#lemedy watches cardcaptor sakura

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a) THERE SHE IS

b) Me having survived years of TRC clone drama: [laughs nervously]

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Beginning of CCS: Sakura learns to control Clow’s magic

Middle of CCS: Sakura learns to convert Clow’s magic to her own

End of CCS: Sakura is creating her own magic

Post-CCS: Sakura no longer needs her staff to use her magic, which is why she uses it as payment to Yuko to help the other Sakura

Conclusion: Sakura is going to surpass Clow Reed as the most powerful mage in the CLAMP universes. Thankfully, she will probably not fuck things up quite so much.

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Me so very much at Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card right now.

Cutting for Tsubasa Chronicles and possible Clear Card spoilers, and also for me plotting and wording and very likely being 1000% wrong on everything.

So.

Me a few days ago: Wait, so like….didn’t CCS Sakura give her staff to Clone Sakura in TRC? Like, there was a lot of fuckery that was happening at the end, but that was something that happened, right?

So I went home and looked it up and lo and behold, yes. That’s pretty much what happens:

See, this is Clone Sakura from TRC. I’m re-reading TRC at the moment from the beginning, and I cannot 100% remember all of the shit that goes down with her, but a quick basic summary is: she’s the Sakura we start out, except whoops she’s a clone, and then whoops Clone Syaoran killed her.

And there’s this weird thing where they’re both reborn into yet another alternate universe and actually grow up and marry, and like….Sakura gives birth to Original Syaoran and oh my fucking god with this series, oh my god.

SO SHE WENT THROUGH THINGS, I’M SAYING.

Anyway, so both Sakura and Syaoran are trying to get back to the Original Non-Clone Sakura and Syaoran, and then Sakura starts talking about this dream she had, and HI THERE, CARDCAPTOR SAKURA, thank god you were born into a much happier and less fucked up story:

(btw grown up Sakura is really kind of beautiful)

Long story short, somehow CCS Sakura approaches Clone Sakura in a dream. I can’t quite tell if she’s the same age as in Clear Card or if she’s a little older – I think she looks slightly older, but I could be wrong on that – and gives her staff to Clone Sakura and mentions that she doesn’t actually need it, because she still has the Cards.

(Also she seems to somehow know something about the whole clone deal which is frankly impressive given CCS Sakura often seems to know fuck all about fuck all since the story loves to keep her in the shadow about everything, but that’s a rant for another day)

(Also CCS Sakura using her “everything will definitely be all right!” spell/phrase on Clone Sakura who has really had a fucking Bad Time get to me a little, I admit it).

IT’S KIND OF INTERESTING, because ALL THINGS IN CLAMP ARE CONNECTED, so that’s like…canon. It’s canon that at some point, Sakura Kinomoto entered the dream of an alternate version of herself and gave up her staff.

And a few pages later and Sakura tells Syaoran that she gave the staff to Yuko as payment for their wish (presumably to get back to the main crew). So also canon: Yuko has the staff.

So. Shit that happened in TRC that directly references the CCS universe and should have an impact on the CCS story: Sakura Kinomoto somehow became aware of another her and went to her aid. She gave up her staff. Yuuko, from xxxHolic, has Sakura’s Star Staff.

So Sakura at some point, will not have her staff, although she still has the cards. However, we now know she will get a new staff, and new cards….although something has happened to the old cards.

(And let’s not forget about Yuna having the same mage-ranking as Fai and that book in Akiho’s library using Fai D Flowrite Magic Font).

And what does this actually mean for Clear Card?

I have no fucking idea.  No fucking clue.

It could be nothing. It’s probably nothing. Clear Card could and likely will just do its own thing, and sometimes there will be little shout-outs to other stories and that’s that. Akiho will probably not be some kind of Fei Wong-created Sakura clone, Yuna will probably not be related to Fai and Yuko. It’s unlikely Clear Card will suddenly take the risk of confusing the little ones watching it by directly connect to other, darker stories.

(Sakura to Tomoyo: HEY I HAD A REALLY WEIRD DREAM WHERE I WAS A CLONE AND SYAORAN MURDERED ME BUT THEN WE MARRIED AND HAD SYAORAN AS A KID. IT WAS WEIRD SHIT, TOMOYO).

But still….CLAMP is CLAMP, the laws of Hitsuzen still apply, and even if the show never really goes there?

Yeah. I think it’s all connected.

Now give me the CCS versions of Kurogane and Fai as a cameo, you cowards.

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I want to tell her that trolling Sakura and Syaoran isn’t exactly hard, but she’s so proud and pleased with herself that I’ll let it go.

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SHOW WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME.

OKAY. SO.

a) We see Akiho's book again. Once again, we see that the writing in the book looks very much like Fai's magic:

b) The book directly references what's happening to Sakura at that very second, so it's either predicting the future, or it's written from the future and telling the past. Given the clock and time motif that keeps popping up, either could be true.

c) THIS FUCKER. Who, again, has the same title 'D' as Fai, meaning that he's a high-ranking magician. And now we see he has a pocket watch that looks like the watches from Sakura's dream:

WHAT KIND OF CLOW REED FUCKERY IS THIS.

So, as usual:

You know. The normal Clear Card episode experience.

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“This is Ahiko We haven’t worked out what her deal is yet: a new magial girl, a clone, Sakura’s mirror self, Yuko’s long lost daughter, Sakura’s dead mum’s reincarnation. Feel free to post your own theory on TV Tropes WMG page, Meiling-chan”.

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I seriously can't believe they took 17 episodes to reveal what we all figured out approximately five minutes into the series: THE RABBIT TALKS. Especially given the show itself spoiled it about four episodes ago via shiny new OP and ED.

I do appreciate her liking for the finer things in life and living the queen life she know she deserves.

What I am not appreciating is how much she resembles the Death Angel Rabbit from Kobato and not going to lie, that particular similarity is making me a tad nervous for Akiho.

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Okay, but have we considered:

a) Fai had the 'D' title before Yuna was even a twinkle in CLAMP's eyes

b) Fai also has a ninja husband

c) Probably also he still has some mad sick skills left over from his vampire days

d) CLAMP still has not yet pandered enough to me and given the TRC crew cameo I've been so desperately pleading for

Solution: Syaoran, Kurogane and Fai drop in, dispatch of Yuna in 0.3 seconds, everyone goes out for tea and cakes. The end.  

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just what exactly is Yukito telling Sakura on those late night phone calls.

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Okay, but Sakura's little blush when Meiling casually tells Papa Kinomoto that Sakura's a 'good friend' is cutest, happiest thing:

Because most of the time, it's not hard for Sakura to befriend anyone. She's almost universally loved (in all the universes), she makes frends easily, there isn't anyone who really dislikes her.

But Meiling wasn't too fond of Sakura to begin with, or trusted her, because she was all wrapped up in her feelings towards Syaoran. She often got jealous, she was possessive, she wanted so badly to prove that she was Syaoran's correct partner rather than Sakura.

And then Meiling got her heart broken, and she sobbed and bawled into Tomoyo's lap that one night about how she wanted to hate Sakura but couldn't, because she understood that Sakura really was a good girl.

It's just...nice. It's really nice, that the one person Sakura couldn't easily befriend like she does everyone else can casually reference that they're good friends now. 

Maybe Sakura didn't entirely understand what was behind Meiling's previous tension towards her (for all that I love this series, its tendency to constantly leave Sakura out of the loop does is teeth-grinding frustrating at times), but she knows that something's now shifted. 

And she's so happy about it.

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Me as it sinks in: oh fuck me, that means Yuko has met both Kero and Yue because I mean...we already knew this but it’s never really hit me before that Yuko has absolutely at some point gotten drunk as fuck with Kero and also teased the shit out of Yue. Both of these things have happened. On multiple occasions.

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Clow Reed - fucking things up for everyone in all the CLAMP verses.

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In one sentence they completely wrote out that whole 'so remember when an adult male teacher was flirting and proposed to an actual ten year old' plot. I am dying, and also GOOD.

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Aw, I just realised Meilin is very likely not going to exist in the new CCS anime. What with her being anime-only and all.

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I realise wording this is like, CLAMP Sacrilege and all, but I have never, ever ever, been about to give more than a couple of iotas of caring towards Sakura and Syaoran's romance.

Like. I am very fond and adore them both. They're good kids. Good characters. Love them in both CCS and TRC. I'm looking forward especially to seeing where the Clear Card Arc takes Sakura (because as much as I love TRC, maybe it kind of sort of jarred sometimes that she was basically removed as the main hero for Syaoran. Yeah. That one still rankles a little).

But also in CCS they are ten years old and the weight the story gives their primary school aged 'romance' is honestly pretty hilarious to me.

Put that down as my #unpopular opinion and all, I guess.

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So, the next season of Cardcaptor Sakura looks a little intense.