#the manga is a gift to me specifically

[smhalltheurlsaretaken]

I FOUND THE ENTIRE LES MISERABLES MANGA BY TAKAHIRO ARAI ONLINE YESSSSSSSSS

(one day i'll make a gigantic post/full on presentation about why it's quite literally the best adaptation of Les Misérables ever because I go crayzee every time I read it)

[franeridan]

reading the latest snf really drove home for me himmels tragedy I've been lowkey crying for an hour like, I've known since i started reading years ago, it's made abundantly clear in the very first chapter, so it's not something inherently new but my man really was in love with someone he knew would never feel about him the same way and died still in love with her?? only turns out it wasn't impossible for her to love him he was just eighty years too early???? and now you're telling me for a short while he saw her, maybe not aware but obviously feeling the same nontheless, as in - he knew she was gonna get there at some point, just not soon enough for him to be there with her when it happened???? like look at his face please

I'm so sad???

[rassicas]

Hello Rassicas.

I am working on a video about Nintendo’s lgbtq characters. Of course when it comes to splatoon, there’s a certain duo that comes to mind, off the hook.

The problem I’ve been having is that it seems a lot of the information, wether that be the English/japanese bits of dialogue, interviews and other bits of lore, seems to be completely scattered around.

Considering you describe yourself as the “CEO of splatoon lore” I was wondering if you could help me compile any bits and pieces of those two gay cephalopods.

(My apologies if this is moreso something I should be asking in dms instead)

i think the ask box is a good place for this, i'm not as hardcore of a shipper as other people are (more of a worldbuilding enjoyer), but i know there is so much and I don't wanna dig for all of it. I'll share a few off the top of my head. pearlina fans reading this, please feel free to share anything else in the replies/reblogs. 1. Pearl interview from Octotune: its on my mind since i just brought it up in a previous ask I think the artwork in this interview has the strongest implication that pearl and marina live together. Also the question: Q17: What is the best gift you have ever received? Pearl: The chance to meet Marina. 2. Marina's manga, "Dear Pearl". a manga that, in-universe, is drawn by marina.

genuinely i think this is one of the gayest things there is in canon like theres hearts in that LOVE letter thats directed towards pearl COME ON (i consider it canon as its drawn by seita inoue, who handles splatoon's art direction and a lot of lore/worldbuilding). you can read it here

3. Marina's tagline on Splatoon Base calls her a 恋する乙女 "young lady in love". the word for 'to love' (恋する) is specifically romantic.

4. Off the Hook didn't fight against each other in the s2 final splatfest like the Squid Sisters did because they're on such good terms with each other.

I’ve heard people saying that since the final fest for the last game was a showdown between the Squid Sisters, this time it was bound to be between Off the Hook.

Nogami: I think that’s probably the obvious conclusion, but the development team don’t actually want those two to attack one another. Since the Squid Sisters have their own talents and abilities, even though they are a duo they are also kind of rivals, so we thought we would pit them against each other. Off the Hook, though, are much more of a unit and on good terms with one another, so we didn’t want to force them to fight.

5. Marina has a photo of pearl as her desktop wallpaper. the framing of the photo very much looks romantic and intimate. there is no heterosexual explanation for this

i'll stop here, there's definitely more and I don't wanna be here for hours. I haven't even touched on any in game dialogue. again guys feel free to make additions to this with sources. is there a pearlina masterdoc or something LOL i feel like thats something that deserves to exist (someone please make it because i wont)

[icyminghao]

the world of fiction

pairing: jihoon x gn!reader genre: fluff, crack, established relationship, drabble warning(s): mentions of death (of fictional characters) word count: 0.7k

summary: jihoon comes home to the sound of you crying, and he’s utterly confused as to why.

Coming home to the sound of you crying was not what Jihoon expected to be greeted with.

But he’s here now, in this very moment, feet rooted to the floor as he faintly hears your muffled sobs from the bedroom.

Jihoon freezes, racking his brain for anything that could have happened in the past twenty-four hours that could have upset you.

Did he do something wrong? Not that he’s aware of. Did you have a bad day at work? You took the day off, citing a self-care day. Are you mad that he wasn’t here to accompany you? You specifically told him not to waste his breaks despite his insistence, reassuring him that you were probably just going to sleep in and finish the manga you were hooked on recently.

Right, Jihoon’s eyes widen, you said you were going to finish the manga.

In all his years of knowing and loving you, Jihoon will never get used to the way you tend to get emotionally attached to whatever you read or watch.

To him, the ending of a story just means that he can move on to another, but to you, the ending of a story is like the end of a world you’ve grown much too fond of. The reality of having to part with the characters and the story always puts you in a depressed state for a few days at the least.

It’s why Jihoon tends to gift you books or recommend you shows that are part of a long series, so you can stay in their world for longer.

Quickly removing his shoes, Jihoon practically bolts to your shared bedroom upon recalling your plan for the day, and sure enough, you’re curled up on your side of the bed, one hand clutching the last volume of the manga Jihoon had recommended a while back and sobbing into your pillow.

You lock eyes with Jihoon’s worried ones as he stands by the bedroom door, and you start sobbing even harder.

“y/n…” Jihoon carefully walks closer towards you, slowly sitting beside you as he reaches for your free hand.

“Ji…” you whine in between sobs, “I finished the manga.”

Jihoon resists the urge to smile at how cute you’re being right now. “I know, baby. How was it?”

“It’s so… sad!” you sniffle, moving to bury your head in Jihoon’s lap as you wrap your arms around his torso. “Too many people died. But they were all reincarnated and happy at the end, so I am, too…”

Jihoon smiles, very evidently endeared by your rambling. He looks down at your tear-stricken face, wiping away your stray tears with his thumbs. “It’s a happy ending, baby, don’t cry.”

“I’m just sad that it’s over, Ji,” you pout, and Jihoon cups your face with both hands. “Thank you for recommending the manga to me.”

Jihoon hums. “It’s not over yet, you know.”

Upon processing the words that left your boyfriend’s mouth, you sit up, eyes widening in anticipation. “There’s more?”

Jihoon chuckles.

While he was picking out what to recommend to you, the deciding factor came down to its length (provided that the story was good, of course). Jihoon knew you would devour books or mangas in record speed, so he came prepared.

And what better than a manga series and an anime series?

“They adapted the manga series into an anime,” Jihoon explains, watching as your eyes light up, “It’s not complete yet, but the last arc is coming soon in the form of three movies.”

You squeal, practically pouncing on your boyfriend as you engulf him in a bear hug. Jihoon falls backwards onto the bed from the impact, laughing.

“It’s not over!” You exclaim, “Where can I watch the anime? Have you watched it yet?”

Jihoon rolls over so the both of you are now lying on your sides, looking into each other’s eyes. He shakes his head.

“I haven’t. I was waiting for you so we could watch it together.”

“I love you.” you declare immediately, and Jihoon blushes furiously before letting out the softest, most endeared laugh.

“I love you too, baby.”

Jihoon may never get used to the way you tend to get emotionally attached to whatever you read or watch, but he sure as hell will do anything to let you enjoy the various worlds you end up in for as long as possible.

a/n: i have been. like. word vomiting in my wips and i feel like everything i write is so bad it is absolutely unpublishable but i just finished demon slayer and i got so sad so i decided to write this. very self-indulgent i love demon slayer the last arc broke me and i’m so excited for the movies. need somebody to match my freak like jihoon does for reader here

taglist (send an ask to be added!): @slytherinshua @viscade @pepperonidk @belladaises @tastymintchocolate @kwantaro-deactivated20240614 @chanceonceli @hrts4hanniehae @leehanascent @nonononranghaee

masterlist

[jellybelly-may]

❝𝐓𝐨𝐤𝐑𝐞𝐯 𝐒𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬!❞

‎☠‧₊˚✧[aniki! nii-chan!]✧˚₊‧ ☠

haitani brothers x younger sibling!reader [platonic!]

cw: -

⋆⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆⋆

General Hcs:

protective brothers! 

while they are laid-back towards most things, they become like hawks when it comes to you

anyone who threatens you (or even a slight complain from you) is met with the wrath of the Haitani brothers

they have an unspoken agreement to keep you safe, and they take it very seriously (maybe a little too serious) 

besides that, being the younger sibling, you probably picked up lots if fashion tips from Ran

let's admit it, Ran’s the most fashionable out of the three of you

Ran enjoys taking you shopping 

probably picks clothes that suit you

though sometimes it’s a little too much for your taste

Rindo always teases you about dressing too much like Ran

these 2 LOVE teasing you 

whether it’s Rindo who loves to mess with you (or specifically your hair) or Ran who likes to call you by embarrassing nicknames

despite teasing you, they know their limits

they always make sure you know they’re just playing around

you learned to accept it and counter back resulting in a sibling banter

you also often find yourself being dragged into their mischief

whether it’s pulling pranks on the other members or sneaking into places you’re not supposed to be

you’re always part of their plans

⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆⋆

Ran

big brother instinct! 

we’ve seen how worried he was when Rindo was hurt (manga spoilers oops)

probably gifts you a baton for your birthday

sticks a pretty pink bow on it for you

because ⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅ coquette ⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅ 

does your hair for you

has a knack for knowing when something’s bothering you

even when you try to hide it

does a “spa sleepover” to talk things over

or just to help you clear your head

Ran’s calm, reassuring presence makes it easy for you to confide in him

just don’t disturb him when he sleeps!

⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆⋆

Rindo

Rindo may come across as the more serious and violent one

but when it’s just the both of you 

he shows a much softer side

he’s the one who patches up any injuries you get

and he’s surprisingly good at giving advice

action speaks louder than words!

he’s the one who takes you out for a late-night drive if you can't sleep at night

takes you to gyms to workout 

i just know Rindo forces you to stretch and be flexible like him

probably laughs at you when your muscles cramp 

apologizes by buying whatever treats you want 

Rindo always makes sure you’re okay, even if he has a hard time expressing it

⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆⋆

Bonus scene:

"Nii-chan! Shut up!!" you hissed at Rindo.

It was well past midnight when you and Rindo finally decided to sneak back into the house. As you tiptoed through the dark hallway, Rindo suddenly tripped over a wine bottle, sending it clattering across the floor.

“Not my fault!” he whispered back, glaring at the bottle.

You both froze as a soft creak came from a door—a telltale sign that Ran was awake.

Before you could even think, a dark shadow loomed at the top of the stairs. Ran stood there, arms crossed, his voice dripping with venom.

“Trying to sneak in, are we?”

Without a second thought, you and Rindo screamed, and he dragged you into the nearest hiding spot—the bathroom. You squeezed inside, hearts pounding, as Ran’s footsteps approached the door.

“Seriously? Hiding in the bathroom? Again?” Ran’s voice was muffled by the door.

"It wasn't me this time, Aniki!"

You held your breath until his footsteps retreated.

“Next time, we just don’t get caught,” Rindo whispered.

You nodded, knowing Ran would still give you an earful in the morning, but for now, you were safe.

‎‧₊˚✧[taglist]✧˚₊‧

@tr-mha-fan

[koolades-world]

Hey! I hope you're having a great time and doing great with those finals! So, I wanted to ask about how you think the brothers (plus my bb boys Solomon and Simeon if you can) would react to one having a really big surgery.

I just came back to my home after a pretty big surgery and now I'm recovering, so me and my only 2 brain cells left were wondering that haha

I just hope you can have some great results on your finals and that you can write this!

Thank you and have a great morning, day or night!

hi!! hope your recovery went well <33 sending my best wishes

enjoy <3

Mc has a big surgery

Lucifer

he makes sure you have no rad work during recovery

he might be a demon but he’s not that cruel haha

anything to ensure your speedy recovery <3

Mammon

he's at your side, hand and foot

the entire time you're getting the surgery, he's biting his nails and pacing where ever he might be

afterwards, he's super clingy but refuses to admit that he is

Levi

along with mammon, he’s in the waiting room

while you recover is the perfect time to catch up on animes and mangas

he’s there if you need someone to rant to haha

Satan

this little romantic shit always makes sure you have fresh flowers in your room

if you have any specifics that you want, he’ll make sure you get them

even if they’re human world only, he will get his hands on them for you

Asmo

seems like the most likely to burst into tears in general

nothing wrong with that though! it hehe shows how much he really cares

he wants to be the first thing you see when you wake back up so he’s by your side 24/7

Beel

despite the fact that you have dedicated nurses

he’s always making sure you’ve eaten and aren’t hungry

is willing to run anywhere to get your favorite food at anytime

Belphie

you will find him sleeping on a chair in your room

or even in the floor if the chair is uncomfortable

almost equally as clingy as mammon

Simeon

he’s always sending cute little gift baskets for you <3

before the surgery, he makes sure to let you know he’s thinking about you

afterwards, he makes sure to catch you up on anything interesting that might have happened

Solomon

if you want something, he makes sure that you get it

any sort of limited sweets or games, he’s got you

if all you want is him by your side, then that’s what he’ll do for you

[yuurei20]

Malleus Facts Part 63: Stars, Food, Draconian and Crowley

Malleus seems to enjoy stargazing: he seeks out a location to look at the stars during Vargas Camp and says that it is “a nice enough pastime” because “even the passage of centuries doesn’t change them.”

When Sebek insists on taking Malleus back to Diasomnia before Ortho’s meteor shower during the Wish Upon a Star event Malleus responds to his apology with, “At least you can count on the stars to never betray you…”

EN has recently been translating “Draconian” (the name for Malleus’ fans) literally, possibly because Ace explains it and it was too hard to write around, but the word has actually existed from the beginning of the original game, changed or removed from dialogue until Book 7.

Malleus’ least favorite food is “full-sized cakes,” because, while he has nothing against sweets, “there is such a thing as excess” and he can never finish one in a single sitting.

When it is pointed out to him that whole cakes are not designed to be eaten by one person he explains he never had anyone to share them with.

This point returns in Glomas, when Silver recommends that they bring a cake to Noble Bell College to express their gratitude. Malleus vetoes the idea, saying that he would rather give a gift that he woulda also enjoy.

Malleus seems to have similarities to Crowley, but it has yet to be revealed what (if anything) this means:

・They hold similar poses in an event ・Malleus repeatedly says that he is not a child, while Crowley has two lines emphasizing that he is an adult

・They both have "You called me?" lines (while Malleus' phrasing changes on EN it is always the same in the original game, and Crowley's phrasing is different while meaning the same thing: 「私をお呼びですか？」 for Crowley and 「僕を呼んだ？」for Malleus)

・They both comment on how the prefect is unafraid of them (again Malleus' phrasing is written in different ways on EN, but is the same in the original game. This may be important, because again Crowley's phrasing is different from Malleus', while meaning the same thing.)

(It is possible that these specific phrases are being repeated intentionally, but--much like an anime based on a manga that is still ongoing--EN did not have access to future content and did not know they were important, which also happened to Idia (ref: Idia and Ortho (pt4) )

On the subject of the crow that serves the Thorn Fairy Malleus says, "It'd be a marvel to meet someone so skilled. Maybe someday..."

[ineedhaikyu]

Inspirational Drabble

Summary: The match between Inarizaki and Karasuno is about to start! The crowd was buzzing with excitement, ready to cheer their hearts out for their favorite team. As everyone prepared themselves, one person couldn't help but torment himself. Luckily, Asahi didn't have to drown in his self-deprecating thoughts as someone became a lifeline.

Word Count: 2.8K

Warnings: Spoilers from the manga, especially chapters 248 and 249! A lot of fluff. Inspired by the picture above!

Asahi tried his best to breathe as normal as he could. He had to stay calm, not just for his sake but for his team’s sake. All of their hard work paved their way all the way to Nationals.

Out of habit, Asahi traced the kanji of person (人) on his palm before swallowing it. It might look like a silly routine but it helped. Though for some reason, he wasn't as nervous as he usually was. They're playing against Inarizaki, one of the top favorites to win this whole thing.

Yet, here he was hoping to catch another glimpse of his opponents before the match officially started. Specifically, the girl that brought a storm of warm emotions inside his stomach. (L/N) (Y/N), Inarizaki's manager, the girl he met just yesterday but already made her way into his fast beating heart.

The eagerness to see her again began this morning when he woke up in the very shirt she gifted him. It wasn't just the fabric that kept him warm but the feelings he had for (Y/N) as well. It almost seemed to good to be true but once he replayed the conversations and read their texts from yesterday, Asahi could honestly believe that (Y/N) wasn't just his dream girl... She's the girl he wanted to be with.

But would she go for someone like him?

He hoped so and if not... Well, a guy could dream, right?

"On a different topic entirely," Suga began as everyone finished changing into their alternate uniforms. "I saw a girl carrying an Atsumu fan earlier. Is he an idol now?!"

"Actually, he pretty much is for high school volleyball. The Inarizaki team garners a different kind of popularity than Itachiyama." Coach Ukai explained. "They have a solid core of talent and a wide array of spectacular, crowd-pleaser plays. That makes them the ultimate contenders."

"We do see them getting interviewed on TV a lot too." Suga pointed out.

Asahi confirmed with a nod. "(Y/N) mentioned yesterday how they're always being interviewed by multiple reporters and journalists."

"Oh?" Suga smirked up at him. "Was this on your date yesterday?"

"N-No. We were just talking." He defended though he couldn't do anything to hide the stutter in his voice. "She even told me she once got interviewed."

"Woah, really? That's cool! I guess that's the advantage that comes with being a part of a high class powerhouse school. I mean, have you seen their cheering section? It's huge."

"And that means no one here... Not a single person in this whole crowd, thinks we have a chance."

To his and Suga's surprise, it was Daichi who voiced this sad fact. Asahi wondered if he was in an alternate dimension. Ever since last night, his friend has been wound up.

"Gah! Daichi, what's gotten into you?!" Suga shouted. "Pull it together, man!"

Asahi was just about to say something similar when he saw Daichi lips turn into a smile. His eyes gleamed with determination as he said, "Now I'm fired up!"

The two third-years sighed in relief, knowing they had nothing to worry about as their captain was back to normal.

"It's about time you snapped back to yourself, Daichi." Suga commented.

Asahi nodded in agreement. "Yeah. You've been awfully quiet since last night. Meek, even."

"H-Hey! I-I was focusing."

~

The moment Daichi opened the doors to the main arena everyone was blown away at the sheer intensity the crowd produced. The lights of the gym shined like mini suns above his head. The gleam of the laminated floor looked untouched, almost spotless. It was enticing, begging to be played on.

Then there was the crowd. Asahi can easily see their supporters standing behind their signature black banner, sporting their signature orange colors. It was a welcoming sight.

The warm reassuring feeling quickly left his body when he looked at Inarizaki's section. They had triple the amount of fans Karasuno had, not to mention they even had cheerleaders and a marching band. It almost made Shiratorizawa cheer section tiny in comparison.

Asahi clenched his fist tightly and took another deep breath to calm down his nerves. Though the Inarizaki's marching band wasn't helping his case at all.

Suddenly, the crowd cheered loudly and Asahi took this as a sign that their opponents have made their appearance. Which means-

(Y/N) walked next to Inarizaki's coach, looking unbothered by the amount of fans cheering for her team. The smile on her face was enough to calm his nerves from her intimidating teammates. Even from the other side of the court, his eyes met with her (E/C) ones. The connection was instant as they smiled at one another.

"Aran!!"

"Atsumu!!"

"Osamu!!"

"Okay." DU-DUM! "Let's go." Daichi's voice could barely be heard over the marching band's drums.

So he tried again. "I said, let's-" WAAAA!!

This time it was the cheerleaders' collective cheering.

Asahi watched as Daichi grew frustrated with the crowd's interference. So much so that the captain yelled from the top of his lungs, "LET'S!! GO!!"

"Yeah!!"

~

Official Warm-Ups

(Y/N) felt her heart lurch against her chest when she saw Asahi again. She felt a bit silly with how happy Karasuno's ace makes her, especially when they spoke to each other just a few minutes ago.

She shook those thoughts from her head. Now was not the time to daydream about Asahi.

'Focus! Your team needs you!' Thought her brain. 'Don’t get distracted!'

'But Asahi's so cute. He’s such a gentle giant.' Her heart argued. 'Omg, his biceps look amazing! Just imagine having those strong arms wrapped around you and having him lean down to kiss-'

'STOP! Now is NOT the time to think about that! At least, wait till AFTER the match is over.' Her brain tried to reason.

'Fine…' Her heart relented to her brain’s demand but it only took one more glance before crumbling once again. 'Those broad shoulders though… Asahi is literally hot guy status.'

“(Y/N)!”

“Yes, Coach?”

“It’s the twins' turn to warm-up and you know how superstitious they are. You know what to do, right?"

"Yes, sir."

She caught the ball with ease and made her way to where Atsumu and Osamu were waiting for her.

Ever since the Miya twins joined the club, they began a silly little routine of her tossing the ball for Atsumu to set to his brother. The first time was during the twins' first appearance playing for Inarizaki. Usually, the coach or assistant coach would do the tosses during warm-ups, but at the time they were occupied which led her to do the toss for them. Atsumu was perfect with his set and Osamu effortlessly spiked the ball. From then on, they demanded, Atsumu more than Osamu, for her to toss for them in future warm-ups, claiming she had the lucky touch.

(Y/N) smiled to herself at the memory. She didn't believe in luck but she went along with it. For two years, she tossed them the ball in each official warm-up and now that this was her last year with them... Well, they weren't going to change tradition now.

"You guys ready?" She asked them, tossing the volleyball up and down.

"Heck yeah!" Atsumu answered excitedly. He held up his hand for her to high-five. "No way are we going to lose."

(Y/N) laughed as her hand connected with his. She turned her attention on Osamu, the small pout on his lips was enough to know what was on his mind.

"The faster we win the match, the quicker we can go out to eat. I'll even treat you to dessert. How does that sound, 'Samu?"

With the promise of food, the twin straightened up and high-fived her. His eyes sparkled with joy. "Let's show these guys what Nationals is all about."

With both twins looking eager to start, (Y/N) stepped back and stood next to the net as the twins also went to their positions. Without meaning to, she looked over at Karasuno's players and internally smirked when all eyes were waiting to see the twins in action.

After counting to three, (Y/N) tossed the ball in a beautiful arch as it made its way to Atsumu's waiting hands. Not surprisingly, the ball was set perfectly for Osamu to spike strongly.

"Nice kill!" She told them, her chest swelling with pride.

"One more!" Osamu called out.

(Y/N) raised a brow and was about to ask why when she saw both twins sharing a look.

"Alright, last one!"

Tossing the ball one more time, (Y/N) watched as the twins jumped in unison and her smile grew when she witnessed Osamu displaying his setting skills for Atsumu to spike.

"Ha! Ha! Super body and soul switch time delayed spike!"

'If only they could find a better name for that move...'

Despite the move they just did wasn't a delayed spike, it still made the crowd go crazy, screaming several compliments.

After the twins waved to their fans, they made their way to her.

"How was that, (Y/N)-senpai?! It looked cool, didn't it?!" Atsumu bombarded, looking for her praise more than anything (as if the crowd's praises weren't enough for him).

"Amazing as always, Miyas!" She complimented them as she clapped both of their shoulders before making them lean down to her level. "What's your reason for doing that move?"

Atsumu looked smug while Osamu answered her. "We have to prove the other team what we're all about."

"Uh-huh..." (Y/N) raised a brow looking unconvinced with his answer. "Now give me the real reason."

The twins looked at each other and (Y/N) wondered if twin telepathy was real because a few seconds later Atsumu sighed before replying, "To intimidate that crush of yours. He kept starin' at you when you weren't lookin'. It's creepy."

Osamu lifted his head for a second before crouching back down. "He's still starin'."

"Oh my god, you guys. I appreciate you caring for me but focus on what's important, okay? Right now, in your eyes, Asahi is your opponent so just view him as that and nothing more."

And with that, (Y/N) gave the twins another pat on their shoulders before making her way to the bench. Unbeknownst to her, the twins didn't take her advice to heart. Instead, they focused on something else.

"Did ya notice how she's on a first name basis with that guy, 'Tsumu?"

The twin nodded as he placed his hands on his hips, his eyes narrowing on Karasuno's #3 from across the net. "They literally met yesterday, 'Samu! How did that samurai guy make an impression on our manager?!"

Osamu shrugged his shoulders because the answer was a mystery to him as well. "You're just jealous that (Y/N) likes him."

Atsumu whipped his head to glare at his brother. "AM NOT!"

"Are too."

"Am not!"

Osamu sighed, not wanting to continue this argument. "Whatever. We still have to beat them."

"Without question. If he can't beat us then he has no right to even talk to (Y/N)-senpai." Atsumu declared.

"Agreed."

The twins took one more look at Karasuno's ace, making a mental note to pay special attention on the guy… and crush him.

~

National Spring Volleyball Tournament, Round 2

Hyogo Prefecture Rep: Inarizaki High School (3rd Appearance Straight, 31 Appearances Overall)

Versus

Miyagi Prefecture Rep: Karasuno High School (1st Appearance in 5 Years, 9th Appearance Overall)

~

It was time. Both teams stood on either side of the court, every member held a sense of seriousness as they tried to make themselves as imposing as possible.

At the sound of the referee's whistle, every emotion seemed to jump to another level. Asahi's hands fidgeted anxiously. Call it paranoia but he felt like he was wearing a large target. It looked like everyone wearing a black Inarizaki uniform were glaring daggers at him. He hoped it was just his imagination.

Then there was (Y/N) by the sidelines. Even from afar, he could see the excitement in her eyes. She looked so angelic with that smile of hers. He felt a wave of relief when he recalled how much support she gave him the day before.

"I’m not saying you should just get over yourself because we all have experienced some level of negative emotion in our lives, right? And it’s not as easy as turning a page in a book. Trust me I know. So believe me when I say this, it’s okay to express those feelings. Maybe one day, you’ll find solace in someone."

Asahi felt his spirits lifted when he thought about (Y/N)'s words. Solace... She didn't know it but that was what she became to him. Her words gave her comfort and alleviated all the strangling roots of anxiety that surrounded him. He smiled to himself at the memory. It was enough to fall for her all over again.

After mentally counting to three, both members of the Karasuno and Inarizaki team bowed down to each other and yelled, "Here's to a good game!"

Asahi's feet moved automatically to where the coaches were standing. His heart was still beating like crazy. His nerves were still going crazy because in a few seconds they were about to play a high caliber team that were the people's favorite to win this whole thing.

That's when Takeda-sensei came to the rescue and provided the much needed words of wisdom. Asahi listened as his head coach spoke, "You know... Two months ago, during the qualifier finals, no one thought we could beat Shiratorizawa either." A bright smile accompanied as he continued, "What say we surprise everyone again!"

"YEAH!!" They shouted in unison with Hinata and Nishinoya jumping with joy.

It was time for the announcer's to present to the crowd the starting lineup. Asahi took a deep breath as he waited for his name to be announced. Not wanting to look any more nervous that he actually is (and to hide away his fidgety hands), Asahi crossed his arms and tried to look brave.

Physically, he looked intimidating. Mentally... Well, it went something like this:

'Daichi's right. Nobody's paying any attention to us. I don't have to be nervous. Nope. Nuh-uh. I'm not nervous at all. Nobody's looking at me. That means I effectively don't even exist!'

With a furrowed brow, Asahi quickly shook his head at the thought.

'Wait, no. Now that I think about it, that was going too far. Heck, it was pretty sad!'

And of course his friends noticed how quiet he became.

"Asahi. Get over here." Daichi called, his voice full of authority and masking the slight anxiety he had. He didn't need his ace player to go down the rabbit hole before the match even started.

Suga couldn't help but laugh as he said, "I don't have to be a mind reader to know there's something laughable on your mind right now."

Daichi narrowed his eyes at Asahi. "Whatever you're thinking, stop it! That's an order!"

It was scary how frightening Daichi can get.

"I-I wasn't thinking a-anything bad." He defended through stutters. "At least... Not anymore."

Before Daichi could reprimand his ace, Suga cuts in with a slap on his shoulder and said, "Hey, don't make it obvious but (Y/N)-san has her eyes on you."

All the thoughts from a moment ago disappeared instantly at the idea of his crush paying attention to him. It gave him a new sense of motivation to play the best that he could. Volleyball was something he was good at, like really good, and (Y/N) took notice of his skills from yesterday's match. If he could impress her even more then maybe... He has a chance.

"Let's win this match and then win some more!" Asahi declared as he made his way to his assigned position. His aura was slowly but surely glowing with confidence.

Daichi and Suga sighed in relief as their ace finally looked mentally ready to play.

"Tell me the truth, Suga, was (Y/N)-san actually looking at Asahi when he wasn't looking?" Daichi asked his vice-captain.

Suga grinned. "Come on, Daichi. Just like I don't have to be a mind reader with Asahi, I don't need to be a psychic with (Y/N)-san. Those two are perfect for each other. Just you wait, a confession is going to happen in the future. Mark my words."

Daichi could only sigh at his friend's words but he didn't say anything against Suga's prediction. Even he could see the effects the pretty Inarizaki manager has on his gentle giant of an ace. He wouldn't be surprised if they kept in touch after all of this is over.

~

Little did anyone know, this wasn't going to be the last day for Inarizaki's manager to be a part of their lives, especially in Asahi's.

~

Next: Chapter Four

[incarnadin3]

How Obey Me Brothers realized they were in love with MC: Part Three, Leviathan

A/N: Thank you so much for all the love you guys have been showing on my blog! This part was a bit harder because I don't personally interact with Leviathan's character too much in game. However, I do hope you guys enjoy, and please excuse any mistakes! Enjoy~

Leviathan: The Hard-core Otaku Thirdborn

Part of being the Avatar of Envy meant that he barely ever came out of his room, unless he needed food or wanted to go shopping for merch.

He was so much of a shut-in that at times whenever he came out of his room, Asmo and Mammon would sarcastically say "Cursed shit, you exist?!"

When him and MC first became friends, he couldn't believe someone like them would even want to be friends with him. So when they started dating? The poor demon nearly passed away.

MC wasn't necessarily into anime as much as him, but they were a great listener. When they first became friends, Leviathan would often rant to them about the latest anime, or manga that he saw. He didn't think they remembered, but little did he know that they took every single word to heart.

Tomorrow was his birthday, the first birthday he was having since they began dating. MC had been pestering him lately asking him what he wanted. Leviathan merely shrugged, he wasn't the type to ask for a specific gift, he just loved surprises. So when MC took him to a pop-up anime merch store, he tried his best not to look in their cart as they browsed the aisles, wanting to keep it a surprise.

However, he couldn't help but look as MC picked out the one book he had always hated. My Girlfriend Of 2 Years Handmade A Figurine That Was Never Released To Public Centuries Ago.

He hated that book because it reminded him of the time when centuries ago, specifically 5 centuries, 8 decades, 3 years, and 6 months ago, when he had wanted a limited addition figurine for his birthday, and he had spent a lot of Grimm to pre-order it, only to find out on the day of his birthday that the release had been cancelled, and he would not receive the figurine nor the Grimm back. When he had a mental breakdown and cried, all hid brothers told him, "it's just a figurine"

But it wasn't just a figurine, and that memory hurt him like holy water. When he told MC about this, he didn't think they cared because they merely nodded and moved on from the topic.

When he asked MC why they bought this specific manga, they just said he'd like it, and said sorry for ruining the surprise.

Of course he didn't have it in his heart to remind him that merely two days ago he had said he hated that manga.

"Of course they forgot, i'm just a yucky otaku."

So the next day, as usual, throughout the day one by one the brothers came in and gave him gifts, all of which were either figurines, manga, or a new anime. And in Beel's case, along with empty candy wrappers, because he ate the candy on the way to Levi's room.

Towards the end of his birthday, when MC walked into his room, with the manga in hand, he barely blinked, offering a soft smile as he took the gift.

"Flip to the last page, Levi"

His brows furrowed as he complied, turning to the last page of the manga. To his surprise, instead of the ending being there, there was a envelope in it. Slowly, he picked up the light blue envelope, and opened it, to find a small note inside the said, Come outside.

He looked up to see MC sporting a nervous smile as they gently lead him outside. As they stepped into the courtyard, Levi's jaw dropped in shock as a stunning 5'5 inch sculpture of Ruri-chan greeted him. But there was something different about this one. Something he couldn't quite place until it hit him like a sack of bricks. It was the same figure he had wanted all those centuries ago. The one he had wanted. The one in the manga. He smiled tearfully as MC told him they had been making it ever since he told them about it. His MC, remembered something that his brothers forgot the day after it happened? MC truly was special, and he would not let them go. Ever.

Being the Avatar of Envy meant that he barely ever talked to anyone, let alone this very own brothers. So for MC to remember something he thought they had forgotten, and then make it for him? It sparked something in him, and for the first time, that feeling wasn't envy.

Of course MC knows that their boyfriend thinks his brothers don't care, and forgot, but little does he know, that they're the reason this statue came to be in the first place. They just didn't want him to know, and that's a secret MC will happily take to their grave.

[assassinnumber9]

TwiYor's Love Languages

So as you guys may or may not know, a little over a year ago I published a fanfic on Archive of Our Own called Loid Forger is NOT A Cuddler, which is basically just 5 chapters (so far) of Loid cuddling and denying it.

It's practically an essay for how his love language is physical touch.

And while I do like to joke about how Loid Forger is a cuddler and whatnot because of my fanfic and headcanon, this most recent manga chapter of Spy x Family gives me a perfect opportunity to talk about this headcanon and why it's in line with Twilight's character as well as Yor's own love language and how they relate.

We'll look at the obvious and pretty much explicitly stated first.

Yor's Love Language: Acts of Service

As previously mentioned, she basically says it outright. Her growing feelings toward Loid are much more obvious than his, and so it's easy to point out that her wanting to help him and have him rely on her is both a way for her to care/love him outwardly and a way for her to know he's accepting of that love.

I think Loid being the one to rely on her also makes her feel even more loved/trusted/confident, because Loid Forger is just so perfect at anything and everything he tries. From the outside, he really doesn't need any sort of help from anyone.

And, Twilight would likely agree. He's confident in his abilities and doesn't seem to want help from anyone as far as we've seen. The only missions he shares are the ones where more than one person is really needed.

Fiona could be potentially seen as someone he accepts help from, except that her help is more of an employee to an employer (or inferior to superior in their case.

And Franky... acts almost like a brother to Twilight? So like, they just force each other to help. Neither of them are accepting any kind of help, just going, "You're doing this."

All this to say that Yor is the only one that Twilight accepts and asks for help from. In the latest chapter, we see Twilight is comfortable enough to ask her.

And, she's ecstatic at hearing him ask for it.

She gets to finally show her love the way she knows how - the way she showed Yuri during her childhood.

Now for Loid Forger, rather Twilight.

Twilight's Love Language: Physical Touch

So far in the story, we have not seen much in terms of love when it comes to Twilight.

Emotions, and love especially, are weaknesses for spies unlike assassins, where emotions and attachments can be seen as strengths. Both fight for their respective loved ones, but the former has to do so hidden under a mask without being caught and the other is able to outwardly express these protective instincts through their actions (assassinations).

So, Twilight, like the great spy he is, hides his love.

You could possibly argue his love language is the same as Yor's (acts of service), but his acts are to keep her happy to ensure she stays with him (ie actually for the mission).

He also seems to give words of affirmation as well, but he only does so when he needs to provide them.

Gifts and Quality time can also be crossed out, because we don't really see him giving Yor gifts and we haven't seen him really go "I need to be with Yor more" yet. The only time we ever saw him think of her when they weren't together was during the cruise arc. But that’s not enough solid evidence for that specific one yet.

Also keep in mind that we haven't seen him express any of these languages to anyone else either.

There is one language we do have solid proof for, and of course that's physical touch.

While no, it's not proof that features Yor or even Anya.

We both hear and see it when it comes to his mother.

He explicitly states that he loved being held by her.

While this story was meant to show his mother's strength as a person, it confirms that loving physical touch was a large part of his childhood

Because he remembers it

Twilight remembers loving being held by her.

He can't remember her face, or his father's face, and is even flustered and confused after his PTSD flashback when he was unconscious. His memories are covered in trauma, and I believe one of the only reasons why he can remember what his friends looked like are because he saw them later in life.

It's hinted that he remembers very little of his childhood - likely due to the trauma.

But his mother holding him stayed with him.

Physical touch was an influential thing during his childhood.

Like Yor's love language during hers.

I would really like to believe that we'll see him learn to love touch again when he finally learns to accept his emotions, and in turn, his "weaknesses" (which will likely be turned to strengths).

And Yor being strong, a trait he remembers of his mother, only strengthens my theory that he'll learn to love physical touch again.

Because, he'll once again be able to know that everything is fine when he's holding her - just as he felt with his mother.

[thefiendio]

Romanced! Kokushibo Headcannons!!

Hi everyone! It’s been a really long time since I’ve updated something on this app, I’ve been really busy but I’m going to try and update as often as I can.

There are some fics and other things in the works right now for the SFW and NSFW lovers

To help get me back into the habit of writing, have some headcannons of someone Ilike to write for.

These are NOT cannon, however are just how I see him based on the manga and other things, he still has traits of cannon attitude, however he isn’t perfect in my mind

Warnings: None, but KNY spoilers on his lore and everything

Reader is gender neutral unless stated otherwise :)

Kokushibo is red

Gn reader is purple

Fem/specifically stated AFAB reader is pink

Masc/specifically stated AMAB reader is blue

I’m skipping a LOT of a timeline after he met you and abandoned his wife and kids, you both are dating in these

He was quite cold when you both got together during the start of your relationship because he didn’t know how to react, however you opened him up (he’s still not Mr. Nice Man all the time)

If he were to ever get you a non-stolen gift, it would probably be something homemade

No, he can’t cook, so it could be a piece of art he crudely drew himself, a poem that he wrote himself, or a wood carving that didn’t have every detail, however the shape is there and it was made by him

He’d get a little sad if you didn’t accept his gifts :( he really tried so hard even if it doesn’t look good :(( but he’d try better next time to make his gift better so you’d like it

He truly believes in “actions speak louder than words” so he’d rather show you that he loves you, rather than just tell you

There are times where he isn’t home for days or weeks on end, and that’s when he gets antsy to see you

After he gets back, he gives you his undivided attention for a while

There are times where he wants to spend his time with you, but he also wants to meditate. His solution? Have you seated in his lap as he’s sitting cross-legged and he meditates with his arms around you

He’s tried to help you cook in the kitchen multiple times, that’s when you’ve found out that he is AMAZING at helping you, just not when doing it by himself

Whenever you get hurt, even if it’s as minor as accidentally bumping into a wall, he makes sure you don’t get hurt again for the rest of the day by keeping you beside him

If you’re a human: He truly believes in separating you from the rest of the demons, and makes sure that you do not follow him into any meetings, or have any association with demons besides him

The only demon that you’ve ever had any sort of interaction with was Akaza, and that was because you were dangerously sick, and Akaza got the fear of Yoriichi coming back put into him by Kokushibo, you’ve only seen him once though, and you don’t really remember what he looks like, besides pink hair

If you’re a demon: He’s a lot less hesitant to let you interact with demons, however he will try his best to make sure that you don’t get too close to the upper moons or Muzan in fear of your safety, you’re allowed to talk and interact with Akaza because your boyfriend is sure that he won’t do anything to harm you

I’m a firm believer that he either calls you by your name, darling, or some non-traditional name that sounds so nice whenever he says it. Those nicknames consist of: flower, little one, honey bee, or starlight

He also likes to call you nicknames that have “little” in front of it because, let’s face it, he’s taller and larger than you (I hc him to be around 236 cm or 7’8”) so you are little to him

He is a man of few words and rarely talks, however you fill the void of silence with your voice

If there are times where you don’t want to talk, then he will ask if you want him to start talking, or if you want to sit in silence

If you choose for him to talk, he will. His words will range from how his day was, to what he likes about you, to stories he read, to things he has heard about others in the towns he has been to

If you want him to not talk and be how he is, you both will be in a comfortable silence, with you leaning on his body, or laying on his chest

He likes to read, whether that’s to you, or by himself in your shared room, he even likes it when you read to him. He would even settle for both of you sitting near each other and reading the same book

In my opinion, I think he wouldn’t buy you flowers. HE WOULD GROW THEM HIMSELF

He isn’t very affectionate outside of when you’re tired and need him to curl around you, and trying to get him to kiss your cheek outside of your shared home is like trying to argue with Douma on how big his ego is

He acts kind of like a modesty appropriator to you, making sure your kimono, hakama, or other clothing pieces are covering you properly, and are not falling off of you, are fitting properly, and are comfortable on you

If you wished to go to a festival with him, he wouldn’t like to go however would make sure that you both stayed away from other people, because of his eyes and appearance

In my opinion, he likes the idea of having a garden and has done research on that sort of field, however he doesn’t have much of a green thumb outside of growing a couple easy vegetables and simple (but pretty) flowers

He likes to be alone a lot, and admires having his own space. If your shared home is big enough, he’d have his own room to himself that you are only allowed in with his permission. The things inside are plain, with a bedroll, a box for scrolls and books, a sitting mat, and basic sleeping room appliances. He keeps this area clean and is content as long as you respect this simple space as his

If you were to give him a gift, whether that be a new kimono, something you made or grew for him, or something you bought from the market, you can find it on a shelving unit in his private space, with other things of yours that you have used, but don’t need

These things of yours can be a hair stick, clothing item, hairpin, hair piece, piece of jewelry, or a gift he plans on giving you

He likes to watch you sleep, but not in a creepy way, he likes how peaceful you look

He notices things about you that you didn’t notice yourself

He might not understand certain words and cues relating, however he is a literal god at reading body language and expressions

Dating him at first can be a bit difficult because he most likely isn’t so easy to read, however the longer you both have been together, the more you pick up on his cues for each emotion he is feeling

Again, he is a man of few words and expressions, however he means what he says

He really does care about you and your safety

He loves you <3

———————

Hope you enjoyed! I’m going to try and post something at least once a week, and see how that works

Asks are open! Please give me ideas on what to write :)

Have a great day!!

[danceofthephilos]

Hanakotoba and the Meanings of Flowers in SK8 the Infinity

Ranging from very overt allusions in the text to single pieces of official art, almost every main character in SK8 has been associated with a flower. Hanakotoba, the Japanese language of flowers, is something that the creators were attentive to, evidenced by its mention both in the show itself and by staff in discussion about the episodes, and considering how hanakotoba might have been taken into account in the other examples of flower imagery can add an interesting layer of symbolism to speculate on.

The hanakotoba columns on GreenSnap were my primary source for this post, but I've crosschecked the meanings on multiple websites as much as possible to ensure the factual information here is accurate to the best of my ability. This is quite a long post, so bear with me.

🌹 Roses 🌹

Naturally, the first flower to start with is the one that is directly mentioned in the show itself:

As Adam says, red roses do mean "passionate love", though his particular wording (jounetsu no ai) is slightly paraphrased from how that meaning is typically worded. (If you look up the meaning of roses in hanakotoba, you may see netsuretsu na koi (熱烈な恋) instead.) They can also simply mean "love" and "passion" (ai and jounetsu, as Adam uses in this line), as well as "beauty" and "I'm in love with you."

In Japanese as in English, red roses are a very classically romantic gift, so in the finale and the Blu-ray box art, it seems Adam's passionate love hasn't waned.

There are also specific meanings for certain numbers of flowers in a bouquet of roses, and while it's never stated how many roses are in the first bouquet Adam brings Langa, extrapolating from how many flowers are visible in the shots and how many are hidden, as well as the bouquet at Adam's birthday display at the 2022 NAMJATOWN collaboration containing 50 flowers (as I was able to confirm from some fans' photos from better angles, that I won't be reposting here as they were personal photos on Twitter) I believe that the bouquet in the show also contains 50, which means "eternity."

Adam's bouquets to Langa are also not the only times roses appear in relation to him, nor is red the only color they appear in. Several flashback shots of Ainosuke and Tadashi as children feature red roses, which has quite clear subtextual implications, especially alongside the comparison between Tadashi and Langa made in the show itself.

But one prominent flashback also includes pink roses, meaning "deep impression."

In Ainosuke and Tadashi's last scene together in the finale, there's a vase of purple roses behind them, meaning "pride" or "respect."

And his graffiti tag from the 2022 Infinity Week art features blue roses, which, along with being in Langa's image color, mean "dream come true", "impossible" or "miracle."

Roses also have a lengthy history of associations with gay men, both in real-life Japanese gay culture and in the boys' love genre, and how this relates to the use of rose imagery in SK8 could (and likely eventually will) be its own post, but it's an extra aspect to take into consideration with Adam especially.

As a bonus, the mangaka for the official manga adaptation also drew Langa and Reki with red and blue roses (respectively) to celebrate the season finale:

And while Reki is never associated with roses in any more official capacity, Langa does have red roses in his house that are visible in a few scenes:

~

🌷 Tulips 🌷

This is another one that's directly confirmed, this time regarding Shadow's bouquet in the ending montage.

For love bouquets, Adam uses roses, so Hiromi-chan's was tulips and white baby's breath. In hanakotoba, red tulips mean "confession of love." Pink means "sincere love." Orange means "shyness", so we went with these three. Plus, white tulips are "new love" or "unrequited love" so we stopped there… (lol) By the way, in hanakotoba, baby's breath means "innocent love" and "gratitude."

(Episode 12 Director Masatoyo Takada, Skater's Backstage)

Tulips in general mean "charity" and "thoughtfulness", and Shadow is frequently associated with them outside of just this scene, whether on his clothes or in official merchandise. "Tulip" is also the name of the flower shop where he works!

He's holding another bouquet of tulips on the Blu-ray box art, as well, with the same colors as in the finale - but with the addition of the mentioned white tulips for "unrequited love", and yellow tulips, which can mean "honesty", but can mean "unrequited love" (or "hopeless love") too... Sorry, Shadow.

~

🌺 Hibiscus 🌺

Moving away from directly stated connections into slightly more obscure ones, Reki is nevertheless visually associated with hibiscus in several places, both in shots in the show and in his 2021 birthday art.

Hibiscus flowers generally can mean "new love", "trust" and "I believe in you" (a meaning thought to originate from Hinduism), while red hibiscus specifically (as Reki is depicted with) mean "bravery."

Hibiscus flowers are also considered as symbol of Okinawa as a whole, making them an especially fitting flower for Reki, who's implied to be of indigenous Ryukyuan descent and is the character who could be considered the most representative of Okinawa (and Langa's new life there) in the show,

~

🌸 Cherry Blossoms 🌸

This one is fairly self-explanatory; Kaoru's surname is Sakurayashiki (sakura being the Japanese word for cherry blossoms), his S name is Cherry Blossom, cherry blossoms feature on his costume and heavily in the decor in his calligraphy studio, et cetera. As one of the most well-known and famously Japanese flowers, they're well suited to Cherry's traditional Japanese image, and the whole aesthetic of his character is themed around them. Even his birthday is on March 27th, Sakura Day in Japan.

In hanakotoba, cherry blossoms' most well-known meaning is "moral beauty", a phrase referring to the beauty of someone's personality or character. They can also mean "graceful woman" or "pure-blooded", and the specific species of cherry blossom that the ones in Cherry's design resemble (somei-yoshino cherry blossoms) can additionally mean "noble" or "innocent." The fact that the same flower with such elegant meanings is related to both his public and S personas adds to the characteristic duality between his outward appearance and private personality.

While not specifically hanakotoba, the French meaning of cherry blossoms also appears to be well-known in Japan - "ne m'oubliez pas", or "don't forget me", associated with ending relationships.

~

💮 Chrysanthemums 💮

Another flower associated with a character through their surname, chrysanthemums are the "kiku" (菊) in Kikuchi. A chrysanthemum also features prominently in the design on Adam's skateboard.

Chrysanthemums also appear on both Adam and Tadashi's clothes in a few pieces of official art.

Chrysanthemums' meanings in hanakotoba are all variations of "nobility" and "purity." They're a flower with great cultural significance in Japan, being the crest of the Imperial family, and often appear as a symbol of Japanese society itself - including on the badges worn by both Diet members such as Ainosuke and even certain ones worn by their secretaries, making this flower one that's representative of a very important aspect of both their lives.

While there's no particular history to this meaning, due to the romantic color, red chrysanthemums such as the one on Adam's board can also mean "I love you."

According to director Utsumi in the 2022 Infinity Week livestream, the chrysanthemum on Adam's board was a happy accident, as Thomas Romain, the artist who designed the board, didn't know Tadashi's name or anything about his history with Adam when creating it. The double layer of symbolism is an incredible coincidence!

~

🌻 Sunflowers 🌻

Joe doesn't have any particular connection with flowers in the show himself, but there is one piece of official art featuring him with sunflowers, which complement the strong association he does have with the sun.

In hanakotoba, sunflowers mean "admiration", "longing" or "I'm only looking at you" - originating from the way sunflowers will always turn to face the sun. As this particular piece of official art was for a magazine feature for White Day (a Japanese holiday where men receive gifts from women they gave gifts to on Valentine's Day), perhaps they're meant to be a gift to him. As Joe's stronger association is with the sun itself (his tattoo is of the sun, his board has the word "sole" - sun in Italian - written on it and a sun incorporated into the design, his restaurant's name (Sia la Luce) translates to "let there be light") he could be seen as the sun that the sunflowers (his admirers) would look towards.

Along with the hibiscus in the image, Reki's birthday event in 2021 also featured sunflowers as part of the display, fitting his yellow image color.

~

❄️ Snowdrops ❄️

And finally, one more case with only a single piece of official art - but one with a very interesting history behind its meanings. In Langa's 2022 birthday art, he's shown holding snowdrops - a natural association with his S name and the fact that he's a former snowboarder.

In hanakotoba, snowdrops mean "hope" and "comfort." These meanings are said, as you will find on any Japanese hanakotoba site, to originate from a story about Adam and Eve dating back to at least 1925, if not earlier (with 1925 being the earliest version of the story the Japanese Wikipedia page on snowdrops is able to cite.) As the story goes, after Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden, an angel took pity on them suffering in the winter cold and turned the falling snowflakes into snowdrops, to console them and give them courage. In that 1925 version of the story, the first snowdrop was specifically a gift to Eve:

The Snowdrop Legend When the first winter lay white upon the earth, Eve sorely missed the beautiful things of the field. An angel who pitied her seized a snowflake and, breathing upon it, bade it live, for her delight. It fell to the earth a flower, which Eve caught to her breast with gladness, for not only did it break the spell of winter, but it carried assurance of divine mercy. Hence the flower means consolation and promise.

With both the superficial connections of being winter flowers named after snow and their connection to SK8's intentional biblical themes (as producer Mari Suzuki described the show as a whole as "the story of Adam searching for Eve" in Animedia March 2021), these have some of the deepest meanings of any of the flowers depicted, despite only appearing in a single piece of art.

The flower imagery SK8 uses is fascinating and surprisingly layered, especially knowing the deliberate attention to hanakotoba that was paid in certain cases, and it'll be interesting to see how it might continue to feature in the future.

[fourswordsannotated]

akira himekawa are unbelievably cool.

soooo here's the thing. i was looking at akira himekawa's website on a whim and found a public blog, with posts that go all the way back to 2009. many hours of google translating later, and i've developed an even stronger admiration of these two women and their exceptional career as manga artists. they share so much in these posts about the creative process, their thoughts on social justice, their connections with nature, and their most major original story, gliding reki, which seems to have always been a passion project in the midst of commercial work.

from what i could gather, reki is unique in that they were determined to do it in full color. and they did it, because after reading about their career, it's clear to me that when these women set their mind to an idea, they make it happen. see also: they just recently produced and distributed their own art book, because no publishers were offering to do it in a way that pleased them.

their stated goals for reki were to make something more adult than their previous children's manga, taking place in a city, involving a lot of mechanical art, and featuring stronger romantic and self-described erotic subtext. good for them. before i get into the four swords-related stuff, i'm sharing what i could find on the internet about reki.

more under the cut, because there's quite a bit to discuss :)

not much that i could find on the blog specifically references four swords, but they have many fascinating insights about nintendo, the zelda fandom, and the franchise as a whole. i can't know for certain because this information was surmised from translated text, but it seems as if their manga with chibi link made them feel a little stifled, which is why they took a long break before returning to do twilight princess. it's not lost on me that even a work like four swords, which they may regard as not their favorite or best, still has inspired and brought together so many passionate, creative, and diverse people. this is especially sweet because it seems as if they met each other, and formed their creative partnership, because of a shared fandom interest of their own.

honda and nagano have shared their thoughts and feelings on this blog for more than a decade, and they have a lot of thoughts and feelings. throughout their entire career they've made commentary on work-life balance, their experiences as women in a male-dominated field, and their desire to create original art while simultaneously enjoying some commercial work as well. they are passionate about social justice, particularly re: women and indigenous people, and offer insights on aspects of culture and history and the state of the world that really could resonate with anyone. and they really seem to appreciate fans of their work, and emphasize repeatedly the care and thought they put into their manga in the hopes it will inspire and bring catharsis to readers. they love animals (especially wolves), being outside in nature, being nerds about art they enjoy, a certain subgenre of romantic manga that appealed to and empowered female readers in the 90's and 2000's, and traveling around the world to partake in activities like horse riding and falconry.

the coolest part is, they're still updating the blog to this day :) in fact they seem to have recently returned to it, reflecting that twitter is not their preferred manner of sharing things online. they seem very familiar with and fond of older-school blogging culture.

there's a lot more i could say here about my findings, some of which do pertain to... certain ships 💜🖤 . but i don't want my genuine appreciation for these authors to be overshadowed by that kind of conversation. in addition to a link to the blog itself, i'm including a few translated posts of interests, which you can interpret and incorporate into your perception of the media however you please. at the end of the day, it's a really cool gift that these artists have chosen to share so much over such a long period of time. by making their personalities, beliefs, and insights more visible to fans of their work, i hope it brings new context to the stories we already love.

a modern-day insight:

re: the zelda mangas. these are from several points throughout their career. please note that they have so many fond things to say about zelda as a franchise and their work on the mangas, especially regarding the way they've affected fans. i encourage you to look for yourself, on their blog and their other socials!

re: gliding reki

re: the creative process (and in the latter two, the fandom that seems to have inspired them!)

re: their two goofyass adorable tiny dogs that they dress up in outfits while also loving wolves like a lot, they love wolves (both domesticated and wild), they really love wolves

re: wolf day (every day is wolf day,)

re: indigenous rights

re: painting serious works on commission vs their manga. i can't know for sure exactly what it means, but it really does kinda hit

re: a fan and manga artist in training bringing them art and a note

and a moment from a twilight princess manga interview i found very sweet :)

okay. you've made it to the end. i know you're wondering. here you go. please remember that this is and always has been a public blog, and these posts are actually from 2009 and 2010. also please remember that the point of this post is not to cause or fuel fandom discourse, but to appreciate these authors and the things that they choose to express.

(also, this is the column they were referring to in image 1. it's FASCINATING. give it a read if you'd like!)

the dots are there. you're welcome to connect them.

thank you for your beautiful work and insights, honda and nagano. please never change.

[meimi-haneoka]

Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Chapter 80 (FINAL): Comments + JP-ENG translation differences

CCS Faaaans!!! Welcome to our last (?) monthly appointment with the analysis, commentary and list of translation differences for THE FINAL chapter of Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card!!! 🥹🥹🥹

Aaaaaah, I can't believe that after seven years and a half of serialization, we're finally here!!

I still remember the strong emotions I felt when I had seen the pages of Nakayoshi for chapter 1 in advance, back in June 2016....it seemed like a miracle, to me. Like a "mirage". And back then I still didn't know just HOW MUCH of a precious miracle this sequel would've become to me!

So it's with shaky hands and a trembling, emotional heart that I write this post to you...I hope you can excuse the length of it (maybe take a break in between?), I'll do my best to highlight the translation differences (unfortunately we definitely got some for this finale, one in particular made me quite mad) so you can spot them immediately among the sea of words and feels I will inevitably pour into my writing...

The "Beaver Moon" was big and shiny just a few days ago, and like all the full moons at the end of the month, it brought us a chapter, a very special finale for this series.

And as I usually do, I really cannot skip this silly moment that accompanied me for so many commentary posts, so here you go, my dear readers, the last Gif Of The Month!!!

I had already decided that, no matter the content of the chapter, I would've used this, because it is my intention to give my congratulations to CLAMP for reaching the end of this wonderful story and also thank them for giving me a multitude of emotions over the years. I've been happy, angry, excited, teary-eyed, frustrated, confused, hopeful, in pain, in love. I'll always be grateful to them for changing their mind and deciding to give us a sequel of this beloved series, after so many years of dreaming of it, and for making me fall in love with the new characters, none excluded!

So, off we go, under the cut for this commentary of the finale!!

The Color Page

Oh my heart 😭😭😭 I really wondered if they would go for it, if they would shoot us with feels right from the first pages and they did, they paid homage to the color page of chapter 50 of the old manga!! ❤️ We can see the same bluebirds that were featured back then, still holding in their little beaks lots of ribbons coming from the pink roses bouquet that Sakura is preciously holding... And that also made me realize that these are the same birds that were featured last month for Akiho and Kaito's color page too!!! ✨ They definitely, definitely wanted us to get the message that all of them will be truly happy from now on. ❤️I actually appreciate even more that Mokona-sensei took care in including those birds for the color page of Akiho/Kaito too.

Back in the old manga, CLAMP had given a comment for the illustration of chapter 50, saying that it was created that way to give a sense of looking forward to the future, and the absence of the Star Wand here was a precise request from Ohkawa to Mokona, because Sakura would've tried her best from now on, without necessarily relying on her magic.

Here, in chapter 80, we can somehow see the same theme but Sakura isn't proceeding "forward" towards a specific direction, it seems more like she's floating comfortably, assisted by her loyal Flight Card, embellished for the occasion (it makes it look kind of "upgraded", right?). I get a sense of Sakura feeling way more comfortable with her natural gift than she's ever been.

The blue sky, the ribbons, the bluebirds, the bouquet of pink flowers, the presence of a flying Card, Sakura's bare feet and her beautiful smile are definitely elements common to both illustrations.

Here Sakura wears a longer outfit, more elegant, which of course makes her look more grown up, as it should!

The editorial text on this last page doesn't carry words of thanks like in the color page of the final chapter of the old manga (those this time around were printed directly on the cover of Nakayoshi), but actually "My invincible spell is....'Everything is surely going to be alright' "! I think it was a very nice choice to feature the Invincible Spell in the front page of this final chapter. ✨

Between this and the absolutely divine Sakura on the cover of Nakayoshi, I can feel my heart softening and filling up with lots of hope and comfort, helping me to cope with the imminent "loss" that I'm going to experience.

BUT! It's not time to let us be caught by those mischievous feelings that want us to cry at all costs, and so we're gonna proceed for the actual chapter!!

The Books In Fujitaka's Library

The final chapter starts with Sakura chatting with Eriol and Kaho in a videocall over the phone!! The thing that immediately stands out is that Sakura is still wearing the full-winter uniform, so it's apparent right from the first panel that rather than turning back, the events are proceeding forward from where we left them, exactly as Sakura wished.

It's still winter, spring is almost here and we're almost towards the end of the 1st year of middle school for Sakura & co.

Another thing that I, as a foreigner, couldn't help but doing is calculating what time should've been for Eriol and Kaho, since they live in Europe like me! 😂😂😂 Having followers and friends all over the world, it's just normal for me. Well, if this is early morning, it should be night for the Europeans, so maybe that background at the window should be black?? 😂😆 Who knows if sensei will fix it, in the tankobon?

But enough with the silly things, let's see what Sakura is discussing with these two.

The very first thing we hear is quite shocking: Sakura slept four entire days to recuperate from the insane fatigue after the last battle!!

When I've heard that, my immediate thought was going towards all kinds of realistic, very practical issues like "did they keep her hydrated, in these four days? What about the bladder? 😱" but come on, way crazier things happened in this finale and this is the last thing we should worry about 😂

Eriol sweetly says that everyone waited impatiently for Sakura to wake up (I can imagine that!! Syaoran and Akiho must have died of anxiety). In Japanese, his sentence is somehow left trailing off, it gives me the impression that he wanted her to know that she's cared for, but in a very polite manner and avoiding to make her feel guilty for it. Sakura, as the good girl she is, tries to apologize for making them worry, apologies that Eriol doesn't need, so she ends up thanking both him and Kaho for what they did for her (and we can see Kaho peeking in the videocall! I'm glad she recovered too! As usual she's wearing nice outfits, the transparent veil over the skirt is interesting!).

Kaho, with her usual "maternal" aura, says that seeing her in good shape and hearing her cheerful voice over the phone is more than enough to her, which makes Sakura happy.

Eriol then proceeds to ask a question about the books he saw flying away at full speed after Sakura removed all the spells and the graphics from the artifact (the huge book), which then transformed into said smaller books: he wants to know where they ended up to, and lo and behold, they're nowhere other than in Fujitaka's library, in the basement of Sakura's house! 😱

So we can see a flashback depicting a scene right after Sakura woke up (she's still in her PJs), and her father shows her a pile of ancient-looking books sitting on his desk and on the floor.

Yes, those are all the magical books that Akiho had read and (unknowingly) engraved on herself, which were about to crush her soul. There's really a lot of them, so I don't have a hard time believing that she was really on the verge of losing her soul forever.

As Fujitaka tries to explain himself, it seems Sakura worked so hard and in the end those books ended up landing right at their house!

And then, in a very moving scene, we see Fujitaka being just so happy because finally, after so many years (since 4th grade) of just watching over his daughter going through several hurdles and not being able to be helpful in any concrete way (because he didn't have magical powers, and even when magic was passed onto him, he didn't know how to use it), NOW he can finally be of assistance to her.

He then tells her not to worry, because he already got several "weird" books in his collection (hell we knew, the Cthulhu books were surely a surprise 😂), and that anything goes where it's supposed to go, when its due time comes. He believes these books, too, will reach their new fated destination one day, so until then, he will take care of them. ✨

By the way, you all saw it, right?? YES, it's there again. Fay's tattoo on that book! 😂CLAMP REALLY wanted us to see it, didn't they?

Is this insistence in featuring elements coming from Tsubasa a sign of something in the future...? Or are they just messing with us....?

I bet even this book one day will find its way to Celes country, to have that tattoo used in the way we all know.

Anyway, I REALLY loved this scene because it just shows CLAMP's firm intention to involve *all* the main and side characters in this collective effort to help Sakura solving Akiho and Kaito's situation (Fujitaka was indeed the one missing from the support group!).

It's just so good to know that a tiny frustration that Fujitaka expressed in this arc (how he couldn't be of help to his own daughter) was finally put to rest too, with this new task he took upon himself.

I strongly believe that Sakura, once again guided by her infallible instinct and empathy, subconsciously wished those books into her father's library, because she just knew that her father would be the perfect person to guard them and keep them safe for the time due.

The Cards

Back to the present, Eriol comments that Sakura's father is really dependable, and she can only warmly agree!

But Sakura's got questions of her own, for Eriol. She asks what happened to the transparent cards (note: even this time, Sakura keeps calling them with the japanese term 透明, "transparent", and never calls those cards クリアカード, the English term that gives name to the arc).

Eriol gives his own explanation: the transparent Cards were probably bound into the book of the guardian Sakura met (and not "befriended" like the ENG wrote), and as such, they became magical power used to activate the "forbidden magic".

About the newly created Remind and Blank Cards, Eriol guesses that the last magic that Sakura summoned thanks to those two Cards was so "violent" (the term used 凄烈 means "violent, intense, fierce") that it ended up exhausting completely the Cards' magical power.

Sakura says "so...they're gone", confirming that yes, even those two disappeared after being used.

Eriol asks about the Cards Sakura had from before, our dear Sakura Cards, and she releases them in the room to show to Eriol their current appearance: it seems like they have taken up some elements from the transparent cards, mixing up their designs! They look really cool and empowered, like this! Eriol attempts to explain this occurence as an influence of the fact that Sakura used some of them with her new Dream Staff, hence why their new appearance!

It seems like she'll be able to use all of them with that staff from now on, so this is a first hint to something that will be referenced in a stronger way in a few pages.....

Kaho gets closer to Eriol's computer and says "Don't worry, I can see they still love you all the same, Sakura-chan, there's no problem about it!" and then she spots Flight among the deck. Sakura confirms happily that it's still here and Eriol says "it's a testament to its perseverance!".

And then, Sakura wants to talk to Eriol about Akiho and Kaito too......but we're not allowed to hear it yet, because we only see Sakura nodding and "uh-uh"-ing at the phone and then Kero warns her that she's going to be late for school, so our girl hurriedly hangs up with her friends abroad.

Her dear small glutton guardian tells her to not push herself since she barely woke up yesterday, and when Sakura goes to pick the pin she wants to use today in the jewelry box (it's the pin Yukito gave her as a present in chapter 1!), she picks up the Star Key. And here, unfortunately, I have to point out the first concrete translation difference of this chapter in a scene that many were waiting for:

ENG: "This key....I wonder if it'll leave someday, too. To go to where it should be, to the side of the person it chooses to be with"

JP: "This key, too...I wonder if one day it'll go...to the side of the person it should be with"

Now, what irritates me here is that in their usual need to embellish the translation, they added an unnecessary "the person it chooses to be with", which is something they made up because there's no mention of the verb "choosing" or anything like that in Japanese, and so it makes it seem like the key will one day just go away on its own, on its own volition.

Now, this is a VERY important scene because we all know what this is foreshadowing, the transition of the Star Wand from Sakura Kinomoto to the Reborn Sakura Clone in Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle through a dream, that cameo that made us scream all over the world in 2009. That scene was accompanied by a very beautiful and mature speech by Sakura Kinomoto herself, a sign that this "handover" was totally a well pondered choice of Sakura herself, not the key's.

The translation of this scene here in Clear Card tampers with the understanding of the events we got from Tsubasa and it really makes me wonder if the translator knows of this reference at all.....

Continuing on, Sakura goes downstairs and meets Touya having breakfast (and omg Kero goes to him!!! I still can't get used to these two interacting in the open), as usual Touya teases her calling her "monster", to which Sakura stiffens, but she shakes it off to thank her brother, to which he answers "no snacks for four days"!

Sakura at that point gets angry asking why, but he diverts her attention pointing out that she's gonna be late, so the girl bolts out of the door......not hearing her brother saying "that's the amount of days you haven't woken up, you silly!" (and Kero goes along with it).

Now, the ENG translation here interpreted this as a "payback", like Touya isn't going to make her snacks for 4 more days as a "payback" for making him worry like that, and initially I interpreted it like that too. But as I checked the Spanish translation, they interpreted it differently, as if Touya wasn't talking about the snacks that he won't prepare for the next 4 days, but actually the ones Sakura didn't eat during the period in which she was sleeping, and I think they're right because Touya calls Sakura "dummy, silly" so he might be referencing the fact that she misunderstood, here! Anyway, it's not a serious difference but I wanted to report it here anyway.

Sakura finds Syaoran out of her house waiting for her, and we see him all happy and embarrassed to go pick his girl up right outside her house to go to school together 🥰Syaoran got contacted yesterday from her (I don't know why in the ENG there's "last night", it's just "yesterday"), telling him that she was ok now, but of course that wasn't enough for our worrywart prince charming, so he's here this morning to escort her to school! Sakura can't avoid commenting "aw, you were worried about me!" and Syaoran honestly but embarassedly answers "that, and I wanted to see you as soon as possible". Omg these two...flirting like crazy in front of the audience even in the finale!! 😂(well of course!!). As one of my friends reminded me, this line was already said by Syaoran before, when he was revealing the whole truth about the Sakura Cards and was explaining to Sakura that he came back to Japan earlier than scheduled also because he wanted to see her sooner.

After a good dose of blushing which is always good for the health in the early morning, Sakura thanks Syaoran not only for walking her to school, but also for all the rest that he's done. She's clearly referencing the events of 4 days ago, and Syaoran answers that if he helped her even just a little, then he's happy. This vague reference to the events of 4 days ago seems lost in the ENG, as Syaoran casually answers that he's happy if he can help her sometimes (?). 少しでも means "even just a little", not "sometimes".

On the way to school, Sakura says that she already contacted everyone to say that she woke up and to thank them, but she seems to be wanting to go thanking Yukito directly at his house later, also because Nakuru and Suppi are there! As Syaoran adds, Sakura can see Tomoyo and Akiho later at school. Sakura says "...yes" with a slightly sad face because she already knows something about one of them.....

We switch to Yukito's house for the last look at our "snow bunny", still in Nakuru's company (when are they going back to England???) and wondering what kind of sweets should he offer to Sakura today, while Nakuru is hellbent on finally having Sakura call her "Nakuru-chan" today (I told you, she's like a 5 years old girl, she sees herself as a kid like Sakura 😂).

Then, turning suddenly serious, she says to Yukito: "Don't you dare doing anything else that requires a 'payment', understood?", which immediately made me realize that Nakuru remembers about Yukito's pact with the Tsukimine Shrine!! Then, they didn't just recover the memories strictly relating to Akiho!!!

Yukito, with a big smile, says "well...I can't promise you that" which understandably triggers in Nakuru a "Yukito, you're really stubborn!!" from the bottom of her heart! 😂

But there's a kitty sleeping on a cushion (or feigning to?), our dear Suppi who thinks to himself "All of you moon-aligned types are stubborn!!" and let me tell you, this arc showed us ALL the proofs of that! 😂(Yes, Kaito, we're looking at you! 😂😂😂).

Brand New World With You

Homeroom is starting in Sakura's class and Tomoyo makes sure that Sakura will take it easy since this is her first day back at school.

The teacher comes in, and she's already got a news for everyone (and here my heart already knew what it was): Akiho Shinomoto will be transferring away in one month! (Yes! it's Shinomoto again!)

The class is shocked, as Tomoyo is, but Sakura smiles and doesn't look surprised at all...

At lunch, everyone is so sad about Akiho transferring and Chiharu expresses how much she'll miss her, but also Naoko who loses a precious advisor for her scripts and a great actress since she wanted to cast her for the next play, seeing how wonderful she was in "Alice in Clockland". Tomoyo says that the chorus club will miss her too, and Yamazaki comments that Akiho lived in Hong Kong before transferring to Japan, so he asks her if she's still going abroad, even this time around. Akiho confirms, and then remembers that she needs to go to the teacher's room. Sakura insists to accompany her even if Akiho knows the way by now (and here we have a sweet, nostalgic recall to the same scene of the first chapter Akiho appeared in, chapter 7! Even the lines are almost the same). Of course, Sakura insisted because she wants to have a private chat with her....on their way there, she says she heard from Eriol that morning that she would be transferring abroad, but she would like to ask the reason why to Akiho herself.

Akiho says that, after all that happened, that same night she talked to Eriol (she calls him "Hiiragizawa-san" ❤️) for the first time.

He told her that he would be supporting her in any choice or anything she'd want to do from now on (the "anything I would choose" is missing from the ENG translation), and support her even with Kaito's circumstances.

Akiho was told by Eriol that Kaito kept hurting himself the more he used time magic, and that he shouldn't have been in a good condition after messing even with the "forbidden magic"....but apparently, Sakura managed to work a little miracle when she used Rewind on him.

When Sakura brought Kaito back to his original appearance, the pocket watch she used was almost completely repaired and its time stopped, and thanks to that, Kaito's time is stopped too.

I had already noticed that Kaito's life seems to be strictly connected to that pocket watch, as the more damage he took on his body, the more the watch broke. Sooooo in this scene we have some important information:

1- Eriol mentions the time magic Kaito used, how he kept using it and also the effect it would have on him, so it's legit to think that even him recovered the memories of the unrewritten timeline, not only the stuff strictly concerning Akiho.

2- Kaito's life is in a halted state (reminds you of someone?) and this means that his life is not flowing like other people's: he won't age, but his physical condition won't also get worse, as Sakura infers right after. The ENG translation suggests that Kaito won't be feeling any pain at all, but that's not the case: Sakura uses the words もっと辛かったり痛かったり, "more in pain and have a rough time (than this)", so he's still going to feel not so well from time to time, but at least his condition won't get worse than this.

Akiho confirms, and explains that because of this, they're going to look for a magic that will be able to heal Kaito and, in addition to that, a magic that would be able to make his stopped time move forward again. This won't certainly take short time and it won't be easy....but Akiho smiles beautifully while saying that she's sure that there is a book that carries those spells she's looking for.

And then....with a sad smile, she says there's another reason.

And here my heart sinked because I wanted to see her so badly and I got the confirmation she wasn't with them.......😭

I'm talking about Momo, of course, and Akiho agrees with me because the other reason they'll travel around is that she wants to see her beloved Momo and even the "Alice in Clockland" book.

This indeed sounds a lot like the resolutions of the characters of Tsubasa in their own finale, but after all, we've been saying for long time that Kaito and Akiho had many situations paralleling those of the SyaoSaku in TRC.

Akiho, with the most radiant and beautiful smile she's ever had, says that she's sure she'll find so many other books she's never read, beside the ones she'll be looking for.

"Because now I can go wherever I want, whenever I want, all by my own volition. Together with Kaito-san"

Sakura points out that books are, indeed, really special and important to her.

And really, Akiho's smile on this beatiful spread was enough to heal my heart from the disappointment of knowing that Momo wasn't with them, because Akiho really looks happy to start this journey with Kaito...she feels free for the first time ever.

No more clan dictating where she should go or what she should read, at her own expense at that, but also the situation between her and her beloved Kaito found its solution, with her stating loud and clear that even if he's her most important person and he did all of that for her, she's the only one who can decide her own happiness and change her own life. Akiho is finally free from all constraints, both from evil and from love, and honestly it's so comforting to see her so confident and happy.

My True Name Is....

And talking about Kaito, we switch to the Shinomoto mansion, where we see him in bed (he's still recovering - also we see his room for the first time!) and Akiho is telling him of how her friends took the news of her transferring abroad.

She was happy to hear that they're going to miss her, I bet this was the first time that people took any interest in her, so much to get to the point of saying "I'll miss you".....which totally explains why she's glad to hear that. She finally made true friends, here in Tomoeda.

Kaito is pleased to see her happy.

Akiho says that she's going to prepare dinner (my heart got warm thinking that now it's her the one cooking for him and he doesn't protest or anything) and she's going to make the no-fry croquettes that Sakura taught her (remember??? They had dedicated a chapter to that, and they were so important because Akiho learned them precisely for Kaito).

But Kaito kind of "interrupts" her, saying the thing WE ALL were waiting for him to say:

Kaito, JP (lit.): "I'm sorry. For having thought (all that plan) on my own and decided things without your permission. Even though I know that you're someone perfectly capable of writing her own chosen future on her own blank book"

Oooooooh. The feeling of puzzle pieces going to their right place, the sense of accomplishment, the satisfaction in reading these words from him. HE FINALLY UNDERSTOOD. And it took almost k*lling himself and causing to the very person he was trying to make happy an indescribable grief, to come to this point.

What a lack of self-esteem and underlying depression can do.

But thankfully, they all managed to save things at last minute and now he's learned his lesson. So the first thing he does when he's able to, is apologizing to Akiho. But not only that.

Akiho says Kaito's name, probably wanting to answer something in return, but he interrupts her again, saying something I've been dying to hear him say (lately I expressed here and on Twitter my wish to see precisely this scene in the finale):

"That's my alias"

Akiho is shocked at hearing that, and he says, with a serious face, "Can I tell you my true name?"

At this point, I was hollering, I won't really hide it or anything.

If you're CLAMP fans, you probably know how IMPORTANT and VITAL is an information like one's true name, especially for a magician. Yuuko in Holic said that if you give someone your true name, they can take your soul.

And I'm 100% sure that even Akiho knows how important true names are in the magic world, this is something that Momo already mentioned in one of the Drama CDs but here she confirms it herself, saying hesitantly: "Are you sure I should be hearing something so important?"

With the next thing Kaito says, I was almost calling an ambulance.

Heh, I know, this is me, what can I do? Their story got me by the throat and coming to this point is such an achievement, for me. 😅

"I want you to know it"

That あなた between brackets is so powerful. "You, above all".

In that "you" there's all the things he's not saying aloud, how unique and important she is to him. How much he trusts her with the most vulnerable part of himself. How much he's willing to give his entire soul, his everything to her, but this time in the correct way, without damaging anyone.

Akiho must be noticing all of this, because Mokona doesn't allow us to see her face, only her closed hand rising up, but from her ".....okay" I'm sure here she was quite touched.

So Kaito finally proceeds to reveal this secret that everyone was wondering about ever since chapter 51:

"Cristaux. That's my true name".

Cristaux is written with the katakana クリスト (pronounced kurisuto) which has already been misunderstood by many for "Christ" 😂, but thankfully CLAMP have put in the furigana the correct spelling in romaji.

Cristaux is a french word used to indicate crystals. Yes, plural.

So our crazy magician was named after crystals at his birth.

Of course, of course. Isn't crystals the overwhelming theme of this arc, after all? CLAMP made sure to feature some in many many color illustration they've done.

Also, while talking to a friend, I realized that now we might understand a bit better why Kaito made a very pensive face, disguised as Syaoran, when Sakura pointed out in Clockland (ch. 66) that the castle of the Queen had foundations made of crystal........

As usual with CLAMP, we've had the solution to the mystery under our nose the whole time! 😂This feels like Tsubasa 2.0, for real! 😂

It is surely an inusual name, but I mean, it seems many of the names CLAMP choose for their characters aren't that common, after all.

With this reveal, Kaito decided to start anew with Akiho, this time around from a basis of honesty and trust. He's never going to put up masks with her ever again (and even though it's confirmed they still talk in keigo to one another -which is something I've always imagined-, we've seen him using his true pronoun "ore" with her in chapter 78). This is the perfect foundation for a relationship based on communication and trust. Bravo Kaito, you did your homeworks.

Akiho places a hand over her chest, as if the precious name entered her heart, and says something that made me completely melt:

"I've written it on the most important page of my book. So I can never forget it".

This line makes me particularly emotional not only because it sounds SO SWEET, on the verge of flirting, but also because it seems to me like a callback to something that was said in a sadder situation.

Back in chapter 35, when Sakura ended up trapped into Akiho's artifact, she experienced Akiho's past on her skin. The day of the magic ceremony that turned Akiho into an artifact, some people from the clan/Association said "let's engrave all the magical books we can find into this girl's body, so she can never forget them. Just like a blank book".

Back then, these horrible words were used to abuse a poor child, but that child today turned them into the power to choose for herself.

She appropriates the same "book" analogy to turn it into a way for her to choose on her own. Kaito's name is a precious information that she chooses to write on her heart so she can never forget it.

It is a way for her to cope and have a catharsis for her trauma.

I honestly keep getting such wonderful messages from the story of these two characters, and I'll never thank CLAMP enough for creating them.

Kaito smiles softly at Akiho's words.

Then we go back to Sakura, Syaoran and Tomoyo, the "fab 3" who are going back home together, and we get some more information: it seems Eriol called Syaoran too (man, this guy called half the world to give explanations left and right 😂) and told him that he's going to buy Akiho and Kaito's house and look after it for them.

Sakura is really glad to hear that because it means that Akiho's huge collection of books will be safe and guarded in its library.

Tomoyo asks what they're going to do about Akiho's room at the Kinomoto house: in fact, if you look at the first panel of this chapter, you'll see that the additional portion that sprouted on Kinomoto house is still there: this means that Sakura gave everyone back their memories, but that magic didn't affect the discrepancies that arised from the rewriting of their world, hence why Akiho's room is still there.

Sakura talked about it with her dad and they decided they're gonna leave it untouched, as it is, so Akiho can always go back to it at any time. Did I cry at this? Yes, a little, because this is a sign that the Kinomotos will still keep considering her one of the family even if she'll be away, even if she'll have her life with Kaito, and I couldn't ask for anything better, for my sweet Akiho. It is so important for her to keep the bonds she created over time and know that now she's also got a network of people there for her. A second family where to turn to.

Sakura's having a real hard time accepting that Akiho will go away, and her smile becomes sad, before hugging Tomoyo and crying out "But I'll still miss her so much!!" 🥹poor Sakura 🥹I know, it's always so sad when someone that important to you leaves...

You'll Be Together Forever!!

One month passes by, and we can see some sakura flowers starting to bloom, this means we're at the end of March (and so we were in February before, just like I imagined). School year must be over pretty soon.

It's the big day, the day of departure for Akiho and Kaito, and Sakura+Syaoran went to see them off. Have you spotted it, on Sakura's scarf? Yes, that's the pin shaped like a teddy bear, the same Kaho gave her as a present and that she was wearing in the OG manga during the run at the bus stop to tell her feelings to Syaoran!

Akiho thanks Sakura for coming so early in the morning, and Sakura says she absolutely wanted to be there to see them off, actually she apologizes for making them delay their departure due to this meeting. Akiho is dressed with a cute outfit that is very remiscent of the one she's wearing in the color page of chapter 79.

A little separated from them to give their privacy, we see Kaito and his big suitcase, standing next to Syaoran. OMG it's so inusual to see them like that!!

Then, Kaito says "Time magic....I can teach it to you, if you ever want to use it". Syaoran is very surprised to hear that, and Kaito says that when he was still in the dragon form, he heard him apologizing to Sakura for not being able to use that magic because he hadn't learned it yet, remember?? 🥹

And Kaito just offered himself as a teacher, surely as a way to thank him for everything he's done to save him and Akiho.

But not only that: in a very sweet panel, he says he knows Syaoran won't use it in an inappropriate way, and I can totally hear that implied "as opposed to me". Oh yes I hear it loud and clear by the way this is phrased in Japanese. 😁

Then, he happily takes out his phone and asks him to exchange contact numbers, because they can be convenient for any occurrence! I feel like that was a good idea because they're surrounded by magic matters so much, it's always good to be able to count on the experience and knowledge of other magicians.

We see Syaoran being a bit perplexed at the request, but then reluctanctly (?) takes out his phone 😂oh lord his reaction is so funny....and this is also another proof that the characters remember what happened before, because Syaoran could have this reaction only for that reason 😂😂😂

While looking at them interacting so funnily, Akiho takes the chance to get closer to Sakura and whisper a very important information to her (it came!!! it came for her too!! I KNEW IT!! It's not WHAT I imagined but I've been saying forever that this would come 😂):

Akiho, JP & ENG: "My real name...is Cosmos"

What you guys can't see if you're reading the ENG version or any other language, is the duality of Akiho's true name here.

It's actually written in Japanese kanji, but the furigana that tells how to pronounce it are katakana for "Cosmos".

So it's like this:

Japanese name: 秋桜 (pronounced Akizakura, it's how Cosmos are called in Japanese)

Furigana (reading): コスモス (Cosmos)

It's not uncommon to find the Cosmos flowers being called directly with their katakana spelling, in Japanese.

All of this makes total sense for Akiho because her favorite flower is a specific type of Cosmos, the Chocolate Cosmos! They say they really smell like chocolate! So, just like Sakura, she's got the same name of her favorite flower.

But this duality of her name also allows Akiho to say what she's about to say:

Akiho, JP: "When we met for the first time, I was happy to learn I had one same character in my name as yours!"

I'm glad to see that more or less all the foreign translations did their best to explain the trick of the kanji, adding an explanation in the bubbles (they were big enough, thankfully). The ENG for example talked about "sharing a name" but Akiho here is meaning more "sharing a character" of the japanese name.

Sakura is of course really honored and happy to hear that, and thanks her for sharing such an important detail about herself.

And now, hahaha.....comes the part where I laughed SO, so much, because while to some it might sound strange for Akiho to do something like this, to me it isn't strange at all! Cause she's like that, her personality is far stronger than most think...

Our little mischievous Akiho here reveals to Sakura, still whispering, that she isn't going to share her real name with Kaito yet, because she's still a bit upset with him!! 😂😂😂

Oh lord, Akiho....oh dear....you have all the right to still be a bit upset, make him work hard to get such an important information from you!! 😂 I can't believe right now we have Kaito basically in Akiho's hands while Akiho, the one who seemed the most in love out of the two, is actually still withholding that from him! 😂😂😂 aaaaahhh trust CLAMP to always give you something interesting....this is totally in line with how I perceived her personality. 🤭I loved it!

Kaito needs to be really, really careful from now on! She's not gonna take any crap from him! 😂

And now I have to warn you because precisely as we reach the very last line Sakura will say in this arc, there is going to be another translation mistake, which I consider far worse than the other one I pointed out. I think getting it wrong precisely at the most important emotional point ruined a job that wasn't overall so bad, with this chapter (compared to others....).

Sakura, smiling, supports Akiho's idea, saying "Sounds good!", and then, utters the very last line of the arc:

ENG: "After all, we have a long future together ahead of us!"

JP: "After all, you'll be together forever from now on!"

I think you can easily guess why this translation mistake irritated me so much. I've checked the other translations and the Spanish one, the one I trust the most, agrees with me, just like the French one.

This translation is a failure for two reasons:

it failed to convey the fact that Sakura here is using almost exactly the same words she used in the OG manga at the end of volume 12, when she ran into Syaoran's arms, saying that they would be together forever from that moment on. I think iconic lines like these should be translated in the way the readers know them from the previous work, otherwise it's useless. You don't get the reference. In Japanese, back in volume 12 of the OG manga, it was "kore kara wa zutto issho da yo!" while here it is "kore kara wa zutto issho nandakara". And there is a reason for that.

this translation inexplicably made it about all of them, when Sakura was talking specifically about Akiho and Kaito instead. That "nandakara" at the end suggests that this sentence is strictly related to the one that came right before, "sounds good", as an answer to Akiho's plan to withhold her true name from Kaito for a while. Sakura here is simply saying that Akiho's idea sounds ok to her because those two will be together forever from now on, so she'll have all the time of this world to tell him eventually her true name, when she feels ready. Also, in Sakura's words, there's a deeper meaning: it's the last wish of happiness for those two, which comes from her own lived experience. At the end of volume 12 we saw Sakura uttering those same words, in her happiest moment of reunion with Syaoran...Sakura knows that happiness, the happiness of reuniting and be able to stay all the time with the person you love the most. This is the same thing she's wishing for those two right now, with these words. To be together forever and savor that same happiness she's living herself everyday. But if the translation makes it about all four of them, or even just about Sakura and Akiho, this underlying message, this last parallel between the two pairs is completely gone. Also, what's the sense in saying "we have a long future together ahead" if Kaito and Akiho are leaving?? It doesn't make sense to me. They once again managed to remove any hint of Kaito and Akiho being destined to be together for life, and bent the phrase to include everyone, just because they could. I find that quite disrespectful in my opinion.

Anyway, if you made it this far in reading the post, you now know how that line should actually be. I feel so embittered and disappointed that this happened precisely at the end...

But this time, as opposed to the OG manga, there's one more page to bring this arc to a closure: we can see the back of the new empowered Sakura Card (on the Card there's a mix of both the Star circle and the Dream circle), and the text reads:

JP, lit.: "When all the Cards are gathered, that's the beginning that comes from an end. A beginning to move on"

You have surely recognized it , this is exactly the same page that appeared at the very beginning of this arc, it's just that back then we had a Sakura Card's back, a more unsettling background, and lots of blank cards floating. Right now we have the back of the empowered Sakura Cards, a more serene background and instead of the blank cards, we have cherry blossom petals! ❤️

But most importantly, the sentence slightly changed too, communicating to all the readers that from the end of all the tribulations that our characters went through in this Clear Card Arc, they finally managed to move onto a happier life.

I think it's very beautiful how CLAMP decided to conclude this story, with a message of hope that not all endings are necessarily something bad, but they can simply hide behind them the beginning of something new and more positive.

Lord knows how much I needed to be reminded of this, in this moment of my life.

And surely this is also true for the end of this beloved series for many people around the world: after 7 years and half it's so hard to say goodbye to such a beloved story, but CLAMP want to give us one last present before saying goodbye to it for an indefinite period!

On the right side of the Japanese last page (this was not translated in the ENG one) we find the announcement that the April issue of Nakayoshi on sale on March 1st 2024 will bring us a special chapter of Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card! Precisely one month before the release of volume 16! There's no info about how long it's gonna be, but anything is strongly welcome to say goodbye in a more gradual way...I wonder what it'll be about? This can be literally anything!! I would love for them to feature a situation in the future, rather than in the past....

Beware, because I've heard that Anime News Network translated this as a "special arc" in their news and that caused a ruckus...I've already tried to warn people on Twitter that's not correct, "tokubetsuhen" is the same term they used for the special short chapters they have published till now.

And so...it ends. We've reached the end!! Omg! I still can't register it fully....🙈

I will write some short additional comments about the chapter here but you'll have to wait for another, separate post to have my impressions and commentary on the entire Clear Card Arc.

I just want to say that this finale didn't feature everything I hoped/wanted to see, but other things were definitely granted.

It's just impossible to make everyone happy so I completely understand that.

And even though I'm truly disappointed about Momo and the choice to make her leave her two kids like that, I feel overall this disappointment doesn't stain my appreciation for this finale.

The things I wanted to see and got, the general happy and relaxed atmosphere, seeing all four of them so friendly with eachother, Sakura's final blessing with those words are enough to make me feel still quite satisfied with the finale.

Also, this feels so much more open than the OG manga. A lot more open. There are tons of elements one could grasp to in case they wanted to make a spin-off, or feature some of these plot threads as a cameo in another work. Akiho and Kaito's situation in particular, with their travels around the world, seems to be screaming "you'll see us again soon". I don't know if I'm just delusional but I've seen so many people saying the same.

And I have to say that despite my first choice was for Akiho and Kaito to stay in Tomoeda, they gave me enough good reasons to justify them departing again. I did, in fact, predict that an eventual resume of their travels could be plot related (if they had to continue escaping the Squids' radar or if they had to find a way to fix Kaito's situation).

Plus, Akiho seems so happy and free. How can I rebel against that, when they depict her so happy of her choice?

Also, nice of Eriol to step up and help those two. He's the other poweful and experienced magician who can put at their service all of his knowledge.

And then, Kaito's character development. Even here, I felt like I would've wanted him to say more, but then I remembered that Ohkawa in a Space long time ago had already said "I would want the readers, once it's over, to re-read this trying to understand 'why this character acted in this way?' " and it was clear that she was referring to Kaito. So, not exposing in detail Kaito's heart and the motivations that brought him to this point is totally intentional. She wants us to get there on our own. After all, she gave us another huge hint in this chapter, by making him reveal his true name to Akiho. I can only be grateful for that, especially for how he worded it.

Cristaux and Cosmos...while I'm really happy they have the same initials, I'm still trying to get used to those new names! 😂even though I know they'll keep using their aliases so it's not a big problem, we'll keep calling them Kaito and Akiho!

(And yes, I'm a bit disappointed that Akiho's true name isn't Alice! 😂)

It was nice to see SyaoSaku blushing and flirting in this finale, especially now that Touya gave his blessing to Syaoran, he can go pick her up for school when he wants!! 😂 I'm sure we'll get more SyaoSaku fluff in the special chapter, as this finale was mostly used to wrap up other stuff.

As I said, I adored the few panels of interaction between the two Moon Boys, Akiho's mischievous prank to Kaito....yes, I still have lots to be grateful for, in this finale.

I think this post just won the record for the longest one, so let me just take this space really quick before wrapping up to thank all of you who have read my posts, shared them, supported me, chatted with me about the story, and overall contributed with interesting discussions in this little personal corner. I would've never imagined, not even in my wildest dreams, that the existence and content of this blog one day would've reached even CLAMP, and this will stay as one of my biggest gratifications, especially cause they seemed to appreciate the effort. I just wish their story was treated better by some official translations.

I tried to do whatever I could to spread warnings about heavy translation mistakes, in addition to my interpretation of the story as I was reading it and analyzing it, since I've seen it helped many people understanding the story better and coming to terms with frustrations they had about it.

Clear Card Arc is undoubtedly more complex and requires a lot more of attention than the OG manga.

But I'm positive that re-reading everything in one go might help A LOT in that regard, maybe keeping my translation posts beside you....so I urge everyone to re-read the story when you have time, because it's worth it. Really.

That said, I'm not going anywhere for the foreseeable future: of course I'll comment the special chapter, but I also have in store the "Clear Card Trivia" series of posts, a post with the timeline of the events and a master post about my own review of the entire Clear Card Arc. And then, there's the season 2 of the anime too! You can bet I'll be here to comment on it every week!!

In the meantime, I want to thank all of you again for your patience, for reading me till now, and I also want to thank once again CLAMP-sensei for the wonderful sequel they brought to us in these past 7 years. ありがとうございます 🙏

See you soon!!

[muses-with-afp]

In terms of Bleachy things that I am never not thinking about given my particular sort of brainrot, it would have to be Chapter 179, Confession in the Twilight. Today, I want to overthink long and hard about assumptions fandom often makes about Hisana. Some of these assumptions are not well-supported by the canon. Other of these assumptions likely stem from material added by the anime and/or the movie Fade to Black.

Because I'm sort of "meh" on the supplementary material from the anime and pretty "blah" on the Bleach movies overall, I will stick to the manga. (I am also a simple creature with only two brain cells to rub together now-a-days so... there's that, too.) I am sure there are more assumptions one could pick apart and torture to death, but for the sake of brevity (I write cackling because when am I ever brief?) below are my top three.

1. Assumption One: Hisana had no spiritual power/pressure

This one is odd to me because we, the audience, do not have a whole lot of evidence to base this assumption off of. Byakuya never says anything of this sort to Rukia during the confession:

Although, it is possible that Hisana was spiritually weak, and what made it difficult for her to survive was taking care of a baby with significant spiritual pressure/power. This explanation is entirely possible, but, based on the English translation, it is not the only interpretation one could draw.

Honing in on the"[b]ut it was hard for her to survive there while caring for you..." bit, this could suggest that Hisana, in fact, needed more than vibes and water to survive herself. We get a sense in Bleach that siblings often have similar capacities in terms of spiritual power and pressure, and we know Rukia is spiritually gifted. Accordingly, one could make the leap that Hisana, too, had some spiritual capacity. Now, I think the case for sibling similarities in spiritual talents is probably strongest for the souls born in SS since they presumably are most "genetically" related (or whatever concept passes for "genetic" relationships in SS), one assumes. This, of course, also assumes you buy the idea that Hisana and Rukia were just ordinary souls who passed from the WOTL to SS. KT, however, has thrown a wrench into this explanation by suggesting that Rukia is a secret... eighth thing/potential hybrid. (At least, I think we are up to eight soul "ecotypes" now .... Maybe it's nine if we add in the lore from Burn the Witch.) Perhaps this secret variation/hybrid is specific to Rukia, or maybe it applies to both sisters equally.

Other evidence that could support Hisana as having some spiritual capacity (beyond being a spiritual dandelion) includes:

According to Renji, the only way to escape Inuzuri was to attend the Academy/become a shinigami. It's possible that Renji was speaking only in terms of "legality" (i.e., the only legal way to leave your assigned district/town/placement is to gain admittance to the Academy) since we know Kenpachi and crew exist. Could Hisana have gotten out of Inuzuri using the Academy loophole? Sure! Why not? Was Hisana a bloody tank like Kenpachi and fought her way out of the city? Maybe but probably not, since she felt driven to abandon her sister, which doesn't seem very warlord-like of her. Maybe Hisana never actually left Inuzuri after the abandonment. The "[a]bandoned you and ran" (emphasis mine) part of the story makes it sound like she left the city, but maybe she just ran away from Rukia and went to another part of Inuzuri or the district.

Rukia somehow managed to survive (i.e., maybe it wasn't the demands (or just the demands) of a spiritually needy baby that drove Hisana to abandon her). We don't know much/anything about the period of Rukia's life between the abandonment and meeting Renji, so it's hard to say how needy she was as a soul baby.

Hisana hung out with/lived with Byakuya, who we know (a) has a metric ton of spiritual power and pressure, and (b) lives in a city full of similarly situated souls. Canonically, weaker souls seem greatly affected by the spiritual pressure of the more spiritually capable souls in Bleach, which could suggest that she had enough to withstand living in Seireitei and being married to someone with a lot of the stuff.

Depending on whether you think Rukia is anywhere near the ballpark in terms of her age vis-à-vis Ichigo (150 years, by the way), Hisana's life span would have been about 100 years in SS, which isn't particularly short. It seems that souls with some spiritual power/pressure tend to live longer than souls without it.

As Byakuya continues with his confession to Rukia, he says that Hisana "searched for [Rukia] almost every day for the next five years." If you take this literally, it sounds like Hisana went out into the slums regularly, which is pretty far away from Kuchiki manor. Without some sort of fast travel option (the Kuchiki are rich so maybe one exists...), it seems that she would have needed to learn a pretty good flash-step to make that trek anyway feasible. Although, it is possible that Byakuya meant Hisana searched for Rukia in a more abstract sense since, as a noble, she would finally have resources (beyond her physically trekking out there) to conduct a search. It could also be both.

2. Assumption Two: Hisana was (or was not) doing XYZ before marriage

This assumption likely piggybacks off the one above. Since we are given no indication as to what Hisana was doing before marriage, if you assume she was a spiritually weak being, it makes sense for the years between abandonment and marriage to be full of scrounging and hiding from scary beings/thugs/monsters/take-your-pick. And, true, the reckless noble/prince taking an unwashed but kindly peasant girl as a wife is an oldie goldie in terms of romance tropes.

But, as noted above, Hisana could have been literally anything. Shinigami? Sure! Secret agent/informant? Why not!? In CFYOW, Yourichi gets pretty annoyed at Tokinada for speaking ill of Hisana. It's possible that she's irritated with him because he's trying to goad Byakuya into an altercation and is using Byakuya's dead wife as the ammo (which, yeah, is a pretty gross thing to do). Alternatively, there could be a personal connection between the two women (which may provide further color on Rukia being chosen as a vessel for the orb, don't mind me just out here speculating). We know the higher districts are rough, and, at least according to Renji, Inuzuri is full of criminals and bastards of all stripes. Hisana could've been a crime lord, a lackey to a crime lord, a thief, a prostitute, a hustling gambler, a bookie, basically anything. The vagueness is glorious!!!

3. Assumption Three: Hisana died of ghost consumption a respiratory illness

This assumption likely arises from the anime (although forgive me if I'm wrong about this since it has been a while since I've watched the anime) and Fade to Black, which has a scene where Hisana has a coughing fit. The manga, however, gives no indication:

All Byakuya says is he "lost his wife." To what? Who knows?! Be more specific, Byakuya!

We also don't get a whole lot of evidence to indicate what killed her during the confession scene.

Hisana isn't sweating, and her futon is white as is the bit of clothing we see, so it doesn't look like she's necessarily suffered a physical attack/assault. She's also, notably, not coughing....

For reference, below are Byakuya's bludgeoned panels because we have a lot of parallels between her deathbed request and Byakuya's confession to Rukia:

To be fair, Byakuya's blanket and pad aren't bloody either, but his captain's coat sure is, and, goodness, is he sweaty! Although, perhaps Byakuya's memory of Hisana strips away the gory and gruesome bits (e.g., blood, sweat, coughing, gasping, gurgling death rattles, anguished groaning, etc.) since... well... no one actually dies pretty.

Based on the manga retelling of Hisana's expiration, the cause of death was... literally anything. Okay, I kid. I kid.

Sort of.

Maybe her COD wasn't literally anything. She was at least in a bed ready for death and had enough time to call upon her husband. (Although, so is Byakuya here, and he was stabbed like thirty minutes ago and is giving similar sorts of vibes to poor Rukia.) My guess is that whatever Hisana had, she succumbed to it over a period of time, which rules out causes of death that come fast, but a lot of deaths aren't immediate (unfortunately). Maybe she sustained internal injuries that took her, which would parallel nicely with Byakuya in these panels. Maybe she had "beautiful wife consumption," which is an oldie goldie trope for doomed lovers. Maybe she had whatever soul flu or illness afflicted Byakuya's dad. Maybe she had some sort of soul cancer. If you're doing the math (or a version of the math since time in Bleach is wobbly), Byakuya and Hisana married a year or so after WWII. It's not a pleasant thought, but cancer (leukemia and solid) rates went up five+ years later for obvious reasons, and perhaps this is an abstract/unconscious nod to that of sorts.

But, who can say??? Not me, that's for damn sure!

From a practical story-telling perspective, I imagine that KT leaves a lot of wiggle room around this period to avoid caging himself in for whatever reveal he had/has in store regarding Rukia's backstory/heritage/why Urahara picked her to put the orb into/etc.

[m3ab]

So @hoicacti wanted some of my Yu-Gi-Oh headcanons, so here are a few non season five spoiler ones:)

Joey's dog tag that we see in his season two(?) outfit was gifted to him by serenity before his mom left with her. He wears it all of the time, under his clothes usually but just in general. ( @spudat0 came up with this one)

TW: infidelity, alcohol abuse This one's a little darker, but Joey's mom cheated on his dad. Basically, you know how serenity and joey look nothing alike? Yeahhhh. And she took serenity when she left because she left to go with whoever she cheated with. Joey's father turned to drinking as a coping mechanism, and that's how all of that went.

joey has a missing tooth from fighting and stuff. ( @spudat0 also came up with this one)

joey has lightning scars from y'know getting hit with lightning during battle city. And some burn scars, also from battle city. Yugi has burn scars from various incidents, namely when bandit Keith stole the puzzle(or otogi/duke for my manga readers) and when Yami jumped in front of the blast to save joey and mai. Ryou has scars from Yami bakura shenanigans. (Spud did a lot of the work for this one, but I helped a little bit)

joey and Yugi are both very wary of water after almost drowning in season one and the yugi vs mind controlled joey duel in season two.

ok the rest of them are all very silly ones about Yami, because he's a very silly guy.

Yami goes on yugi's computer all night occasionally and just does stuff on it. It doesn't matter what. It's how he got a lot of his real world knowledge outside of Yugi's head. Yugi is so tried after he does this.

Yami has the weirdest food cravings ever. He throws random foods together and finds them delicious. Yugi has taken control and immediately thrown up on multiple occasions, and Yami was very quickly banned from making meals.

Yami absolutely adores helicopters. This one is my favorite to joke around with, because it's so stupid. It mostly came about because of how fascinated Yami looks in the kaiba corp helicopter in season two.

Ok this one isn't as silly but is really sweet and one of my favorites of this batch. Yami has some manipulation over Yugi's dreams, and so he uses that ability to fend off yugi's nightmares. (This one was mostly me)

All of the ones not specifically marked as either spud or I were a team effort, and all of the Yami ones were done in the middle of the night while we were way too sleep deprived for our own goods. Except for the nightmare one.