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tokoyamisstuff · 25 days ago

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Spellbound pt. III

Chapter 3: "Damnant quod non intellegunt" (Lt. "They condemn what they don't understand")

A/N: Lil' ✨expository chapter✨ to overcome my writing block. Stay tuned! Also no obvious romance yet, I just liked the quote.

[Previous Chapter]

How does one become a witch, or at least become able to cast some of their feats?

Well, the same way that Father Anderson became a paladin: Through years and years of rigorous training. Your teachings had a more theoretical approach, but at the bottom line it was just the same - hard work that demanded an incredible resolve.

Anderson had aggreed to become your mentee about two months ago, but it was painfully obvious that he was still struggling with this arrangement. As if - even through everything you've already done to prove your credibility - a small yet very loud part of him was convinced you'd strike a devastating attack towards Iscariot any moment.

After having been indoctrinated to despise your kind with every fiber of his being for almost his whole life, it was no wonder honestly. The fact that he went against his better judgement and at least tries to put his trust in you was more than enough for the beginning.

You could understand to a certain extend, remained patient even in the face of his sometimes irritating and hurtful suspicion.

But did he forget that it's just the same for you?

All the unnecessary bloodshed, all the achievements humanity could've made if it wasn't for the horrible deeds of the catholic church - the lives of countless brethren lost during Iscariot's witch hunts, driving your kind to the brink of extinction.

And yet you invited him into your home, unveiled your secrets to a man that could very easily finish what his predecessors couldn't.

No risk no reward, or so they say.

You were only able to square assisting him with your consciousness because he mostly slays evil entities, and you harbored a naive hope of convincing him to change his ways abut anything else.

Anderson on the other hand kept telling himself that just like Iscariot itself, while you might be unworthy in the eyes of the church, you were necessary to protect it.

Once again during the dead of night the demon hunter finds himself utterly restless. He lies stiffly on his back, a blank stare fixated on the ceiling while letting one hand run over the unsighty scar on his abdomen - one of many, but this one sticks out. It's fresh.

Maybe he's become reckless due to his regeneration. It made him forget that despite his immeasurable strenght, there's beings out there that can still overpower him with ease.

The wound was caused by a beast that's rarely encountered, it's abilities annulating his healing factor. Just when he realized, his guts were already spilling out from the gash.

He barely made it out alive.

Anderson had made peace with sacrificing himself for the church a long time ago, yearned for a honorable death on the battlefield even.

But he couldn't afford to perish just yet. He's got responsibilities, people to protect.

A debt to pay.

That incident was what drove him towards you once again after all. It seems like god had a plan for the two of you, and he wouldn't dare messing with predetermined fate.

Anderson's eyes darted towards the great bookshelf opposite to his bed. Hidden behind the bulky furniture you had installed a magic portal between his room and yours. This feature had cost great effort but was worth it on the long run. Teleportation takes a great portion of mana, and it could never make you travel this great of a distance. You live pretty isolated after all.

If someone ever found out about any of this he'd be excommunicated instantly...if not worse.

What in the world had he gotten himself into?

Both your timezones were luckily close to each other, but that wouldn't cease your confusion as you noticed the Paladin appearing in the middle of your hut just like that.

"Why are you still up?" he asks as if he wasn't the one who just invaded your privacy. You quirk a brow at the man and feel him visibly shrinking into himself. "Well well well, if it isn't my favourite student."

He restlessly, almost nervously shifts his weight from one foot to another, still rooted in the treshold. "I thought I was the only one."

"Exactly!" you cackle at your own joke but he didn't seem to lighten up at all.

There was a slight shift in his expression, turning from undecipherable to somber as it always did upon seeing the curse mark sprouting from your left eye. You were aware how much it pained him to see you like this and knowing he was indirectly responsible - though he would rather drop dead than admitting that deep down he did grow to care for you.

You quickly grab your eyepatch from the desk, however the size of the stigma had increased, black spots peeking out from all sides of the bandage. "Sooo..." your voice cut through his pondering, upper body invitingly leaning over the table. "What brings you here? Need anything?"

The man was rooted on spot, wordlessly observing whatever unholy research you were currently busying yourself with. Your room was a mess, only barely outranking his own chaos. Flasks, herbs and loose papers with illegible scribbles scattered everywhere. It was small and crowded, decorated with many keepsakes from your travels and photos of what he could only guess to be your loved ones.

He tries to get clear-headed again but he had to accept that whenever you were around, neither his mind nor his body seemed to obey him. Rummaging in his coat, he summons a pile of books from the hammerspace you had taught him to use. "I'm done with those. Teach me more."

Your eyes widened in surprise at the stack of books thudding onto the tabletop, not expecting anyone to be done with reading, let alone understanding at this pace. "You're already learning the basics faster than I did, and the elder witches called me a prodigy back then" you admitted with a tad of hurt pride. "Take it easy. When's the last time you've slept more than 2 consecutive hours?"

"None of your business" he dismissed your concern, trying to muster a glare but it lacks its usual intensity. "I need to get stronger."

"Alex...only if you take proper care of yourself you can take care of others." He couldn't decide what's more aggravating: The nickname, your pitiful attempt at preaching to him, or how casually you dared defiling him with your touch - and yet he didn't even try to keep your hand from running up and down his arm. "Now come and sit down. Don't make me force you to relax, you Scottish blockhead."

Maybe it was the exhaustion overcoming him, but he resignated faster than you expected, letting you push him onto the free space on the sofa. Your familiar, a cat-sìth, instantly seized the opportunity to jump onto his lap, almost looking like a normal housecat compared to this giant of a man.

"I'm jealous, she's grown more attached to you than she is to me!" you chuckled from behind the kitchen counter, preparing whatever you could with the ingredients you had left. He couldn't help but let out a small huff of amusement as the creature stretched on his thighs, allowing him to pet it. "Ah, did ye' miss me?"

Soon you joined them as well, hastily clearing the coffee table to make space for a tray of refreshments. He stared at the content of his cup for a while but didn't dare questioning it, already feeling your offended glare on him. "It's just herbal tea. You'll be able to sleep better, but it's not poisoned or drugged or something like that."

"Yes yes, I know" he murmured under his breath, blowing on the hot liquid before taking a generous sip as if to convince you of his trust.

It's weird, really. Anderson felt so out of place whenever he visited you, and yet he actively seeked our your presence. As wrong as it may be, but it was hard to stay away for long as he genuinely enjoyed your company.

Being here was a nice change of surroundings, he guesses.

"Aren't you going to rest as well?" he asks, watching you swarm through the room like a bumblebee. "Hypocrite..."

"That's rich coming from a papist" you utter to yourself, seemingly buried in thought again like so often when you were hyperfixated. It happens quite often, and he's gotten used to it over time.

"Well, I actually wanted to give it to you next month, but if you're so eager to learn..." you finally spoke up, throwing yourself onto the sofa just a few inches apart from the man to properly see his reaction. "A...bible?"

"Your bible" you correct him with a wide grin on your face. "Objects can hold significantly more power than living beings, and I enhanced this one just for you! Had to make it christian-themed so it's easier for your fellow zealots to digest...I mean I don't think your superiors are fooled that easily, but just say you've been blessed by the Lord or something? Even if they have a clue of it's true origins, the ends always justified the means for your people as long as you keep a low profile about it."

Anderson only half-heartedly listened to your rambling as he flipped through the pages. It was strenghtened with an iron binding, a cross similar to his own adorning the front. Seems like you put a lot of effort even into minor details, personalizing it for him so thoughtfully.

Against everything he was taught here you were, being able to alter the holy scripture just like that. He's seen occultists, satanists and other evil entities trying similar things to taunt the church, but all religious symbols would combust into ashes with no exception. So this mere fact was tangible proof that your magic wasn't disapproved of by the Lord after all.

A revelation like that should be relieving if he wanted to continue his studies under your guidance, but it was far from that.

How much more was there that he is in the wrong about? How many lies have been fed to him, and have they been so intentionally?

Does he even want to know?

His worldview and faith in the organization he had been loyal to all his life had started to crumble, and he couldn't even be sure if meeting you was curse or blessing.

"It will help you teleport short distances, cast barriers and such." He finally tore his gaze away from the relic, just to be met with your excited self that evaporated all coherent words from his brain. "I- uh...thank you very much. I'll cherish it."

"You'll use it too, hopefully. It's as resilient as you are!" Grinning mischievously, you add "I warned you: I'm a strict teacher. Tomorrow you'll accompany me to a mission, and we'll see if you're as ready as you think you are."

Anderson didn't even register when he had fallen asleep, but the next morning he woke up feeling a surge of energy rush through him. Whatever was in that tea, it made a few hours of sleep enough to make him well-rested.

Still a little disorientated, he spots the cat-sìth purring as it lolls around curled to his feet, and finally remembers where he was - in your home, your bed to be precize. Fighting against the warmth spreading in his chest he huffed in annoyance, kicking the blanket off himself you had so lovingly draped over him yesterday.

He spots you lying uncomfortably on the sofa, the sight both heartwarming and shame-inflicting. Stalking over and gently shaking you awake, he scoffs gruffly despite being touched that you respected his boundaries. "Morning...you look horrible."

"Mhh..." you stirr slightly, rubbing your eyes before narrowing them at the priest and his nerves. "Well, you snore." His cheeks flush with embarassment yet he ignores the remark. "I took the liberty to make us breakfast. Let's hurry and get going."

"Do you think I could draw some of your blood before we leave?" you asked bluntly, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "There's a few tests I want to run while we're out."

Anderson couldn't hide the uncertainty briefly flashing on his face. Blood was the currency of life after all, and there were a lot of ways someone like you could mess with it.

"Hey..." You smile up at him all innocently and he could almost pinpoint the moment he felt his heart stumble. "If you're uncomfortable, you don't have to..."

He shakes his head slowly, adjusting his glasses as if to shield himself from your damn captivating eyes. "We have a business alliance, haven't we?" His tone was oddly amicable, already pulling up his sleeve to present the veins of his forearm. "It would be impolite not to give something back after everything you've done for me...so be it, I'll be your guineapig."

"Don't say it like that..." You object sheepishly, putting a hand over the cross on his chest. "You're my friend, whether you want it or not."

Dusk already fell over the horizon when the two of you met at the remote village in the north of the Scottish highlands. Conveniently enough this area was officially 'catholic ground', so all you needed to do was anonymously informing Iscariot of a paranormal being and they sent the Judas Priest right away.

"How did you even know about this?" Anderson walked behind as you led the way, protectively sticking behind you like a shadow. "I know these people for a long time. They contacted me asking for help, and I thought it would be a great opportunity for practise."

As soon as you arrived at the hidden location surrounded by untouched nature, you were greeted warmly by the villagers. Your disciple on the other hand didn't seem all too pleased with how touchy some of these people got with you, sulking to himself and occasionally staring them down whenever he was approached.

He kept telling himself he's in this grim mood because those people were most likely not even christian, judging by the absence of a church or anything indicating their faith - but truth be told, he secretly envied how carefree they could interact with you, whereas he seemed to drive you away every time he opened his mouth.

It's a miracle you seemed to actively seek out his company despite him only ever causing you trouble.

"It has been far too long, my dear!" their mayor went for a bear hug that you happily reciprocated. The two of you were chattering about past antics Anderson's ears willingly ignored until the man inquired about your new companion. "Oh, that's Father Anderson. He is a dear friend and expert monster hunter!"

"Well then I'm glad that my people's safety is in good hands!" He wanted to greet Anderson with a handshake, but the latter merely grumbes a half-assed answer and he crosses his arms in contempt. "He's a bit distant at times, but he'll warm up eventually" you apologize for your friend's rudeness, before the two of you head out to get the job done.

Before you could even ask what has possessed him earlier he blurts out the question that burned on the tip of his tongue. "You and that mayor seem very close. Is he a friend of yours?"

"Him? Oh well, hard to explain..." You snort as you strut the small gravelpath, reminiscing the time you'd visit regulary as they were one of the few civilizations that gratefully accepted a witch's help. "He's actually the great-grandson of a friend. All grown up now, time sure goes fast..."

"What do you mean-" As the dots in his head connected, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Wait, how old are you?!"

"Now, that's not a proper question to ask a lady, is it?" You break out in boisterous laughter, wiping an imaginary tear of joy from your cheek. "But if you must know: Around 280 years, give or take. I don't know my birthday."

"...you're older than me."

"Obviously. And to be frank you could respect your elders more" you jab further. After a while of being practically frozen in shock he grit his teeth, reluctantly walking alongsides you again. "Unbelievable...so much experience and yet acting so foolish all the time..."

When you heard the sound of a waterfall it was only a few minutes until you arrived and saw the target of your hunt: A Kelpie, shape-shifting water spirits that usually appear as majestic horses. Whoever approaches those creatures will get dragged underwater and devoured by them, leaving only their entrails at the shore.

"That should be an easy kill" he thinks out loud as he watches from afar, quite disappointed that he came all the way for such a lowy creature. "But I don't want you to kill it right away. We're here to learn, after all." You tap the bible in his pocket, confidently stating "Let it pull you into the water and teleport back."

"No way in hell" was what he wanted to say, but he just glared at you with a stern expression. Many years ago, when he was still a young lad himself, he nearly drowned in a pond near the orphanage. The memory was still fresh in his mind, a humiliating and never ceasing blemish of his unshakeable courage.

Large bodies of water still make him uneasy.

"Tsk" he hissed, clutching the book hard as he jumped up and rushed into battle. You'd surely be understanding, but he had made a fool out of himself more than enough in front of you, time to pull it together and prove himself. "Don'tcha dare doubting me."

One second. Two.

Five.

Twenty.

Should you go looking for him? Doing so was a last resolve that would certainly scatter Anderson's enthusiasm, but this takes him way too long...

Blood floats to the surface, tainting the liquid in a bright red. Your mind went completely blank and you panicked, running towards the lake - but just when you were about to cast your teleportation, you were stopped by numerous bible pages scattering with the wind.

Anderson appeared right in front of you, his whole stance victorious as he looked down on you with a wolfish smile. "Told ye' it was nothing. Slayed the beast while I was at it."

"Godfuckingdamnnit, Alex!" Both infuriated and relieved you practically leaped into his arms, the unexpected embrace only adding to his satisfaction. He was soaking wet but you didn't mind, too overwhelmed by emotions you didn't want to acknowledge. "My my, don't speak the Lord's name in vain, would you" he chuckled with that hoarse voice of his, reassuringly patting your back. "Sorry for worrying ye'."

Later the townsfolk hosted a makeshift celebration to show their gratitude, yet Anderson had reverted back to his usual self. He remains at the sidelines for the majority of the evening, praying and brooding in a corner of the small townshall.

After a while of catching up with old acquaintaces and meeting new additions to the populace, you find him on a hill outside and sit down next to him, nudging his shoulder with your own. "They're all celebrating your victory, so why the grim mood?"

"Just needed some peace and quiet" he lies, overlooking the vast beautiful landscape. "Go inside, enjoy your time being here."

You rest your head on his shoulder, closing your eyes. "I'm enjoying myself just fine right where I am."

Anderson clicks his tongue, thinking about moving away - but then he sees your evident exhaustion and remembers the horrible night you had because of him. "Damn it, woman..." he grumbles, pulling you under his coat to shield you from the cold breeze.

"Say..." His voice was barely above a whisper when he finally dared speaking what's on his mind. "If you're that old, then you must've witnessed-"

"Yes, I have." It took you a while to keep on talking, gazing up at him with half-lidded, vulnerable eyes. "You have no idea how many sisters I've lost to your people's wrath. Actually, I...they got me too." You were shaking like a leaf as you spoke, such a huge contrast to your usual cheerful, bubbly self. He instinctively holds you tighter, wrapping his arm around your waist as he crushes you flush against his chest. "I was burned to a crisp. My coven saved me from the brink of death, but...such pain you can never forget."

Anderson remained silent. There wasn't anything he could say. He had no right to, either way. Instead he continued cradling you against his chest like some precious thing to shield from the cruelty of this world.

Nothing of what you said was new to the priest. He was aware of every vile secret, every evil deed his church had committed in the name of god's glory.

However this particular story wasn't as easy to digest- it was yours, after all. You weren't some distant tale or ancient record one could easily rationalize and distance themselves from.

You were right here - in his arms - having endured so incredibly much suffering at the hands of his brethren in faith. And yet you showed him nothing but kindness he was most undeserving of in hindsight of your shared history.

Could his god really condemn a person this pure?

Anderson couldn't. Not anymore at least.

"They don't know yet if my regeneration will keep me from aging as well..." Helplessly, he changed the topic, looking straight ahead as if not bearing to see you in this state. "But if that's the case, I hope that I'll find solace through my actions just like you do."

You were still upset yet able to crack a hopeful smile in the arms of a man you should never feel so safe in. "Too bad, you won't get rid of me either way."

#hellsing #hellsing ultimate #alexander anderson #alexander anderson x reader #reader insert #writing #fanfiction

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felixcloud6288 · 14 hours ago

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Dungeon Meshi Miscellaneous Monster Tales 11

Green Dragon

Green dragons breathe fire as well. Looks like they might also have an inverse scale.

I was about to say that the green dragon seems to be the most common dragon species, but really it's more like they're the most interacted with species.

Laios doesn't like the idea of being turned into a dragonslaying legend, but his story might be worth writing since a great amount of it involves his vast monster knowledge. Can you call it a cheap trick when you succeeded because of your vast knowledge?

Maybe instead of the usual dragonslayer story, the bards could pizazz it up a bit. Add some of the things Laios likes such as discussions about the physiology of and how to cook monsters. And Laios isn't trying to save some noble or princess but someone he actually cares about, like Falin.

And the story can be about this journey where he saves Falin but an evil wizard who was controlling the dragon kidnaps Falin and turns her into a dragon. So Laios goes on another journey where he has to eat his way through hordes of monsters and when he fights the wizard, he uses his vast knowledge of dragons to turn the tides of battle when the wizard summons dozens of dragons to fight him.

...Actually, nah. That sounds like a horrible story. Shouldn't even have bothered to suggest it.

Since Nightmares are a species of dragon, it's technically possible to earn a dragonslayer title pretty easily. You just have to stomp on the Nightmares really hard.

Huge Spiders

Ariadne seems to be an in-universe species of spider. Ariadne is a character from Greek mythology. She was the daughter of King Minos of Crete and was in charge of the labyrinth the Minotaur was kept in. When Theseus was brought to Crete as a sacrifice, Ariadne gave him a sword to slay the Minotaur and a ball of thread to help him find his way through the labyrinth.

The ariadne species name comes from the maze-like pattern on the spiders' abdomen.

The Winged Lion can definitely pull off feats beyond summoning monsters but it seems to prefer summoning monsters as its go-to solution for everything.

Laios was originally just cheerfully info-dumping to Kabru, then he started looking at Mithrun's clothes because he heard the elves use giant spider silk. Then at some point, Laios noticed the spider goo on Mithrun and started having thoughts.

Honestly, I'm surprised Laios tried to be subtle. He thought Kabru was interested in eating monsters. I'd expect Laios to casually ask if he can scoop a bit of the spider goo off Mithrun to taste it.

Wolf-Man

I said Laios would be into werewolf stories and I was right.

So Lycion willingly got turned into a beast-man, or whatever is the closest equivalent. It's probably what got him arrested.

As Laios points out, he doesn't have any beast mannerisms. He just looks like one. Whatever Lycion got is completely different from Izutsumi. She's actually fused to another creature in body and soul. Lycion can just swap between two forms.

Kabru zoned out when Laios and Lycion started talking about becoming a wolf-man.

I somehow never considered Laios and Lycion might get along because of their shared interest in being beast-men. That kind of made this funnier cause they don't like what the other means when they talk about wanting to be a beast-man.

Looks like I was wrong about Lycion fitting in with the party.

Izutsumi is not happy Laios wants to be the very thing she's trying to undo.

This is one of the few bonus comics that can't be easily grafted into the main story. Kabru is holding Kensuke so there is a span of SEVEN panels - not even a full page - where this could fit.

If we ignore that little detail, the best place to graft this would be right between these two rows of panels.

And I don't mean best as in "best fit"; I mean best as in "best comedic timing". It would mean this dramatic moment got interrupted by Laios being Laios, and he accidentally created a diplomatic chance and instantly ruined it. Then Lycion would try to kill Laios because Laios insulted his beast form rather than because Laios intends to help Marcille.

back

#dungeon meshi #delicious in dungeon #dungeon meshi readthrough

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danfrik · 1 year ago

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IT IS I, ONCE AGAIN.

Did'ya miss me? Probably not, anyway.

I'm here with another drawing that I kind of procrastinated to finish until today-

It took me like five hours to finish what I already had started...

But whatever, welcome again to my impulsive (and kind of stupid) little brain, I'm going to talk about this and you will read everything.

⚠️Minor/Major Spoilers Ahead⚠️

First things first.

I want to make clear that, yes, Miles and Phoenix switched bodies just like Aziraphale and Crowley did.

Those marks on Phoenix's face? Let's just say that that one headcanon about holy water tears is a thing here (because I'm a sucker for angst).

I also want to point out some details about the switch thing because... well, I just want to talk about every little detail, let me cook.

• On Good Omens (the TV show, of course), Crowley (as Aziraphale) has an ice cream while Aziraphale (as Crowley) has a popsicle, but here I decided to be special and reverse that because, honestly, I see Phoenix being more of a popsicle guy, and Miles more of an ice cream type of man, don't ask me why.

(Also, I gave Miles a strawberry ice cream with sprinkles and Phoenix a grape popsicle, I'm sure you know why.)

(Because Miles likes pink and Phoenix likes "grape juice", that's why.)

• One of the things that I did to make the switch slightly more obvious is the frown, more specifically Miles' frown, the old "Edgeworth glare™️".

So, no matter how hard Miles is pretending to be Phoenix, we cannot take away his glare. On the other hand, Phoenix is really expressive (even behind those shades, yes), so he'll try to keep it either slightly neutral or keep that rest bitch expression (did I say that right?).

I mean... he is pretending to be Miles, y'know?

• Other thing that I did was change Phoenix's clothes while Miles is pretending to be him.

Gave him a waistcoat and his tie back because, of course, Miles thinks they suit Phoenix just fine (and he is absolutely right) and because he could never dress like a basic bitch, he is a classy bitch after all.

Oh, and I gave Phoenix a little handkerchief, like I said, Miles is a classy bitch... with questionable fashion sense *stares at his jabot*.

And, not gonna lie, Phoenix has no fashion sense, at all, the only reason he slays like he does in his usual outfit, is because he takes Miles' advice every now and then, but if it were for him he would wear crocs with socks (I mean, based, I do that too).

• Oh, I almost forgot about a tiny detail.

Miles also managed to brush Phoenix's little flick of hair, you know that one.

He likes to be presentable, no hair out of place.

• Phoenix didn't change anything of Miles, he is perfect as it is (jabot and all, I guess).

Now that I covered those little details, I can proceed to talk about other things >:)

Actually, is more of the same topic anyway.

The whole switching bodies trick, that is.

Aside from the details about costume and mannerisms, I want to talk about both sides.

How Phoenix will act in heaven and Miles in hell?

I picture it kind of like this:

For Miles side, pretending to be Phoenix is not as difficult as he would've thought, at least for the bantering and body language part.

Quite surprisingly, he does pretty great, the only difficult part might be the facial expressions, but he managed to not catch anyone's attention anyway.

Like in the TV show (Good Omens, I mean), Miles exaggerates little things about Phoenix, like being a bit more dork, maybe even a bit nonchalant or flamboyant, slightly dramatic but not too much.

Now for Phoenix, it is kind of difficult for him to not react at the petty coments and keep a neutral face but he manages, though his eyes speak for him, of course.

He keeps this solemn atitude, even spoke with the same flourishness that Miles tends to speak with, and bows before the Archangels.

Not that he wants to, but he knows that Miles does that out of respect for any higher being.

His body is mostly stiff, not daring to make any sound unless necessary, he only dared to glare when the hellfire came and when they insulted Miles.

Miles, much like Aziraphale, played with the holy water, splashing just enough so it won't reach anyone but also enough so no one would dare to get close to him.

Also joked around and asked for a rubber duck and a towel (and almost dared to ask for some scented candles).

"Y'know? It is quite relaxing being like this, it feels refreshing, a demon could get used to this."

With Phoenix is quite similar as to how Crowley messed a little with the Archangels, but he didn't stay silent.

He took a deep breathe once he was on the fire, did the "breathing fire" trick as well, and made a little joke, as if taunting them for not being able to destroy Miles nor him.

"I've been to hell recently, it was really lovely if you ask me, warm and cozy... you'd like it."

And so, both sides let them go and switch back again.

Leading to a small talk about both sides leaving them alone for a while, the not-apocalypse, the "antichrist" and all that.

Of course, finishing with that date- I mean, dinner at the Ritz, cheering for the world while a nightingale sings not so far away.

Oh, and I want to add a little thing too!

When they stand up from the bench, after switching again, I kind of want Phoenix to make a little joke about his own name, kind of like:

"I'm gonna be honest with you, angel, I really felt like I raised from the ashes back there."

"Must you be so foolish all the time?"

"Aw, c'mon, you think it's funny, I can see you holding back!"

"Nonsense, I would never consider funny that ridiculous and foolish joke of yours..."

[Spoilers: He did]

Anyway, I think that's all, at least for now.

Thanks again if you have read all the way down, if you didn't... well, that's understandable, but thank you anyways!

Hope you have a nice day, stranger!

#ace attorney #miles edgeworth #phoenix wright #wrightworth #crowley #aziraphale #good omens #alternate universe #ineffable husbands #ineffable idiots #art #digital art #sorry for the long text #i just really need to let out my ideas once in a while #i didn't mean to be this obsessed #actually #i kinda did

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kasterisk-of-the-void · 7 months ago

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My thoughts on Smile Precure!

So, I just finished Smile Precure, the 9th installation of Pretty Cure as a series. And honestly...? This season was a blast! I greatly enjoyed the main characters of this season, and even the MASCOT (very important). I felt like they all definitely grew as people the more the season progressed, which was refreshing. (Review below line!)

Let's start with Miyuki/Cure Happy, our lead cure. In traditional lead-cure fashion, this one has to be the upbeat, happy-go-lucky personality type, but she didn't feel generic at all. Miyuki has shown that she wasn't always so "happy-go-lucky" all the time, she had to GROW from her previous experiences ever since her childhood days. She's courageous, kind, empathetic, friendly, and most of all, VULNERABLE. After trying her hardest to show a smile in the darkest of moments, she admits with mountains of tears that it's HARD. She acknowledges she might be naive with her own hopes, but she never once backs down from what's important in that moment. To me, that's what makes a LEADER. Next is Akane/Cure Sunny, a person so passionate that it infects all she touches. Akane tries her best for everyone and everything, trying to keep the group strong in the face of challenges. Even though she comes off as blunt and TOO laid-back and jokey sometimes, that's who she is as a person. She has her own flaws, naturally, but she never shies away from it. Giving up is never an answer when it comes to those she loves. She's passionate, fun, and headstrong, which is vital to a group of friends and as a cure. Yayoi/Cure Peace is also fantastic in her own right. When we were first introduced to her, she comes off as this shy, meek, and fragile person who has strong insecurities about everything she does. However, we find that she's so much stronger than she thinks she is, and she learns to harness her courage. She may cry, she may fail, and she may get hurt, but it's her courage and the support of those around her that give her strength. Nao/Cure March is my second favorite out of all the Smile Precure. A girl who knows how to shoulder responsibility and show care and affection towards companions and family. Family values are built into her CORE, and I love her for it. We also get to see this reflected in her friendships as she won't hesitate to help her friends. Her sense of justice is what drives her, and she'll stop at nothing to right what's wrong. Her and Akane's competitiveness were always a favorite for me, too. And lastly, there's Reika/Cure Beauty. Naturally, I wasn't too into her character as she played the typical "honorable and elegantly spoken" character in a precure series, but I found myself loving her anyways. Reika above all else is gentle, courteous, and intelligent. She had shown time and time again just how motivated she is when it comes to her own goals, responsibilities, and even as a cure. She came up with plans for her comrades and didn't hesitate to hit heavy hits when the stakes were high. Her confidence and determination are what make her who she is. As for Candy, I enjoyed watching her be more developed throughout the season! She started this season as selfish, whiney, and unable to comprehend her situation, but we got to see her grow from that. She learned how to share, to be mindful of others, and to be a beacon of hope when her friends are in trouble. She wouldn't hesitate to be obliterated if it meant she could protect all of her friends. There is love in that heart of hers, and she wouldn't trade all the things she learned for anything. She was growing up. The plot itself was good, I enjoyed how creative they got with different fairytale-eque gags and themes! Wolfrun, Akaoni, and Majorina were definitely some of my favorite precure villains purely because of how they interacted with each other. JOKER, TOO, WAS ABSOLUTELY A SLAY. I wanted to punt him into the sun several times for his fruity behavior. Though, if I had to complain about anything, I wish we would've gotten to see more of Lord Pierrot. We didn't get to see much of anything ABOUT him throughout the entire season until the last 3 or so episodes. And, of course, I wish the Cures' outfits were more diversified, but I have to remember that this was the era of Precure BEFORE they went crazy with the designs.

ALL IN ALL, I give Smile Precure a 9 out of 10!! I loved this season dearly!!

#precure #smile precure #pretty cure #cure happy #cure sunny #cure beauty #cure march #kas rambles #precure posting #smilepre

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meimi-haneoka · 1 year ago

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Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Chapter 79: Comments + JP-ENG translation differences

Welcome back to our monthly appointment, CCS fans! This chapter comes right after this month's full moon, the Hunter Moon! (lol yes I will feature the name of the relative full moon till the end of the story). And speaking of the end of the story, I will start this analysis and translation post from the end of the chapter, where I found the confirmation to the rumour that had been going on for hours before the official release on Comic Days:

yes, dear readers, this is not a drill, Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Arc will end with chapter 80, after 7 years of serialization! 🎉✨ When *the last chapter* is announced, there's no turning back! No more sudden announcements of extensions! 🥹 But at the moment of writing this post, no mentions have been given about any "epilogue" or extra chapters that might be serialized in the upcoming months leading to the big release of volume 16 on April 1st!

On the translation side, I have to sigh in relief because no major misunderstandings happened in the ENG version, just some minor inaccuracies! I was kinda scared because this chapter is pretty important and complex in itself.

And let me say that what happened in this chapter 79 definitely marks the end of the climax, so I can totally see it ending in next chapter. The chapter tackled some very important thematics regarding the presence of "evil" in this series, that I will talk about extensively in my analysis.

The announcement today made me already a bit nostalgic and sad, but I want to strive hard to accompany myself and all of you towards the end of this arc with excitement and a smile, therefore I won't let myself be prey of the sadness yet and introduce you immediately to the gif of this month, because there's a lot we need to talk about and analyze and we can't waste time!!

This is entirely dedicated to our protagonist and heroine Sakura-chan, because damn, she really slayed this chapter!!! Under the cut to see what miracles she made happen!

The Color Page

My dear readers, after years of countless pleas on my social media, after being let down month after month, CLAMP FINALLY GRANTED ME A COLOR PAGE SOLELY DEDICATED TO KAITO AND AKIHO TOGETHER ON THE SECOND-TO-LAST CHAPTER!! Yaaaay!! Excuse me while I celebrate this event here in my little corner, especially after having a rough month! 🎉🎉🎉 I hope my followers thought of me when they saw it? Like "finally she'll stop asking for it" (breaking news, I'll keep asking for more even after the series is over) 😂 It took them 79 chapters to do so and honestly I'm laughing because....yes, I admit it, I expected another vibe for such an important color page coming after such an important emotional scene in chapter 78, but honestly the first thing I thought when I saw it was "....they had to wait 79 chapters for this? 😧" 😂because it's very very "regular", I think it would've been ok for this to come out long ago. LOL I'm being brutally honest here, I hope no one gets offended, especially because that pet peeve aside, OF COURSE I love this precious color page to bits, and I know under its "normalcy", its got a very important meaning to the both of them.

Akiho and Kaito are depicted together clearly during one of their travels....but the question is, is this from the past? Or the near future? I'd daresay they look the same age they are now, so this might probably be a foreshadowing for the future...? They'll keep travelling the world? But seeing the content of the chapter, this might also be just a call-back to their memories together and everything that they experienced during those travels, tightening their bond. Travelling the world is, after all, really their thing, their element. I really like Kaito's expression, with his usual smile that almost turns into a smirk, he gives off a vibe of being finally free to express his emotions. He looks carefree, and that's really something for him. Akiho, on the other hand, is always so much more expressive than him and you can literally feel the joy and excitement emanating from her delighted expression. Travelling with him makes her happy, so yes, should this be what awaits them in the finale, it's fine by me as long as they're happy (I'm rooting for the other option though, the "stay in Tomoeda with your newfound support network" route).

But as you know, I always have to analyze the color pages a bit deeper, especially when they're about these two. And since I had to keep myself distracted, I made a bit of research. Other than the "travelling" vibe, this illustration gives off also kind of a "vintage" vibe (which is another strong element to Akiho and Kaito). It seems Akiho is dressed in a sleeveless coat with cape and wearing a bonnet fully inspired by those worn by children in the second half of the 1800s, in the Victorian era.

(pic courtesy of Etsy) This is a model from 1896, for example. When I pinpointed the period, I immediately thought "uh, the Victorian era is also the period when Alice in Wonderland came out", although that was more towards the 1860s. I found it really interesting and a nice touch for this illustration with a retro flavor (the suitcase and purse also look kinda vintage).

But another thing that immediately caught my eyes were those cute birds landing on Kaito's shoulder and Akiho's bonnet. I immediately tried to look what kind of birds they are, and it seems like they could really be eastern bluebirds, typical of North America. Searching further, I found out that in several cultures bluebirds are harbinger of happiness and symbols of hope. I couldn't honestly have thought for a more fitting symbolism, for these two. Especially cause birds often are associated with an imagery of freedom, and this is something else that these two need, after being hunted by evil people for so long. They really do look free, in this color page. Also, the presence of the birds in this color page immediately brought me back to the color page of chapter 62, where we can see baby Kaito in a wintery setting, sitting on a lamppost, extending his little hand to a swallow coming to him. Swallows are a symbol of hope and bring a message of "spring is coming", and continuing from that message of hope, of "spring is coming for you too", we can finally see here in chapter 79 our Kaito with his true happiness, symbolized literally by the birds most associated with happiness. Another thing that caught my eyes is of course the lily depicted on the cover of the book Akiho is holding, a nice callback to Akiho's mother and Kaito's torment, Lilie. She's always going to be with them ❤️

The Japanese editorial text over the picture is an excerpt of what Momo was musing to herself in chapter 39, while imagining to talk to Kaito: "You traveled with her, and spent time together with her". I think CLAMP chose to feature this line to indicate an important thing that will be restored at the end of this chapter.

Everyone Is Doing Their Best

The chapter starts with a panel showing some light coming off Yukito's house, and we find out that even Touya fainted, exhausted by the effort to keep time stopped as much as possible. Ruby Moon is cradling his head on her lap trying to assist him and "recharge" his magical power, in hope to be able to maintain time "stopped" a bit more. In fact, if you notice, the "black covering" that symbolizes the time-stopping spell isn't completely destroyed yet, but only riddled with "holes", an indication that the spell is still somehow active, even if feebly. I imagine this might "slow down" the attacks, which are still coming but probably not at full speed like they would if the spell came undone completely. I have to point out immediately a mild inaccuracy in the ENG version, that I want to specify in order to dispel extreme theories before they're born: no, Ruby Moon didn't give up all of her powers to Touya, the verb used here is simply 補える, "can replenish (your magic)", not "give all".

Touya doesn't lose his sense of humor even in a dire situation like this, and comments sarcastically "What are you, a battery?", a clear recall to the whole "batteries" matter that came out in the un-rewritten world. Touya isn't supposed to remember about that, and he probably doesn't, but this is just a way from CLAMP to show that even in a situation where memories have been rewritten, some things will be unconsciously said again, because they're just meant to happen.

Ruby Moon calls for assistance from her "brother" Spinel Sun (love how even in these true forms, she still calls him "Suppy"), whom rejects the appellative of "battery" but agrees to give her a hand with "recharging" Touya to keep the spell up a bit longer. Everyone looks outside, only one thought in their minds, which is voiced clearly by a serious Tomoyo: "Sakura and everyone else are fighting with all they've got". I have to point out a typo here in the Japanese version (nothing serious, it can happen and will be surely fixed in the tankobon version): Tomoyo calls Sakura "Sakura-san". I loved the "sparkles" around Tomoyo's eyes, as if indicating that her extraordinary intuition is "at work" and just telling her that, even if they can't see them because they're quite far away, Sakura and the others are doing whatever they can to stop these attacks. And the fact they can see the attacks, but not their friends and their condition, must be really hard to witness, for all of them. But no worries, there's Touya nii-chan who's always ready to lighten the mood even in this challenging situation, joking that "If they don't get back before the curfew, they won't be getting their snacks tomorrow!". Here the ENG adds "squirt" to make Touya refer specifically to Sakura, but truth to be told, in the JP there's no subject, so he might be referring to everyone. It's amazing how he's able to keep his spirit up and be sarcastic even in this situation....he really believes in his little sister so much!

I'll Make Them Forget About You

Back where our heroes are, the attacks keep coming relentlessly, countered by Syaoran, Yue and Kero in tandem. Sakura reflects on the fact that the only transparent Cards she's got left are these two she's holding in her hands (Time and Rewind) and Flight. This statement leads me to believe that when Record transformed into that crystal that entered her, that meant that the Card completed its duty and disappeared inside of her. But Sakura isn't worried at all, because she knows that she can create more Cards. Yessss, this development that I've been anticipating since quite some time is finally here! ✨🎉 Sakura seems to finally have a concrete plan, but before proceeding, she needs to ascertain something. She asks directly to Kaito: "The people who are using these spells were trying to hurt you, right?". Kaito, with a pensive face, answers affirmatively.

But it's when Sakura asks again "Were they trying to hurt Akiho too?" that his expression turns really painful, the background after him portraying well his raging emotions and, while Mokona-sensei chose to leave Akiho hidden by Kaito's black wings in the previous panels, now she finally shows how both she and Kaito are holding onto eachother, while our boy answers with a "...Yes" dripping with sorrow. It really squeezed my heart with pain, this scene. Because as long as Sakura was asking about him, his expression was pensive but almost as if it's something he's used to, that didn't shake him too much. But when Sakura mentions Akiho, god, that wrecked him. Any mention, any reminescence of what those bastards did to her and how they were chasing after her to put their filthy hands on her again wrecks him even now, and it's like Mokona with her visual skills is showing how Kaito seems to be holding Akiho a little bit tighter, while he answers Sakura's question. I also have to point out something that I had noticed already from last chapter, but a panel tricked me into believing I was just seeing things: CLAMP here use a dark screentone for Kaito's eyes, that he never had before (actually, no other character in CCS got this effect in their eyes). This effect will be used on him for the entire chapter.

And it seems like it's the very same screentone that was used for the dragon. I think this might be an indication that the wings aren't the only reminescence of his dragon appearance!

Sakura shows once again an incredible empathy that allows her to go right to the heart of the issue without investigating much. If Kaito rewrote an entire world, and if it's true that Akiho in the previous world didn't have all the love and familiar support she's got now, it means that she was probably in danger too. And seeing as these people are attacking them now because they freed Kaito from his "punishment", Sakura doesn't really need much to make 2+2 and understand the situation. Sakura believes in Akiho, therefore she believes in Kaito too, and knows that if he came to this point it's because they were in a desperate and dangerous situation.

Showing an incredible insight, Sakura shocks both Kaito and Akiho by asking:

Sakura, JP: "In that case, can I make those people forget about you both?"

Because our girl needs to make sure that the plan she came up with won't have any undesired consequences. But most importantly, she needs to have their consent. She reiterates this once again, actually she will make sure to ask Kaito and Akiho's consent 3 times in total. She says: JP, lit. "If going back to before the world was rewritten will put you through hardships once again, then, can I just make them forget?" Kaito is even more shocked, because he finally understands Sakura's intent. A generous, selfless intent born from a loving heart. Our girl wants to make sure that these two will be safe and sound once she fixes this situation. She can't take risks, because their happiness is all she's really caring for right now. And in his shocked expression, I can also see some kind of "omg YES, PLEASE" vibe. Because probably, having those terrible people forgetting all about them is everything he ever wished, but couldn't achieve. And I think it's really funny how we berated Kaito so much in the past chapters for making Akiho and the others forget facts that happened before and forgetting about him, but here Sakura just takes "inspiration" from him and actually decides to use that same "trick" in the right way. Because it's not fair that it should be them, the abused people, to forget about their most important person, in order to achieve a happy life for at least one of them. It isn't fair and it isn't right that Kaito was driven into making all the mess that he made, pushed by desperation. The abusers, that clan and Association of magicians, should be the ones forgetting.

But this is Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card's finale, and Sakura definitely hasn't finished with being amazing yet, she actually just started. Her very strong power at this point allows her not only to see things that were difficult before, but also to connect the dots more easily thanks to that renowned instinct that I've always talked to you about, and that she learned to finally listen to.

As if she were seeing through him with X-rays, she confidently affirms that there's a book inside of him, a white book where you can inscribe magic on. And she also knows that that same book was inside Akiho, once. I guess this might be even coming from past memories of the unrewritten world (do you remember when, before the play started, Sakura said that she could feel something inside Akiho?). Akiho of course is shocked to hear that, and from her expression you can almost feel the chill that went down her spine in that moment. Sakura affirms that this book knows both Akiho and Kaito (thanks to the fact that it was inside both of them - something that I've always found painfully heartbreaking but also quite moving, for my ship), and it's got a very strong power inside of it. These will be two crucial things for Sakura's plan. In fact, our heroine is hellbent in attempting something pretty arduous: utilizing that artifact's power to create a new Card. For impartiality, I have to point out that the ENG added (completely on their whim) a "you, her special person" that isn't there in the JP version! Of course it's all the better for me, since they repeat (finally with the right adjective) that Kaito is Akiho's special person, but it's kinda funny that they messed it up so much in the previous chapters, and now they're adding it where there isn't any mention of it!

Sakura will be using a tool that knows the both of them, therefore she is sure that her plan will succeed, because the Card will know what it will need to erase. Sakura asks for Kaito and Akiho's agreement one last time. After hearing how those people wanted to hurt them both and even implanted the same magical artifact inside of her, Akiho is quite resolute and doesn't have any doubt: on with the wiping off! It doesn't matter who those people are, they've tried to harm her most important person and her too, so she doesn't really seem to give a damn about proceeding with this plan. Kaito, on the other hand, seems to be giving a more lackluster affirmative reply, but it's not that he's uncertain: he's just still riddled with guilt for all the mess that he's done, and he's probably realizing that now Sakura will need to put herself on the line in order to fix this and protect both of them, hence his sad face.

Still surfing the confidence wave, Sakura guesses that once those people have forgotten about Akiho and Kaito, then the magic arrows will stop too, and Kaito confirms that: forgetting about the person who had the Seal of D enforced on him will be equal to "undo" both the activation of the Seal itself (when Kaito removed the book from Akiho) and also the rescission of it (what Sakura did when she freed Kaito from the cage). This will therefore stop the arrows too, because the Seal wouldn't have been triggered in the first place. However, Kaito warns her that, although time is still barely "stopped" (because the time-stopping spell is still weakly on), it's necessary an enormous amount of power in order to do what Sakura wants to do. I have to point out another inaccuracy in the ENG translation in this part, which makes Kaito say "before things could get worse" and I have the feeling they misunderstood the word 辛うじて, "barely" or "narrowly", which is also written with the kanji of 辛い, "hard" or "tough". So Kaito isn't saying "before things could get worse" but actually meaning "although time is barely stopped".

Sakura doesn't seem to be scared by Kaito's warning, and activates her wand without a second thought, and immediately we can see that her task wil NOT be easy, as she can feel the strain almost right away.

Here we go with another inaccuracy of the ENG translation:

Sakura, ENG: "Great book, please show yourself! My power alone won't be enough...!" Sakura, JP: "The book....doesn't want to come out. (it's too difficult to pull it out) with just my power..."

Basically, Sakura isn't begging the book to "show itself", she's actually actively trying to pull it out of Kaito, and she's aware that it's opposing a lot of resistance, and her power alone isn't enough to take this damn book out. Sakura refuses to give up, because everyone else is doing their best too. Yes, everyone else.

And that's when CLAMP decided to bring us a big surprise for this finale.

A pair of hands seem to be appearing next to Sakura's, as if a spirit is hugging her from behind. We can see the famous fan that we learned to recognize so well ever since her first appearance in Movie 1. Sakura feels immediately the same magical power of Syaoran surrounding her, and with her instinct she finally recognizes her: it's Syaoran's mother, YELAN!!! We can see her, sweating and all, in her sacred chinese pavilion, lending her power to help in this difficult task.

What a great, welcome surprise for this finale!! You might have heard me saying on Twitter that Clear Card is really a celebration of motherhood, with this constant presence of mothers and mother figures who try to help these kids growing up without removing their right to choose for themselves. And since Yelan is the only mother figure who can concretely help Sakura in this moment, with her immense power, I really loved to see how this woman didn't hesitate to assist her future daugher in law. For any SyaoSaku fan, this scene here is a huge thing. We have seen in the anime how Yelan doted on Sakura ever since she met her in Movie 1, even before her own son realized his feelings for this girl. Yelan and Sakura haven't met in the manga yet (and hello, CLAMP, now this is a good chance for letting that happen, after the madness is over), but the woman didn't hesitate a moment to lend her power. I can really imagine how along these two will get, in the future. ❤️

Sakura thanks her aloud, while her eyes show that she's really really tired. Yelan's assistance is finally effective in summoning the artifact book out of Kaito, and we see again those countless book pages that we saw both when Akiho used to go "berserk", and also in the most heartbreaking scene of chapter 70. Kaito, still holding onto a worried Akiho, seems to suffer physically from this removal, and I can't understand if it's because removing something magical from inside is naturally painful (we've been shown something like that before, Syaoran crouching to the ground in pain while the Sakura Cards were being removed from inside of him) OR if the removal of the artifact also triggered his poor health conditions in which we left him, before he disappeared in chapter 70.

Sakura tries with all she's got and finally manages to turn the artifact into its "true form": a book filled with countless of spells written in strange magic runes.

You have spotted it, right? ☝️ I haven't seen many fandom reactions yet, but I guess this "cameo" made more than one person scream: it's Fay D. Fluorite's tattoo, yes! This page of the "book" is probably describing the procedure to cast that tattoo (which was also a kind of "seal", if I remember correctly). So that spells exists in this CCS world too! 😅 The magic Sakura is weaving starts "working" on the book, literally removing the spells from its pages and turning them back to their original form of magical books (remember that the Squids used to say that they would inscribe "magic books" and their power onto Akiho?).

Then, solemnly, we hear probably for the last time ever the magical incantation that accompanied us in the beginning of the story, used by Sakura to secure the strange manifestations of power into a transparent Card:

ENG: "Force without master, heed the call of my Staff of Dreams and become my power! SECURE!"

The countless of books and all this tremendous amount of power get secured into the birth of a new Card: BLANK!!!

Blank got the human appearance of Akiho, but also the protective wings of Kaito. The girl is holding a book (of course, how perfect for her) which is the representation of the artifact that was inside both Kaito and Akiho. This card is really so meaningful for someone like me who loves Akiho and Kaito. It's representing them united in their suffering (the artifact) but also in the hope for a better future (Akiho is smiling and the Card will be used to grant them safety, away from their abusers). I've always imagined that one of the last Cards Sakura might have produced would have Akiho and Kaito's elements, and here it is.

Also, how AWESOME is that Sakura managed to dispose of that damn artifact and succeeded to use it for Kaito and Akiho's sake, and turned it against the monsters who created it??? HOW. AWESOME. IS. THAT!!!!

Producing the very first consciously created transparent Card sucked almost all of Sakura's power and strength, and she's close to fainting, under the terrified eyes of Akiho, who lets go of Kaito for a moment in a gesture of going towards her "sister". But Sakura isn't done yet, no. She can't give up yet because her job isn't done.

And I Will Make Them Remember About You

Sakura wants for Akiho and the people who care about her (the ENG decided to translate this with "the people SHE holds dear") to remember who Akiho really is. She wants basically to "undo" what the rewriting of the world caused on the people who know Akiho, making them believe that she was born into the Kinomoto family and that she was Sakura and Touya's sister.

After pondering for a while and discussing with my friends over at my Discord server, I decided I'm not gonna go out on a limb and assume things from this decision, because I definitely NEED to read the next chapter to see how much Sakura intends people to remember, with this move. It's really not clear at all, as of now.

Anyway, other translation inaccuracy incoming!

Sakura, ENG: "I'm going to make another new card for that...and I might not have the power to do it alone" Sakura, JP: "It might probably be really difficult to create one more new card with my power, right now..."

As you can see, the nuance is different, because Sakura in the JP addresses how it's almost impossible for her to create another new card in the situation she is in right now, exhausted and all.

That's why, very cleverly, she's going to do something different. (My gosh how proud I am of this girl!!)

Saying "But these two Cards will surely help me", Sakura skillfully manages to merge Time and Rewind to create a new Card, not from scratch (which requires more power) but using what she's already got: and that's how the REMIND Card is born!!! The name of the Card originated by just replacing the "W" of Rewind with the "M" of Time. Ingenious, isn't it???

And as the two Cards merge, they give us lots of flashbacks, like the "effect" used here resembles a lot the one that used to happen when Sakura was changing the Clow Cards into the Sakura Cards back in the old arcs, or how the merging of two Cards seems to also be a callback to how the "card without name" and the "Nothing" merged to create HOPE in the very last minutes of Movie 2! What a nostalgic trip down the memories lane!

And the appearance of this Card is even more touching, because it features Syaoran (with his current age) holding Nadeshiko's pendant watch. I found that so sweet, especially coupled with Yelan's assistance to Sakura in this chapter. Yelan associated with Sakura, and Syaoran associated with Nadeshiko. How sweet. And when you think that even Lilie, Akiho's mother, was associated with Kaito, you really can realize that this is some kind of "theme" that CLAMP seemed to be wanting to portray in this story.

I Can't Be On Everyone's Side

And now, the scene that I think is worth the whole chapter, but probably the whole Clear Card Arc in its entirety. As usual, with important scenes, I'll use the literal translation from Japanese:

Sakura, JP: "It might not be right that there'll be people who will forget things (after this), but....I can't be everyone's friend/ally/can't be on everyone's side. So I won't go back...but actually, along with the people important to me... I WANT TO GO ON"

Wow. Let that sink in.

Sakura, of Cardcaptor Sakura, just came to the realization and spelled out clearly that she cannot be on everyone's side. That she cannot be "everyone's friend", like in a cheesy fairytale.

And I really, really, want to thank CLAMP-sensei for this scene and this line because for a period, long time ago, I was worried that this story would go down the "let's be friends" or "let's show sympathy to them" route. But as the chapters continued and the things CLAMP told us about the Association and the Squids were more and more cruel, and they made me more and more sick, I started to realize that there was simply no way CLAMP could've had Sakura try to justify or compromise with them. Because when cruelty is real, there's no compromise to be made.

This scene also shows how Sakura realizes for the first time ever that in her world, contrary to what we all believed previously, evil exists. It might not touch her or her "entourage" directly (and she's really blessed for that), but it exists out there and it's hurting people, people who can also become really important to her. And she decides to not stand idly by, blessed as she is with the luck of not experiencing that evilness, but actually using whatever it is in her power to bring those suffering people to safety.

Sakura cannot fight those people on equal terms. She's just 13, and although her power is very strong, she's still inexperienced. Moreover, she cannot really bring herself to deny her current nature and use violence on other human beings. That's not Sakura. I want you guys to reflect on this because I know that one of the favorite things expected for this finale was to have a direct magical confrontation with the true villains of this arc, defeating them and restablishing the peace. And I am sincere when I say that I would've wished for the same too, because you know how much I love Kaito and Akiho, and how much I was disgusted to read about what they did to them. I've spread my "burn the squids" gifs all over the fandom. I wanted someone to vindicate them. But not here. Not in this manga. I realized that after the initial satisfaction, I would've probably felt like the series would've been "defiled". And that's exactly what happens when you answer to violence with more violence.

Sakura just could not go hunting those bastards down and defeat them in a magical battle. Because, powerful and corrupted in their greed as they are, the only way to "fix" this situation would've been to exterminate them. I just could not picture this story to cross that boundary, no matter how much the bar had already been raised well over what we initially thought.

So, if someone out there is disappointed by this outcome, I'm sorry for you, but it was just not meant to be and I'm actually really glad that this series kept true to its fundamental values. Of course it would, CLAMP really do care about this series and they know very well how far to push the plot, and when to actually stop.

So what is the role of Akiho's clan and the Magic Association in this story, especially considering that we never saw their faces at all? Talking with lots of fans in these years, especially Japanese, I've come to the conclusion that they are not in this story to fill the "villain that needs to be deafeated" role, but actually they're a representation of abusive families that smother and suffocate their children with expectations, completely disregarding those children's natural inclinations, and abuse them when they do not meet such expectations, but also the society as a whole, that looks at you only basing on how it can take advantage of you. Which is exactly what happened to Akiho and Kaito, driving them to very dark places. The absence of faces for those characters makes it possible for the readers to see the Squids and the Association as the representation of whatever environment they relate the most to. It can be family, society, school, workplace etc... It also helps us focusing on their actions, rather than their faces, and not attribute any prejudice to them (because of religion, race, skin color, or whatever other attribute they could have).

Seeing as the story treats them more like a concept, than an actual entity, it's basically impossible for Sakura to defeat them (and their great power is an indication of that impossibility). Just like in real life, darkness will always exist, along with light. Good and evil will always be side by side. It's bigger than any of us. Then, what can we do, in a situation like this? What Sakura is choosing to do, here, is not to confront directly with violence these people who are way out of her league, and not even to sit back and look, but actually finding a way to make them forget about her friends and keeping her friends safe, granting them the possibility of living a happy life, finally away from the darkness of the past, healing the wounds on their souls together with the people they love and who love them back. Because even if you've been abused in the past, you can still hope for a happy life.

The focus here is all on helping the abused people. And Sakura, in order to do that, is okay with coming to terms with the fact that she can't be on everyone's side, and she needs to choose. In the end, the thing that really matters the most is to GO ON with your most important people. Not going back to what is lost, but going forward. And I know that this is such a CLAMP theme, and I'm glad that they reiterated it in this arc. When I say that Clear Card brought Sakura so much more closer to what's usual for CLAMP, I mean this.

The panel with Sakura raising her staff and shouting she wants to go on is absolutely beautiful, with those wings growing so big and unleashing Sakura's power in a storm of cherry blossom petals.

Sakura is exhausted, she finally reached her limit by using her ultimate magic. As she faints, her eyes just make it in time to catch a glimpse of her prince, the love of her life grabbing tightly his girlfriend's hand, to not let her fall, while the watch of Remind and the book of Blank do their job in the background. And I really loved this spread too, because even if it's not a conventional romantic scene made of physical display of love, this in my opinion is even more powerful. Many were reminded of Tsubasa, but I was also reminded of the long time those two spent unable to touch one another, and this scene here seems like a catharsis for that hardship they went through. Syaoran will always catch Sakura everytime she falls, he will always be there to grab her hand, no matter if he can really touch her or not. Cause his love is stronger than any kind of impediment. He will always be by her side, no matter what. When she's exhausted by her heroine's duties, she knows that she can always count on him to support her.

And speaking of "always be by her side", I just can't avoid mentioning how Akiho and Kaito stayed "glued" to eachother for the entire duration of this chapter, protecting and supporting one another. Kaito, in particular, kept holding Akiho even as Sakura's magic was hurting him like hell, because it was extracting the book from him. Even in excruciating pain, he did not let go of Akiho, intent in protecting her and keeping her safe in his hold. Akiho let go of him just for a moment when she was scared out of her mind for Sakura, but went back to him when she saw that her "sister" was hellbent in completing her task no matter what. Kaito, as the good "moon boy" he is, is someone who shows his feelings through his actions rather than words, just like Syaoran. And his constant grip on Akiho in this chapter, such an opposite act compared to how he used to stop his hand everytime it started reaching out to her, told me all that I needed to know about him: she's his most important person, and he will never let go of her, ever again.

Sakura wakes up in her bed. The scene is a direct parallel with an almost identical scene in chapter 3, as you can see here:

Kero is next to her and is relieved to see her awake, so he goes to shout in the hallway, directed to Touya, that Sakura is finally awake. Sakura seems a bit surprised to see Kero talking so nonchalantly with her brother, and he tells her that he chatted with him back at Yukito's house, together with Suppy, so I guess now he finds it "natural" to talk to her brother too! 😂 I'm kinda glad to know that, I like this "change of relationship", compared to the old series (and it was also kinda long overdue).

Sakura opens the palm of her hands and she finds the Dream Key, still intact and all. She also asks about Remind and Blank, and Kero confirms to her that she was able to use them successfully! Sakura is absolutely delighted to hear that, and says "We were able to go on!"

And thaaaaaaat's how the second-to-last chapter of Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card ends! Solving a lot of the pending situations, but still leaving some secondary questions that will surely find a (more or less) detailed explanation in the final, next chapter. And well, we also have to prepare to not have ALL the answers to ALL the questions we might have. This is usual for CLAMP, and especially in their Spaces they never made it a secret that they love for their fans to wreck their brains over theories and imagining the characters' future after a series is over. They love for the fans to give their interpretations to things, they encourage that a lot (also because it creates more long-lasting engagement with their series).

Alas, I expect they'll leave something in particular to everyone's interpretation, but we'll see. 😅

Overall, I really loved this chapter and it was really emotional for me. I think it's fitting for a "climax". Sakura was ABSOLUTELY running the show and after this I dare anyone to say that she isn't the main character of her story. She pushed her limits, and even questioned her own morality in doing so. What a wonderful thing. She reminded me so much of Sakura-hime when she shooted all those monsters in order to take the precious egg, back in the Acid Tokyo arc of Tsubasa. She knew she was doing something bad, but her wish to do everything needed in order to "have him back" was stronger than anything else. And she made her own choice. Here, Sakura, on a smaller scale, made her own choice too.

Now, I hope in the last chapter we'll be granted the possibility to delve a bit more into Kaito and his thoughts, I need to see his character development, I need to see that he learned something from this. That he -at least- started to interrogate himself over the nature of his feelings for Akiho. I know it's reasonable to think that with him, things will take looooong time, but as least show me the signs. Because I need to know that Akiho will be truly happy with him (I know she will!), and she can only be if he's learned to be honest with himself. And learned what Lilie meant with the last conversation we saw between them.

Also, WHERE'S MOMO, I NEED TO SEE MOMO BEFORE THIS ENDS!!

Okay, this is probably the longest post I ever did but I think as the second-to-last chapter it deserved to have some big thematics explored in depth, because they're very important. I'm still pondering if I should divide the post of the final chapter in two because, in addition to even more pages, I expect there'll be soooooooooo much to talk about (cross your fingers with me that there won't be any translation mistake).

I also hope there'll be room for an epilogue or a couple of extra chapters, to help us coping with the separation in a more gradual way, cause after 7 years it's quite hard. I was curious to see the end, of course, but also not entirely ready to let this wonderful story go. I really, really enjoyed it and I say this from the bottom of my heart. I don't care what everyone else thinks, I can only be grateful to CLAMP for Clear Card Arc. 🙏

Chapter 80, along with all the tears that will come with it, is expected to be uploaded on November 29th on CLAMP's Youtube channel. Yes, it's less than a month away! I also expect some news about the anime (BLESS THE ANIME!! Something to cling onto when the manga is over 😭).

Well, see you at the end of November (please come to hold my hand cause I cannot do this alone, lol) !!!

#cardcaptor sakura #card captor sakura #ccsakura #clear card arc #ccs spoilers #sakura card captor #chapter 79 #sakura kinomoto #akiho shinomoto #yuna d. kaito #syaoran li #translation differences

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roseworth · 15 days ago

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do you have any reading recs for specifically Rose and Joey's relationship? im a real #jerichowarrior but havent read much rose but want to see them

yes!!! fair warning though since all of their interactions are after 2003 most of them are pretty out of character for joey. so unfortunately you have to close your eyes and pretend a little bit </3

anyways this is pretty much all their extensive/meaningful interactions, my favs are italicized !

pre-flashpoint

Teen Titans (2003) #12

Teen Titans #40-41

Teen Titans #43-46

Titans (2008) #13, Teen Titans (2003) #70, Vigilante (2009) #6 (Deathtrap crossover)

Teen Titans #77-78

post-flashpoint

Deathstroke (2011) #19-20

Deathstroke (2014) #4-6

Deathstroke #18-20

Deathstroke (2016) #6-7

Deathstroke #15

Deathstroke #18

Deathstroke #21-22

Deathstroke #29

Deathstroke #37

Deathstroke #45-46

Deathstroke #49-50

and! i cant help myself so i have notes on every issue below the cut

tt03 #12: this is technically their first interaction... rose is super drugged and joey is dead and his soul is attacking people so its hard to really consider it to be either of them. but they Do interact here and it is their first time talking to each other. and it later leads to rose cutting her eye out #slay

#40-41: this is Actually their first interaction!!!! and its the most in-character joey gets on this list 🤭 this is so so important to me because it is the first time they interact and they've both been searching for a family for long and they finally find each other and ouuhghghuhhggh.... and they have such a good convo at the end of 41 and. i just love them so much.

#43-46: so this one actually isnt marked as a fav on my rose list but i Am marking it as a fav on this list. im a complicated man. in terms of rose & joey this is once again one of their only in character interactions. it just means so much to me because its more of them being a family and hanign out and ough... and just caring for each other and looking out while slade is fighting them AND accepting the titans as a family <3 <3 <3 <3 life is so beautiful i love this arc so much. honestly just thinking about this arc i might go back and retroactively mark it as a fav on my rose list its just so good for them

deathtrap arc: so this is an interesting one bc i could not care less about the actual story and joey is not in character at all. BUT ☝️ theyre so siblings. it's about rose risking everything to prove joey's not a villain, then once she realizes that he is in fact a villain she tries to bring him back and convince him to yk. stop killing people. and joey dropping everything for rose and trying to protect her even when hes killing people. this arc circles around in my brain constantly because ougughuhhgg... its them. theyre still caring about each other and looking out for each other despite everything. ough

tt03 #77-78: BITING SCRATCHING YELLING SCREAMING CRYING!!! I LOVE THIS STORY. i cant even put it into words i just love this story so much. its such a perfect representation of how rose feels about her family and her relationship with slade and with joey and. oh my god. i cannot recommend this one enough fr

unfortunately. now we move on to the new 52

ds11 #19-20: ok so i included this one just to be thorough but. this sucks so bad. evil joey and whitewashed rose and hero slade. trash comic and the half the family dies at the end then they move on immediately

ds14 #4-6, 18-20: once again i only included these to be thorough. this is marginally better than the last one because they at least get a lot of time hanging out as siblings!!! (for some reason rose is the older sister though. idk where that one came from) honestly ds14 is just a bad comic in general. the plots are confusing and boring and the slade characterization is so fucking boring because they try to make him like. a misunderstood good guy again. BORING. sucks. but remember- it as to be so over (deathstroke 2014) so that we can later be so back (deathstroke 2016)

ds16 #6-7, #15: this is really just nice lil sibling moments again !! reestablishing what the new52 fucked up and theyre so sweet here <3 6 & 7 are fun just for rose coming to joey whenever shes upset then trying to protect him when shes worried, and i like 15 because she is once again worried about him and immediately wants to talk to him. theyre family :]

#18: LISTEN. this is one of my favorite comic issues of all time because all the soap opera drama comes to a head right at this point and everything goes to shit and it's hilarious to me. BUT. you can only read this if you read it in the context of the other 18 issues of the run. the entire family beefing and falling apart all at once is just so perfect to me i love wilson family drama

#21-22: this is one of the only times theyre really like. on a Team together. they've fought on the same side plenty of times but this is them on a hero team!! together!!!!!! the defiance arc is very funny to me and rose & joey have some time to hang out in these issues <3

#29: in terms of rose & joey this one isnt super substantial except for the fact that (spoilers) rose confesses to killing his fiancé. but then they get distracted 10 seconds later so its not even really followed up on. but once again i am being thorough

#37: i like this one just because i love that joey saw rose in distress over being willow and slade being in jail and he tries so hard to help her even though it immediately goes badly. but hes still trying to be there for her :')

#45-46: i fucking love rose as deathstroke. and i love joey dropping everything when he finds out rose is in trouble because!!! thats his sister!!!! ("something's come up... it's rose." "it's always rose" lives in my head forever i love it so much) and then the end of 46 being their mind meld and seeing each other before they knew each other fuckkkkk i just love the whole deathstroke rip arc

#49-50: siblings!!!!! they just have little moments in these issues but god. those little moments fuck so hard. just. little moments of them looking out for each other and comforting each other through everything. AND i think about them just bickering and playing video games at the end of the last issue all the time. deathstroke 2016 you will always be famous to me.

and then they havent interacted since then and that haunts me

#for the record i am a deathstroke 2016 lover. i love stupid shenanigans in my comics #i think everyone should read that one its just so good #rose wilson #joey wilson #reading list #dc

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the-moon-lullaby · 2 years ago

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hii, i hope you're doing fine! i was wondering if you could do some headcanons for candy with a lot of piercings like eyebrow, nostril, lip, septum, navel, etc and the boys reactions when they see her with them on for the first time.

thank you in advance, have a nice day.

The HSL Boys' reaction to Candy having a lot of piercings

N/A : hiii, I’m doing good, thanks dear, here’s your request (I hope I got it right), have a nice day as well 💕

𝙲𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚕 :

finds it cool in general because he thinks it’s bold and kinda hot

but for some reason he’s not particularly fan of the eyebrow piercing (but if Candy can pull it off, consider him impressed)

If she has a lot of piercing, he’d be like « damn girl » ‘cause he knows how painful it can be but also how much commitment (and time) it takes to take care of it

I just know that at some point in his life, Castiel wanted to do a septum (or maybe a nose ring) but he never took the step forward to do so because he’s still not 100% sure

Would totally be up to accompany Candy if she wants to get another one

(and might end up finally getting his septum lol)

𝙻𝚢𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 :

he’s pretty neutral about piercings, even if Candy has a lot

I feel like a lot of people could have some stereotypes about piercings (and we’ll go back to it right after lol) but I feel like Lysander is the type of person that doesn’t have any (and it doesn’t matter what we’re talking about, he just don’t believe in prejudices, he thinks for himself and we love him for that)

He’d think it’s bold and he’d ask you about how it went

Not especially because he wants to get one (even though he might) but he’s genuinely curious about it

Honestly, he’d think it looks pretty but it’s hard to tell if it’s because of the piercings or because it’s just Candy haha

He’d probably consider offering you some piercings for your birthday or any other occasion (because he’s the kind of person that likes to offer jewellery)

𝙽𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚎𝚕 :

if we’re speaking of the beginning of HSL, he’d probably have a bad impression of you at first because he has some stereotypes about piercings (here we go)

But it's mainly because he has been repetitively told that is was BAD

So he would think of Candy as a troublemaker or something

he can be a bit judgemental, and it’s probably related with the environment he grew up in (yes once again I am bringing how fucked up his family is but I intend to keep beefing with Francis and Adelaide through my headcanons lol) and that’s a flaw of his but we love him nonetheless right ?

But he has to admit that it looks pretty cool on you and would get used to it (also, as he gets to know Candy he realises that the stereotypes he had were so inaccurate (Francis you fucking liar)

He'd think the septum is hot and the same the lip piercing, especially if it's a ring one, is hot (expect that this one got him confused because at first he'd be like : what if I hurt her while kissing her ???)

And deep down, hanging out with Candy and then dating her changed his views on many of things, including piercings.

So he'd start to wonder how he’d look like with a piercing and he’d finally reach the mark in UL by piercing his ear (and honestly, it’s kind of a slay)

𝙰𝚛𝚖𝚒𝚗 :

Totally make some about jokes it

But not in a mean way, as I said in other posts, teasing Candy is his love language

He finds it cool how you’re not scared at all though

because he thinks that to get that much piercings she got to be resistant to pain

Also he’s used to Alexy saying that he want one without actually having the courage to do so, therefore he’s like “well you’re a real badass”

Will show Candy or randomly send her pics of piercing jewellery with pop culture references

And will offer some of these piercings (like a Zelda piercings, sorry but some look so pretty y’all, I want one) and urge her to wear them lol

Might get one too 'cause he wants them both to be matching (cute)

𝙺𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗 :

I have the feeling that Kentin’s might be scared of needle so he can’t imagine getting a piercing himself

So it’s really the piercing part that keeps him from getting one (otherwise he might have get one, probably an eyebrow piercing)

Since he and Candy have known each other for a while, he might have been surprised the first time because wait, what ??? He didn’t expect that

But we know that when it’s about Candy, everything is cool to him

So he’d quickly be like “omg babe you’re so cool and brave (have my babies)”

Admires her for it and accompanies her each time she go get another one (but he won't get one himself, or at least not before a while, as he's still not comfortable with the idea of a needle piercing his skin)

And we're done ! I really enjoyed writing this one !

(Btw I don't write the requests in a chronological way, I mostly write the ones that inspires me the most at first so I don't loose my thoughts on them, I am sure you guys understand. But of course, all the requests would be answered in the end !)

Byeee

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hiddenhearthwitch · 11 months ago

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do u have any tips/advice on how to identify and separate intrusive thoughts vs anxiety vs coincidence vs ‘this a fucking sign from the gods PAY ATTENTION’ cause tbh i feel so alone and def fuckng insane :)

First of all sugs, you're not alone. 💚 I definitely struggle with intrusive thoughts and it can be a terrible struggle between a "sign" and "wow you're in a park of course you saw a bird". You're not insane, there's just a lot in the world and even inside yourself for one human brain to process. I'm going to try to break this up into intrusive thoughts + anxiety then into coincidence + signs because it feels easier to lay out that way. We'll talk magical and mundane ways to work through this. I'm sending you good vibes babes. 🤍✨

I constantly have to remind myself that thoughts are not facts and I shouldn’t believe everything I think.

Sometimes when I have an intrusive thought I visualize myself as this dope ass paladin and I literally fight my thoughts away? I just close my eyes and meditate and focus on being the strong person I want to be and slay my own dragons. Sometimes that’s too hard and I just picture All Might because he’s Best Dad, if you have a favorite character I would give it a shot.

Aromatherapy bracelets and necklaces can be super helpful as well. Medicinally speaking lavender, chamomile, and opium would be the most mentally easing. Magically speaking pine, oak, lavender, valerian root, and hawthorn are all great for stability/protection in my experience.

I personally carry around a sachet of onyx, rose quartz, lavender, pine, and oak.

You can minimize the damage of intrusive thoughts with self-help. This includes being mindful in the wake of an intrusive thought. Don’t waste your time obsessing over why you had that thought or what it all means. I’ve noticed once I learned to get past asking, “why am I thinking this?” all the time they don’t weigh as heavily on me. You are not your thoughts.

Intrusive thoughts are kind of just like a really loud boombox to me. Usually, if I listen to music I can really get into I can quiet down the thoughts. For the past four months or so Nujabes has been amazing musician to turn too. This past month Modal Soul has been the album that helps the most. It usually takes me a full album to feel normal again and I feel albums give me more stability than a playlist but honestly do what’s best for you.

Compulsive behavior can manifest when you try to change who you are based on the intrusive thoughts you experience. Changing who you are and your reality because of a thought that isn’t necessarily rational is the worst way to go about it. Stop trying to change who you are so you can adjust to your thoughts. Try to think about yourself in a third person perspective, “what would (insert name here) do in this situation?” This might not work for everyone but it’s helped me out once I started noticing the patterns.

From a magical perspective I’ve noticed moonstone is the stone that helps me the most. However most of my intrusive thoughts are PTSD related and I feel like moonstone helps me because it’s also stabilizing and can help prevent dissociation. I do also really enjoy onyx, tigers eye, and rose quartz as well!

Learn to recognize the starting signs for your intrusive thoughts. When my intrusive thoughts begin, they usually start off pretty simple. It’s one thought that feeds into a bigger insecurity or fear. Once you can spot the first thought you can start fighting it.

On the focus of coincidence versus a sign:

If I'm unsure if it's a sign I ask myself why I'm looking for a sign or if my gods made it clear to me to look out for one. Am I in a turning point in my life? Do I know I need guidance? Did previous divination point towards a sign coming my way?

Sometimes coincidence is the sign. If you're trying to decide if you want a purple or green wedding fit and you're driving down the road and see a shit ton of purple cars. I would call that a sign. If it's something you're actively thinking about and then it's glaringly in your face - I read that as a sign.

I've personally asked my gods to send me a sign three times if they're trying to tell me something. So that way I know.

I also take into account where I am. For example: I tend to read falcons and hawks as a sign or general greeting from Freyja. I live five miles from a national park though - hawks are every where, if I'm looking I can pretty much always find one or two on the way to or from work. Not really a sign if it's just local ecosystem at play.

That being said - they can still be signs. It's one thing if a bird of pray is just sitting on a lamp post. It's another to see it sitting on my car or catching a snake right outside my window. Common things aren't always signs - it can just be the mundane. That's when it's important to think about how it appeared and how it made you feel. Intuition is a powerful tool.

Ask yourself how you're feeling. I know this is probably a typical response but I know I personally read into everything when I'm anxious. I will catastrophize. Anything and everything becomes a sign of impending doom, fear of failure, etc. It's important to be aware of your inner dialogue and feelings when looking for signs.

If divination is a strong suit for you, consider using your divination tools as a way to verify if something was or was not a sign.

This is 100% personal belief but if a deity comes to me in a dream I will always read it as a sign. My dreams with gods are far and few between but relationships with them run very deep.

I'm not sure if any of this really helped or made sense but I hope it did. Good luck on your endeavors friend. 💐

#asks #answered #witchblr #beginner witch #witch tips #witch community #beginner pagan

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ace-robot-has-matcha · 3 months ago

Text

The fic writer questions :0

1.) How many works do you have on ao3?

15. A bit meager I know, but I’m proud of my work :)

2.) What’s your ao3 word count?

191,490! A lot more than I expected honestly. Obviously, the biggest contributor is Deltamonarch

3.) What fandoms do you write for?

A little of everything. When I get into a new thing, I usually write at least one commemorative fic for it. Currently I don’t have more than one fic for each fandom, but I have an idea for one more Undertale fic so I might write that in addition to the one I already have.

4.) What are your top five fics by kudos?

1. Angels in the Architecture (Hazbin, Pentious-focused)

2. Smoke and Glass (Slay the Princess, Voice-centered psych horror)

3. Gamers Don’t Die (Deltamonarch 2)

4. Because it Wasn’t a Dream (Deltamonarch 1)

5. Let Sleeping Royals Lie (Deltamonarch 4)

5.) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I get so thrilled seeing a comment that I want them to feel that I am grateful for them doing so, so I always try to respond. Even if all I say is “thank you!” I try to respond.

6.) What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

It’s not finished, but I think Ileum’s Wish has the bleakest ending. Someone dies, and it’s real sad.

7.) What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably that LukeJamie one. The feelings are reciprocated, it was all just a big misunderstanding, and they’re going on a date this weekend!

8.) Do you get hate on fics?

No not famous enough for that lol. Also generally not controversial enough.

9.) Do you write smut? If so what kind?

No, as an asexual it doesn’t interest me at all. I’d probably be pretty good at it if I tried, but the passion just wouldn’t be there.

10.) Do you write cross overs? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Haven’t yet, no ideas for it.

11.) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

See 8.

12.) Have you ever had a fic translated?

See 8 and 11, but unlike those two I’d really welcome it.

13.) Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

I sometimes help other people with their fics if it counts. The Two Princes has me as a cowriter, but I didn’t actually write it at all.

14.) What’s your all time favourite ship?

Idk man I don’t think about shipping. I like plenty of ships, but not in like a “I’m a fan” way. I have the most passion for my oc ships

15.) What’s a WIP you’d like to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I really want to finish all my WIPs, but the least likely to be finished atm is Ileum’s Wish. I hope to come back to it eventually, but motivation died.

16.) What are your writing strengths?

I have better spelling and grammar than the average, and I think my longform concepts are generally well thought out. Also I’m told I write pretty in character.

17.) What are your writing weaknesses?

I lose motivation so quickly. Rip smoke and glass

18.) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Depends on the context? I’m not really sure what this question is asking 😅

19.) First fandom you wrote for?

Deltarune! I joined Ao3 because I really wanted my Snowgrave epilogue out into the world.

20.) Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

It’s not finished as of now, but I love Smoke and Glass. I have so many really cool ideas for it. It’s really really hard to write though.

@scribble-brain-aced @literalcyborg @bluestrawberry7 @fnafs-ex-boyfriend @fourwingedsnake

#fanfic #fanfiction #writers on tumblr #writers on ao3 #ao3 #fic writer 20 questions #fic writer #writeblr

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fuckyeahhiccannamonth · 8 months ago

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HIIIII HICCANNA NATION, long time no post!!!

Sooooo long story short, a bitch overcommitted HARD last year, and had like 17 Hiccanna month posts that I completely ran out of steam to finish. And then because I felt so guilty I didn't finish THOSE, I also didn't reblog all the incredibly awesome posts the rest of y'all made, and I'm really sorry for not giving my people the love and appreciation they deserve!!! And then, of course, my life from like October through like March became an absolute shitstorm, and I got semi-threatened with eviction and then friend-dumped by one of the most important people in my life D: It was a whole Ordeal™️, and sadly, my brain was too fried to think about my favorite awkward blorbos 💔

BUT BY GOD, THE TIME HAS COME FOR ME TO GET MY LIFE TOGETHER AND PULL THROUGH FOR ALL YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE WHO HAVE MADE THIS FUNKY LITTLE EVENT COME TO LIFE!!! I WILL finish reblogging all of last year's Hiccanna Month posts before the end of this month if it kills me!!! And by god, I WILL have this event again, because it's what y'all deserve!!! I don't have the spoons to post much of my own stuff this year (except maybe some leftovers from last year lol), but I'm going to be more on top of my shit about hyping anyone and everyone who decides to participate :3 I'm so grateful for each and every one of you, and I can't tell you how happy it's made me that you all have made this event for my little rarepair OTP bigger and better than I ever imagined 💚🧡💚🧡

I am, however, following suit for some of the other RotBTFD ship months and cutting down from one prompt a day to two per week for 8 prompts total, with an overarching theme for each week. I honestly don't have the spoons to do a prompt every day this year, although for future Hiccanna months, that could change. The two-a-week format seems to work better for a lot of people anyways, since I've gotten feedback that 31 prompts in a row is, er…pretty overwhelming, to say the least ^^; So two prompts a week for this year, and we will see if people like this format better!

@gryffindorkxdraws a tag for you, as promised 🩵

AND NOW, the prompt list!!! Apologies for only giving you guys a couple weeks of prep time—I know it's usually more ^^; But y'all know I'm flexible about late submissions, and it's totally fine if you submit for Hiccanna month after July! And who knows??? If I'm feeling spicy, I might tack on a bonus week for the first week of August 👀👀👀

WEEK 1—MUSIC Special thanks to @lovestrucklyuniverse for suggesting a focus on music from Hiccup and Anna's movies—I'm enamored with that!!! Of course, these prompts are just suggestions, and if you'd rather make something inspired by a pop song, alternative rock jam, or Eurovision ballad that reminds you of Hiccanna, then have at it!

1. For the Dancing and the Dreaming—A re-imagining of our favorite Viking wedding song with Hiccup and Anna! They're certainly the sort of people who would do all manner of impressive feats and grand gestures to win each other over, but the joke is on them—they don't need to! Sometimes, pledging love and devotion is enough, and there's no need to slay monsters or gift troves upon troves of treasure to prove yourself worthy of someone.

2. More Than Just the Spare—One of my absolute favorite things about these two is how they rise above being overlooked and underappreciated and accomplish some truly spectacular things. This prompt is all about Hiccup and Anna showing that they can be more than anyone ever expected them to be—preferably together, while being madly in love!

WEEK 2—MOVIES AND TV Let's be real—we've all dreamed of seeing Hiccup and Anna interact (and adorably butcher flirting several times) on the big screen. Whether it's through an epic Disney-Dreamworks crossover (god, we all wish, right?!) or imagining Best Awkward Blorbos in your favorite TV show, this week is all about Hiccanna slaying in visual media!

1. Romcoms—Have you ever watched a romcom and gone "You know what would make this better? If it was about Hiccanna!"? Furthermore, have you ever watched a romcom and gone "Well shit, this is literally just about Hiccanna!"? Well, now's your time! Make something inspired by your favorite Hiccanna-coded romcom, or a romcom you desperately believe needs more Hiccanna energy in it! Or, hell, make up a brand-new cheesy romcom plot for these two and make us all swoon 💞

2. Dramas—We forget it sometimes, but not everything in these two dorks' lives is sunshine and rainbows. Hiccup lost a whole-ass leg! Anna almost froze to death! They both grew up lonely, friendless, and (relatively) isolated from their communities! For this prompt, take your favorite drama and Hiccanna-ify it—or aplify the Hiccanna you already see! It can be any subgenre you want—coming-of-age drama, period drama, weird avant-garde indie drama, you name it! Subject those guys to some Dramatics™️ and let us see :3

WEEK 3—LITERATURE AND TEXT PROMPTS This week is all about something so many of us long to have an excuse to do--write about the blorbos! Whether you're looking to try your hand at fic for the first time or you're coming back to add more much-needed Hiccanna into our ever-sparse internet ecosystem, these text prompts will hopefully get your fanfiction juices flowing. Pick your favorite(s) of the four for each day, and write away! If you want to try and do all of them then have at it, but don't stress yourself out!!! I wanna make sure this year's event is as chill and no-pressure as possible, since I know a lot of options can be overwhelming, especially for Anna and I's fellow ADHDers! And if you don't want to commit to writing anything, or writing just isn't your strong suit, that's okay too! Use this week to make something based on any literature that brings Hiccanna to mind, or any literary world you'd love to see our favorite awkward ship in. Happy creating! Also HUGE shout-out to @lilandraws for helping me narrow this down from 40 fucking prompts, because when I tried to just casually make a list of text prompts I liked, I got, um...a bit carried away ^^; Also for giving some absolutely hilarious commentary that singlehandedly got me through the workday, bless 💚💚💚 And thank you to @creativepromptsforwriting for the prompts themselves!

1. Pick your favorite(s)!!! a) “Two bros, chilling in a small bed…” b) “Someone just handed you a cat?” c) “Sorry I tried to kill you.” “It’s fine, but next time you should try harder.” d) “Takes one to know one.”

2. Pick your favorite(s)!!! a) He had prepared himself for all the different ways she could reject him. But what he hadn’t prepared for was for her to actually say yes. b) “Want to hear some random facts about geese?” c) “What are we?” “Human. At least I hope we still are.” d) “I can’t stop thinking about kissing you.” “And what are you going to do about that?”

WEEK 4—COMIC BOOKS And now, for the ultimate kick-ass combination of visuals and literature—the visual novel and comic book!!! Since Hiccup and Anna are, fundamentally, animated cartoons (as much as they are much more to all of us!), it seemed fitting to wrap up with this one :3 This week is all about comics, and what epic shenanigans and hijinks can come of Hiccanna-ifying them!

1. Sci-Fi/Fantasy AU—One of the things comic books and visual novels do best is exploring fantastical scenarios and limitless possibilities. The iconic superhero AU is probably the most well-known, but your options don't end there! Do you have a favorite comic about guys on spaceships exploring the galaxy and battling aliens? Or a comic about a party of DnD-style adventurers taking down an evil wizard? Throw some Hiccanna in it and let us see! The sky's the limit, and really, you don't even have to stop there! (Note: Using AUs for ANY of these prompts is real and valid and encouraged, so don't feel like this is the only place where you can use wacky AUs! This is just the one where they have a special focus/emphasis. But AU away whenever you like—Hiccup and Anna kinda require an AU to even be able to interact, so it sort of comes with the territory!)

2. Favorite Comic Book Adaptation AU—Many of us have been lucky enough to see a comic we like be adapted into something else, and can say with confidence that the adaptation kicks absolute ass,, whether it be a movie, TV show, novelization, video game, or whatever else! Like with the previous prompt, superhero comics might be the first thing to come to mind. Of course, I'd be delighted to see Hiccanna in the world of the Spiderverse, Invincible, or your favorite DC or Marvel movie, but keep in mind these aren't your only choices! Something like Scott Pilgrim vs. the World or Netflix's The Sandman would be a totally valid option as well! Have fun and go crazy :3

Aaaaaaand that's all for now! Tag those posts with hiccannamonth2024 or hiccannamonth24 so I can see them and reblog, and happy Hiccanna month-ing! Can't wait to see what everyone comes up with and shower all my love on it 💗💖❤️‍🔥 See you next month!!! We will go through all of July…and beyond >:3

As far as content goes, literally anything is welcome--edits, art, drabbles/fanfic, videos, interpretive dance you record yourself doing that has Hiccanna motifs, it is all fair game as long as it’s Hiccanna-related!

Your ever-determined Hiccanna month hoster person, Fuckyeahhiccannamonth 💚

#hiccanna #hiccannamonth #hiccannamonth2024 #hiccannamonth24 #prompts #hiccannamonth prompts post #hiccup x anna #anna x hiccup #hiccup #anna #hiccupxanna #annaxhiccup #hiccup haddock #princess anna #rotbtd #rotbtfd #httyd #frozen #crossover

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