWARE that it's a Magical Girl show! From Tomoyo(the main reason this show is so meta, tbh) realizing Sakura is a Magical Girl and asking if she has a transformation pose, to designing outfits for her(more on that later) to videotaping her(aka literally making a Magical Girl anime out of her Magical Girl friend), it just has fun with itself and plays with Magical Girl tropes without making a mockery of them like all those "dark" male-aimed ones do(lookin' at you, Madoka Magica and Yuki Yuna!).

And not only is it hilarious and adorable(especially with Sakura's crush on Yukito, Tomoyo's crush on Sakura, and Touya picking on Sakura, but playfully), but I love how it's riddled with girl power. While watching some of the first episodes I was looking forward to seeing Syaoran(partly because I love male Tsunderes and partly because I can't pronounce his name), and was surprised that he wasn't in the first few episodes, but more importantly I was so happy to see a show that treats its female characters with respect and shows women unironically receiving support from other women and being shown possessing power and authority.

I love Sakura and Tomoyo's friendship even if I hate the trope of "Lesbian Never Gets The Girl"(not that I think she's entitled to Sakura's affections or anything, but still.) and watching her support Sakura in her magic endeavors without being jealous or vindictive, I love that they're allowed to be independent and smart but that the show doesn't forget that they're kids, instead of making them like Manon and Chris, and I love that the show passes the Bechdel test in pretty much the first or second episode, and that pretty much every important and unimportant character we meet that's not Sakura's family members, Kero, or Yukito(plus maaaayyybe the Shadow Clow Card) are female.

Even little things, like all FOUR of Tomoyo's bodyguards in the second episode being female without there being a "reason" or the show making a big deal of it(either in a "yay girl power!" way or a "what but women can't x" way or an objectifying way) fills me with insurmountable joy. Also, I love that the show follows the Magical Girl trend of pretty much admitting that femininity is power, since frilly dresses are stated to be the most "fitting" thing for a Cardcaptor to wear, as without it, they might not be mentally up to the task, and this is an unironic truth rather than a joke(although Sakura is shown to be embarrassed, but it's much more likely that she's simply not used to that kind of gear due to not being rich as Tomoyo is.) or a gag.

I just thought I should tell you this because I know you like Cardcaptor Sakura, and with the crappy episodes that just came out of this show, I think you deserve to read an ask that's about a GENUINE girl power Magical Girl show, instead of yet more Miraculous Ladybug salt or Madoka Magica hate(not that there's anything wrong with either of those two, but it just gets grating after a while.). Overall, I'm looking forward to watching this show, since I've been looking for a Magical Girl show to watch nowadays(I've been meaning to watch Star Twinkle Precure but I can't find the third episode and all of Cardcaptor Sakura is on YouTube now, so.). So excited!

Hey, I’m glad that you’re having fun with it!

Though, just a warning, you might wanna steer clear of the Clear Card arc. It’s a sequel to the original series made waaaay after the original (think the equivalent of Yashahime for Inuyasha, though continuing with the original characters) but omg I hated it.

Anonymous asked:

With the crappy Season 4 episodes that just came out I'm glad I got into Cardcaptor Sakura when I did. Who needs "Marinette needs to make a mistake every episode and learn something from it" when you can have genuine girl power and sweetness incarnate?

Alya could never compete with Tomoyo, I’m just sayin’.

Anonymous asked:

Your comment about white men feeling "disenfranchised" because more shows are about black people and/or women(I say and/or because the two aren't mutually exclusive.), as if there aren't a million other things they could be watching instead is so true! It reminds me of how I was talking to someone recently about the new generation of MLP, in which I stated that we didn't need a male mane pony(spoiler alert: they have one, sadly.), and he claimed that it would be beneficial since many shows aimed at boys at least try to include at least one main girl, and that it would be good for G5 of MLP to have at least one strong male lead so that boys could have a role model and know that the show isn't "girly".

Okay, so far, so good, but this I could chalk up to just unconscious internalized misogyny, especially since he didn't say it in any sort of "way". So I respectfully told him that the scale regarding representation is already not equal and that boys can look up to girls and that a show being girly is not a bad thing and all that stuff that you already know about. Then he responded claiming some stuff about how he keeps trying to pitch stories about straight white male characters and how nobody is accepting his offers and so this means that straight white men are underrepresented compared to everyone else. He even explicitly said, and I quote "White people are actually critically underrepresented in media right now. Especially boys."; I swear to the Goddess above.

At this point I was officially upset as a black girl, to hear this white(and presumably adult) man telling me that he was underrepresented in media compared to me, even saying that the media execs are practicing "quotas and tokenization"(and yes, he repeatedly used those terms for any instance of representation, even when I asked him politely to stop.) by replacing women with men or white people with pocs and are making white men look like incompetent doofuses.

He also kept saying stuff about how shows are always shoehorning people of color in where they don't belong by casting them in settings such as Shakespeare and medieval times when "realistically" there were no people of color during those time periods(which is obviously not true, it's just not what the history books show us.), and made a really insensitive comment about how black children in the USA today don't know the significance of having the first black president because the media supposedly already shows them black people in various professions(despite also claiming he couldn't speak to the "black experience" and yet here he is whitesplaining that shit.).

It got to the point where he was seriously and unironically using the word "blackwashing". When I pointed out to him that white men aren't underrepresented and that it's just his self-centered ego telling him that they are, that the word "blackwashing" isn't a thing, and that mis/underrepresentation in media DOES affect black kids negatively(even citing myself as an example) he went on to claim that I was being tone-deaf and that "blackwashing" is just as bad as whitewashing, and that making Ariel black is just as bad as making Jasmine white.

At this point I had to bang my head on the table and explain to him the difference; his ass still wouldn't get it. Eventually he started saying some really skeevy and hypocritical shite that white men say all the time when whining about how "oppressed and underrepresented" they are: that black people and/or women

(it looks like there might be an ask missing here, in which case, sorry if Tubmlr ate it!)

avor of supporting the commonly believed LIE that "women and/or minority groups don't have as much history worth learning about, so there's no point in focusing on them." He also kept using patronizing, condescending, mansplaining language such as "let me explain it to you" or "you still don't get it do you?", and when he said women had nothing to contribute to society because "oppression" he even had the nerve to tack on "welcome to the unequal society" as if I hadn't been lecturing him about just that.

Because obviously only white men did anything worthwhile or important in history. At this point, I had to block him. I couldn't take it anymore and this was on an MLP site of all places(although I'm probably just as guilty of that part, but at least I wasn't an ass!). I just can't stand white men who "want to be oppressed so bad" but still want to claim that their achievements are more important and deserve to be more prominent. Honestly, so many white men are so fragile the second they're not in the spotlight. I can't help but think that despite all the privilege afforded to their class being a white man sounds like the worst thing ever.

“he claimed that it would be beneficial since many shows aimed at boys at least try to include at least one main girl, and that it would be good for G5 of MLP to have at least one strong male lead so that boys could have a role model and know that the show isn't "girly". “

I might be looking too deep into that but I don’t like the idea of, “Well WE squeezed in a girl and therefore YOUR SHOWS--” like it’s some sort of matter of “fairness” or that boys’ shows aren’t putting in girls out of a genuine like for them but because they “need” one or it’s some sort of obligation.

Also, we need to stop this idea that boys can’t look up to female characters and vice versa for girls. You already said it but yeah.

And yeah, I hear "quotas and tokenization" and I officially tune out of whatever the person is saying, lol. White men are critically underrepresented???? Newsflash, maybe it’s just because others are being represented more??

Just the whole thing about whites being “underrepresented” boggles my mind. White people don’t have some sort of special ability or skill that other races can’t do themselves unless you count the “superpower” of white privilege.

Like, oh my god, all that “whitesplaining” and having to read the word “blackwashing” was physically painful. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I don’t know how they got hold of the technology to communicate with you from whatever time period their from, presumably the Stone Age.

Don’t even blame you for blocking them. There’s just a level of absolute... blindness? Arrogance??? That comes with the territory with them sometimes, I swear. You had every right to be upset; other races come to ask for equality and fair representation and suddenly you have these white men (not all obviously but damn) coming by and crying that they’re being oPpReSsEd. U_U

Like, honestly, my father in particular is absolutely that kind of person so I’ve heard that kind of stuff before. it’s all gross.

On a slightly unrelated note (trying to end this with some positivity), I hadn’t even heard about a fifth generation of MLP until I read this, and just wanted to let you know that I really hope you have a really good time with it! Hopefully the male character isn’t... well, you know.

[raspberryfanfics]

nejiten fanfic binging guide

My recommended Nejiten fics. All stories are complete and are good enough to be reread again and again:)

Narutoverse

Exceptions by IncessantOblivion — The first Nejiten fic I have ever read, also one of the closest to my hearts. Though the author admits it, it does have themes of sexism and homophobia, but not strong. It portrays Tenten as extremely inexperienced and though I’m not a fan of authors who write her that way, I’m glad she is shown as independent otherwise. Despite the criticism and obvious flaws, the romantic scenes are written perfectly and I get a huge wave of feels every time I reread it. Besides the slight hints of sexism, this story is the most favourited Nejiten story on FFn for a reason: you’re so emotionally connected to it. My chest literally constricts every time I read it, it’s so good. 

Land of Pretend + Reality by trilliumgt — The first story, (Land of Pretend), despite being without a super solid storyline, is just so heart-wrenching. I’m pretty sure I cried the first time I read this and the sequel but even if it didn’t trigger as much as an emotional reaction, it was surprisingly not boring. Though “Reality” wasn’t as “feel-triggering”, it was very well thought out. 

About a Daddy and a Nanny by syaoran no hime — Perhaps one of my favourite Nejiten fics of all time. I was originally skeptical of this fic because of the title since Daddy and Nanny fics can be ridiculously degrading. They tend to be overly cliche where the female character is a useless Mary Sue. Yet when I gave it a shot, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was most definitely not cliche in the slightest. It may not be the best fic I’ve read in terms of romanticness, however, the humour is unbeatable. Before class, I had read this on my phone and couldn’t stop laughing because the author writes Tenten to have an alter-ego nanny, (very minor spoiler), and she is absolutely hilarious. The romance lies in the unspoken words and the reminiscence, not in the make-outs, but in a way, that just makes it what it is. It’s the type of fic that makes you wanna laugh and cry and smash your screen at the same time. The story is so so sooo good.

SharpBladed Spirit by FenixPhoenix — Dark and a little gruesome, therefore rated M. It isn’t so much a romance, rather an adventure story with a side serving of the two love interests. Nonetheless, it’s captivating, character development is phenomenal, and every character is strong and moves on the plot.

On Qipao Flirting and Buying Drinks by needdl — While this is only a two-shot, it is such a beautifully written story. The best part of it isn’t the romance, but the reactions to change and change itself. Characters change in subtle ways and the creative ways of expressing Neji’s reactions to Tenten becoming more and more feminine make me smile constantly. What I also love is that it has a slight feminist viewpoint to it in the fact that she embraces her femininity, which is the whole point of feminism (in which femininity is embraced just as much as masculinity and the belief that all are equal, which hopefully you are up to date to because it’s 2020 for kami’s sake). Anyways, the first part of the story is absolute pure fluff but if you read the second part, (especially on Ao3)...well that is some hot stuff let me tell ya.

In Front of Every Star by NessieGG — A short story with lots of fluff, angst, and feminism. (YAY!) It loaded with small snippets of moments, sadness, and really makes you think about your own values. Would you leave the love of your life to save your home country? What I love about this story is that the pain the characters feel may be selfish but they are completely realistic. It reflects off of our own lives, trying to let go of our feelings after letting go of the person. Every piece of it is flawless.

Ms X by Blade Rewind — This was the second-ever Nejiten fic I’ve read, and though short in the chapters, it certainly gives a lot of content. It’s light, airy, fun, and a little bit cliche, but in a strangely good way. The writer executes a classic plot with grace and humour and there isn't’ a point where you wanna die because of the unoriginality. 

On Sex by Lotos-eater — I was skeptical about this at first because sometimes titles like these indicate really bad smut, which is almost as bad as an overused cliche. However, this was exactly the opposite. While there is certainly mature content, it isn’t in the way you’d think. Sex is portrayed as an obstacle in this story and approaching it is awkward in every way. Kissing is awkward, touching is awkward, in fact, this is a romantic story with no romance whatsoever. I don’t know how the author pulled it off, but it was simply amazing. It is hard to read not because it is bad, but because you can really empathize with the Neji and Tenten as they try to have sex with non-existent chemistry. Yet my favourite part of this story is the amount of complexity within each character and the way Gai is written in a much more different light. I never imagined Gai to have a dark side and this story executes it perfectly.

Alternate Universes

Complexities of Blackmail by Aquarius Galuxy — I read the summary for this one and was impressed at the word count so I quickly jumped aboard my first AG Nejiten fic train and just...wow. So like, I don’t know where to start. It’s a military space AU and what I love is that up to a certain point, everyone’s backstory until Naruto Shippuden era is almost exactly the same as the Narutoverse. Team Gai is a predeveloped relationship but had deteriorated. Blackmail is very explicit, lots of smut, but damn is it quality smut. It might not be your cup of tea, but if you don’t mind it, this story is amazing. Neji is slightly out of character, but you can understand why with his motivations, even though I personally wouldn’t write a story with the situation. Development is great, chemistry is over the top fantastic, and there’s a perfect amount of angst. It is a bit lengthy but so worth it. Every other character involved is so unique, I loved seeing Izumo and Kotetsu getting a bigger role, Ino was so in character; highly, highly recommend.

f 2-8, ISO 100 by Aquarius Galuxy — Of course, we have another AG fic and this one has sex scenes, but not as *cough* rough *cough* as Blackmail. The maturity mostly comes from the fact that Tenten is a photographer and art can sometimes be...graphic. Yet I have an appreciation for this fic since it states that art is art and the fact that AG came up with the photography is like aiming a shot, (since Tenten never misses). Neji is a politician and pianist, which is a suitable career that both covers his genius and soft side. Once again, great chemistry. This fic flows like a river, it’s so beautiful.

Cutting Water by Nessie GG — A historic AU in which Tenten the leader of a prestigious clan in China and Neji is an ambassador from Japan. Reads more as an adventure and friendship story resulting in romance in the last few chapters rather than just romance. The details are amazing and the style of the writing makes it so elegant, perfect for the time period. It’s the type of story that mysterious and sophisticated at the same time.

Perfidy by KNO — Similar to Cutting Water as it is a historical AU. Its backstory is vaguely similar to Mulan, however, in this case, the hot general doesn’t forgive her immediately. Tenten, who was saved from dressing as a guy to serve in the army, is sent to train another generation of female soldiers. It’s a great story, a great plot, though it does tend to run on uselessly at times. However, it is solid otherwise. 

Breathe Again by Kicho-Keynote — A modern AU in which Neji is an army veteran. The story is slightly dark, as it deals with PTSD and triggering situations. Each character is complex and the development is simply amazing. Everyone has visible flaws, relationships are so well-developed, and it has brought me to tears several times. There are several mentions of ShinoTen, and even though it’s not my favourite couple, it plays a huge role in the story so just a warning. Thankfully, it doesn’t go into detail about their personal lives and it still is a Nejiten story, despite other love interests. It also runs on at parts but overall, it’s extremely well developed.

Authors

Aquarius Galuxy @aquariusgaluxy — The “Papabay” of Nejiten fics. Every story is beautiful, perfect, and intimate. Chemistry is always there. Everything is so beautiful and each has a different mood. Nothing is half-assed and it is just...I wish AG was still active I love those works so much.

KNO @zealousheart — If Aquarius Galuxy is the “Papabay” of Nejiten fics, then KNO is the “Ghost Bananas”. KNO’s work is creative, light, complex, and meaningful. The best part is, if you compare the earlier works to the more recent ones, you can really see the difference in skill level and how much KNO has improved.

Goldberry — Do you need one-shots? Goldberry has plenty. Though there are only a couple stories, there are one-shot collections, drabbles, and a whole bucketload of one-shots I haven’t even got to. It’s pure Nejiten Heaven

NessieGG — More one-shots but guess what? They’re all AU one-shots! Now, this is Nejiten AU heaven!

needdl — All of needdl’s works are filled with fluff. They are adorable, sweet, yet some of them are sincere and romantic. 

Cyberwolf — There are so many short light drabbles from Cyberwolf, each an idea that seemingly came from random thoughts but ended up on FFN for all of us to read.

MOST OTHER AUTHORS MENTIONED IN THE SUGGESTED STORIES ALSO HAVE OTHER NEJITEN WORKS, JUST NOT AS PLENTIFUL OR MOSTLY NEJITEN AS THE ONES LISTED ABOVE. I SUGGEST YOU CHECK OUT THEIR PROFILES AS WELL!

[kurogabae]

TSUBASA: TRAINWRECK CHRONICLES

And Why Bee Train Are Officially Being Labeled, By Me, As The Boomers Of Animation

PART 1 – PART 2 – PART 3 -- Part 4

[Slim Shady’s “Guess Who’s Back” plays in the distance, muffled but threatening]

Look, I know I usually have something to say at the start of these, but honestly? Let’s just go because we’re starting knee-deep in some bullshit. 

Tsarastora (yes... fucking AGAIN):

Well, it didn’t take long for us to return to the land of the walking Not Dead Anymore. Rumor has it that Bee Train was ordered to retcon the S1 finale immediately because who do you think you are to break one of CLAMP’s cardinal rules like that?!? But I’ve never seen any proof of exactly what went down about this plot. But I’m forced to believe Ohkawa materialized behind the director one day and threatened to eat his spine or some shit. 

Anyway. We’re here. Again. And for some reason this is where they decide to have Sakura give Yuuko her White Day gift? Instead of in Piffle? Where she made it? With Tomoyo?

Stop stealing my moments Bee Train. It’s like you’re the crew who edited CCS for America back in the day and tried to market it towards boys so you pushed Syaoran as the main character and tried to remove all romance. Let Sakura have friends! Let her interact with people and have a story! LET HER BE BI!!!

So Yuuko has a dress and Fai makes a joke about being in heaven because the place is so pretty and Kurogane says not to, quote, “say such unlucky things” and it’s moments like this that make you wonder if they Knew and just didn’t care about Fai’s past or if they really were just as in the dark as the rest of us. I flip flop a lot between the two. 

Either way, now the dads are talking about the kids and how brave Syaoran is (why the bullshit in Piffle prompted this I do not know but whatever I guess?) and basically just about how badly they want them to succeed but without just saying it. Meanwhile Sakura is telling Syaoran about her latest memory and I could not for the life of me tell you which one it was and I refuse to go check. The important thing here is that the lazy animation trick that has given Mokona the power of flight is back and she’s hovering around the gang now. Not sitting on shoulders or anything. Just... flying around like she’s Kero. This is fine. I guess.

And then, after what has to be like a solid half hour of just dicking around Mokona Very Suddenly senses a feather. Why so suddenly? Because they wanted to get everything else out of the way first and it was convenient. No other reason. The feather isn’t moving. Neither are they really. She just decides to turn her sensors on now? IDK. Maybe she needs a tune up.

They find the feather not far away just casually sitting inside a rock and everyone but Kurogane is like “Yay! Easy find! Go us!” because apparently no one can learn anything in this anime about what those fucking feathers do. Spoilers: it’s not a rock, it’s a dragon.

[Kurogane voice]: kin

The dragon fucks off and here we come to a Thing. Now, Kurogane is ready to slaughter this thing and wear its bones basically. He is Ready to Fight in a real way. I found that odd and really didn’t care for it. In Hanshin he seems in awe of Celes when it appears to him and even though it’s mostly fanon that Kurogane respects and likes dragons that makes sense. His family’s guardian was a dragon, his sword was modeled after a dragon. His whole motif is dragons! Why is he so ready to kill this one? Does it not count if it’s not a Nihon dragon? Does only Ginryuu get respect? It just feels bad???

But none of that matters because guess what! Dragon shaped as it might be, the thing is a demon? At least, that’s what they’re calling it. Sometimes. Fai says demon, Syaoran says dragon. They don’t.... agree on the term? Shut up. It’s a dragon.

So they soon realize that they are back in Should Be Very Dead-ville and oh no everyone is going to die again unless we get this OTHER feather because if one feather can buy us a month of living surely one more will fix our deaths forever right? ....right? (On a side note; Fai makes a comment about how weird it is that two feathers fell in the same world while he’s from Celes and knows damn well he found two and is unaware of a third!!!) 

Either way the family is gonna help because, you know. Feather. If memory serves, the dragon is hiding in a lake, so what does Kurogane (who is now in charge because of course) have them do? They set the lake on fucking fire. And it delights him. It do not, however, delight the dragon, who, understandably, goes apeshit. Luckily, no one dies and they just hack off the horn that the feather was stuck in. And then they... take it to God again because wow they really do think this will work. Sakura, honey, I know how sweet you are but it only got them one month last time. What good will this do?

The answer is no good!

God basically tells them it’s tough tits, the month long visitation was all they could manage and no matter how many super powered magic bird parts they bring the dead are dead and that’s that. Which sucks for those villagers but haha, bummer for FAi to have to hear. Again. After watching Sakura wish someone to life with a mere piece of her soul. Again. Wonder how that felt. (Short post about Kurogane and Fai’s possible feelings here.)

So to end the episode, Sakura gets her feather back and then the family leaves town but sticks around on the outskirts to watch everyone fucking die again like some sick ass fuckers!!!

I’m not even going to talk about the stupid memory she gets with papa!Clow and learning about how death is a Thing via her dead pet bunny. It happens. It’s inorganic. I hate it. Shut up Clow.

The episode is over and I’ll leave you with this to heal your souls.

I am a simple woman.

Portoria:

WE’RE ON A BOAT MOTHA FUCKER!

If you’re too young to recognize that joke, click the link for... an experience. Wear headphones. Everyone else, please join me in this not-a-Wind-Waker-AU. 

We’re gonna skip all of my bad sailor jokes and focus for a minute on Kurogane’s Sinbad cosplay here because yes good hello I am easily distracted. 

Anyway, the captain is this world’s version of Koryo’s shitty Ryanban and Kurogane and Fai have a moment to wax philosophical about whether or not souls are inherently good or evil, which is fine and I would hardly mention if, while they were doing this, the “camera” wasn’t stood still on an image of Syaoran and Sakura just... smiling at each other while the dads spoke. Like the kids aren’t even doing anything, they’re just smiling. It’s weird. It’s also almost like accidental foreshadowing because HAHA THOSE ARE CLONES! But I’m not gonna go into it for the sake of this joke.

On the ship everyone has to work, Kurogane is terrorizing his new shipmates into compliance under his leadership, Fai and Sakura are cooking fish, and Syaoran is in the engine room with a child version of Fujitaka AKA his father. Understandably, Syaoran is Feeling Emotions, not that the animation is any indicator of this. He also calls a ten year old daddy so things are going great. 

Now yes, Syaoran must miss his father terribly, not only has he been dead for who knows how long exactly (anywhere upwards of 5 years possibly) but Syaoran is far from home without any pictures or familiarity to remind him of Fujitaka, and now he’s got some savant elementary schooler who is an AU version of his dad basically sharing his deepest hopes and dreams.  It’s a weird episode. Oh, and there is no feather, but Mokona is sweet as can be and stays so Syaoran can get to know this version of Fujitaka. Which honestly seems more like a punishment than anything to me, but hey. 

Also, there’s a sea monster. And a haunted island. And something that sounds suspiciously like Piedmon from Digimon. 

Syaoran and Fujitaka get stranded on the island after getting yeeted overboard and the captain telling the rest of the family that his ancestors forbid people from going to the island is enough to stop a rescue mission? Like. Kurogane AND Sakura are sitting there, letting nothing happen. This is fine. Everything is fine. 

And it kinda is because the island if filled with old shit and Syaoran is geeking out like a kid surrounded by his special interest would be expected to. 

In the end, the creepy laughter was wind, the island isn’t haunted, the family tries to row out to save Syaoran and a sea monster is on screen for all of 30 seconds. This episode was boring. Dull. It wasn’t even particularly angsty because Bee Train has no concept of emotional DEPTH!! Their expressions and emotions are as flat as Fai’s ass and as dry as Clow’s deserts. This could have been a very moving and fascinating filler episode, but Bee Train remains in capable of doing ANYTHING AT ALL EVER! I’m bored. This is boring.

At least Sakura looked cute in her little sailor outfit. 

The next episode is “A Date With a Wizard” and that shitshow is getting its own post. Peace. 

PART 1 – PART 2 – PART 3 -- Part 4

[meimi-haneoka]

"both are hiding important things from the girls in love with them." CLAMP already is frequently called out for showing pedophilia in their old manga, a 12 years old kid dating an adult just will show that they doesn't change. Mostly of us is very happy to see Terada disappear but then Kaito... no

It’s your own opinion anon, I respect that.But honestly, I consider the YunaAki (that’s how the japanese fandom calls the ship) pairing a bit different.(I really hate to start arguments but I’m tired to suppress my headcanons in fear of being judged. I’m a grown ass woman, I don’t care about shit like that anymore)

TL; DR If Akiho wants that, let her have it, in the utopian CCS world.

Let’s start by the very base: this is a work of fiction, there’s no involvement of real life people, and if your kid is reading works of fiction unattended and gets influenced by it, then you should rethink your parenting, imho. I *always* stated that kids should be accompanied and supported in the reading of fiction and explain to them parts that could be difficult to understand. Cause, let’s talk honestly, these kind of problematic issues can only cause problems when a kid unable to discern fantasy from reality yet is reading them, right? Because grown ups should be able to tell what’s one and what’s the other. Adults should be able to know that in real life those things just aren’t right.I was 14 myself the first time I watched CCS/read the manga and I completely discarded the Rika x Terada pairing as some kind of “exaggeration” CLAMP used to prove a point and to “shock” the readers. It’s not supposed to be taken seriously. (And this is more related to the RikaxTerada part of the ask)

The second thing is that the CCS world is basically an utopian world where everyone is kind and has got no malicious intention. Pureness is the key word. We don’t know what will happen from now, but I don’t think CLAMP will turn it into something completely different. The “kind world view” is what made this work so loved around the world, and it’s been aknowledged everywhere, in interviews and even in the panels at the currently ongoing exhibition. They know it’s one of the core reasons for CCS’s success, so it seems very unlikely they’re going to destroy that.

From here, I’ll connect to the following point.Akiho is lonely. She’s been lonely her whole life. Her so-called family only regarded her as the potential bearer of a powerful magic, and when they realized she would never have any, who knows what they did to turn her into a “vessel”.But Akiho was still able to not turn into a mess of a child and even developed a crush on the only person who takes care of her with kindness. It’s even a miracle she could develop a romantic feeling for anyone at this point. It’s true he sort of “kidnapped her” from the Magic Association, but ultimately we don’t know if that was for the better.He takes care of her, but he is not a relative (and Akiho was clear about that). He is serving her so I don’t see him in a higher position than her. He makes surprised and detached comments like “wow, she would rather give up on doing something she loves, and run to somebody who doesn’t feel well”.Kaito doesn’t realize in the least that Akiho has got a thing for him. He doesn’t exploit that, he’s not trying to groom her. Hell, he doesn’t even seem to know what love is, himself.There’s the doubtful issue of whether he’s using her to reach Sakura. We don’t have a confirmation about that and we probably won’t have it until the end, we will have to know what his complete goal is to make a judgement.And believe me, I woudn’t like it if he used her to reach Sakura, even if he is indeed acting for her benefit in the end. But so I don’t like Syaoran lying to Sakura and stealing her cards to protect her, and yet I realize these are characters that would go to any length to reach their goal. And I think they will learn their lesson one way or the other. In my case, what Kaito’s goal will be will decide if YunaAki is yay or nay for me.About the age difference? Let’s just say that to me Kaito looks the same age of Touya or Yukito, so no older than 19/20. But we know that when magic is called in the picture, the outward appearance matters nothing. He could be a lot older than that. But so is for Akiho, with the last chapter we don’t even know if she’s human at all.

Lastly, those two to me look like two really lonely souls that could help healing eachother. In a pure world where even holding hands is a big deal, and being in love with someone just means to spend time with them, laugh together, eat together something delicious handmade and protect them at all costs from the sadness of the world, then excuse me, but I’d like for Akiho to have that. If she wishes her feelings for Kaito are reciprocated, then so be it. I love that character so much and I hope she’ll find happiness in the way she desires, cause she deserves it.Could have CLAMP made him younger to shrink the age difference? Probably, but then we wouldn’t have the story we have now. Many things should have changed and this ask has already got too long to explore them now. XD

[lilover131]

Thoughts on Clear Card Ch. 30

What a great way to end the year with a great Clear Card chapter! I am glad that things haven’t slowed down too significantly in the plot after the rewind, and I have a lot to say! Under the cut are my thoughts due to length and being spoiler heavy! 

Let’s start off with the color page! WOW! I didn’t think we’d get a color version of their summer uniforms so soon, and I am absolutely in love with the color scheme! The blue is different but also ties together with their gym uniforms and the cheerleader outfit as well. Good job CLAMP! You really nailed this one! I also love how they’re surrounded by books. Seeing Syaoran with a book in his hand really reminds me of his Tsubasa counterpart, and they also look a bit older in this picture. 

Moving on to the content now. The chapter starts off with Sakura using LUCID for the first time in the manga, and it works splendidly! I love CLAMP’s use of the dotted lines around the speech bubbles to imply that Sakura is whispering. Of course after that, to combat the new card she uses her go-to cards like SIEGE, and the card cuts right through it like butter. Sakura contemplates her next move and questions whether her idea will work, but then seems to gain some more confidence in her abilities and uses a combination of GALE and ACTION (another card she uses very little! yay!). She captures BLADE and is very surprised to see two swords rather than scissors, and I must say that I am pleasantly surprised myself. It’s very neat looking in design, and somehow I have a feeling it will come in handy in the near future. 

I was wondering at the end of the previous chapter how the curtain was going to be fixed, and it seems poor Sakura had the same concerns. Just with a thought like that, a new card is born and the REPAIR fixes the curtain. This card’s design is GORGEOUS, and I feel it will be an extremely useful card. It looks a lot like Tomoyo, and I am starting to truly believe the theory that some of these cards are turning out to look like some of her friends (like APPEAR looked like Rika after Sakura saw her before school), and I think it makes perfect sense since Sakura has created these cards unconsciously. 

Tomoyo has done a wonderful job of distracting the class and once again winning her position of #1 best friend. Honestly, this girl is the most kind and helpful person, and Sakura and Syaoran are so lucky to have her support and friendship. Poor Akiho is frantically looking for Sakura and utterly confused when she appears behind her, and the whole exchange was just so adorable. 

Next, we get Syaoran with Sakura at lunch, remarking at how very like Tomoyo it is to be on the ball, distracting the class so Sakura can work and then ultimately becoming depressed that she wasn’t able to film it. 

Then we get to the really important stuff. Sakura starts to actually notice that some of these cards are appearing after certain thoughts and questions whether they appeared a certain way due to her own wishes. Surprisingly, Syaoran doesn’t shrug it off and instead tells her that he has things to tell her that may upset or even anger her. I am so STOKED for this conversation as we have been waiting for SO SO SO SO long to hear what Syaoran knows, and I am glad he finally feels safe to share things with her now. He’s been keeping it inside for too long, and with this conversation, it should hopefully take some of the weight off his shoulders. 

In another area of the school, Akiho seems to halt in her walk with Tomoyo, and she recognizes the feeling inside of her of listening to important things. This is a sign that the connection between her and Sakura is growing stronger (they even have the same expression on two of the pages), and I’m a little concerned about what the result of this resonance will be. Tomoyo, however, is as kind as she always is and ensures Akiho that even if they don’t make sense, her thoughts and feelings are important things. Leave it to Tomoyo to give such wonderful advice. She’s so observant, it’s like she just always knows the exact right things to say. 

Next up is Eriol, and I must say I was extremely surprised to see an appearance from him in this chapter. The poor thing is bedridden, and I was heartbroken to see him in such a state. Never have we seen him so defeated, but he doesn’t seem to be letting it hold him back, though I imagine he’s also trying to be strong for Kaho. What I found particularly interesting was his statement that Kaito likely took the same amount of damage from him, but he seems to still be walking around as if nothing has happened. Seeing as Kaito also undoubtedly wore himself out using the time magic recently, I think it’s safe to say he’s not feeling too great despite the usual nonchalant behavior. It seems like he doesn’t seem to care too much about his well being, and it reminds me of another character in the CCS universe (I’M LOOKING AT YOU SYAORAN >_>).

For the first time, we actually see Eriol looking frustrated, and he states that if the communications won’t work, they will have to move to the next step. I am SO PUMPED, because I can’t help but wonder if this means he will be coming to Japan very soon! After all, wouldn’t it be easier to say what needs to be said in person? 

THOUGHTS FOR FUTURE CHAPTERS: 

I have an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach that Syaoran is not going to be able to finish his conversation with Sakura. After all, even the information Eriol provided to Kero and Yue resulted in an attack from Kaito. I wonder what it was in particular that Kaito didn’t want said to them. After all, most of the information he provided was something that wasn’t exactly hidden. Kaito never concealed who he was, and I doubt it ruins his plans for them to know that Sakura is creating her own cards. There was clearly more that needed to be said that Kaito didn’t want out there, and I have a feeling Syaoran knows something. 

Although it would be an inconvenience for Sakura to learn about Kaito, there have been multiple times she could have been told about him, so I’m not sure he’s too concerned about it. I think what he is most concerned about is how Akiho is interpreted. She is vital for whatever his plans are, and I think what he desperately wants is for Sakura to become closer to Akiho. After the SNOOZE card incident  in chapter 14 where Kaito came to fetch Akiho, he asked her if she was someone that Sakura cared deeply about, and she said yes before he replied with “I see...how lovely” before he looked up at the moon. 

I think he wants Sakura to become closer with Akiho because of the resonance between them, but I also think that the stronger feelings she has, the stronger cards that are created. He seems to need a specific card, so I imagine he needs a specific feeling, and what stronger a feeling can there be than one tied to someone she cares about? 

Just before Akiho went into ‘possession’ mode in the chapter right before the rewind by Kaito, Sakura and her had been having a very emotional conversation. And right after Sakura had thought about her dream with Syaoran in the cloak that the two of them were pulled into the dream world and Akiho changed in personality. I believe the feelings of deep sadness about seeing Syaoran in that cloak is what ultimately stirred everything. I think that Kaito needs her to react to people she finds dear to create the magic he needs, and i am afraid of what lengths he might go to to make it happen. 

Anyways, that’s all I’ve got for now! UNTIL NEXT MONTH YOU GUYS!! I’m so excited!! Maybe we’ll even be lucky enough to get a Syaoran flashback or -gasp- a backstory! <3 

[pandoramusicbox09]

Literally caught the 6th episode of the Clear Card Arc just as it uploaded

Most of the episode was more character exploration with the card capture right at the end but there’s some really interesting things that happened that I’m really intrigued by and excited for!

First off, OMG YAY!  MeiLing made an appearance!  I heard she was going to make an appearance but I was prepared for it to be a flashback!  She got a full scene via telephone/ facetime scene!  I’m happy to see she’s still the same sassy, spunky girl from the first series.  Her and Kero’s interaction was hilarious and we also got a brief appearance from Cerberus (Keroberos, for me) too.  I feel like that conversation was a teaser for future appearances from her in person.  I’m interested to see if that’s true and, if so, what role she’ll play in this new series.  I’m also curious if she knows about what’s going on about the Clear Cards, if so, how much does she know?

Okay, that dream sequence during dinnertime is both troubling and fascinating.  Sakura seems to be more lucid in these dreams and now it seems they’re happening with more urgency and at more random times.  What could that mean?  She’s had prophetic dreams before but I don’t believe they ever just randomly happened when she was awake.  

And I said this before but I’ll say it again. Toya totally knows something is up!

So a lot of this episode was revealing more about Akiho’s character.  She seems shy and nervous.  It’s pretty sweet seeing how the other characters look after her and go out of their way to help her.  Nonetheless, I’m a little suspicious of her.  She’s the only really new character that’s come in and considering Sakura’s dreams, yeah.  And yet, her singing alongside Tomoyo was just so adorable and how they looked at each during their duet.

Speaking of revealing character, I love seeing a little bit of Syaoran’s old personality coming back.  Of course, my boy knows how to play piano and of course MeiLing would tell Tomoyo.  I love seeing him annoyed and irritated at MeiLing at that point, it reminded me of his interactions with her in the old series and just nails the brother-sister relationship they have.  I also love seeing that “don’t blame me if you can’t sing to it [my accompaniment]” with his blush.  It felt like I was seeing glimpses of old Syaoran and I got so nostalgic at the moment.  My boy is still an awkward little nerd at times XD.

So the end of the episode bring the capture of a new card, confirmation of my statement from the last episode and so many questions.  

First off, I will repeat that Tomoyo is the best sidekick/ assistant when it comes Sakura and Syaoran’s adventures.  That smooth “let’s get your application for the chorus club” and “oh they [Syaoran and Sakura] have something else they need to do” in order to give the cardcaptors the opportunity to do what they need to do.  Total kudos to my precious daughter. 

So this capture confirms exactly what I predicted from the last episode.  These cards are specifically targeting Sakura.  She’s the only one who could hear the Record Card even though Syaoran (who has the same magic capabilities as Sakura) was also right there.  The only reason Syaoran knew something was up was because he noticed Sakura looking around.  This was the first time he witnessed Sakura capturing a Clear Card and he’s right “this is nothing like when they were capturing the Clow Cards together.”  I felt bad for Syaoran.  He’s so frustrated and he feels so helpless.  My poor baby :(

But now the questions: we know that Syaoran has some information about what’s going on from episode 4 when he was talking to Eriol.  However, how much does he really know?  Did he realize that he wouldn’t have any way of sensing the new cards?  Does he have any knowledge about what the clear cards are?  Is this a permanent situation or will Syaoran be able to gain an ability to sense/ use the clear cards as well?  How will Sakura handle this?

Also that whole scene in the classroom where they talk about prophetic dreams.  What they heck is going on with Sakura’s visions?   Are they becoming stronger?  Is something about to happen soon?  Are we going to learn more about hooded figure?  Will Eriol reveal more about what’s happening?  What is this “right time” that Toya, Eriol and Syaoran have mentioned before? 

And on a more light-hearted note: how will Tomoyo react to missing yet another card capture?  My poor daughter XD

Gah, so many questions.  Looking forward to the next episode and hopefully getting some answers 

[nerdomlover]

Rewatching Cardcaptor Sakura

Warning Opinions and Spoilers ahead!

So, my friend while loving Cardcaptor Sakura had never seen it before all the way. So, he ended up watching all of during the last two weeks or so, so he can finally watch Clear Card. Needless to say I ended up re-watching it as well.

So, how did it go? Well....

Okay, I originally watched all of Cardcaptors when I was about 12. When I say Cardcaptors I mean the horrible English dub, the one that has an awesome theme some....That’s the only positive. When I was about 13 or 14 I watched all of Cardcaptor Sakura in the originally Japanese, along with the movies. 

Young teenage me was pleased. It was cute and I loved Sailor Moon at the time as well. So yay!  

But watching it again was... a time....

First off, we watched it with the re-dub. Like the english one that came out in 2005 or something. To properly explain Cardcaptor Sakura has 4 English Voice casts! FOUR. That’s more than any other anime I think. 

What the fuck?! *sigh* At one point we were watching the first movie and our roommate that had been passively watching it with us look at the screen when Yukito was talking and looked at him and asked, “What happen to his voice? Who the fuck is Julian?” Thus the meme #not my Yukito was born. But, yeah, to explain I was not a fan of the newer dub. 

Maybe it’s the fact that because we watched the movies too we had to compare the voices but it did not hold up well compared to the other casts in my head. Seriously, my favorite cast ended up being the cast from the second movie and that’s sad since I had to watch the series cast the most.

Also, speaking of the series, 3 to 4 episodes made me mad. These were episodes that for some reason had scenes that were not dub. Yeah, there are episodes in the middle of an episode when all sound is cut and subs just pop up and these are usual in association with anyone’s feelings that can not be called heterosexual or friendship. This was stupid an annoying. Clamp is know for their romances that pushes the envelope of what is normal so what the fuck? Guys.

But enough about the dubs. What about the show it’s self? 

Well, theme songs were all still great. Third seasons being my favorite. Though I forgot the second season even had a different theme song.

But you know, I also forgot about the first season being so long...Like it’s 35 episodes? and the second season is just 10? And the third is 23? Stop with this uneven numbering! So, yeah. That was a thing. 

And it’s so filler-y! Honestly, me and my friend were going to watch ever episode. Everyone we swear! But it got the point were right after Syaoran got there we looked at each other and said we have like 10 episodes or so before Meilin gets here and we said fuck it! 

We started reading off the summaries for every episode and talked about if we wanted to it or not. Yeah, that’s a problem I think. We went 5 to 7 episode without watching an episode because it was so repetitive and fillery.

Yes, it’s aimed at young kids but it was so tiring. So, many episodes just didn’t matter. Like, I may like the stuff with Sakura’s mother’s family but it’s not important to the plot and really doesn’t go anywhere in the long run besides fueling my anger. Same with Rika and the teacher subplot. 

But, that’s fine right? Well kinda no. Removing that subplot I got a really stupid thing I didn’t notice. All the Yukito and Sakura bullshit! Ugh, yes, it’s commented on in the story at the end. Yes, it even makes sense. But if you know anything about Cardcaptors Sakura or Tsubasa Chronicles even you know it’s not going to happen. Yukito and Touya are Clamps soul pair and Sakura and Syaoran are one of the staple anime couples so going through this plot is grating even if it does give Sakura some much need character development and growth. 

But it’s agitating even during that test at the end of season 2 you see a prefect opportunity for a character arc for Sakura concerning her connection to the cards or her friends and family but it ends up revolving around Yukito.

Speaking of Sakura, while a lot of characters I now appreciate as more fleshed out, two characters were hurt by reviewing. Sakura and Eriol. Yeah, two very big characters right?

Look, Eriol is an ass holey character and that’s never going to change. His backstory just doesn’t explain him enough or his motives and it might get changed when I read to manga or watch clear card. But Sakura shouldn’t have been hurt by this reviewing. 

It could be she just plays into the magical girl tropes a little too much for me or it’s because she’s technically just a kid at 9 but she’s so slow. She takes forever to figure things out and is not as strong of a character as I remember. This is my opinion of course and it could be just cause I know how things turn out but I didn’t feel good about Sakura’s slow starts on everything. 

Seriously, you should know by after Meilin that no transfer student is just a transfer student!

The most active she was to me was during the movies and that’s kinda sad. But in the end I’m kinda glad I rewatched it. The 90′s cheese was adorable to revisit and it made me appreciate for proper dubs now a days. The story and plot are still good to this day and I am glad I wanted them but the filler is almost as bad as Sailor Moon’s.  

But Cardcaptor Sakura is still great, I understand why it’s one of Clamp’s most popular series and why Clear Card Exists and watching with my friends was very fun.

[nyalisa-landale]

oh! i caught up on clear card arc while i was doing my nails. (reminder: i switched to the simuldub, so i’m three episodes behind crunchyroll.) things are getting interesting! i’m guessing the new OP came in the most recent japanese episode. i can’t wait to see it! ...in three weeks.

seriously, though, we have confirmation that kaito has moon magic, and basically confirmation that akiho is the one in sakura’s dreams. (which, i mean, we all knew from the start; and if she’s got guardians the same way sakura and eriol do, then it’s super obvious that kaito is her moon guardian and momo is her sun guardian. who is way better at the stuffed animal trick than kero lol) so, like i said... things are getting interesting! ...just in time for a fluff episode. i remember basically nothing about meiling, so that should be... fun? well, a card will still probably show up. that’ll be interesting.

i also have the first three volumes of the manga; i read the first two last night while waiting for fs, but i just finished the third one. it’s... a little bit behind the anime? snooze shows up in the last chapter, but sakura won’t catch it until the next one. which i don’t have because it’s in volume 4, which doesn’t come out until, like, june. (so unfair T_T)

but it’s really interesting comparing manga events versus anime events. so far sakura seems to have most of the same cards, but gravitation, at least, is anime-only. (which is a shame, because goddamn does that card seem useful. though, if she has flight, is it really that useful? hmm.) it’s also interesting how spiral comes in a completely different place and gets caught in a completely different way. also, syaoran showed off his new magic trick to help sakura catch hail in the anime, but he does it in the manga (with a different spell, but still) for spiral.

i wonder if the anime is going to include a full 52-card deck like the first two arcs? the manga seems likely to stick to the 19 cards... 

also, how in the hell is akiho connected to these cards?????? at first, when she said she came to japan because there was a book she wanted, i thought she meant the book of clow. (which, the anime can’t keep the pronunciation straight either! tomoyo totally said it the way i’m used to saying it! yay!) but in the dreams, it seems like what she actually wants is the staff of dreams... which isn’t sakura’s old staff, because that key is still with the book. full of transparent cards with no magic. how did that even happen???????? i’m excited and confused at the same time. i really don’t want sakura and akiho to have to fight, and i think that, if anyone can avoid fighting, it’s sakura. it’s never her first instinct. so if there’s some way to settle things without fighting, i’m sure she’ll figure it out. (i wonder what would happen if sakura tried using the clear cards with her star staff. would anything happen? hmm.)

on the other hand, what anime!eriol said about kaito... akiho doesn’t know what’s going on, obviously, we saw that when she was telling him about her dream. but kaito doesn’t seem completely clueless. whether he is or isn’t part of that order of magicians or whatever (i’ll have to rewatch that part; i couldn’t make out all of it - that’s my one complaint about the anime, i think; the action scenes are all really loud but then everyone talks really quietly. i’m constantly adjusting the volume. it’s really annoying.) remains to be seen... I wonder if the other caretakers in akiho’s family are, as well? maybe her whole family is part of it, and it’s expected that she will be in the future. i wonder if the clear cards are supposed to be hers? or maybe she’s supposed to retrieve the book of clow as part of some kind of initiation (that nobody bothered to tell her about). that alice in clockland book has to factor into all of this somehow, too... i mean, it seems pretty obvious with the dreams and all the clockwork, and kaito’s pocketwatch that the anime, at least, makes sure we see a lot of, indicates that he’s definitely involved... 

i know i’m way, way behind on the manga, since i’m not reading scanlations anymore... the site i was using quit doing it, or something, and i just never bothered to find another one. maybe i should? idk.

i really, really want to see what happens... but i guess it’s maybe a little bit telling that part of the reason i want to know so badly is so that i can factor it into the fic i was writing. sakura’s 16 in it so it would take place after all of this, and i want to know if i need to make changes. (because this is me, there is, at best, two or three chapters written, and nothing after that is set in stone. and honestly nothing before that is set in stone, either; most of what i did have written was on The Laptop That Never Was, and the chapter that i’d sent to a friend to beta for me was probably over skype, because i couldn’t find it in my email. ...or maybe it was that i could recover the first chapter because i did email it to her, but not the second chapter because i didn’t send her that one. that sounds more correct.)

[plounce]

genuine question about tsubasa whats up with the eye eating thing? is that really a thing that happens?

yyyyyyyyyep!

a summary of what happens. BIG spoilers under the cut, because i can talk about tsubasa all day. warning for eye trauma, blood, violence etc, especially when i copy in pages

basically around halfway through the series they land in a post apocalyptic destroyed city that is known as acid tokyo. deep in the reservoir beneath the refugees’ living area, syaoran gets into a confrontation with kamui (a vampire who was leading the refugees in order to protect his brother subaru, who was made comatose by one of sakura’s feathers and is in stasis in the reservoir)

by this point, a lot of ominous moments have happened with syaoran hinting that there’s another syaoran (a very ominous one in a lava lamp owned by the villain) that’s connected somehow to syaoran’s weird and alarming spates of emotionless, ruthless, out of character actions in order to get feathers back (at the expense of civilian lives etc) that have only been increasing. fai and kurogane have been very worried.

kamui and syaoran fight, and this activates another moment of syaoran ruthlessness. fai dives down into the reservoir and finds syaoran ripping kamui’s arm off. fai is like “ah fuck” but kamui, because he has vampire regeneration powers, is okay.

kamui explains to fai that all the ominous comments he’s been making about syaoran being “e” (”game” in the del ray translation) are because he can sense that syaoran is an imitation human, and is thus fair “game” for vampires to eat.

fai protests, saying that even if syaoran doesn’t have his own soul, he is still a good person who loves others, and thus to him and those who love him, that soul is true. (it’s a really heartwarming moment of fai affirming that he loves his companions and has connections with them)

through fwr (the villain) and yuuko (the big good) expositioning, it’s revealed that the syaoran we’ve been travelling with is a clone of an original syaoran that fwr kidnapped. that syaoran ripped his soul in half and gave half of it to the clone so that the clone wouldn’t just be a ruthless killing machine in pursuit of the feathers, and so the clone could form bonds and grow close. this is why the clone (c!syaoran) is blind in one eye: that’s where the piece of soul is. r!syaoran can see through that, by the way.

fai continues in his psychic convo with kamui underwater, saying that he knew that syaoran was a clone with no original heart the entire time, and advocates for syaoran.

then the seal on syaoran’s soul eye starts to break, and a portal opens up. c!syaoran’s about to lose his soul, and r!syaoran is going to arrive soon to reclaim it and put down c!syaoran in order to stop a rampage.

fai doesn’t want this to happen - he wants c!syaoran to keep the heart he built with all of them on the journey, and in a moment of courage, compassion, and strength casts a spell in an attempt to put the soul back in. this is a big deal, because fai stated at the beginning of the journey that he would not be using magic. he used it in the previous arc in order to help them escape, but this is an even bigger action - he’s taking HUGE initiative and risk in order to preserve and save the syaoran he loves (despite his other, more secret resolve to be distant from his companions).

but unfortunately - as we know, and as fai does too - a seal once broken cannot be fixed. fai’s spell fails, and c!syaoran discards the heart. fai picks it up as c!syaoran walks towards him. fai ventures “syaoran… kun?”

and then syaoran kicks him REALLY hard in the face. it’s a shock. fai huddles on the ground, and syaoran hauls him up with a hand around the neck. syaoran demands, “is this the only feather in this world?” because his only goal and purpose now is to retrieve feathers, regardless of what stands in his way. that’s what c!syaoran was made to do.

then syaoran notes that the source of fai’s magic is the color of his eyes. fai is a LUDICROUSLY powerful magician, by the way - he has the power to transport himself across dimensions, which very few people can.

(also please note that this whole sequence HEAVILY retraumatizes fai: betrayal of a family member who has gone absolutely ax crazy, an act of fai’s kindness and mercy (and a REALLY significant one, since he’s using his magic) being turned around and used to harm him and others (fai’s been made to think that his innate kindness is a weakness lol), which are both heavy elements in his backstory trauma)

and then.

uh oh.

we cut to kurogane running down the reservoir, holding sakura’s not-breathing body, which happened. he’s told that weird shit is happening down there, and everyone else he traveled with is there. he has a show of character development by tossing aside his sword at the door to the reservoir, which is a sacred space, in order to reach his family faster. sakura’s body disappears (it’s rejoining with her soul near subaru’s gooey coma chrysalis). kurogane continues because WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING… (also the following sequence parallels the death of kurogane’s mother so :~) trauma party)

but he’s too late. as the dramatically swirling waters part, he sees this:

YEAH THAT’S A LOT OF BLOOD! and syaoran is dragging his pseudo-parent’s body behind him like nothing… it’s just. horrifying for a million different reasons.

then this page:

(those bubbles have sound effects like “crunch” - which is the sound of syaoran chewing the eye)

then syaoran looks up, and…

syaoran goes to throw fai’s body away, and kurogane bolts down to where they are, screaming DON’T because DON’T WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

note how syaoran barely notices kurogane’s grip on his arm. oof.

ok i’ll just copy in pages because this sequence is really, really heartbreakingly well done:

please note kurogane actively giving a shit about fai

WHAT THE FUCK…………

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH DAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THATS RIGHT FUCK YEAH DAD

that toss breaks syaoran’s arm. the bystanders note that syaoran doesn’t seem to feel the pain in his arm….. nor in his heart :’( mokona is crying and we are very sad.

syaoran casts a spell using fai’s magic, and everyone notes that yeah, that magic felt like fai, what the fuck??

syaoran is like “i may need this magic in order to retrieve the feathers” and kurogane is like “BUT THIS IS YOUR ADOPTIVE PARENT THAT CARES SO MUCH ABOUT YOU AND CHANGED WHO HE WAS BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU AND YOU ACTUALLY MADE HIM SMILE FOR REAL WHAT THE FUCK  ALSO I LOVE HIM YOU CANNOT DO THIS” and then he heartbreakingly screams “DON’T YOU HEAR ME, KID” still trying to appeal to the syaoran he traveled with and taught and protected and cared for who just… isn’t in there anymore.

and then the real syaoran appears. they fight.

what happens with fai and his eye (heh) is basically he’s gonna die from shock and blood loss and kurogane is like NO!!!! LIVE!!!!!!!!! and fai is like “mmmm but if i live, then the magic syaoran got stays active, so it’s better if i die”

kurogane is like NO!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU PLEASE LOVE YOURSELF and fai’s like “sorry [i’m not as strong a person as you lol i have deep seated self loathing and i think you’re an incredible, kind man and i don’t deserve you and i don’t want to ever cause harm to come to you and i wish i could live up to what you think of me]” and then passes out.

kurogane appeals to yuuko, who he’s made no secret of distrusting, for a way to keep fai alive. the deal that gets made is that the party will ask for water to refill the reservoir, which is subaru’s wish (he’s also a vampire and awake now), and in return fai will get vampire blood, which won’t regrow his eye but will save his life.

fai’s like nnoooo let me die and achieve my self destructive dreams and kurogane is like NO YOU HAVE VALUE AS A PERSON STOP IT!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU STOP WANTING TO DIE PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! “if you want to die so badly, i’ll kill you. but until that day, you’re going to live.” and fai is like…. “aw that’s kinda sweet” (he doesn’t actually say that he just smiles weirdly but Oh Man) and then passes out again.

the catch is: this is kurogane’s wish. fai has been on the wanting-to-die train since he was a kid (which was a long ass time ago, yuuko reveals). fai is quite happy to let himself die, because he doesn’t think his life has any value - he thinks he’s a walking curse and will cause harm to those who are near him. he doesn’t want kurogane to keep him from dying.

so kurogane has to take on the burden of fai’s life, by becoming the sole source of blood fai can drink from. he accepts this readily, and fai is turned into a vampire, and survives having his eye torn out and eaten by his adopted son.

fai is PISSED about his, because 1. HE WAS SO CLOSE… CMON KUROGANE JUST LET HIM LIVE OUT (die out?) HIS SUICIDAL IDEATIONS 2. he realizes that he and kurogane grew really really close. and that terrifies him, because he has negative self esteem.

so he severs their close bond by referring to kurogane with his full name rather than a nickname in a very dramatic, heartbreaking moment, and like… you can see the heartbreak in kurogane’s eyes lol it sucks. check out this horrific imageset for the full effect of fai effectively taking their relationship and snapping it over his knee. (this scene also parallels the moment that sakura wakes up at the very beginning of the series with no memory of syaoran - syaoran and kurogane both, in a way, paid the price of their relationship with their loved one. lol!!!!!)

anyway. that’s the relevant bits. eventually fai gets the eye back during the final battle after c!syaoran does a heel-face turn. yay :)

… im gonna end this post by putting in this panel from the sequel arc because im unbelievably happy that they got a happy ending

yay family cuddles :)

[nagiru]

CLAMP drabbles (3/5)

Part 3 of the CLAMP drabbles! And moving along with another 3 stories, I bring thee The power of a name, Curse of a name and feathers of a bird!

All three stories belong to the duology that is Holic and Tsubasa... though that isn’t actually why I chose to group them together, tbh. Still, let’s see... I think there is no major trigger warning, this time? Congrats, me!

So. Power of a name. This one is a strictly Holic story, being Kohane-centric (because I love her. She’s way too cute!). In this story, I decided to discuss a bit of how names are apparently powerful (which maybe might’ve reminded me a bit of faeries and other fey beings when I first read, because that’s an old interest of mine)... and the heartbreaking comment Kohane makes in the mangá about how she was so unused to being called by name, not even her own mother calling her by name, anymore.

So. I was thinking about it, the first time around, and just went like, “well, that’s a load of crap, and my Kohane deserves better!” -- besides, Kimihiro also deserves better. And, well, it’s canon that those two offer their names to each other, soooo... I expanded upon that. And got power of a name, because that’s exactly what this drabble is. Kohane wondering about her relationship with Kimihiro... all related to their names. Yay.

Also on the theme of names, we have Curse of a name, which is a junction of Tsubasa and Holic, because it’s all about (SPOILERS for the ending of Tsubasa Chronicles) the characters named Tsubasa. Because, like I said, I love the whole thing around names, and the fact they share a damn name???? Yeah.

So, initially this was supposed to be a purely Syaoran/Sakura drabble... then, whoops, Watanuki popped into it, because, uhhhhh... he’s a copy of Syaoran??? So... his name should also be Tsubasa???? So, yeah, he kind of made a cameo into it, and things just... remained like that.

So. Curse of a name is, again, about names... except this one deals more with the meanings behind names, the problems and futures that belong to them and their shared nomenclature. It’s a same name, but every single one of them carries it differently, and I really wanted to expand upon that a bit... so, yeah. This drabble came to being from that.

This is one of the shortest of the bunch (only 183 words long), but I guess I kind of like it? it’s... sweet. I guess. Like... I think it suits them? Anyway, let’s just... leave a part of it here, for... for the sake of me needing to keep the pattern, actually, eh:

The one forever searching. The one forever waiting. And the odd one, forever hoping. Such a cursed name, such a cursed fate, such a blessed soul.

Great going. Ok, so, since we’re done with the two “name” stories, we get another about identity in the form of feathers of a bird.

So. The name is a bit ridiculous. But, well, it’s because I insisted on remembering the expression (”birds of a feather”?) like this, “feathers of a bird”, and I went and named the story that... and then discovered it was wrong, whooopsie. But, like, it suits the whole Tsubasa plot, SO. It remained like that!

So, yeah. We had a purely-Holic drabble, a Holic/Tsubasa drabble... and now we have a purely-Tsubasa drabble, because that’s how it works, sometimes.

In feathers of a bird, I bring Sakura’s (... clone-Sakura. The one we see for most of the story of Tsubasa...) thoughts and wonderings, because... because so? It’s a bit dramatic, has some wondering time tenses (which I’d be able to do better nowadays, but I’m just not poking that nest again any time soon), and is... generally speaking... not the best of the series. But, well, it’s not awful, either. Just... i guess... very particular, in a way.

Well. Yeah.

If anyone has an interest...?

[rosesnvines]

They Will Not Reject Him

Since Keith insists . . . here, a group of people who will never reject you, having been rejected themselves (sorta). 

Keith wandered the halls of the great building, the chatter of the ongoing event echoing over the P.A. system. The soccer game was still going on, as evident by the commentary of the two radio DJ’s. Well, so they were called by the rest of the island. It was primarily Ishida Yamato and Yagami Taichi, but since Taichi was the soccer captain, the commentators were Kazama Hiroto and Hiwatari Seiji. Hiroto was obviously having a bunch of fun commenting, Seiji was primarily laughing. He was laughing at that moment while Hiroto was exclaiming about a move someone made on the field. Keith didn’t know everybody yet, nor did he want to. He was still afraid of being rejected. Though, he did have to admit, not a single person he had met thus far seemed that concerned that he was part Galra or anything. But, then again, they hadn’t had to deal with Galra oppression, so it wouldn’t register in their minds that he shouldn’t be trusted. Once the others started talking about the Galra Empire, they would, they really would reject him. He paused when he turned the corner, there was a group of boys standing in the middle of the hall, one of whom was Yamato. The others were Jack Frost, Kinimoto Syaoran, Nico di Angelo, Hyuuga Natsume, Adrien Agreste, and Kujou Kazune.

Keith let out a sigh. “What do you want?” He glared at Nico, who merely glared back. He knew the demigod had shadow-traveled the group to that point and had been waiting for him. Maybe they didn’t think they needed to fear Keith because of Nico? Ridiculous, he could take him out, son of Hades or not.

“Listen, we want to help you,” began Syaoran.

“So spill it, though Nico’s probably said the same things already,” quipped Jack.

Nico growled. “Shut up.”

“I think we all have said one thing or another that’s similar,” stated Yamato. “Point is, we know you’re hurting, we’ve been hurt too. Let us help you get through the pain.”

“Why would you do that?”

“It’s what friends do,” replied Yamato. Keith glanced down, did he dare hope?

“Why don’t we start off with, when’s your birthday?”

Keith glanced at Jack in surprise. “Why do you need to know that? I thought the island got all that information when I entered.”

“Yeah, but it’s not like it just hands out that information, either,” quipped Kazune as he crossed his arms.

“Wait, it, it didn’t tell you?” asked Keith incredulously.

Syaoran shook his head. “No, I’ve told it not to tell me anything about anybody, I want you to trust me enough to tell me yourself.”

“Oh, so, it didn’t tell you that I was Chat Noir?” asked Adrien.

Kazune scoffed. “It didn’t need to, you made it way too easy to figure out.” Adrien grinned and chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head. Natsume and Kazune both rolled their eyes and groaned. Keith turned to leave when Nico spoke up, making him pause.

“So, you don’t trust us, do you?” Keith paused and glanced over his shoulder at them. He thought for a second, should he tell them his fears? “No, you just don’t trust us to want to be your friends. You’re scared that we would not like you after we got to know you.” Keith glanced at him, almost startled. How?

“Or you’re afraid that no one will ever care for you as you truly are,” piped up Adrien.

“Or they’re afraid of your power,” mentioned Natsume as a small flame ignited in his hand before glancing between Adrien and Nico.

“I guess I am the only one with the fear of not being believed in, which means no one can see me.” Jack paused for second before taking a breath. “But I guess I don’t have to worry about that anymore, Peter will always be able to see me.” Keith knew that, of the three Peters he knew of on Antillia, Jack was talking about Peter Pan. “And Nico has no choice,” he continued with a grin.

“Oooh, yay, lucky me,” Nico quipped sarcastically. The others laughed.

“Hey, don’t worry Jack, I’ll always believe in you. I want to, I wouldn’t have as much fun otherwise,” stated Adrien and he walked towards Jack.

“Awesome, thanks man!” said Jack as they gave each other a high-five.

Syaoran turned back to Keith. “Point is, we’ve all had our share of trouble and sorrow. We might not completely understand what you’re going through, but we understand pain, and we can help you get through it.” Keith glanced down, should he? Should he take that risk? Make that leap of faith and hope he finds solid ground?

“I know it’s hard to trust people when you’ve been hurt so deep that you don’t know if you could ever heal from it.” Keith glanced up at Yamato. “But not everybody is like that. Not everybody is going to hurt you. Yes, you’re going to come across quite a few people who will hurt you, but there are many more who, if you give them a chance, they will care for you until the end of time. Get a new family to replace the broken one you came from.” Natsume nodded at the last sentence, followed not too long by a nod from Nico.

Keith let out a sigh. “Listen, I just don’t belong . . .” 

“Nico said that too, and that he was going to leave. Now look at him, as snug as a bug in a rug,” quipped Jack. 

“Don’t you mean like a puzzle piece?” asked Keith with a grumble. 

“Is that what’s concerning you, Matthew’s analogy that Antillia is one big puzzle and we’re all its pieces?” asked Syaoran incredulously. 

“It’s better than being compared to a chess set,” quipped Nico. 

“Yeah, at least in a puzzle, we’re equally important to completing the big picture,” pointed out Adrien. 

“And in a puzzle, it means that we each fit together just perfectly,” continued Yamato. “Wouldn’t you like that, knowing that you fit?” Keith glanced at each of them in turn before turning around. They wouldn’t understand, not one bit. He heard a groan from Nico before he saw him stepping out of the shadows in front of him. Keith clenched his teeth, if he did anything. 

“Jack, use your powers.” 

“Oh man, if Nico di Angelo is telling me to use my powers, it’s bad,” quipped Jack. Keith could feel the air behind him getting colder. He took a step forward, but Nico stopped him by grabbing him by the arms and spinning him around. Just in time for Keith to get a snowball square in his face. Keith didn’t know how, but he could just feel the joy bubbling up from the depths of his heart, and burst out laughing. “Snowball fight!” exclaimed Jack as he threw a snowball at Nico and then Adrien. Adrien ducked, and it hit Kazune. 

“Jack! OK, that does it!” Kazune rolled up his sleeves, bent down, grabbed some snow, quickly shaped it into a ball, and threw it. Jack quickly moved to the side, and the snowball hit the back of Natsume’s head. Natsume glanced at Syaoran. 

Syaoran chuckled. “Alright, yes, snowball fight!” At that, everyone dove into the snow to make balls, and in the next instant, snowballs were flying. Some hit their target, others missed by a long shot. 

“Adrien, stop moving around!” 

“I can’t help it if my cat-like skills keep me from getting wet. Oof!” Adrien got hit with a snowball that made him fall backwards. 

“Nice shot, Yamato!” 

“Thank you. Hey! No fair, Nico!” Nico laughed before dashing off, getting chased by Yamato. 

“Natsume, I said snowball fight, not fireball fight!” 

“Yeah, you need to . . . chill!” 

“Jack!” 

“Hey! Oh, you were trying to be sneaky, eh, Keith?”

“Maybe.”

“And, here’s one from me.”

“Nice shot, Kazune!”

“Why thank you.”

“Hey! Adrien!”

“Catch me if you can, Syaoran!” 

“Oh, you’re on!” The snowball fight lasted for a few more minutes amid shouts and laughter, before everyone paused as a howl reached their ears. 

Keith glanced around. “What the? Yamato!” Yamato turned, just in time to have a wolf pin him to the ground, and start licking his face. 

“Toboe! OK, OK, knock it off!! Came to join the fun?” Yamato asked as he petted the wolf. 

“I wish, but, Makoto-kun sent me to tell you that he made a new dessert he wants you to try.”

“Ooh! Dessert!” exclaimed Jack and Adrien.

“Don’t you care about your teeth?” asked Nico. 

“I always brush mine, it’s the model in me,” quipped Adrien with a smirk. 

“And mine always sparkles like freshly fallen snow, and since I’m technically already dead, I can’t rot anymore,” quipped Jack with a grin before the two disappeared around the corner.  

“Coming!” Toboe let out a bark and led the way back to the kitchen. 

Keith walked over to Syaoran as the others followed, leaving the two alone in the hall. “So. he’s another piece of the puzzle?” 

Syaoran laughed. “Everyone here is, even you. If you want it, that is. We’re not going to force you to stay, but we will try to make it as hard as possible for you to leave. It’s great here.” 

Keith glanced at him curiously as he followed Syaoran to the kitchen. “So, all of you have been hurt?” 

Syaoran’s mouth twitched, but a soft smile stayed on his face as the sorrow seemed to grow in his eyes. “Yes, in different ways.” He paused and let out a sad sigh before walking again, more slowly this time. He seemed to bend over a bit, like the knowledge of so much sorrow weighed on him. “You have no idea the extent of some of that pain. Nico? He’s been through a lot, especially for a kid his age. Frodo? Not much different, even though he does wish he could give Nico the childhood he had, at least. Kira? War really took its toll on him, he has such a kind heart. Jack? Well, after three hundred years of loneliness, I’m not surprised he can keep a smile on his face, he’s so overjoyed at how many people can see him now. Some have lost family, parents, a sibling, some have been unable to make many friends, yet others are feared because of what they can do. Some were even exploited because of their powers. Everyone has a sob story. And, I’m not saying that because of all of these sob stories that they make yours any less tragic. I’m just trying to say that, you’re not alone. Somebody, somewhere, even if it’s not on Antillia, has experienced what you’ve experienced and has felt the same pain. How they react to it will be different than your reaction because they are not you. So, some will hide their pain with a smile, or have it out there with scowl.” He paused again, they were now outside the kitchen doors. He turned and placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “Listen, I understand that you’re set on your decision, but I beg you, please give us a chance. Get to know some of the people here. These things take time. Give me a time-frame and if you’re not satisfied with the results at the end, then you are most certainly free to go. But, I’m willing to bet that, if you open up to some of the people here, you’ll find that you are home. And I can direct you to a few people who thought the same as you, and ended up staying.” 

“Like Nico?” 

Syaoran smiled and nodded. “Yes, like Nico. And I’m glad he’s here. I know Kazune especially is glad he’s here. You have no idea how many times I’ve had to break up a game of Mythomagic to get their attention for something.” 

“Right. So, what’s your story?” 

Syaoran’s eyes widened before a sad smile appeared. “I, I don’t know if I should tell you that yet. You might, you might wonder how a monster like myself became the king of Antillia.” 

Keith’s eyes widened. “But, but you can’t be a monster! You’re such a better leader than I ever could!” 

Syaoran laughed, the sorrow melting away. “Oh yes, I thought that I wasn’t capable of leading these fine people, but, Matthew just likes to keep proving himself right. And, out of everyone, I think . . . I think he’s not ready to tell his story.” 

“Nope, just waiting for everyone to get here so I can just tell it all at once.” The two jumped as a red-haired teen joined them. “Do you have any idea how annoying it is to have to repeat yourself over and over again?” 

“Which is funny because you like to repeat yourself, over and over again,” quipped the older, brunette as he too joined them. 

“That all depends on what I’m talking about, Steven. My story? Boring!” 

“What? Your story’s boring? But you’ve been all over the place!” exclaimed Syaoran. 

Matthew grinned. “That I have. But, trying to blend into the local life isn’t as easy as it looks, trust me. So, are you two going to get in there and taste Makoto’s new dessert, or are you going to let Jack and Adrien eat all of it?” 

Syaoran chuckled. “Oh, alright. Let’s go. Their desserts can get surprising, but it’s always good.” 

Keith grinned. “Oh, I don’t know, Hunk’s kinda spoiled us.” 

“Guess we’ll just have to do a cooking contest, huh?” asked Syaoran with a wink as he opened the doors. Keith, Matthew, and Steven followed him in, and paused. 

“Um, where is everybody?” asked Keith as Matthew and Steven joined Syaoran. The three turned around and all shot him mischievous grins. 

“Uh, guys?” shouted Matthew. That’s when everyone jumped out from behind doors and under tables, shouting, “Surprise! Happy birthday, Keith!” Makoto and Hunk came out with a big birthday cake, decorated with red and purple lions and sprinkles on white icing. 

Keith glanced at Syaoran. “But, but you said . . .” 

“The island didn’t tell me.” 

“No, that was me,” stated Shiro as he approached Keith. “Happy birthday, little brother,” he said with a smile. The two hugged. 

“Th-thanks, Shiro. Did, did you plan all of this?” 

“Actually, you can thank our head resident genie for that. Matthew thought that, since you were feeling so down in the dumps, throwing a birthday party to show how much we all appreciate you was a good idea to bring up your spirits,” said Nico. 

“Hey, it worked for you, figured it would work for him too,” stated Matthew. 

“And Jack was his second-in-command,” quipped Kazune as he pointed at the grinning sprite. 

“We had some help from Coran, too,” stated Jack. 

“Thank you, everybody, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.” 

Syaoran chuckled. “Told you we’d make it hard for you to want to leave.” Keith smiled at him before everyone else came forward to wish him happy birthday. The party became a smashing hit, everyone had a blast. And as Keith slowly drifted off to sleep later that night, he had to admit, they were doing a good job at making him feel at home. Maybe he would take Syaoran up on his challenge, but he figured they had won already. He wanted to stay. 

[meganmaherstoryart]

Here is another drawing for the Cardcaptor Sakura 30 Day Challenge on Facebook! It’s day 5: Favorite Anime Episode! (days 3 and 4 had prompts identical to the tumblr CCS Appreciation week so I just re-used those drawings :P ) 

This was a hard one to decide because I love every single episode! But if I had to pick one, I’d say my favorite episode is 65: Sakura, Yukito, and the Vanishing Power! There are so many awesome things in this episode! :D It’s super intense due to Yukito almost disappearing and falling off a building, Touya was the one to save the day by his selfless act of giving up his powers to save Yukito/Yue and that act showed just how much he loves Yukito, Touya got to meet Yue for the first time, we got to see Sakura, Yukito, and Touya in old timey Japanese outfits and see Syaoran’s adorable blushy blushy reaction to Sakura in that outfit, we also got to see Yukito without glasses, see more of Eriol’s house, and Touya was finally able to stop Nakuru from interrupting him telling Yukito what he’d been trying to say all season! :D 

This was also a practice in speed drawing/coloring since I spent so much time with my family today that I only had 4 hours of free time to work on it. :P I’m really slow at digital art (hence why I’m doing these for digital art practice), so I’m super excited I was able to get the sketch, ink, and coloring done in that time! :D Yay for starting to get faster! :D 

[meimi-haneoka]

Random thoughts about episode 12 of Clear Card

Maaaan what a ride it was! This was the last episode of the first cour of the anime, and next week they’re airing a recap of the Clear Card series so far, I’m curious to see if the characters are doing voiceovers, and what they will be! NHK’s website does list some voice actors for this recap, so....

But on with episode 12! I didn’t think much about it weeks before it aired, I must be honest? I expected it to be a totally original episode. But, foolish me, they hardly do a 100% original episode! They always include some canon parts from the manga, and with the due changes, they did it this time as well. (More under the cut, with pics)

Ok, honestly? The beginning creeped the hell out of me hahhahah It’s just that, Kaito, why are you even trying to look like the baaaaad guy, with all those shady faces in the half-light? XD I know you’ll be a good character in the end, but you’re trying so hard to seem shady af.

Yay for school sport tournaments!! SAKURA WAS SO BADASS PLAYING BASKETBALL!! SO SO BADASS, that fierce look while she tried to dunk........ <3 Akiho and Syaoran playing badminton was interesting, but OH WHAT A COINCIDENCE, Sakura wishes for a tie and BAAAM, Hail starts to bomb the school and the match is canceled at a tie! They’re definitely throwing the hints at our faces....

And then, the memorable scene in which Syaoran uses his ofuda magic against Hail, and it doesn’t work. Manga and anime reconnect their storylines here, making us understand that maybe *there was a moment* in which Syaoran’s magic worked, but past that, it doesn’t anymore. Maybe the new card’s magic became too powerful...? What we know for sure is that he expected it, even if not so soon. So he resorts to that.

Conveniently silenced like in the manga, the spell for this new kind of magic could really be Firey, as a recurring theory suggests lately...?

But what really, really got me, was the following scene, after Sakura secured the Hail card with a very intense voice. Sakura asks Syaoran if he’s ok, and:

THAT that broke my heart. Because you can clearly see he’s done something he feels guilty for, and he feels guilty because it’s something rude to her! I don’t know what it could be yet, if he used indeed a Sakura Card or what, but, the result is the same: he shouldn’t have done this. And yet he didn’t have any other choice, Hail was deliberately trying to hurt Sakura and it pressured him into resorting to the thing he didn’t want to use. I think this is one of the most intense SyaoSaku moment so far, since the reunion in episode 1.

How the staff made him slowly turn to look at her, with that stare, is exactly how I pictured it in my head when I saw that it would happen a little differently than in the manga. For this, I have to applaud the anime staff.

And what about the dream in the end? MCF TALKED. I mean, MCF didn’t even talk in the manga yet!!! That was a very creepy and yet fitting way to close the first cour, leaving us with a sense of anxiety.

Also, I want to briefly mention that I’m really worried for Kero-chan. Sleeping that much isn’t leading to anything good. While Sakura worries about the moon guardian, she might not be noticing that something is happening to the sun guardian, under her own nose. Damn.

Next episode, after the recap! The return of Meiling, new opening and new ending!