#i am not over clowing them

[yanderefairyangel]

Gotta love how according to detractors Engage is simultaneously an insignificant game no one cares about anymore but also holds an iron fist over the fandom to the point where they are supposedly oppressed for not liking it. Which is it? Does no one care about Engage anymore or do people care about Engage so much the fandom oppresses those who dislike it?

Oh really, it's neither.

We keep talking about it. I remember in one of his most recent videos Ghast said "discussion about Engage are at it's lowest" which got a chukkle out of me. Cause like, discussion about Engage are still super active. Like, I recently started on TwittX and today I woke up to 139 followers ! My Engage content got me a lot of new followers and the video I posted about it reached 232 view in less then 2 weeks. The original soundtrack just released and all day it was just Engage fan gushing about it ! We got a lot of Engage unit in Heroes and the manga is soon releasing. Discussion about the game are super active !

But also, the whole oppress makes me laugh cause if anything I saw people getting oppressed for liking it ! Say you like Engage on reddit, you'll get mass downvoted. Don't get me started on ytb. People will try to tell you you have as much IQ as a 3 year old for liking this game because "cringe, bad, chessey" or whatever lol. We are just tired of people who will say "game bad" and then proceeds to admit they skipped the cutscene. I mean...

I swear to God, that's going from "haha ha, ridiculous " to "ok now y'all are just pathetic". Like someone even tried to tell me that the game was trying to take responsability off Zephia because "it established that Sombron raised Zephia and taugh her many wrong things" (yes, really)

I am getting tired to see people who genuinely believe that Zephia is Veyle's mother, and don't get me started on that one person who managed to believe she was both Veyle AND Alear's mother. And there was that one person who called it a deus ex machina that the Emblem used the miracle to revive Alear because they though it was the same power as the one they bestowed every 1 000 year, never mind that Sigurd literaly explain in chapter 18 that this is a different power. People for some reason keep asking how Alear managed to summon the Emblem back when Sombron "closed the portal" even though both Sombron and Alear says at least 3 times in less the 3 second that Sombron didn't closed it completely !!

Heck, one of those "genius" tried to debunk the response I made to the 2hour long video art becomes obligation and he straight up said that "the story never established Sombron as arrogant"... I kid you not

Because he completely forgot that Sombron murdered the only person who can summon them and absorbed all their power... even though in chapter 25 Alfred explained that the Emblem lost their millenial power because of Sombron and can't perform the miracle any longer, so no one need them anymore.

They really believe we can take them seriously when they do that ? Of course not, they are just making a mockery of themselves. Nothing more, nothing less. We can accept not liking the game and discussing it, but do they really wanna act like the victim when we are telling them "if you skipped the story, you have no right to criticize the story" ?? Like, imagine if someone took one of Shakespeare book, quickly skirmed through the pages and then said "it's bad"... isn't that ridiculous ?

Their argument was already self contradictory enough, but when you KNOW that there is pretty much everything I said behind said argument and that they still lack the self awarness then you know you are dealing with a bunch of walls. Little sheeps that follow their Shepherds of FEtubers opinion. So now, they want us to believe they are "oppressed by the fandom in liking a game that the fandom decided to hate and that should you like it, you will end up burn at the stake ?" Yeah, sure. Makes total sense.

[completeoveranalysis]

[9]

MOM HOLY FUCK THEY REALLY ARE SAYING IT

EXCUSE ME

EXCUSE ME

WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT IS THIS THE GREATEST THING 

LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS

Clamp absolutely set the precedent for this with our visit to Shura/Shara all those years ago. We’ve SEEN the possibility of being in the past and future of the same world and teleporting between the two. We knew the feathers could appear pretty much anywhere in the timeline of a world, given how time works differently across the mutliverse, and we DID just straight up go backwards and forwards in time via Mokona, so it’s absolutely possible for them to appear in the Past of the Kingdom of Clow. 

WHICH IS APPARENTLY ACID TOKYO????

WHICH JUST ABSOLUTELY BLOWS MY MIND WHAT THE FUCK

WHAT A WAY TO TIE IT ALL TOGETHER??

X/1999 IS THE SET UP TO THE CLOW KINGDOM?

THE CLOW KINGDOM IS IN THE RUINED ECOLOGICAL DISASTER OF OUR OWN CURRENT WORLD??? 

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle as a pseudo-not-really-but-kind-of-sequel-event to Cardcaptor Sakura but ACTUALLY ALSO being the sequel-kind-of-but-not-exactly sequel to X/1999???? Or Alternate Timeline X/1999? Where things are ever so slightly different but the world was ruined in the same way?

AND THE RESERVOIR

THE RESERVOIR IN ACID TOKYO IS THE RESERVOIR IN THE CLOW RUINS????

I’m REELING OVER THIS

THEY SET THAT UP

SAKURA WALKED THROUGH THE DESERT TO PURIFY THE WATER TO SAVE THESE PEOPLE AND IT MADE THE RESERVOIR THAT LOVED SAKURA SO MUCH THAT IT PROTECTS HER

AND WATANUKI! WATANUKI WAS AN ESSENTIAL PIECE OF SETTING UP THE RESERVOIR IN A WORLD BEFORE HE EVEN EXISTED IN THAT TIMELINE

And that’s Definitely the feather they’re talking about, isn’t it? The feather that Sakura left in Acid Tokyo is still in the Reservoir right now, and is the reason the water is magic and loves her so much - because it’s a piece of her, and -... well, a piece of her clone. But it’s a piece of SAKURA, and so they resemble and resonate with each other, and that's why the water is so close to her, but 'Sakura' can’t absorb the feather because she’s already a full person and those aren’t her memories, but the memories of her clone.

Meanwhile Sakura (ie, our cloned Sakura) is currently on the other side of the portal at a point in time that DIDN’T exist a few seconds ago, for Original 'Sakura', but the rest of the universe has moved on and decades have passed (even though no time at all has passed for her) and now the feather from her clone has ended up in the past that set up the reservoir potentially centuries before she was even born. 

Timeline!

Oh my god?

Oh my god. 

I’m going to be thinking about this forever. 

No wait I’m not done ACID TOKYO WAS like THE point in the narrative where everything changed forever. And from a Tsubasa point of view it felt like a world picked at random for all the Important Narrative changes to take place - but it never was! It was the most important world of all! It was the Clow Kingdom!

So Syaoran lived his life in the Clow Kingdom, and then his soul collapsed in Acid Tokyo, which was ALSO the Clow Kingdom, and then he went and died defending Lava Lamp, in the Clow Kingdom. All at completely different points in the timeline but all in the exact same world. 

Though I will say I am thoroughly baffled by the connection between the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and THE CLOW RUINS???

ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO BE THE SAME BUILDING?

Oh my god they’re in the same location aren’t they. The reservoir was underneath it and now it’s under the ruins. I suppose they have Magic so they could probably reshape them however they want but WHAT A CON CLAMP HAVE PULLED ON US

TO SPEND THE ENTIRE MANGA STARING AT THE WINGS OF THE CLOW RUINS AND THEY WERE SECRETLY WAITING FOR THE RIGHT TIME TO TELL US THAT WE WERE ACTUALLY LOOKING AT THE TOKYO METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT BUILDING ALL ALONG

THE AUDACITY OF IT ALL

[italianpersonwithashippersheart]

DFF Finale

Not with a bang, not a whimper but somewhere in the middle.

My thoughts are jumbled and all over the place, I came in the finale already spoiled (I couldn't wait and the gray sites are taking too long) and I am not even sure I will still feel 100% like this by the time the week is out.

Ultimatly I agree a lot with what @lurkingshan says in her post here

A lot of the episode was good: The hallucinations were amazing, and I think the character work in all of them (and the series in general, with only some minor hiccups) is very solid. The acting is also very good. I want to see these boys in more roles. The writing from Ep 1 to Ep 9 was AMAZING!! The reveals are all super hard hitting, it felt like there was fire after fire for every episode.

White my baby, a tragic character if there ever was one, HE WASN'T EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE THERE, his boyfriend was basically seeing him as replacement Non since they started dating. We all loved and clowned on this character so hard!! A lot of White's character makes sense in hindsight, at least to me who is like 5 weeks in a couple of layers of theorizing and obessing (I do realize not everyone feels like that a lot of what makes sense for me it's speculation driven by weeks of obsession), even some of the other more baffling moments, like the converstation with Tan and that moment with Phee.

Problems started at EP 10, and while I loved the Tee and TeeWhite scenes of EP 11 thanks to episode 10 they felt way to disconnected and too late. It left the last 3 episodes less focused and the pacing a mess.

And then there is the ending. And while this is by no means the worse ending of a BL I ever seen, and this show is by no means the biggest dissapointment I ever had (that's still Only Friends). I don't think the ending was as strong as it should be.

I think the failure of DFF for me is in two places:

The focus on mystery and reveals primed the audience to expect answears or at least an ending that is more clear then what we got.

The way they did this open ending gave me the impression that they just refused to pick an ending and so they went with "both and none and who knows".

There were ways to make an ending with still some questions left open work: Give me the cops in the house, or show us the bodies as Phee comes out of the hallucination and gives his final breath. Show the bodies in different positions, show the ax in someone's body and no New. Or even have the ending be a journalist talking at the screen keeping up with the layers of voyerism to the story and have them describe only 7 bodies but not say who survive so the audience can pick the option they like best.

Anything that would have given the impression that they actually PICKED an ending.

I am not sure I will be able to re-watch this, I am scared too many things will start to fall apart if I do. While I enjoyed clowing with the fandom and truly loved watching this live (and it has helped me interacting more with people on tumblr) I can't help but feel like maybe if I had binged this, without having time to think over some of the stuff I probably would have enjoyed the finale better.

Maybe I should just be happy that a BL I was hyperfixating on didn't crush and burn like the other two (Shadow and Only Friends).

I am happy BOC experimented and branced out even if they didn't totally sticked the landing, it's a worth while show to watch if you can handle horror. I want BLs to do more stuff like that (experimenting and branching out in different genres) and I want the people in the cast to have a long carrear because I think they mostly all did an amazing job.

In short great job BOC (even if you didn't land all that well at the end there) now give me a poly series: 🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪

[wellthebardsdead]

Clow Good end 1 pt1 (Infernal Stalemate/Paved with Good intentions)

———

Clow: *heartbroken after gracefully stepping aside to let Karlach and Wyll find love together, now reaching for the crown of Karsus will full intentions to give it to Gale and lose his soul forever to Raphael* I’ve got i-

Gale: I’m sorry- *bludgeons him over the head with his staff and dives after the crown, letting Clow fall to his death*

Astarion: WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST DO?!?

Wyll: CLOW!! *reaches for him before grabbing on right as the elderbrain starts going down into the water*

Karlach: EVERYONE JUMP!!!

Clow: *hits the water first, blinking in and out of consciousness as the air leaves his lungs and he sinks, his tears mingling with the blue around him as he believes his last moments to be that of heartbroken betrayal*

“I was going to give it to you- I was going to give up everything for all of you… why- why did you hurt me?…”

Clow: *closes his eyes preparing for death as his vision goes dark… and the cold of the water is replaced by the warmth of a soft bed, and the heat of a fireplace* wh-huh?… *opens his eyes and recoils in fright seeing who he thinks is Raphael looming over him* Aah-hngg *winces clutching his head in pain* where- huh?

Haarlep: Shhhh. Shhh. You’re safe little mouse. *strokes his cheek and takes his hands letting them rest back on the bed* You’re in the house of hope, and masters personal bedchambers~ you are a lucky one, even though you failed in your task he still favours you, so much so that he saved your life personally. He wasn’t too keen on losing the crown but, he gained a far more valuable treasure instead I think.

Clow: I- you- you’re not Raphael?

Haarlep: Me? Haha! No, I am Haarlep, Raphael’s personal incubus~ he asked me to clean you up and get you nice and comfortable for him. I can see why he likes you so much. It was like handling a doll. So small and delicate. I could crush you with one hand if I wanted to-

“Enough you vile wretch. Out.”

Haarlep: *looks over at the door as his master arrives, hisses and crawls back off the bed, slinking off into the shadows beyond where Clow can see*

Raphael: *walks to the bed, eyes locked with Clows as he comes to a stop beside him, before sitting down on the plush sheets* you are, a perplexing one… I would ask if you intended to give Gale the crown of karsus but… if you did, he certainly wouldn’t have mercilessly bludgeoned you and left you to plummet to your death… surely?…

Clow: I was going to give it to him…

Raphael: Ha. Such foolish honesty… I’d expected you to at least try and lie to me.

Clow: what point is there in lying to you?… my plan still succeeded… he got the crown and mystras grace once more, and the absolute is defeated… my soul is just one sacrifice of many already made. I’m just the last pawn that was needed to achieve checkmate…

Raphael: A pawn?… hm… I’ve always viewed you as far more useful… it’s only fitting that now you stand at the opposing side of the board beside the king… you can choose to sacrifice your piece, or, become a queen instead.

Clow: *laughs softly* and I’m assuming you’re the king then?… I suppose you did ultimately stand around moving one step at a time… what to you mean choose?… you’re giving me a choice?

Raphael: if I wanted you dead, or to harm you in any way. I’d have done so already… you’d be getting skinned down in the dungeon as we speak to upholster a new chair for me. Or fed to Haarlep like the rest of the trivial scraps I send his way to sate his incessant whining. You certainly wouldn’t be in my bed receiving my personal bedside manner… *snaps his fingers summoning his contract, the text changing before his very eyes to that of a marriage certificate* your soul already belongs to me… but, if you’re willing… it can belong to me in a… much more pleasant sense… and likewise, mine will belong to you…

Clow: you’re?… proposing to me?…

Raphael: Would you rather the alternative? Going back to living an eternity of suffering and servitude?

Clow: I’ve spent my whole life never hoping for anything better than what I’ve been given… *takes the quill and signs without hesitation, the plume disappearing and being replaced with a wedding band on his finger as one appears on Raphael’s as well* and I won’t start now… *winces and pushes himself to sit up, surprised at how gently the devil places his hands on his shoulders urging him to lay back down as his lips meet his halfway in soft and warm kiss. One so pleasant it almost numbed the pain of his forehead splitting open as a crown of horns began to grow along with a tail from his spine. His fate sealed in hellfire, heart and soul bound to another, not as a slave, but as an equal. Stalemate*

*literally the next day*

Hope: *free and standing behind the ice skinned devil drow* Oh no he’s spitting mad!

Clow: he can spit, hiss and throw a temper tantrum all he wants it’s not my fault he left that loophole in our marriage license.

Raphael: PUT HER BACK IN THE DUNGEON THIS INSTANT!

Clow: no. She’s now, my ‘servant’. You have Korrilla as your hand and now hope is mine. *looks to her* you don’t- actually have to do anything though it’s just, y’know.

Hope: oh I know! Is he okay though should we get out of the way I think he’s gonna blow-

Raphael: *bursts into flame screaming and literally stomping his feet*

Clow: my he really does have his fathers temper. He’ll cool off in a minute.

Korrilla: and if he doesn’t?

Clow: throw a bucket of water on him.

[beanghostprincess]

Why is shanks/buggy so underrated in this side of fandom? It’s much more loved in Japanese one, one of the most popular for shanks. I feel like this one prefers other mlm options for him and I don’t get it. It got better after OPLA I think but still. Sorry for my English!

Oh! This is actually such an interesting question. I was talking about this the other day and I came to a conclusion with my friend about this. Basically, there are a lot of things to take into consideration here. The screentime, the age of the characters, the chemistry, how they're perceived by the fandom and canonically, etc etc etc.

The first thing I thought about was the screentime, honestly. Shanks and Buggy grew up together and they have a deep bond, however, we've only seen that through flashbacks (one in quite literally episode 8 of the anime, another one in Wano that isn't even about them and they're just side characters in this flashback, and in chapter 1082 of the manga. But it's not even a proper flashback because we already saw that when Shanks talks to Whitebeard about Buggy, it's just Buggy's interpretation of it) and we only have like one scene of them together that isn't even two minutes long. So, quite obviously you'd think "well, the ship isn't as popular as other ships because they barely have any screentime" and I think it's correct but also not quite. And also, this would also have to apply to the Japanese fandom at the end of the day. Fandoms don't give a single fuck about screen time if the chemistry is right, really, but there's always this factor, y'know. Lawlu has less screentime than Zolu and yet it's more popular somehow because people absolutely love their dynamic. Then, if you stop to think about it, both Satosugu (Jjk) and Soukoku (Bsd) have the same dynamic and concept as Shuggy, but they're by far the most popular ships in their fandoms. They're basically the same ships but Jjk and Bsd give them proper development and story because they're shorter series. One Piece is a long show and we still have many things to see, even if we know it's gonna end soon, so I guess that we'll still have to wait to see more of Shuggy. Once we do, I'm sure it'll become more popular. Also, Shanks' personality is very diverse because he's all mysterious and all, so I kind of understand why people don't want to make content because they still don't have him figured out.

But then again, screen time isn't really the problem. It's just one of the factors. If they had more screen time, they'd be more popular for sure, yes, but it's not exactly what makes them less popular in this side of the fandom. Otherwise, it'd be equally as popular on the other sides too. The Japanese side of fandoms is different from this one and tbh they often don't take into consideration things like cancel culture and proship discourse or the standard beauty regarding age because they just post whatever they want and scroll past what they don't like (god I fucking wish we were like that because I am so done with these things). Besides, isn't Buggy like a very beloved character over there, aside from Oda's favorite? At least from what I've seen, they take his character way more seriously than this side of the fandom does, honestly. And it bothers me because he's such a complex and great character, and people never see it because they use him either for memes or to keep saying "omggg turns out the clown is hot!! Can you believe I want to fuck a clow-" yes, Samantha, we know you want to fuck the clown. It's not weird. It's not new. Do you even like the character, at least, or you're just using him to say how kinky and quirky you are? (And I don't even care about the sexualization of characters because, again, fictional characters are fictional characters and you don't have to take everything so seriously. I have tons of characters I don't like that much but only stan because I find them hot and that's alright. But damn, it bothers me sometimes).

Anyway, with this, I wanna say that there are other things to have in mind when talking about this.

Recently (I know it's not exactly new but in fandom years? Recently) there has been a huge thing surrounding the term "old men yaoi". People are so down bad for middle-aged men and they see two of them together and they instantly go "omg they're soo married" but that's- That's it? That's just it. They don't even ship them, they just find the concept of older men hot because "omg he's such a dilf" and they want to fuck both of them. But they never end up doing anything with it. They try to be so groundbreaking like "ohh I am SO woke by shipping these two old men! See? Breaking stereotypes!" because both irl and online, age has always been a very stigmatized thing. Apparently you can't be in a fandom if you're older than 25 because then you're weird, and if there's an actress older than 50 she's instantly useless for the industry.

What I want to say with this is that most people in the fandom are young. They're young and they like attractive, young, hot people and they don't want old, unconventionally attractive men. They don't want them unless it's to give a "hot take" and to be super progressive and woke. Do you know what they like? They like Dilfs. They like Shanks because he's conventionally attractive and good with kids and he's the standard for a Dilf. Because he's hot and mysterious but also silly and quirky and "he's almost forty that is so hot something something daddy kink". And they don't want to see him fucking someone his age because God forbid this man has a personality outside being a Dilf. Younger people in the fandom constantly read y/n fics regarding Shanks because they want him to fuck them and not Buggy. And they can't project in these old men, so they publicly say "oh, Shanks and Buggy are so married" because it's just a fact the fandom made clear, but they don't really like the content. Because liking Buggy sexually, apparently, is just so weird. Or as a character. Nobody wants to say their favorite character is the failguy clown. It's a hot take when you say that Buggy is hot because people keep being all weird about it when... Uh... He's- He's just a clown. Guys. It's not weird. Or bad. Who raised you to think that? God, I find Monet extremely hot and she's half-bird. Could we please normalize these things? They're fictional characters. And also, stop reducing Buggy to his jokes or the fact that he's a clown because his character is GREAT and complex and it just bothers me so much.

This makes me think about this whole "background couple" thing. Which are basically couples that are canon or that are so popular and obvious that people, instead of making content for them (because why would you make content for a canon couple?) just place them in the background instead. There are so many fanfics in which Shuggy is a background couple. Or studies in which, instead of analyzing them, they're used only for parallelisms. This happens with, idk, Saboala? Frobin? Yamace? People don't like couples that everybody agrees on. They don't like m/f ships because they can't be woke!!!!! And queer!!!! (when they easily could but whatever). They don't like ships that everybody likes because!!!!!! They're canon already and why would you write about them???? And so, Shuggy stays a bit more as a side couple instead. For being old and unconventionally unattractive and not having much screentime, but being extremely popular. Not in a "content" way, but in a "knowledge" way. Even the general audience thinks their bond is crucial to the story, c'mon.

One of the differences that this side of the fandom has with the Japanese one, as I mentioned before, is the cancel culture and proship discourse thing. They just don't have that concept. And that's perfect, honestly, I wish we could just scroll past what we don't like too and live peacefully because the discourse is getting tiring. And also you have to admit that, because of the anti propaganda going around, now fandoms have turned into the most puritan thing in the world. Beware! Sex! Age difference between fictional characters that have a consensual and healthy and mature relationship! Oh! God forbid teenagers have sex with people their age! Ohmygodjustshutup. And so, Shuggy isn't a problematic ship. Not even close. But inside the OP world, people do say they are brothers. They keep talking about each other like that, too. And I don't even think it's the typical "we say they're like brothers so you don't think they're gay because they're both guys and guys can't kiss" (I am having flashbacks from the IT fandom). They do have the same parents. Like- We all agree Shanks and Buggy were both raised by Roger and Rayleigh and they consider them, if not their dads, parental figures at least. Right? And you're aware that doesn't make it incest, right? Both things can coexist. Foster families are a thing. Lots of people who grew up together and consider the same people their parental figures end up dating because they don't see each other as siblings. Well, most people don't see it this way and hear the word "brother" and run from it like it's a fucking virus. The Japanese side of the fandom doesn't give a fuck because they're fictional and because they're y'know, not brothers? And even if they were, cancel culture and proship discourse is so fucking stupid to them because they follow the "don't like don't look" thing. But on this side of the fandom, a lot of people see them as brothers and the other half sees them as a divorced couple and apparently nobody knows how to fucking read this manga and have a proper fandom experience without jumping to each other's throats at the minimum disagreement.

So, to summarize: People on this side of the fandom don't like Shuggy THAT much and it isn't such a popular ship in comparison to the Japanese side, because young people don't like older men together, they don't focus on unconventionally attractive characters, are afraid of any little possibility of cancelation, and also, well, Shuggy doesn't have much screentime anyway so there's not much we can do with that.

[princess-of-the-corner]

how am I having more thoughts on the Cardcaptor!Katsuki thing?

Okay okay some plot notes:

I'm sticking this AU in a weird-ass place! During Katsuki and Izuku's last year of middle school!

So they're not in UA, but this is post-sludge villain so they're a bit weird, Kats is NOT dealing with the trauma well, and Izuku is still training with All Might.

This does mean they're not getting involved in the main plot of bnha yet, but they /can/ run into some characters on the adventures. (Maybe the Heroes are responding to the chaos the Cards make, maybe their future classmates are caught up in said chaos, hell you can toss a villain or two in because some of them might know things about the cards).

Also this is a CC-esque au so similar canon deviations exist. Like Katsuki being transfem but not actually out yet.

Card nonsense kicks off pretty early in.

So I'm imagining that Katsuki is having a Bad Time™ and just wants to be alone for a hot minute. Wanders off during the school day and ends up in some backrooms of the school library. Finds the book with the cards. All the cards except Firey excape(because this one vibes most with her). Kero appears and while Katsuki is like ?????? he gives the plot dump of 'hey! Magic is real! You're destined to deal with this shit!"

Izuku also gets involved because he noticed Katsuki sneaking off, followed like the little fuckin stalker he is, and saw the whole card scattering/Kero infodump thing.

Katsuki and Izuku are in a weird ass place right now because it's post-sludge but pre-ua. So Katsuki is trying to figure out what the fuck is up with Izuku and whether her life is a lie and all that but hasn't really had the push to confront all that. And at first she's pissed at Izuku but Kero is a decent mediator to this situation and it's. it's the first time any kind of adult(as much of an adult as a little cat bear thing is) has kinda. Taken control and firmly but kindly said 'hey knock that shit off' so it's easier for her to really just take a step back and take a breath and actually like. Properly be able to listen to Izuku because again: Kero is saying 'hey the guy was worried about you that's a good thing' instead of 'lmao he's worried about you he thinks you can't handle this show him you can through force!'.

bonus points for Katsuki getting dragged into Izuku's nonsense and finding out 'oh you met mcfucking ALL MIGHT and he's training you as a successor????'. Which. Yeah def spins everything because fuck it All Might is the ultimate authority on right and wrong so if All Might thinks Izuku is a good person worhty of respect Katsuki is switching it up right now. (and feeling guilty for everythig in the past so whoops more of Kero being like 'kid you're FINE!!)

Swinging over to Yue! I mentioned before but he was determined to handle the passing of the torch to a new holder better than the Clow-Sakura transfer he was going in optimistically but GOD he meets Katsuki and is like "THIS??? IS WHAT I HAVE TO DEAL WITH???"

So like. He still does something similar to last time in hiding in plain sight to keep an eye on the new holder. I don't think he'll go full dual personality again because while I love Yukito that's A Lot. But also there's like.... There's not really anyone in Katsuki's life where he could slide in as a 'haha you're not going to question me being here!'.

Which leads to the idea of Yue basically faking being a teacher and is now on the Aldera staff but he's the only sane person in this place and is constantly on the verge of killing his coworkers because holy FUCK how do y'all treat children like this????

All Might gets dragged into this because Izuku has Katsuki meet him and tbh with Izuku helping Katsuki figure out the Card stuff they get into nonsense that's /technically/ vigilantism according to the law but Katsuki is the only one who can deal with the situation.

The actual collecting of the cards happens over that school years so Katsuki has all of them by the time she and Izuku go to UA (and also they're all a bit healthier about things both each other and themselves).

At UA, Katsuki initially tries to keep to just using her Quirk for this shit instead of the cards(though she's become used to using both in tandem). This only works so well beause ofc when bigger threats come out, she's not going to hold back out of some weird 'oh it's not fair to-' no people are in danger she's gonna use everything she has to save them.

So while we don't get someone Eriol-esque crafting situations, the Plot forces her to transform the Cards into her own versions.

[haro-hawayu]

CCS: Clear Card Ch. 80

FINAL CHAPTER! I actually read this the day it came out, but didn't get to finish this post and it was sitting in my drafts for a few days TuT. This chapter can be found on CLAMP-net’s YouTube Channel. As always, please check out @meimi-haneoka's post on the latest chapter for EN-JPN translation differences!!

Links for previous chapter reactions can be found here.

Reading Reactions:

And for our final chapter, our wonderful protagonist/heroine, Sakura

Whoaaa, so did Sakura split the books in order to better hide them?

Fujitaka-papa so kind.

I also can't help but made me think of Yuuko's shop...

Eriol and Sakura keeping us readers up to speed on what's happened XD

WHERE IS MOMO???

Awww Flight is still there!!

UM, THE KEYS?? MORE TRC REFERENCES???

Touya is the same as ever haha~always teasing, but always so kind

Lol, love that we can see Kero-chan and Touya being in the same scene even when things are back to "daily life" things

SYAORAN

SYAOSAKU ARE SO CUTE GAHHH

I really love how Yukito's bonding with Nakuru and Spinel~

AKIHO TuT

I'm sad that she's transferring, but at the same time, am happy that she's happy.

WHAAA STOPPED TIME!! STOPPED TIME?!!

I wonder if one of the major factors of Eriol deciding to help them stemmed from Clow & Yuuko stuff... oof, not the TRC/Holic feels again

Yes, KEEP TALKING KAITO! So many overdued words!!

asdfjsldjfj REAL NAME REVELATION!

I'm SO HAPPY THAT THEY'RE TALKING!!! TUT

Annnnd they're still keeping a space for her (i.e. Eriol buying the house so Akiho's stuff remains, Akiho's room remaining as is in the Kinomoto home), even tho she's leaving, she has a place with the people she's leaving behind, a place to return to

Awww it's cute that the boys are talking ahahah--they can actually be friends!! They even exchanged numbers!!

asdfjslajlk AKIHO HAS A REAL NAME TOO

It makes so much sense too!! TuT

THE END (????)

~~

Wow, just wow.

I'm sad that we didn't get to see Momo returning... I'm hoping that the special chapter that's coming out next year will address this... is it too much to ask???

For the most part, I am satisfied with this ending. There are some hinted tie-ins with TRC (the tattoo, the wand), prob a bit more than I expected, so I wonder if TRC will uhhh get a little jumpstart, or if we can see what's been going on over at the other side of things... Clear Card arc's end leaves things very hopeful. Even though the way they talked about how Kaito's time being "stopped" makes me think about Yuuko, there seems to be so much more hope that Akiho & Kaito will be able to find a solution to this, whereas with Yuuko, there seemed to be so much regret and problems as a result.

Speaking of Akiho & Kaito (I'll still call them as such LOL, their true names can be just for the ones they shared with... like how TRC SyaoSaku will always be SyaoSaku to me even after their name revelation), I'm glad they were able to have that talk in the end. With Kaito apologizing for his actions, and knowing WHAT he did wrong. As sad as I feel about the two of them leaving their friends, the fact that they will be together makes me feel very happy. I found it so cute at the end where Akiho shares her true name with Sakura and not Kaito yet bc she's still a bit upset with him XD oh Akiho~

This is so surreal because back then, it felt like such a far-fetched dream for there to be a CCS sequel. I still remember when TRC was FIRST announced ~2003 (wow 20 yrs ago), I thought it was a sequel since it's featuring Syaoran and Sakura. And when it was addressed that it's not the SAME two, I was hoping we will at least find out what happens after end of CCS bc of CLAMPverse (what I called CLAMP's version of multiverse). Seeing an ACTUAL CCS sequel just made me so so happy (although a part of me feared: but at what cost??!!--I think this was slight TRC/Holic trauma speaking). There definitely were some dark moments, especially involving Akiho, but I'm glad it had a good end. The anime adaptation was great as well, so I really look forward to the continuation.

CCS was the first anime series that I watched (USA dub) that got me into anime; in fact, it's still my favorite anime series of all time! But I was a very immature fan back then and it's kinda embarassing to admit LOL. I used to really dislike Meiling back then and wondered why they had to create her at all when I found out she was anime-only character (I saw her as a threat to SyaoSaku relationship). I also did not like the idea of Eriol x Kaho because I liked Eriol x Tomoyo more (ET still has a very special place in my heart... being one of my earliest uhh... fanon ships)... it was also to the point that I kinda disliked Kaho, until I rewatched CCS series in it's entirety. I love both Meiling and Kaho A LOT now btw. But gosh, I was such a silly child then... cuz I literally was XD I guess my point is that I'm glad that as an older fan, I am still able to follow Sakura's journey and the "essence" of the series/characters has not changed even after all this time.

Until next time~

[lilover131]

Tsubasa Ending Summary/Explanation

Many have understandably experienced a lot of confusion regarding the ending of Tsubasa. But no need to fear! Chrissy is here! I’m going to do a deep dive of the ending and do my absolute best to explain it as simply as possible, but know that some of this is just a theory as some questions were never fully answered by CLAMP and simply left to our imaginations. This “explanation” I write may also be more of a summary, but I think it will help those who looked at the pages and did not understand what was happening visually. 

 It’s also fair to put a disclaimer here that not all endings are perfect. Sometimes they are messy, and even CLAMP is not excluded from this from time to time. Endings are one of the hardest things to write in a story, but I hope to explain this in a satisfying way that helps any left confused better understand the overall situation in the final battle as well as how things were left off.

 With that said, let’s dive in! And hold on to your butts, cuz’ this is gonna be a long one (like seriously, I wrote 27 pages, please help). 

 Rather than starting in the order that CLAMP presents it, I’m actually going to start in “chronological” order, and I have the word chronological in quotes here because technically time flows in a circular motion here rather than in a linear direction, which ultimately becomes the main root of the conflict. But I consider this moment in my mind to have come ‘first’ as it was the catalyst that started this whole fiasco to begin with.

 THE CURSE

The moment I am referring to in particular is young Syaoran’s (the real one) fateful 7th birthday with Sakura. On the day of Sakura’s 7th birthday (which was also Syaoran’s), Fei Wang Reed appeared and attacked them in the pool within the ruins of Clow. His target appeared to be Sakura, and Syaoran desperately attempted to save her. Shadows began to envelop her, and when Syaoran reached out to take her hand and pull her out, he hesitated for a moment and chose not to grab it as he did not want to ruin all of the hard work she had put into her purification rites by touching her. This choice would of course affect the path of everything afterwards, exactly to Fei Wang Reed’s plan, and from the very beginning, he plants a seed in Syaoran’s mind by stating to him “The future resides on the other side of our choices. The hand you were unable to grab due to a moment’s hesitation…has decided the path for the future to come”.

 Sakura is recognized to have been given a death curse that will eventually consume and kill her, and when Syaoran attempts to fight him, Fei Wang Reed states “You will fight for the sake of your wish? Will your wish and mine become the same?”. This statement will become the first of many that Fei Wang uses to try and manipulate Syaoran. As we know, Syaoran is nearly killed by Fei Wang’s attacks and is transported back to Yuuko’s in his own world to be treated, and he makes a wish to return, his price being a one way ticket with no promise of return.

Upon Syaoran’s hasty return to Clow and without even saying goodbye to his parents, he is immediately met with guilt when he sees Sakura and sees the death curse looming over her chest. Sakura herself and the rest of her family are unable to see it, except for her mother Nadeshiko and of course Syaoran. Nadeshiko is able to see it seemingly because of her strong magical abilities, but as for Syaoran….the reason he can see this is because Fei Wang Reed wished for it, and this is yet another stage of his manipulation tactics. He wants Syaoran to see this mark grow, and he does for many many years. Seven years pass as Syaoran witnesses the mark grow larger and larger, and he has still not come even close to finding a spell to remove it. The weight of his guilt is heavy, and it pains him relentlessly as Sakura slowly moves closer to death. But he made a promise to protect her, and he was determined to keep this promise, even if he was too young at the time to truly understand what a burden this promise was. It was painful, but he knew in his heart it was the right thing. 

The day of Sakura’s 14th birthday arrived, and Syaoran is distressed that he still has yet to find a cure to the cursed mark on her body. Sakura’s parents reassure him that the blame does not fall entirely on him, but he has a hard time accepting this as he was the only one present at the time it was engraved upon her, and furthermore he had the opportunity to save her, but hesitated for that moment. Surely, Fei Wang’s words are echoing in his mind over and over. Nadeshiko reminds him that the future has not yet been decided. 

Sakura arrives in the pool, the same place she was cursed 7 years ago, and she is prepared to undergo her coming of age rites. However, without warning, the wings engraved on her suddenly spring to life and stab her viciously in every part of her body. Her death would be almost instantaneous, however Nadeshiko is quick to act and stops time just before Sakura is fully lost. It is explained to Syaoran that once time starts again, Sakura will lose her life, and she begs Syaoran to save her before collapsing. In that moment of frozen time, Syaoran thinks to himself “If I had grabbed her hand back then…it wouldn’t be like this now!!”. He is wracked with guilt and once again blaming himself for this terrible situation, wishing desperately that he could do something. He thinks to himself “If I could turn time back, then I could….”. Right on cue, Fei Wang Reed preys on Syaoran’s feelings, the seed he had planted seven years ago now coming to fruition. He speaks into his mind and whispers “I’ll fulfill that wish for you”. 

THE WISH 

It is unsurprising that the color page leading up to this particular chapter is Syaoran bound by red threads. The red threads symbolize fate, and it seems someone is manipulating these threads to trap and bind him. That person is none other than Fei Wang. He has been planning this all along and been waiting for this moment. He needed Syaoran to be caught in a desperate situation so that he would be pushed to the point of making a wish that he would not dare do otherwise. He offers to ‘help’ him by turning back time to the moment where he hesitated, however is not kind enough to bother advising him of the consequences of such a decision. In fact, he is prepared to grant the wish whether Syaoran agrees to it or not. After all, Fei Wang doesn’t pay prices…he’d much rather let someone else pay for this. 

Syaoran seems to understand his dire situation and fights with all his strength to move in the stopped time, and in a miraculous moment, his mother’s magic circle appears beneath him, and he finds himself able to move ever so slightly, briefly breaking Fei Wang’s control of the situation. Yuuko enters the fray and properly describes to him the gravity of the wish he desired in his heart and allows him the choice with full understanding of the heavy price he would pay. He was told that not only would it affect him, but it would impact the lives of all involved, but most especially those who knew of the mark (Sakura’s parents), which is not guaranteed to be a happy future. We would later find that Fujitaka would no longer be the king but instead the adoptive father of clone Syaoran, and Nadeshiko would have an untimely passing. 

However, the one who would take on the heaviest burden was of course Syaoran himself. He is advised that even if he succeeds in turning back time, he will not be able to stay by Sakura’s side. His freedom will be stripped away, and his life will also be placed in grave danger with him being able to do nothing but watch. Turning back time is a taboo in magic for a reason, and it is for this reason that the price is so high. Even knowing this, he decides to go forward with the wish, and it is this wish in particular that is the cause of our major conflict. 

THE PRICE 

Upon making his wish, Syaoran is transformed back into a seven year old. He is in a void that seems to be disconnected from the world he was just in (a dream perhaps?), and he is shocked to see another boy floating in front of him. This boy is none other than our beloved Watanuki from XXXHolic. Because Syaoran has to pay a price of his freedom and is unable to be present in the world until he has paid in full, he has left a void in terms of his relationships. To fill the void he has left in the universe, Watanuki was created to take his place as the son of Syaoran’s parents. He is Syaoran himself, but is also a being that should not exist. He exists as a result of a distortion caused by his wish, and Watanuki is one of many distorted things that  has come about from this decision. 

Fei Wang very cruelly explains that Watanuki, being someone who should not exist, will create distortions around him and will cause suffering for the parents who birthed him, but also for himself as well. Fortunately, Yuuko arrives behind Watanuki and reiterates that the future is not decided yet. Watanuki, although having an unconventional existence, would decide his own future, and this seems to bring Syaoran some hope. 

Yuuko chastises Fei Wang and tells him that his wish cannot be granted, but he is determined to bring a lost life back and surpass Clow Reed. Syaoran recognizes the name of Clow Reed as a distant relative of his father’s, but before any more can be said on the matter, Fei Wang grabs hold of poor Syaoran and tells him that it is time to pay his price. Syaoran is told that he will be stripped of his freedom and remain with him as a prisoner while being able to do nothing but watch the world he created unfold. I’m sure when he was told he would pay his freedom as a price, he could have never imagined that it would be by Fei Wang’s hands, so this must have been incredibly distressing. 

Fei Wang outstretches his hand, seemingly trying to take Watanuki with him as well, but Yuuko protects him and insists that although his existence is tied to Syaoran, he is not Syaoran himself and thus does not need to pay the same price. Yuuko even goes as far as to say he will “never fall into his hands”. Fei Wang actually does make attempts to find Watanuki later, but these attempts are foiled, and I will explain further on this later. Fei Wang remarks on how Watanuki’s appearance resembles that of a young Clow, and he believes that this was part of Clow’s plans to try and stop him, even though he has already passed a long time ago. Clow could see the future well in advance after all. 

Despite Fei Wang seeing Clow’s hand in some of this, he doesn’t seem discouraged at all and claims that he has already achieved what he wanted from this situation, which was to create a distortion in time and space. In this particular case, the distortion was that one had become two, and this was all thanks to Syaoran’s wish. Poor Syaoran is further emotionally manipulated as he tells him that he did everything according to his plans, then goes on to threaten him, stating that if he does not comply with his will that he will simply make another of him. Syaoran begs him not to, but Fei Wang tells him “It will be the same as if you had done it yourself”, and we later know that this is the very reason why he had such a difficult time separating himself from his clone’s actions and why he found himself feeling responsible. This is because Fei Wang had convinced him long ago that the horrible things the clone would do were his actions too. He also convinces him that everything that happens from now on is a direct result of his taboo wish, thus putting full responsibility on him and no one else. I didn’t need another reason to hate Fei Wang, but these awful gaslighting tactics are just the icing on the cake, and it doesn’t even end here. Oh no…it gets worse later. 

Before he disappears with Syaoran to torment him more emotionally, such as making him wear his symbol on his clothes, clone him against his will, and then force him into a seven year coma (seriously, fuck this guy), he points to Watanuki and tells him that his existence will cause suffering for all around him, and that he is nothing but a symbol of distorted time and space. Moreover, that he doesn’t have a right to exist. Fei Wang might literally be the worst person in existence. But Yuuko tells him not to listen and that he will meet people who will accept him and keep him alive. Syaoran uses every bit of strength he has to reach out to Watanuki and tell him “Do not vanish!”, urging him to stay alive and fight to exist. Watanuki’s eyes open, and the very first thing he sees is Syaoran reaching out to him before he vanishes. This wish Syaoran leaves with him will echo through his being and will impact him in ways we don’t even fully see throughout XXXHolic. We know that Watanuki later wants to help Syaoran so desperately that he actually pays a price of his memories (this takes place before the events of the XXXHolic manga, so it is not ever shown, only stated to have happened) just to help Syaoran and the others get to Clow country, and it is here that the final arc begins. 

THE CUT OFF TIME 

With Watanuki’s memories as the price, Syaoran and the others are able to be granted their wish to travel to the Kingdom of Clow after the events in Japan (Kurogane’s world), however Yuuko mentions that where they are going is a space cut off from time and not simple to get to. Mokona asks when they arrive (poor thing is totally exhausted by the effort it took to get there) what it means for something to be cut off from time, and Fai explains that he himself isn’t entirely sure, but that it might mean that time’s stopped somehow. The group meets a family in the town, and there is a young boy carrying apples who takes them to his home for a place to stay. Tbe group is on edge understandably, as everything seems to be perfectly ordinary, but there must be something wrong here. 

They go to sleep and when they awake, it appears there is already something odd. The mother letting them stay in their home had promised to make breakfast for them in the morning, but there was no food or people in sight. Worried that something happened to them, they exit the home and the family runs into them again on the street, repeating the exact same words and actions they had when they first met, as if they did not recognize them at all. They play along, obviously suspicious of the events playing out exactly the same as they had yesterday. Even odder is that when they left the house before, it had already been near sunset, meaning that the day that was repeating was not even a full day. Fai suggests they hold out for one more day to test the theory and find out if tomorrow is any longer in length. While Fai and Kurogane talk in the other room, Syaoran stays up to try and see if he can determine at what time the day starts over, but he doesn’t have to wait long before his vision goes blurry, and he falls unconscious without warning. 

When they all awake, they find that the day is moving exactly the same way it had the previous two days. The people of Clow are forced to repeat the same day over and over with no movement forward. It is a sad existence, but what seems even more concerning is that the amount of people appears to be decreasing. Syaoran then decides to ask the question of what festival is being celebrated in particular, as this was a topic brought up each day, and it is revealed that the festival is to celebrate Sakura’s 7th birthday. This piece of information leads Syaoran to fully understand the situation, but before he can divulge this to the others, the mother who had taken them in the previous days melts before their very eyes. Her son seems to be completely unaware and is still smiling. 

People one by one around them also melt, but no one is reacting in horror except for Syaoran, Fai, Kurogane, and Mokona. Syaoran recognizes what is occurring and explains to the others that they have been living in a single day over and over again without change, and their appearance and questions changed things. They are confirmed to not be illusions, but real people who are dying before them as a result of the distortion they are causing just by being there. This enrages Syaoran, because he knows that Fei Wang has put them in this position and is forcing them to forsake human lives in order to continue. 

Syaoran realizes that he has no choice but to continue onwards, no matter how painful it is to do so, and insists they must go to the ruins immediately. This proves to be much more emotionally difficult than expected as the young boy they had met starts to melt himself, repeatedly saying “Come stay with us!”. More and more people begin to melt, and Syaoran takes the boy’s hands, looking absolutely agonized about what he must do, but he understands that being in a time where one cannot move forward is the same as being dead. They are already dead. Despite this, he still feels immense guilt and embraces the boy, apologizing to him and taking all of the blame onto himself, stating that there is no justification for what he is doing. Surely he is still hearing Fei Wang’s words in his mind when he told him “You will only be able to watch the paths unfold that you, yourself distorted”. 

Fai senses his distress and touches his hand, and Kurogane pitches in to tell him that if he is guilty, then he himself is just as guilty too. Fai and Mokona also share the blame with him, and these words are incredibly meaningful to Syaoran. He has always taken all of the burden on himself, but now he has companions who are willing to share this with him. He is no longer alone. 

They make their way to the ruins, and Syaoran predicts that time will be frozen within the ruins on “that day”. He is correct, and time is stopped inside on the moment that Sakura on her seventh birthday had been cursed, just before he had hesitated to grab her hand. It is at this point when Syaoran tells the group everything about his past, and it becomes clear that this moment in time was cut off from time and space so that Syaoran could take Sakura’s hand. After all, the prices he paid to turn back time to this very moment would be worthless if he was unable to come back.

But him telling his story to the group was not just to explain the stopped time in this place. He was carrying even more guilt and expressed that his wish likely changed their courses as well, resulting in the unfortunate circumstances that happened in all of their pasts, such as Fai being born a twin and Kurogane’s mother and father being murdered. It becomes clear that Fei Wang’s words really have impacted him when he says “Back then, Fei Wang said something. He said ‘it’s the same as if you had done it yourself’”, and as a result of those words, he had been taking the responsibility for literally every bad thing that had occurred since (that manipulation is really rearing its head now).  Syaoran asks them to make a choice as to what they will do now, effectively asking them if they wish to stay with him or not, or even worse….take out their anger on him. He is prepared to take on any punishment they deem worthy.

 He looks pained and closes his eyes, prepared for the worst, and Kurogane reaches out, seemingly to strike him, but instead gives him a little knock on the head; his way of showing affection. Fai similarly shows affection by cupping his face and explains that they have decided to stay with him and that seeing Syaoran’s distressed face made Kurogane grouchy. Fai then assures Syaoran that although he did break a taboo, he cannot possibly take responsibility for everything that happened afterwards, and to even try to was actually arrogant. Kurogane backs Fai up by stating that had he been in his shoes, he would have chosen the exact same thing. No one blames him for the choices he made or even the potential consequences that occurred as a result, and they thank him for coming forward and telling them as it must have been painful to do so. I can only imagine that Syaoran had been imagining this conversation the entire time while travelling with them, and he probably thought they would beat him or leave him once they knew the truth. Knowing now that that was not the case must have been an enormous weight off his shoulders, and he finally has a feeling of belonging. He had just told these people his darkest secrets and biggest mistakes, and they accept him exactly as he is. This moment here is what brings them closer together and leads Syaoran to become much more vulnerable and honest with them in the future. And while he has this very profound moment of belonging, he prays that Watanuki is feeling the same with people who accept him and care for him just as he is. 

THE DECISION TO MOVE FORWARD

Fei Wang can tell that Syaoran is emboldened now by the support of his companions, and he has made a decision to continue forward and take the hand he could not before. However, despite Fei Wang wanting this to occur, he is not going to make it easy for him. Clone Syaoran appears (I will call him C!Syaoran from here on out to differentiate them), appearing no different emotionally after his last appearance in which he accidentally stabbed Sakura’s soul. Kurogane and Fai instantly move in front of Syaoran to protect him and asks Mokona to take a step back for her safety. Even more than that, Fai tells her to take care of Syaoran if something happens, meaning that Fai is not entirely sure they will make it out alive in this battle. Mokona tells them that they are all going to get through this together and steps back. 

A portal opens behind C!Syaoran, revealing Fei Wang. This naturally infuriates everyone as he has done unspeakably cruel actions to all of them and many others. He is undoubtedly someone evil who needs to be stopped. Fei Wang wastes zero time trying to manipulate Syaoran once again by rubbing in how this moment is ‘burned into his regrets’. He tells him that he has warped space and time to wind back time to this moment, and that this cut off time he created has been essentially abandoned by the laws of the universe. He insists that Syaoran must have known the damage that would be caused as a result but that he chose not to stop. Fei Wang implies that Syaoran is no different from himself, stomping on the wishes of others to fulfill his own wish. And THANK GOD Kurogane silences him by throwing an attack his way and telling him very directly to shut the hell up. Kurogane is so 1000% done with Fei Wang’s shit and won’t allow him to manipulate Syaoran any further. He even manages to land a scratch on his hand! 

Kurogane tells Fei Wang to come out and face him, but it seems clear that he won’t do so. They are prepared to fight and do everything they can to get to Fei Wang, but in the meantime, Fai imparts on Syaoran some valuable advice. He tells him that there is no way to know what the future will hold as a result of our choices, and that there is no point thinking about it. Instead, we should act on what we can do and according to our own will, and that this is the very opposite of running away. He implores Syaoran to think about what it is he wants to do now, and Syaoran responds very simply that he will not let Sakura die. This is one belief that has always held true, and knowing this, he will do whatever it takes to keep her from dying.

Syaoran has made his choice to move forward, and C!Syaoran turns, seeming to have made a choice of his own. There is unfinished business between the clone and the original that needs to be concluded before they can move forward. 

THE SACRIFICE 

While Kurogane and Fai are taking on the minions Fei Wang created from stolen souls from the XXXHolic world and willingly sacrifices (this fucker knows no bounds), Syaoran is fighting C!Syaoran. The battle proves to immediately become extremely difficult for Syaoran, and he is struggling to hold up against C!Syaoran’s enormous magical energy. It appears that he has grown even stronger since their last battle, and Syaoran had undoubtedly lost that one before. It doesn’t look good at all, and in his frustration, Syaoran confronts him about Sakura’s death, asking if that had really meant nothing at all to him. C!Syaoran doesn’t react to this and keeps attacking, blowing very easily through all of Syaoran’s defenses. 

Syaoran is having difficulty even just getting up off the floor, and even after engulfing C!Syaoran in flames, he quite easily dissipates it. Fei Wang elaborates that the clone has been using magic constantly in the many worlds he has traveled to, and as a result has grown much stronger. Moments later, Syaoran is disarmed and pinned to the ground by C!Syaoran’s foot. It’s a desperate situation, but Fei Wang ensures that Fai and Kurogane are unable to interfere as he summons more soldiers to get in their way. Despite this, they fight hard and are desperate to get to the boy before it is too late. C!Syaoran mutters that he will do what he must before he thrusts the sword downwards. 

A silhouette of blood spurts out from what appears to have been a brutal stabbing. Fai and Kurogane are furious and barrel their way through soldiers to try and get to Syaoran. Before they can reach them, C!Syaoran unleashes a massive blast of magic energy that doesn’t just take out Fai and Kurogane temporarily, but also takes out every soldier that Fei Wang unleashed. Fei Wang seems more amused by this and remarks at the usefulness of his magic. C!Syaoran then grabs Syaoran by his cloak and whispers something into his ear. It’s unclear what is said to him, but he then hoists him up and begins to drag Syaoran’s limp body towards Fei Wang. 

Fei Wang comments on how even dead, Syaoran’s body is worth using and that if the clone were to perish, he’d only need to transfer the soul of the clone into the original’s body. This further illustrates his absolute lack of respect for human life. Everything is just a chess piece to him in his plan. Even while standing right in front of C!Syaoran, he speaks of how he intends to use the clone until he is ‘ground into dust’. It’s in this moment that he seems to break the thin, film like barrier that was separating him from the other world, and he is now exposed. The mage holds out his hand, waiting for C!Syaoran to hand over Syaoran, and Kurogane and Fai are not about to let that happen. They rise to their feet despite their injuries, and Kurogane even goes as far as to rip off his own mechanical arm to do so. 

But the joke is on Fei Wang when Syaoran reveals that he is in fact not dead and stabs his sword right into his torso (fuck yeah!). Everyone is shocked, naturally, but none more so than Fei Wang. He quickly deduces after seeing the stab wound in C!Syaoran’s foot that he had actually stabbed into himself to create the illusion of killing Syaoran and trick him. It seems implied that when C!Syaoran whispered in Syaoran’s ear, he was letting him know about the plan and telling him to pretend to be dead until they could get close enough to make a move.

This plan turned out to be quite brilliant and not only managed to injure and surprise Fei Wang, but also exposed him for further attack. He got him to come out of his safe place, and he also even killed all the soldiers Fei Wang summoned without drawing any suspicion. Unfortunately, the advantage didn’t last long, and in his rage, Fei Wong brings forth a sword and lunges at Syaoran. He has no time to react and seems doomed…but at the last second, someone pulls him out of the way and places themselves between Syaoran and the sword. That person is unfortunately C!Syaoran. 

Syaoran is completely stunned. Not only did he just help him get close to Fei Wang for an attack, but he had now sacrificed himself for him; a person who up until a short period of time ago was believed to still have no heart. Despite having a massive blade through his chest, C!Syaoran keeps a calm gaze and keeps his eyes on Syaoran. Without looking back even once, his hand outstretches, and he begins weaving magic to forcefully pull open the dimensional portal leading to Fei Wang. 

Fei Wang is furious about this insubordination, and in his retaliation, he pulls the sword roughly from C!Syaoran’s body, irrevocably damaging him. The blood pours out and Syaoran seems to cry out in horror. Although injured himself, Fei Wang is still on his feet and prepares to fire another attack at them, which is swiftly blocked by a spell of Syaoran’s own. 

Syaoran is confused and seems to still be grappling with the situation. He asks his clone why he sacrificed himself, and C!Syaoran explains that he wanted to know what words Sakura had intended to say next. This is heartbreaking, because we all know the next words were going to be ‘I love you..’, but she had disappeared before getting to say it. C!Syaoran chose to sacrifice himself in the same way Sakura did, all so that he could see her again and hear her say those words that would mean everything to him. It’s clear that her death did affect him, and when he looked at Syaoran before their last battle and stated that it ‘would end today’…he was very likely referring to himself. It was his intention to die that day, because without Sakura, what did he have left to live for? I don’t think this act was impulsive, and I’m sure he knew the moment he retaliated against Fei Wang that he would certainly kill him for it. 

C!Syaoran finally collapses, but before he strikes the ground, Syaoran catches him and cradles him as he coughs blood and seems to struggle to breathe. In his last moments, he releases a blue gem from his right eye, containing the feathers he’s collected for Sakura as well as Fai’s magic. With his last breath, he mutters Kurogane, Fai, Mokona, and Sakura’s names, but much to Syaoran’s surprise, he also calls out his. He gently touches Syaoran’s arm and says ‘I’m sorry…and thank…you’ before his body shatters into many pieces of glass, symbolizing the mirror he had been born from. This moment is so meaningful because he says the words they all needed to hear from him so badly, but it is that much more painful because it is too late. He finally grew a heart and seemed to return to himself, but now he was gone. And for Syaoran, this hurts perhaps the worst for him, because he moreso than anyone wanted to save him. He watched his whole life through his eyes and cared about him deeply, and to be acknowledged as his own person by him in that final moment was heartwrenching. When Syaoran had his first conversation with Mokona in Acid Tokyo, Mokona could tell right away with her powers of empathy that Syaoran had wanted to travel together with all of them, including C!Syaoran. And now that dream had literally shattered in his arms. 

PAYBACK (?) 

Syaoran is devastated and holding what remains of his clone in his protective barrier of wind magic. He allows Fai and Kurogane to enter, and they are able to hear the remnants of C!Syaoran’s last words. 

Fai holds the gem containing the magic C!Syaoran left behind and Kurogane grips Hien, the sword that he had trained C!Syaoran how to use. The two visibly grieve his loss, and Kurogane is frustrated that he had the strength to apologize, but not to stay alive. Fai accepts the magic back into his body, his eye returning to its previous state. He can tell that his magic is stronger than before, and that C!Syaoran had purposely used it as much as he could so that he could return it stronger than it was to Fai. However, Fai comments that he much rather would have had C!Syaoran return to them instead of having his magic back. 

Syaoran rises to his feet, his face seeming  calm on the outside, but it is clear that there is a burning rage on the inside. Kurogane can recognize it too and hands him Hien. It’s only fitting that Syaoran use it now, and the group immediately gets to work on getting their revenge on Fei Wang.

Fai works a spell to further open up the portal leading to Fei Wang. Kurogane and Syaoran charge forward with deadly intent, and while Syaoran distracts Fei Wang, Kurogane goes in for what seems like the killing blow. He is seemingly sliced in half until it is revealed that it was an illusion, and he had used his henchman Kyle as a human shield. Poor Kyle unfortunately was not notified of the plan, and it appears that Fei Wang had instructed him to stand in that exact spot at that exact moment, setting him up to take the kill for him. Fei Wang smirks from the mirror just behind Kyle and holds Sakura’s soulless body, claiming that he ‘allowed’ Kyle to stay alive as long as he did, but ultimately, he too was a failure, even as a body double (THE FUCKIN’ NERVVVVEEEEE). 

Syaoran shares my personal rage and is 1,000,000% done with Fei Wang’s disregard for living creatures and shouts his name with four whole exclamation points (!!!!), visibly expressing his very visceral anger. 

REDEMPTION 

After so brutally killing C!Syaoran and then allowing Kyle to die for him, Fei Want states that one can’t expect much from man made things (he’s also in a way insulting C!Syaoran saying this), but then claims ‘the real thing is something else entirely’ as he strokes Sakura’s face (so creepy!). Syaoran certainly doesn’t stand for this and goes in for an attack. 

However, as he does, Sakura’s body (the body of the Clone Sakura whose soul and body was separated in Infinity after being stabbed by Fai) floats up into the air, and Fei Wang states that ‘it’s beginning’. What he means, is that his wish is starting to come to fruition. The once frozen time around them begins to move forward, reacting to Sakura’s body nearby, and the black mass surrounding the young Sakura from the 7th birthday incident starts to swallow her slowly once again. 

Syaoran is now forced to either go after Sakura’s body or to take the hand of the young princess he could not save all those years ago. Kurogane and Fai insist he go to the young Sakura and that he had been waiting all this time and suffered so much for this moment. Kurogane and Fai step forward, intending to handle the situation regarding the other Sakura and to try and stop Fei Wang, but it is clear which Sakura Syaoran must go to. He runs out of the portal and back into the frozen space that is beginning to move. He is having difficulty moving himself, but he refuses to give up and fights with all his power to get to her hand. He had to take her hand this time, and Fei Wang seems eager for him to take it. He wants Syaoran to do this. 

While he struggles, Mokona suddenly senses a feather nearby, but she is confused as there shouldn’t be any feathers here that she is aware of. Fei Wang is amused by this and explains that at one time it was true that there was no feather here, but the rules of the universe had slowly begun to crumble during their journey to different worlds, and that their journey even impacted the future of some, such as the country of Shara. However, he gets to the point of this by leading them to the realization that the Country of Clow is also a result of a future they altered. Upon realizing some common attributes, they soon come to understand that the country of Clow is in fact the future of Acid Tokyo. The ruins are where the Metropolitan Government building once stood (the building where C!Syaoran lost his heart), and the pool of water within the ruins is the water that was protected by the feather Sakura left behind. This is also why the water protected Sakura when Fei Wang cursed her on her 7th birthday; because her feather had protected it and kept it pure for many many years. The country of Clow exists because of Sakura’s feather. 

The feather emerges from the water, and it’s this feather in particular that is special. It has spanned dimensions and time, and so when this feather returns to Sakura’s body, this seems to be one of the final pieces required to set in motion Fei Wang’s wish. Everyone seems to be frozen in place, and Fei Wang monologues about how Sakura’s body has been engraved with the memories of many worlds and dimensions, and the feather she just received has unparalleled power that will ‘tear apart the bonds that connect the dimensions to one another’. Fei Wang is effectively trying to break the universe’s rules entirely, because by doing so, he hopes to also break the most cardinal rule that ‘the dead cannot come back to life’. 

Sakura’s body sprouts wings, and we can see that this is already making an effect on the worlds they have visited as a dangerous distorted looking swirl is filling the skyr, mimicking what they are seeing in their cut off time. The very world around them seems to be shattering to pieces like glass, but despite the chaos happening, Syaoran is still fighting to take the young Sakura’s hand. Kurogane and Fai attempt to stop Fei Wang, but are blasted back by magic. Syaoran looks over to them with worry, temporarily distracted. Certainly, he wants to help them, but they cry out to him, as if to tell him not to give up and not worry about them. Syaoran clenches his fist in renewed determination and grows closer to her hand. It seems there is little of the world left around him as it shatters, but just as Kurogane and Fai land a blow on Fei Wang, Syaoran finally takes Sakura’s hand. 

 THE FINAL CHAIN 

Syaoran holds the young Sakura close, cherishing the moment he was able to redeem. However, it appears Fei Wang is pleased by this, and he states that by grabbing her hand, the final link in the chain was broken. He had gone to the very point of death and changed the future. The choice he made called to ‘one who was stopped one step from the edge of death’ (Clone Sakura when she was stabbed by Fai) and also calls to ‘one who stopped within an instant’s time’ (young Sakura). The two fuse together, and Fei Wang states that this fusion “calls that person (Yuuko) back”.  

From her own world, Yuuko falls to her knees. She claims that the dream must remain a dream, and that the ones who started it must finish it. This is directed towards Fei Wang, and she wants him to give up on this impossible wish. But she also mentions Clow’s name, because along with Yuuko were the ones who started this.

Fai remarks at how both Sakura’s had incredibly strong power all on their own, but together would be unspeakably powerful. Fei Wang explains that he had gathered souls (this was done via the wing creatures in XXXHolic), and he had tried to place them in nearly identical bodies, but they all turned out to be ‘failures’. But this time, he managed to obtain an empty vessel with memories of many dimensions (Sakura’s body), a feather that had spanned many eons of time within water, and the true Sakura (young Sakura) who is able to accept both of these things into herself. They were all gathered together into one ridiculously powerful being. 

Fei Wang states how Clow Reed once attempted this same wish to revive someone back from the dead, but that he had failed. He also mentions that like Sakura, Clow placed the person he wanted to save in a cut off time separated from dimensions.  It is revealed at this point that Yuuko is the one that Clow wanted to revive. The light that was enveloping this fused Sakura begins to vanish, seemingly transferring to Yuuko. It appears that Fei Wang is trying to sap this Sakura entirely of her power and life for the sake of reviving Yuuko.

The group moves to try and stop this process, but Fei Wang is not having it and strikes all of them with magic, insisting they will not interfere. He is too close to his wish being fulfilled to let it be stopped now, and he is almost mad with excitement. He is obsessed with surpassing Clow. Syaoran cries out Sakura’s name due to the grim situation,, but elsewhere, Yuuko refuses to let this happen and states that this dream cannot be fulfilled by anyone. 

THOSE WHO WAITED 

In her shop, she gazes down at what seems to be a little glass tube, the same tube we see Sakura and Syaoran trapped in on the very first page of the manga. As she looks upon this magical artifact, she claims that many people in many places, and for many reasons have all waited for this time. Among the objects in her shop and within this artifact are two souls that she has kept concealed and protected until this moment. The two she refers to are the Syaoran and Sakura that are “Syaoran’s” parents. After he left for Clow country, they used their powerful magic to turn back time on their bodies and paid a price of distancing themselves not just from their own children (Syaoran and Watanuki), but from themselves as well. Like Syaoran paid the price of his freedom and time, they did the same by being trapped in this artifact and being unable to touch or hear each other behind a thin glass wall for many years. But they willingly did this for the ones they love and specifically “two futures”. 

Yuuko states that her time has begun to move again, just like the young Sakura’s in the cut off time. She is between the threshold of life and death as someone who should have died long ago, and because of this new change in events, she can now effectively send Syaoran’s parents to the others through dreams. The glass artifact breaks, and Yuuko’s magic circle appears in the cutoff time in Clow Country. Everyone, including Fei Wang, is incredibly surprised when another Syaoran and Sakura appear: “Syaoran’s” parents who had sent him on his journey. 

Syaoran looks all around him at his father behind him and his mother in front of him. He recognizes them immediately, but he also spots Watanuki standing off to the side nearby. The panels are all black behind them, indicating that they are currently in a dream, which makes sense as Yuuko had used this method to transport M!Sakura and D!Syaoran (I will use this from now on to help differentiate, but the M! Stands for Mom and the D! Stands for Dad. Haha).. Watanuki has also developed in XXXHolic the ability to enter dreams as a dreamseer, so it makes sense for him to be there (he seems to have inherited this from his mama! <3).

 Despite Watanuki having no memories of his past (Watanuki mentions in XXXHolic how he doesn’t even remember his parents faces or names), he seems to find M!Sakura and D!Syaoran familiar, The parents both look at him, and M!Sakura looks first to Syaoran, then to Watanuki before smiling and saying “everything will be all right”. This is beautiful as this is CCS Sakura’s invincible spell, and we learn that M!Sakura did not create this phrase on her own but rather learned it directly from CCS Sakura herself via a dream. 

REWRITING THE UNIVERSE

They no longer appear to be in a dream anymore as Watanuki is no longer beside them and the black background disappears, but M!Sakura and D!Syaoran remain. Yuuko’s magic to transport them to the other world via a dream  was successful, and D!Syaoran seems ready to get straight to business. He says very seriously that they have to “ensure that they can choose their future”, and their respective magic circles appear beneath M!Sakura and D!Syaoran. Syaoran tries to move forward to grab onto Sakura but is held back by his father, and M!Sakura grabs onto her instead. The magic is strong and easy to be swept away in, and Fai wastes no time creating some magical protection himself for him, Kurogane, and Mokona. 

The entire world is enveloped in massive magic circles, and Mokona asks what is happening. It’s clear something big is occurring, but she is not sure what it is. Fai very firmly advises them not to leave the bubble he created to protect them. M!Sakura and D!Syaoran are rewriting the laws of the universe and trying to repair them, and with such high level magic changing everything around them, there is no telling what would happen if they leave the protection of the barrier. Fei Wang is furious and prepares to attack them. M!Sakura and D!Syaoran defiantly tell Fei Wang they will not let him destroy these worlds. 

The broken shards of the world of Clow country they saw before start to piece back together, and M!Sakura and D!Syaoran are incredibly focused as they pour all of their magic power into this task. It’s not an easy one, and Fai is absolutely floored at how strong the two are. Sweat drips down their face, displaying the physical toll this sort of spell is putting on them. When asked if they can do it, Fai explains they are certainly powerful, but he is questioning how they managed to remain hidden like they were if they were capable. Magic that strong would be able to be felt from even another dimension, and it seems this is the major reason why they had chosen to turn back time and hide themselves in the artifact in Yuuko’s shop. By being in that place, it kept them hidden from Fei Wang so that he wouldn’t be alerted to their plans. In fact, they had actually done quite a bit not just to hide themselves, but to protect Syaoran and Watanuki as well. Watanuki was given the chosen name of ‘Kimihiro’ which means ‘to visit’. This name was given as a promise that they would return to him one day, whereas Watanuki means ‘April 1st’, to symbolize his birthday as well as a old Japanese tradition in which starting from the beginning of April, one would change their winter kimono into a summer kimono by removing the cotton lining. 

Additionally, “Syaoran” was given the name he was because in the magical world in the CLAMPverse, knowing one’s true name gives someone access to that person’s soul, and knowing one’s birthday allows them to control someone’s life (from chapter 1 of XXXHolic per Yuuko). This is why when young Syaoran told Yuuko upon their first meeting that his name was “Syaoran Li”, she told him “Your father has taught you well”. Watanuki’s first meeting with Yuuko paralleled this, however she laughed at him for giving his name and birthday to a complete stranger. The fake name of Syaoran was meant to protect him from other magical users, but primarily Fei Wang. 

D!Syaoran develops a cut on his arm from the sheer intensity of the magic he’s performing (just to show the gravity of how important it is for him to stay focused), and when Syaoran shouts with worry, D!Syaoran tells him not to lose focus. He reminds him of how when he was a child, he had decided back then that if there was something he needed to do, that he would do it. He had decided not to let Sakura die, and that was a promise he intended to keep. M!Sakura smiles, and D!Syaoran tells him to never lose sight of his wish, and that if he wants it to be fulfilled, he must choose, no matter how painful that choice may be. Essentially, he’s saying “Don’t worry about me, worry about the life you promised to save”. Syaoran seems shocked, and I think he knew to some extent at this point that D!Syaoran was aware of an outcome that Syaoran hadn’t considered. 

Just when you thought Fei Wang had finally shut up for a change, he returns to the conversation with a vengeance, shouting that nothing will interfere with his wish. He fires a spell at them while M!Sakura and D!Syaoran are entirely unable to defend themselves while focused on their massive spell. Initially, the blast seems to land, but when the dust clears, Syaoran is revealed as having created a shield to protect him and his parents from the attack. Fei Wang sends another attack in his rage, and Syaoran does his best to defend from it, but is quickly getting overwhelmed. Fai lends some of his own power to try and help, but ultimately, it does no good. Syaoran and his parents are struck, but even Fai is blasted off his feet.  D!Syaoran loses his grip on Syaoran, who starts to plummet down to the ground, and Kurogane catches Fai before the same can happen to him. Fortunately, D!Syaoran catches Syaoran’s hand in just the right time, and a magic circle appears underneath everyone to support them. However, the magic circle that appears is not D!Syaoran’s typical circle, but Clow Reed’s! Of all the things to surprise Fei Wang, this is probably the biggest surprise of all, and I personally loved seeing his confused dumbfounded face. He remarks at how it doesn’t just look like Clow’s circle, but actually is Clow’s circle exactly, down to every detail. 

He asks how it is that he is able to use it, and Yuuko, being the timely woman she is, appears as an image within the pieces of the world that M!Sakura and D!Syaoran managed to put back together and states that D!Syaoran can use this because Clow himself passed this on to him. 

REBORN TOGETHER 

Although Yuuko appears to speaking in past tense, the scene happening before her right at that moment is one that directly impacts the future. The glass shards of C!Syaoran’s body join Yuuko in the dream world and form back into full body. He gazes at Yuuko with confusion and asks here where he is. She tells him that he is in the dream world, however he still doesn’t quite understand how he is there in front of her when he was killed not long ago by Fei Wang’s blade. Yuuko confirms that he was indeed killed by Fei Wang, but explains that the reason he is there now is because he is a man-made creation, and as a result, he cannot die but merely vanish. 

C!Sakura’s body forms in the dream world as well, and C!Syaoran is advised that she too is the same. Before the two of them vanished completely, they were brought here, and Yuuko also mentions that C!Syaoran’s heart came along with him too, fully confirming that he has indeed developed a heart of his very own. C!Sakura, however, was only a soul without a body when she was killed, so to remedy the lack of a body to return to, Yuuko retrieved the original Sakura’s body that she was cloned from. Unlike with Syaoran, Fei Wang had cloned Sakura’s body and heart, and the process of this unfortunately killed the original. It was too much for the original to withstand, but the body that was left behind is able to serve as a vessel for the clone’s soul now, which is a mirror image of the original. It’s rather depressing to think that the Sakura we saw in the first chapter was technically dead the moment she dropped into that opening in the ruins. 

C!Syaoran then asks the million dollar question. Why are they there? Yuuko offers the two of them a choice; a choice of their future. It is explained to them that they are both man-made, so they cannot die. However, for that very reason as well, they are able to be reborn. Naturally, C!Syaoran’s first reaction is to ask what the price would be. To  give life to something is an extremely heavy price, and the only equal price for a life is…well, a life. But Yuuko tells them that they no longer have to worry about paying a price, as they have already paid enough in their journey. She explains that the responsibility of this situation squarely lies on her and Clow’s shoulders, as this situation started as a result of them. When Yuuko was moments from death, Clow wished for just a moment that she would open her eyes again. Because Clow’s magic was so enormously powerful, this innocent wish resulted in Yuuko’s time stopping, just like Sakura with Syaoran’s wish to turn back time. Consequentially, Fei Wang then lifted a hand to grant Clow’s wish, starting everything they were dealing with now. 

When C!Sakura hears Clow’s name, she addresses him as her father, but Yuuko advises her that when Syaoran turned back time, the lives of those who knew of the death mark were impacted greatly. Nadeshiko, Sakura’s mother, passed away, and Fujitaka, her father, instead became C!Syaoran’s adoptive father. To fill the void of Sakura having no parents, Clow took this place, leaving everything behind (including Kero and Yue. This Clow is indeed the same Clow as CCS and may be the only Clow in existence). He did this to guide them and help them, but more than that, he did it so that when the time came, he could pay the price for C!Syaoran to be reborn. He gave up his very life for the time C!Syaoran would decide. C!Syaoran is stunned by this, because this means a man he really didn’t know well gave up his very life and magic for him, all so he could have another chance.

 Yuuko gazes to C!Sakura and tells her that she will pay her price. When asked why, Yuuko replies that the warped world they are currently in is the first one. Time is stopped to have kept her from dying due to Clow’s inadvertent wish, thus she is a being that should no longer be alive anyways. Yuuko was meant to die many many years ago, and there is no need for C!Sakura and C!Syaoran to pay anymore prices after having suffered so much. Their originals, Syaoran and Sakura, have also suffered far too much. 

With the price being laid out and ready to be paid, Yuuko explains to them what being reborn will actually mean for them. If they are reborn, they will retain all of their memories, including the painful ones. Additionally, they will once again head towards “this time”. C!Syaoran doesn’t quite understand what she means by this, and Yuuko tells them that time is no longer flowing in one direction and that the past, present, and future are all twisted up and mixed as a result of the rules of the universe broken by Fei Wang. Despite this being broken, there is one thing that still remains true, and that is that their choices in the present can affect both the past and the future. They may be reborn and live a new life, but they will meet their other selves somewhere along the way, and the ones who will decide what happens at that point will be them. 

C!Syaoran looks at Sakura with a pained expression and talks about how has hurt so many people, including Sakura. Yuuko tries to console him by telling him that he was acting according to Fei Wang’s will and not his own, but C!Syaoran states that even despite this, it was his hands that did it. He is so haunted by these memories of the horrendous things he did while missing his heart, that he seems to be hesitant to start over in a new life. But C!Sakura speaks up and tells him that if what he did is considered a crim, that she would like to accept the punishment with him. In a beautiful declaration, she tells him that she will take on any punishment if it means she gets to live a life with him (-weeps-). C!Syaoran, although surely not wanting C!Sakura to suffer on his behalf, sees her desperate pleading in her eyes and takes her hand. The choice has been made, and Yuuko and Clow’s circles appear beneath them. 

Before they can even ask, Yuuko lets them know that when they are reborn, it will be in the same world, at the same time, and they will meet each other again. Knowint that they are sure to see each once again and will have a life together, C!Sakura finally confesses her feelings to C!Syaoran and tells him she loves him. She is finally able to say the words she wanted to say before she passed, and C!Syaoran gets to hear the words he died to hear. C!Syaoran tells her that he loves her too, and the two of them are wrapped in wings before they disappear from the dream world. 

Now that the prices have been paid, the stopped time in Yuuko’s dream world begins to move again, the blackness starts to consume her body to finally end the life that should have been gone long ago. In her final moments, she wishes for their happiness, and in XXXHolic, this is when she has her final conversation with Watanuki. 

TIMES OF HAPPINESS 

In the future, the reborn C!Sakura is standing under a sakura tree in Hong Kong. Her school had a school trip to this place, and C!Sakura explains to her classmates that she this is her first time out of Japan. However, she has always wanted to travel because there is someone she wants to meet. We all know this to be C!Syaoran, and fortunately for her, C!Syaoran arrives only moments later, who just happens to be walking down some nearby steps. The moment they see each other, C!Sakura is brought to tears, and C!Syaoran smiles warmly at her. The two embrace, and they had always believed they would eventually find each other. 

Flash forward several years later, C!Sakura is sitting on a luxurious bed, holding a small baby in her arms. C!Syaoran steps inside and C!Sakura apologizes for having worried him, stating the baby and her are all right now. It seems that she had a difficult birth; one that lead C!Syaoran to fear he would lose her again, but she assures him that she will never leave him behind. They have an incredibly precious moment holding their child together. 

C!Sakura tells C!Syaoran about how his mother remarked about the baby looking just like him when he was a baby, but it appears that there is more reason for that than just genetics. This child isn’t just their child but C!Syaoran original, Syaoran. They reflect on the words Yuuko had said to them long ago about how they would meet their other selves eventually in their reborn life, but this also reminds them that they are once again heading towards “that time” (trademark CLAMP. Lol. They really love that phrase). C!Syaoran embraces C!Sakura and their child, stating that he will protect them both despite this, no matter what. C!Sakura smiles, seeming to have some comfort in this. 

Several years later, we see a six year old Syaoran telling his mother about the training session he had with his father earlier that morning. He seems to be enjoying these times, and C!Sakura wraps her arms around him. Syaoran is a bit confused by the sudden show of affection, but she tells him that she is simply so happy that he was born her son. While she holds him, she and C!Syaoran exchange serious glances before she sends Syaoran off to collect herbs for tea. C!Syaoran wonders if he’ll have a chance to train Syaoran tomorrow, 

He has sensed that something serious has happened, and C!Sakura advises him that she has had a dream. In the dream, she saw Syaoran and Sakura in a glass tunnel (the artifact), separated by a glass wall. When asked if there is any chance of changing it, C!Sakura says that Syaoran’s existence as their child should be an impossibility, but time is repeating in a circle, resulting in the past events repeating once again. C!Sakura goes on to explain that there was only one dream she had that showed a different future than the life they experienced, which means it is the only way out of the endless circle. If they continue in this path, Sakura and Syaoran will be separated from each other at the end, and after all the suffering they know he will endure, they cannot bear to think of it all ending in that way. So in order to prevent this from happening and help to break the cycle, they instead place themselves in the artifact. They are able to do this, because they too are “Sakura” and “Syaoran”. 

It seems like such a grim prospect, but C!Sakura tells C!Syaoran about her other dream, where she met a version of herself from another world who told her that everything will be all right, because they have people they love, and their happiness comes from them (even in cameo version, CCS Sakura is an absolute blessing). C!Sakura goes on to say that her happiness was being born in this world and being able to live alongside him, as well as having their son. C!Syaoran shares the exact same sentiment, and he repeats himself again in his desire to protect both C!Sakura and their son. He also tells her that even if they are separated again, he will most definitely find her. 

Shortly after this conversation, perhaps the very same day, C!Syaoran gave young Syaoran both his sword and his name. Later, they arrange to have Touya and Yukito (the ones in their world) to receive a letter, requesting them to drop off the artifact they will place themselves within to Yuuko for protection, as well as the price to help Syaoran travel to Clow. C!Syaoran unravels the artifact from a piece of fabric it was contained in within the Li clan vault. He states that there was a message that came with it from Clow himself wanting to pass this down to protect him. Because he was born in this world as one of Clow’s descendants, he also was born with magic. With this magic, he can help break the cycle, since not being able to move forward is the same as being dead (something that Syaoran also said in the country of Clow when they began to melt). With that, they extend their arms and use their magic on each other to turn back time and place themselves within the artifact until the moment comes where they can leave. . 

THE REUNION and DESPERATION

After it is revealed that Syaoran’s parents are actually the clones reborn, their companions are elated to see them again. Kurogane asks Fai if he knew this all along, and he explains that he had a hunch, but that was about it. In a very Kurogane-like fashion, he tells the clones they can expect a beating like they’ve never seen, and they shouldn’t dare disappear on them again. The clones seemed touched by this before Kurogane moves on to say that Syaoran and the real Sakura better not disappear either without their say so! Syaoran nods in acknowledgement before looking to his mother, then to his father. C!Syaoran reaches forward to wipe the blood from Syaoran’s cheek, his own blood in reality, and cups his face, telling him that regardless of whether he’s his original or his child, the fact that he is precious to him does not change. This is incredibly sweet and likely helped Syaoran to cope with the situation. It simplifies the reality of the situation that they care about each other, and that is all that really matters. 

Before Syaoran can reply, Fei Wang ruins the moment by sending a huge blast of magic at them. He has now noticed that his spell is no longer working the way it is supposed to. He cannot find Yuuko’s existence in any world, meaning she has now truly died. He completely loses it, saying that he cannot accept this and that she must be revived. He is obsessed with surpassing Clow, and that him bringing one back to life is the only way for him to prove this. In his hands, he summons the same glass tube that C!Sakura and C!Syaoran had remained trapped in for so long. Fei Wang refuses to be defeated and for all of this to have been for nothing, 

He’s gone mad really, and he insists he will turn back time again, but that he won’t pay for the price and will instead take Syaoran’s freedom as the price (again). He also intends on using the princess’s power to find a world in which Yuuko still lives, truly believing that there must be at least still one. Until he finds a version of Yuuko that still exists, he intends on keeping Syaoran and Sakura in his grasp within the artifact, where they will be unable to touch or hear each other’s voices. But he tries to assure them that when their usefulness is at an end, he will kill them (-rolls eyes- how generous). 

Fei Wang starts trying to pull Syaoran and Sakura into the tube, but the clones are not having it and fight back. Fei Wang tells them to “know their place” before blasting them apart from their originals and the originals are wrapped up in magic, being absorbed. Fai and Kurogane step in as well, trying their best to attack and stop the man, but it’s no use. Before Syaoran and Sakura can be absorbed into the artifact, C!Syaoran physically shoves Syaoran out of the path, and C!Sakura pulls Sakura away so that they can sacrifice themselves instead. However, Sakura and Syaoran are not going to put up with this either and grab onto them before this happens. Sakura has only just finally woken from her slumber (boy, did she miss out on a lot) and she shouts “No!”  before all four of them are taken into the artifact. 

TRAPPED 

C!Sakura and C!Syaoran are of course surprised and upset about their originals being pulled in with them, but Sakura, who appears to be entirely aware of the situation, that by them being taken and separated from them, it would not change the future that she dreamed of. C!Sakura asks her how she knows about that, and Sakura explains that through her moments in stopped time, she saw everything the Clone had been through and watched everything through her eyes, much the same as Syaoran did with C!Syaoran. 

On the other side of the tube, C!Syaoran is upset and asks why Syaoran grabbed his hand while knowing that he’d be captured too. Syaoran finally responds to what C!Syaoran said before and tells him that just as C!Syaoran finds him precious, he too finds him precious as well. Sakura shares the same sentiment with her own clone. 

Fei Wang is furious, but while he is shouting at the clones particularly for trying to get in his way, Kurogane and Fai are making a plan to break the tube to free them. But the mage has no intention of letting that happen, and all the attacks sent towards the tube are completely ineffective due to small barrier surrounding it. Fei Wang sends an attack in retaliation at them and states that only the one who places items within the artifact can control it, and that it cannot be destroyed without his permission. He is so furious now at the clones, that he also plans to destroy them now, but he won’t just destroy them, but every other version of them that exists in other dimensions as well (talk about petty). 

Kurogane and Fai will not let this happen and throw everything they’ve got at him, shouting that he dare not touch them (Go Fai-mommy and Kuro-daddy!). However, they are unfortunately outmatched again and struck by Fei Wang’s magic. They seem badly wounded, but still standing, and the Sakura’s and Syaoran’s are all watching in horror and worry for their friends. The situation seems bleak, but they are not ready to give up. They have the ability to choose their own future, and they choose a future where all of them can live together with their traveling companions. 

Determined to escape their prison, all four of them start using their magic. It’s swirling inside the tiny tube, and Fei Wang calls them fools for attempting to escape, and that ‘anyone with magical power’ should know that it is impossible to escape there. But this doesn’t stop them at all. In fact, it emboldens them, and boht Sakura’s sprout a single wing on each side, becoming a pair together. Fei Wang is shocked, knowing full well these wings have the power to surpass dimensions, and they intend to use it to escape. He is now pleading (what a loser) for them not to use it for that and that the power inside them was not placed in them for that purpose. Fei Wang’s plan seems to be quickly falling apart again, and while he’s distracted by this, Kurogane and Fai pick themselves back up and begin fighting once again. 

Moreso than just losing valuable tools, Fei Wang explains that if they use that power to leave, the rules of the universe will collapse even further and that it will be irreparable. Moreover, all of the dimensions will be destroyed and their existences will be completely nullified. It’s a huge risk , but despite this they push on, and the Syaoran’s state that moving forward is better than no movement at all, and that if this is what they have to do to do so, then so be it. They believe in their friends and each other, and slowly the artifact begins to crack open. The Sakura’s begin to call for the feathers in the other worlds to return the universe to the state it was in using the engraved memories upon them while Fei Wang continues to beg them not to do it (boohoo). 

Kurogane spots his moment, and rushes in during Fei Wang’s moment of vulnerability, delivering the killing blow. He slashes his body, and as he begins to shatter apart in shards, just like C!Syaoran, a black mass begins to swirl around and wrap around the Syaoran’s. As he dies, Fei Wang continues to state that Yuuko needs to be revived, and that it is the whole reason for his existence, all so he that he can deliver a message to her. His monocle falls to the ground with a clash, and the black mass separates the Syaoran’s from the Sakura’s. With his dying breath, Fei Wang grins and says “Syaoran…you and I are the same…you must pay…the price for… your crime”. His body completely crumbles away, but Syaoran and C!Syaoran are pulled in by the blackness as the rest of the universe returns to its previous state. Sakura and C!Sakura cry out for their respective Syaoran’s as they are unable to escape. 

THE FINAL PRICE 

From the perspective of Syaoran and C!Syaoran, they are now in a dark place with absolutely nothing around them. They are unable to use magic, and we learn later on in Tsubasa World Chronicles that they are in a place called Yomi. While in this place, they are neither living or dead, and it seems that all those with the same existence as Syaoran have been brought to this place, including Watanuki, much to their surprise. 

While they explain the situation to poor Watanuki, who knows nothing, in the other world, C!Sakura begins to vanish. Unaware of what is going on out elsewhere, Syaoran is distressed that C!Syaoran and Watanuki were involved in this, when he was the one who made the wish. But C!Syaoran tells him that had he not made his wish, neither he or Watanuki would exist now and have been able to meet the people they care about. They have much to be grateful for, and for that reason, it is important for them to return and leave this place. 

They deduce that if they can create the tiniest fissure, they should be able to escape through it, adn right on cue, just as C!Sakura began to vanish on the other side, C!Syaoran starts to do the same. Syaoran and Watanuki are confused and worried, but C!Syaoran explains to them that even though he was reborn, he is still a man-made creature, and when his creator vanishes, he too does the same. He knew this would happen, which is why he had told Syaoran before to not lose focus. This is because he knew that defeating Fei Wang would mean his existence would disappear again, permanently this time. 

Syaoran and Watanuki refuse to accept this and provide an example that art lives on far beyond the artist’s lifespans, so why is it that he cannot as well. C!Syaoran addresses this as well and states that he is not just man-made, but also a broken thing that was pieced back together, and as a result of that, he is weaker. Despite knowing that, and even if it meant being punished, he wanted to live his life with Sakura and protect what was most precious to him, which obviously includes his children. 

C!Syaoran looks to Watanuki and tells him that he is different from himself, not just in appearance or his name, but rather because he is not man-made, which is why he still stands now. However, whether an existence is man-made or not, when they disappear, they create a ripple in the universe, and that his disappearance now will create the fissure they need to escape. Naturally, Syaoran and Watanuki don’t want things to happen like this and try to grab onto him before he vanishes, but with his last words, C!Syaoran thanks Syaoran for bringing him into existence, even if it was a twisted world he was born into. He completely disappears, and once again, Syaoran has lost C!Syaoran, but now Watanuki is here to share in his pain as well, so fresh after losing Yuuko. 

Syaoran pulls out Watanuki’s glasses from his back pocket and hands it to him, and the two decide together to get back to where they belong. I wonder how in the world those managed to remain unbroken considering all the shit he’s been through, and that perhaps is the most confusing aspect of this scene. Lmao. For those of you wondering how Syaoran managed to have Watanuki’s glasses, I do have an explanation for that. Syaoran and Watanuki saw each other in the dream world when C!Syaoran and him had their battle in the Japan arc. Watanuki had his glasses on in one panel before a wind swept up a bunch of cherry blossom petals that resulted in him covering his face to shield himself from the gusts, and then in the next panel, he no longer had them. So they clearly have fallen off in this time, and at some point, Syaoran managed to grab these in the dream world and held onto them since. CLAMP obviously never showed this happening, but this is the most logical explanation for it. I imagine they didn’t explain this outright because they didn’t think it was important enough to do so. 

The two decide to escape together using the fissure left behind by C!Syaoran, however it seems that the remnants of Fei Wang’s spirit do not want to allow this (what a surprise, even in death he’s a dick). Black tendrils wrap around them to prevent this from happening, and Watanuki quickly realizes that in order to escape, they have to pay a price. Syaoran is distressed by this, believing there is only one thing he can hand over, which is the feather left behind as all that is left of C!Syaoran, and this is obviously not ideal. Watanuki touches his hand and insists that the price must be equal to the cost of the wish, and that by paying too much, he will cause harm to himself, not just in the physical world, but the world of the stars and heavenly world as well. The feather containing what is left of C!Syaoran is too big a price, so they must come up with a more appropriate price. Watanuki doesn’t know the right answer without Yuuko to guide him, but together, the two of them come up with a price that they think is fair. It must be something precious, or else the value will be too low, and it cannot be too precious either, or else it will be too high. They make their choices, and they are bathed in light. Before Watanuki disappears from Syaoran’s view, he thanks him as well for allowing him to exist. 

Syaoran opens his eyes and appears to be back in the country of Clow. Sakura is sobbing and holding C!Sakura’s feather, the same as Syaoran holds C!Syaoran’s. Before C!Sakura vanished, her final words were of hope. She told Sakura that as long as they are both in memory, it isn’t the end. The feathers seem to react then and are absorbed into both of their bodies, the originals and clones effectively becoming one being again. They collapse, but are caught by Kurogane and Fai before they strike the ground. The four of them sit calmly in the water, entirely exhausted by this entire ordeal, but before Syaoran passes out, Kurogane gives him a gentle knock on his head and says that because C!Syaoran wasn’t around to accept his punches, he would take it instead. Syaoran struggles to stay conscious, but Fai tells him to go ahead and sleep, and that they will start from there. Syaoran sheds tears before he slips into unconsciousness and thanks them. It’s over now, but so much was lost. 

A NEW JOURNEY 

An undetermined amount of time has passed, but it has been only a few days since the final battle. It appears to be the first time since any of them have left the castle since the battle ended, likely due to them needing time to heal from their injuries. Kurogane has perhaps started getting up and moving too soon (dude literally ripped his mechanical arm off), but he is tired of sitting around and wanted to move around. He gets some light teasing from Fai, but they both talk about how Syaoran has gone back to his old home, and though this world likely only noticed him gone for a few days, it has been much, much longer for Syaoran (at least 7 years!). 

When Syaroan enters his old home, he finds that the picture that once contained him and his parents no longer contains his parents and appears to be just him standing by an empty chair. This is of course painful for him. Sakura awakes in the castle, having had a dream, and with a determined look on her face, she decides that she needs to go find Syaoran in the city. 

Going back to Fai and Kurogane’s conversation, Fai explains that the clones disappeared after Fei Wang was killed, and that they became feathers as a result. Kurogane asks what it means for the feathers to have gone into the originals bodies, and Fai states that one could look at it as simply the images returning to their originals, however he knows that Syaoran doesn’t see it like that at all. Kurogane believes that as well, that Syaoran doesn’t accept that explanation, and Fai expands to say that this is likely why he chose the price he did. 

The universe has returned to the way it was, but something that is broken cannot ever be fully repaired. The rules that Fei Wang destroyed are not completely repaired, but unfortunately one of those broken things is Syaoran himself. He is a being that should not exist in the repaired rules of the universe, and because of this, a price had to be paid in order for him to come back to the world (this is also why he was pulled into that place to begin with as the universe was ‘removing’ the anomalies), and Watanuki also had to do the same. 

In another scene, we see that Nadeshiko and Fujitaka are both alive and well, back ruling their kingdom (great news!), and Nadeshiko comments that Sakura has had a dream of the future again. We then see Sakura and Syaoran approaching the place where C!Sakura had shown C!Syaoran the birds in their past. It’s an important place, and while they sit there watching the birds fly by again, Syaoran explains his price to Sakura. To escape the place he was in and essentially appease to the universe’s laws and keep existing, he paid a price to keep journeying. Because he is an anomaly that cannot exist under the repaired rules, he must continue to travel without staying in a single place for too long or else the rules will begin to break again. As for Watanuki, he has paid a similar price to avoid his influence on the universe by staying in one place without ever leaving, since he has decided to wait for Yuuko to return. 

Kurogane is furious thinking about it because even though Fei Wang is gone, he is still causing the children pain, but Fai prays that Syaoran’s wish will be paid for in full as quickly as possible. While thinking of Fei Wang, Kurogane asks Fai why it was that he broke apart when he killed him and mentions that he knows he struck him. Fai himself states he isn’t entirely sure, but that Fei Wang himself might be a image of somebody else, created from the will of a incredibly strong magician (-cough- Clow Reed -cough-). The general theory here is that Clow wished for Yuuko to open her eyes so strongly, and his magic was so out of control, that he inadvertently stopped Yuuko’s time and created Fei Wang, whose purpose was to bring her back to life so he could deliver an important message. It was likely that Clow Reed wanted her to open her eyes so that he could tell her how he felt, but he never got the chance. Clow Reed did not want this all to happen, so let’s not blame him here. Yes, his innocent wish in a desperate moment of emotion is what was the catalyst to all of this starting, but he did everything in his power to make it right, even going as far as to give up his very life to give C!Syaoran another chance. 

Mokona catches up with Kurogane and Fai and tells them that Sakura has gone looking for Syaoran due to a dream she had. The two of them realize at that moment that it is time for them to make their own decision about what to do next. With Syaoran and Sakura, Syaoran tells her that he knows he didn’t just accept C!Syaoran back to himself but that he believes he is still alive inside of him. He believes that C!Syaoran can be revived in a new body, and that he chose to continue traveling so that he can find a way to do this. And when he finds out how, he will ask C!Syaoran to choose what he wishes to do. 

Sakura has the same theory and wants the same things, but she knows that she cannot go with him. She had a dream that showed her that if she traveled with him, she would only make the journey more painful for him. She doesn’t want to cause any more pain, but it’s clear that this obviously is very painful for her. Naturally, Sakura doesn’t want to be separated from Syaoran, but now seems like the best time to say what she has been holding in her heart for so long. She starts to speak, but before she can finish, Syaoran pulls her into his arms and says “I love you” (-swoon-). With tears in her eyes, Sakura says the same, and the two of them hold each other.

Fai, Kurogane, and Mokona then reveal themselves to be there during this moment, much to Sakura’s embarrassment (Syaoran seems not worried about it at all. haha). From there, they discuss Syaoran’s journey, and they all make their decisions about what they are going to do. Fai’s is an easy choice, and he decides to travel with him, seeing as he has no world to return to. Additionally, he’s a good cook and can use his magic in full now, so he’ll be very useful. Kurogane decides to travel with him as well, and when questioned about returning to his home, he responds by saying that he already told Tomoyo he would be gone for a while, and that he wants to see C!Sakura and C!Syaoran again so he can give them a good punch! Mokona of course is going along as well, seeing as without her, they really can’t go anywhere, but she does come along with a bonus! Mokona has been holding onto the other Mokona’s earring for quite some time now, and inside of it are precious memories (including Watanuki’s). These memories will allow Syaoran and the others  to return to the worlds they have visited before and see the people they met. Additionally, the memories that are strongest are those of Clow and the Japan where Watanuki lives, so those will be the worlds they visit most frequently, ensuring that they will see each other again. 

The plans seem to be all made and ready to go, and Sakura says “With everyone by your side..I’m sure you’ll be just fine, right?”. Some time has passed, and the group is ready to start on their new journey. Everyone has come to see them off pray for their safety. Mokona starts to open a portal to the next world, but before they leave, Sakura and Syaoran extend their hands to each other. Before they are separated, they want to tell each other their true names, and at the same time, they tell each other that their true names are Tsubasa. That’s right, folks! Turns out the name of the series title was not related to the actual wings on Sakura’s back at all, but rather to show that this was the story of the ones named ‘Tsubasa’. Leave it to CLAMP to throw us a plot twist on the very last chapter! The name Tsubasa I feel is significant as well as it shows that their meeting truly was destiny, but I also feel like it’s a bit symbolic in its own way. You need two wings to fly, right? The two are both surprised, but they smile at each other before Syaoran (or Tsubasa rather) disappears. Fai and Kurogane waves goodbye as well, and the series ends with Sakura believing that they will most certainly meet again. 

FINAL THOUGHTS 

Y’all, if any of you actually read this whole thing, I want to sincerely thank you. This took me forever to write, but I felt there were a lot of people out there who were confused, and I really wanted to help alleviate that confusion for people. I understand that a loooot happens in Tsubasa, which is where the wires can get crossed for many, and it’s not necessarily the prettiest plot, but I do think there are answers for every question one might have about this series. For the ones not answered, I think some of it is hidden as easter eggs for diehard CLAMP fans to recognize, or it was likely not addressed because CLAMP thought it not important or felt it was better to be left to the imagination. 

I also believe that some questions are left unanswered because they intend to answer them in the future (this is a theory, but TWC being not done brings home hope). If you have questions about TRC that you’ve always wanted answered, shoot me an ask, and I’ll do my best to try and answer it to the best of my ability as a person who has read (at least I think) almost every single CLAMP series now. Reading their other series gives you a really good perspective of Ohkawa’s writing style and what the words mean (even the most subtle and innocent looking ones), but also allows you to see a toooooon of fun easter eggs in Tsubasa particularly. Overall, it’s a beautiful series full of all sorts of beautiful messages, and it will always stand to be one of my favorites. <3 

[meimi-haneoka]

Thanks for answering Cinzia! No, you are right 😂. I should not be using older art style as any standard of indication of timeline. That was an interesting exposition. I had never read the CCS manga (or doujinshis) as a kid, but the number of *ahem* works which feature junior high aged SS I came across over the past few months is pretty concerning. On a second note, I was also wondering about Akiho's ancestry. As you once suggested, Akiho's clan might be the Reed clan, the clan on Clow Reed's father's side. From what I understand, the Reeds would be (again I am not trying to be politically offensive but still trying to be direct to the point) white-skinned. Clow, from what I understand, was very much biracial. Then if Akiho indeed is from the Reed clan, how was it possible for her resemble Sakura that much, enough for pass off as her twin? Even if we are to assume that Lilie was the Reed (with perhaps white Germanic ancestry) and her husband (who perhaps can be assumed to the one who had Shinomoto name and was thus Japanese in all probability) married into the clan and they had Akiho who was biracial (with presumably German and Japanese ancestry), it is still very unusual. Until and unless of course, one assumes that Sakura herself is not of a fully Japanese ancestry, especially given that her father literally appeared when Clow died (gave up his body?) and Fujitaka (and Eriol) were created from some kind of magical cellular fission (?). So, Sakura (and Touya) are of part-white heritage, that too from the Reed clan, explaining the resemblance. I am just thinking too much, am I not? I should just let it be, at this point. 😰 Also, what ethnicity does Kaito belong to? I originally thought he was some kind of East Asian looking Russian but his real name is of French origin? What even is going on there?

P.S. Dear God, this went into a very different direction from what I originally wanted to write.

Ohohohho this is a topic that has crossed my mind more than once, especially during the "happy sisters" chapters after Kaito activated the forbidden magic!! 😂😂😂

Long story short, the final solution to the dilemma I came up with is: suspension of disbelief! 😂😂😂😂 Yeah, I think this is one of the most prominent cases where you're supposed to look at them literally for what they are "on paper" and not what kind of ethnicity they should represent in the story.

I'll elaborate further; first of all yes, I've always had the theory that "the clan of the most ancient magicians in Europe" might have been the Reed clan, which also Clow came from. I thought it was just the perfect fit for Akiho: it's based in England, and we know the Reeds were an English clan; this clan got rivalry with the Li's in Hong Kong and again it would make sense if they were the Reeds, because those two families have ONE illustrious relative in common: Clow Reed, the most powerful magician of his time! In fact, it's stated in the Clear Card story that the "Squids" do have lots of resentment towards Clow. The reasons are unknown, but if they were the Reeds, we can easily guess them: he ditched that side of the family and decided to get closer to the Chinese side, living in Hong Kong for a time and leaving some of his magical tools with the Li's. And also, it would've made PERFECT sense for Kaito to turn to the Kinomoto family to leave Akiho with them: if Akiho was a Reed, and we know for certain that Sakura in some way does have a little bit of Reed blood in her (she is explicitly indicated as having "Clow's blood" in the story, and that's so important that they made the characters point that out in the anime too, where TECHNICALLY she shouldn't have any blood relations with Clow, since Fujitaka was never confirmed as Eriol's 'other half' of Clow's reincarnation), that would've ALREADY made Akiho a distant relative of Sakura in some way. So it would've felt way less forced and much more reasonable. Everything fit so well that I was almost sure we would've had this confirmation before the end of the story; sadly, we never did.

There's a VERY terrible translation mistake in volume 6 of the English version by Kodansha USA, where they made the Squids say this:

Please be informed that in the JP original the Squids never said "For the blood of Clow Reed...to be bested by the Li Family....is an unbearable disgrace", because that basically made them refer to themselves as "blood of Clow Reed", hence indirectly confirming they are the Reed clan. That's absolute bullsh*t and what they actually said is "THEY are of Clow Reed's lineage. We can't allow to fall behind them" and that connects with what Kaito said in chapter 68: the Squids checked every movement from the Li family because of their resentment towards Clow (and the Li's were connected to him). I know my theory sounded legit, reasonable and could've made everything more interesting and well connected, but a theory remains a theory if canon doesn't confirm it. And translation mistakes should never be so bad that they end up portraying things in a way that makes you believe what it was actually NEVER confirmed in the story.

Up to this day, we don't have a "name" we can call this clan with: they're simply addressed as "that clan" or "the most ancient magicians in Europe" in THE WHOLE the story (trust me, I've monitored that detail very well, because of my theory). They're NOT the Shinomoto clan, as many people like to report in order to simplify things. I honestly not even believe that Akiho's father's last name was Shinomoto, as Akiho seems c-o-m-p-l-e-t-e-l-y foreign to Japanese culture throughout the story. He didn't marry into the clan from "outside", because Lilie specifically says that he's a "distant relative", so he's very much part of this European clan himself. And if we have to go by how awful they are in the story, I'm pretty sure these people would've done anything to keep their blood line as "pure" as possible, without "interventions" from outside, if you know what I mean. Additional to that, Akiho doesn't even remotely mention a possible "tie" she might have with Japan: I know her clan never really answered her questions about her parents, but I'm pretty sure that if she was half Japanese they would've told her and she would've sort of mentioned it along the story. She's portrayed by CLAMP as someone completely foreign to Japan. And with a last name like that, if she was really half Japanese, if would've come up at some point (Sakura doesn't even ask about it, "how come you have a Japanese last and first name if you don't have any connection with Japan?"). I mean, Akiho did "confess" at the end that her true name is Cosmos, and I think that is the only true part of her name that we were allowed to know about her. Just like the rest of her clan, and Kaito, her last name is none of our business, basically 😂 I mean, even Eriol adopted a Japanese last name to fit better, even though he shouldn't really have any tie with Japan (if he's a reincarnation of Clow and got Clow's blood just like Fujitaka, then he should have Caucasian and Chinese traits in himself). As you pointed out, that should be the same with Fujitaka.

As for Kaito, I definitely thought that he could be Chinese at some point: one of my craziest theories was that he was actually a "lost Li", because the shape of his eyes is exactly the same of Yelan. Yeah, check it out if you don't believe me! 😂

The moon power, the fact that he's often portrayed with chinese-style clothes.... Alas, this theory went down the drain too. Or, at least, we were never given concrete hints about it. And then the fact that in his backstory he's potrayed in a cold land with a typical Russian hat made me think that he could've been of Russian's origins too, but that one seems to be even less plausible at this point. His true name is French, so it is legit to infer that at least in part he must have some French genes in him, although it's anyone's guess where exactly he comes from. I do identify him as coming from France, at this point, and that would be reasonable because it would still be in the "area" of the Magic Association, if they operate in the entire Europe (man, CLAMP must think that there's lots of evil people in Europe, wtf 🤣). It wouldn't have been difficult for them to go fetch little Kaito in France, coming from the UK, is what I'm trying to say. But as we never got any other confirmation than his true name (and CLAMP must have chosen a French word instead of an English one for a reason), it's really anyone's guess.

So all of this makes me just conclude that we shouldn't really wonder too much about things like "how is it possible that Akiho and Sakura resemble eachother so much that they could pass as twin sisters, if they're supposedly from two different ethnicities?", because I'm pretty sure that CLAMP didn't go that far in planning all of these details to the situation. 😆 You should just rememember that it's a fictional story (with magic, at that), so we should apply a bit of "suspension of disbelief! 😅

[14sunnydaze]

TW for strobing lights

Hey y'all, you may or may not have seen one of my previous blazed posts regarding this awesome game I've been working on with my friend, Sea of Choices. I am happy to announce after over 5 years of work it is finally available for Early Access Purchase on Steam, so check it out!!! Enjoy some gifs including: an intro with Mowmer, an "Anomaly", and in case you missed them before, introducing: Indigo the Lon Lon, Commander Vedra the Clow Clow, Clara the Ika Ika(who I voiced), and your main character's Mother, another Lon Lon.

[trishacollins]

Miraculous Card Captors

Look I just have to let you guys know that this is purely indulgence and boredom. The moment I saw my first MLB episode, I wanted her to meet one of my favorite anime heroines of all time. So this is self indulgence.

*~**

Marinette stood up, letting Fei take her place. "I don't recognize your authority."

"Marinette!" Fei hissed. Wow, he loved that girl.

“Do you know who I am?” The Chinese teen started.

Marinette shifted, shoulders straightening, planted between him and the teenager who was apparently rich enough to just casually pay for damages. “No.”

It was one word, but it was said with enough force behind it that anyone who was pretending to be busy in the background stopped and turned to gape at the face off.

“Nor do we.” The Japanese girl moved very calmly to the side of the boy, presenting her side to Marinette and facing the boy, laying her hand on his arm. “We are not here to fight.” It was as much a command as a reassurance, the Chinese teen was taller and more solidly built than she was, but he knew from the way the fabric at her shoulder was bunching that she was exerting considerable power in pushing his arm down.

It just looked effortless if someone wasn’t used to watching for the barely there hint of movement.

The boy growled low in his throat, and the girl shifted, hand dropping to the bag at her side. “Fine.” The boy grumbled.

The part of him that was always Chat Noir, even outside of the mask, wanted to snarl in response.

Marinette didn’t shift as the girl turned, walking towards her and smiling softly. “We would like for you to come with us, as guests. So we can talk without an audience.” She explained in gently accented English. “But we understand if Meiling’s greeting has left you closed to that possibility.”

“The new Clow is prettier than the last one.” Plagg muttered against his chest. “Tell pigtails to go with her, kid.”

Fei was half standing, eyes wide and panicked.

“Mari.” He slurred.

She didn’t turn to look at him. “It’s ok, Adrien.”

“It is.” He agreed. “We all reacted. Let’s hear them out.”

She turned her head slightly to look at him. “Adrien-”

“If we don’t like it, we can leave. But we can hear them out.” Adrien encouraged.

He had a million questions for Plagg. Who or what was Clow? Were they Miraculous holders? Who were they?

Why had Plagg bit him?

Marinette frowned, but nodded.

“Can someone please get our new friends a change of clothes?” The girl asked airily over her shoulder.

“What should we call you?” Marinette asked.

The girl smiled warmly. “I’m Sakura, and this is my husband, Syaoran. The young woman who approached you is our cousin, Meiling. She is very sorry for startling you.” Meiling also had a bloody nose and a blooming bruise on the side of her face, but nodded grudgingly. “Wouldn’t mind a spar.”

Marinette scowled. “If you think I’m going to let you lay a hand on Adrien -”

“Not him, Chrysanthemum. You.” The girl looked pleased. “That was a good throw.”

Marinette’s scowl fell apart in place of a blush.

*~* Someone had found him a fresh shirt and an ice pack, and really he wasn’t sure the ice pack hadn’t been doctored in some way because the blood stopped as soon as it as much as touched his face.

Plagg didn’t act like anything was going to kill him, so he let the (maybe) magical ice pack rest against his face and the swelling to go down as someone who was clearly a bodyguard from the smooth way they moved knelt to serve them tea.

If he’d not left the Gorilla at their hotel, he’d bet they could have a staring contest.

“Thank you.” Sakura stated, smiling as she leaned to take the tea from the hands of the bodyguard. “You can go.”

“Sakura.” Syaoran didn’t look pleased.

“I know. But if you and I together are not safe enough, then there is no point in involving anyone else.” Sakura said, voice cheerful. “I do not think they are here for harm.”

“Who do you think we are?” Marinette asked cautiously, looking ready to bolt.

Adrien, bolstered by Plagg’s confidence, was willing to relax and accepted the small cup of tea, bowing over it.

“It’s not difficult for those trained to feel magic to pick up the presence of a Miraculous on a person.”  Syaoran stated blandly.

Adrien almost dropped his cup, eyes darting to Marinette.

Marinette had gone white and wasn’t looking at him. “How do you mean?”

Sakura smiled. “A powerful enough magic can be felt halfway across the world.” She said mildly, pressing a cup of tea into Marinette’s hands. “Your magic is less familiar, but the Li’s investigated the presence of the Parisian magic user in Shanghai last year, so we know you, Wu Fei.” She inclined her head slightly.

Fei looked uncomfortable. “I had no idea the Li’s were looking into it. I apologize for any trouble we may have caused.”

Sakura smiled. “When your magic does damage that sticks, then you can apologize.”

“I mean, that was Ladybug. I can’t take credit for that.” Fei protested.

Syaoran was staring straight at Marinette, not looking away as he was handed tea of his own.

Adrien shifted, trying to draw the attention to himself. Why were they focusing on Marinette if they could sense Plagg?

Sakura relaxed, feet tucked under her as she took a deep breath of the tea. “Magic is coming back to the world.” She mused. “Just as my predecessor foresaw…”

“You don’t think-”  Syaoran started.

Sakura flicked her eyes to him. “Lord Plagg is here.”

Syaoran sighed deeply, but nodded.

Marinette blinked. “He is?”

Oh shit.

As one, Syaoran and Sakura looked first to Marinette, and then to him, and then once more to each other.

“I presume, then, that you do not know that you each have one of the set?” Sakura asked slowly.

They what? His eyes darted to his girlfriend, only to find Marinette staring back at him, eyes wide and panicked.

“...kitty?” She whispered, as Plagg darted out of his shirt.

Adrien knew fully well that he was already sitting down, but felt the need to sit down more firmly as everything he knew about the world abruptly turned upside down when a Kwami – Tikki – came out of Marinette’s purse.

Fei groaned softly.

[yanderefairyangel]

Would you say the Agarthans are the worst villains to come out of Fire Emblem? If you want a scathing indictment on how 3H's "moral grayness" is a misguided belief, it's really their existence in 3H and 3 Hopes.

OH YES, ABSOLUTERLY RIGHT.

They are awful.... and not in a good way. The Agarthans exist as a scapegoat, they are here just so that neither Eddie or Rhea can be presented as the main antagonist and they are just AJJHHKLKJBFRJKE

Like they are supposed to be competent villain ?! those buffons ?! Thos absolute clowns ?! They have 0 plot relevance, it is limited to little hide and seek games with the students in the academy phase where you play the Scooby gang!!!! The only important thing they did happened off screen and it's not even them who did it since they hired Nemesis to do slaughter the Nabateans !!

In AM they are so minor you kill them by acccident, in CF you only get rid of them freaking off screen, in SS and VD they are still there but for less then the quarter of the route. THEY HAVE FREAKING NUKES THAT THEY COULD HAVE BOMBED INTO RHEA AND NEVER DID IT ?!!!!! They are inexistant and GW, in AG they are there but ... AG was a mistake for what they did to Eddie and freaking SF ends with them dying like the Evil queen of Snow white !!! Eddie really can't get anything can she ?! And they do absolutely nothing and fail at everything they do in the main current story, and I am supposed to take those clows seriously when they are commically absurdely over the top EVUL ?!!! The absolute mockery !!

And their motivation are never explained ?! Why did they needed Jeralt dead ? Why the tragedey of Duscur ? Why the experiment ? Why do they want revenge of Sothis, what did she and her creation did to them for them to commit literal genocide against them ??

The game never says, it just says "yeah in buddhism Agartha is the place where the Ashura were send so symbolism hehe" THAT IS NOT HOW IT WORKS!!!!!

Example : in Engage, see Zephia ? We have her character, her motivation (she wants a kid because Sombron made her believe she would have the uncondictional twisted love she wanted from a link of blood) and only there there is the symbolism of Mélusine to support all of this, so it elevates her character to be a retelling of Mélusine in a twisted light

FOR THE AGARTHANS YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND A BUDDHIST REFERNCE TO GET THEIR MOTIVATIONS !!!

Tell me it's a joke !! And while you can use symbolism to tell a story, it doesn't work for the type of story 3H stroved to be !!!!!

But clearly you can't expect anyone to believe in "grey morality" when you have those cartoonisly evul clowns who don't even have motivations to do what they do. That's not mentionning how convoluted they make 3H's story be.

Take Eddie for example, the fact that she knew it was them who turned her and her siblings into guinea pigs ruins the whole "yeah crest system bad" cause it's not even that they deceived her into thinking it was the Chruch, no... she knew, but what on earth is the connection between the Agarthans and the Crest system when they aren't the one who established it and aren't part of it ?! They just wanted to create the ultimate weapon using what they knew of the effect of Nabateans crest and blood, how does it link with what Eddie hates (grrrrrrraaahhhhhhh)

And also how somehow Eddie needs them in 3H yes for some reason in her route she keeps helping byleth sabotaging the Agarthans plan like ???? how does that makes sense ? And why did she suddenly not need them in Hopes ???

Why did Arval saved Shez in that timeline only ???? why ???? and oh boi, Shez...ns

They are easily the worst thing FE ever commited in terms of awful villain. They make everthing worse by their existence and that's as you pointed out reinforcing the so called "grey morality" of 3H is just cowardice cause it refuse to have the player feel bad for anything

[completeoveranalysis]

[3]

I am fascinated by the choice to split that top panel in two. How Fai, Kurogane, and Mokona are all presented to us as whole, but Lava Lamp is cut down the middle. We don’t see his face. There is a void right down his centre. 

It’s visually just two panels, but they’re aligned like they could have been one panel all the way across, with no breaks - but it tells us so much more about Lava Lamp that this is how we see him. That he’s in the shadow. That he’s standing apart. That he is not whole and hasn’t been since he was a child. 

Meanwhile we get a few flashes of his other memories of growing up in Clow and the bonds he made with the royal family along the way. We have what looks like magic time with Nadeshiko, sword practice with Touya, Eating Food with Yukito (I’m screaming, Of course Yukito’s hobby is eating food), and reading books with Fujitaka! He has a shared interest with each of them, but amazing that the bond with Fujitaka really reflects how much of a scholarly connection his clone will have with Fujitaka when raised by him. 

Oh, and we have hands! Lava Lamp holding hands with Sakura as the most central motif of his time with her - or specifically, the moment BEFORE their hands touch, as that’s the point that’s most painful, the biggest echo of his biggest trauma, the moment that hangs over him every minute of his life. 

Aw and he brings it back around! His positive experiences and happy memories fortify him against the weight of it all and feed back into his determination to save her all over again.

Which is great! But I hope Lava Lamp knows he can just HAVE negative feelings on their own without them feeding back into a determined outlook every single time. Which like, isn't the point because this isn't therapy, this is a manga narrative, but still!

Also he IS a Syaoran so maybe he can't control that part of him.

[undesiredwish]

Excuse me, Mister Reed. Did you ever noticed Yue’s feelings towards you? Has he ever confused? Why didn’t you allowed your reincarnated self to take over the clow cards?

❝  so many questions... ❞ he can't help but be amused, though he takes a moment to reflect on how best to answer. some of those questions were.... complicated.

❝  yue's feelings..... yes, i knew. but i did my best to help correct them. while i love and cherish him and want him to be happy, i know he had limited experience with. i was the closest thing to comfort for him. it's not.....proper, due to the power imbalance, as well as our relation. in many ways, i consider him one of my beloved children. such relationships between creator and construct are frowned upon within the world, and i already have a rather complicated reputation. i wouldn't want him to face further adversity when i no longer reside in this world as i am. ❞ he's quiet for another moment, resting his eyes as he reflects. it would have been all too easy to accept those feelings from his guardian. he knew full well what they were, but he had gently guided them in a different direction.

❝  he's going to fall in love one day, with a wonderful person. someone very special who will understand him. it's my place, as his creator to help him understand social cues and help him understand how the world is so one day they can meet. i want nothing more than for his happiness and sometimes that means, gently letting him down. i cannot change his feelings, but i can help him understand that i am not the right person for him. matters of the heart are complicated. ❞

❝  as for my reincarnation, it is not his place. i want nothing more than for my next iterations to have a happy life from the shadows i've casted. choices had been made. it it hitsuzen that the cards will reside with the future card mistress. when she has changed all the cards from under my care, i should hope that my incarnations will learn who they want to be while heeding my past mistakes. they are not me. i will not expect them to be what they are not. ❞

[wellthebardsdead]

Clow True Good End (The blade of zariel)

After bargaining his soul with the devil Clow handed over the crown of Karsus to the hands of Gale, and from him Mystra. But having had his own chains broken, Wyll wasn’t going to allow his beloved to be bound to the hells forever, or for Zariels reign of terror to continue.

The three faced the hells together (with astarion tagging along to emotionally support Karlach) and tracked through legions of its denizens from lemurs to cambions alike, before finding their way to the ever growing, ever bleeding scab on the landscape, the bleeding citadel. Where inside the ghostly apparition of a holy knight awaited, the hellrider general Yael, and a choice, to be made. Who. Was worthy.

———

Clow: *staring at Yael as she stands aside, allowing the blade itself to decide his worthiness. Takes in a deep breath and approaches, grasping at its hilt and feeling a warm, gentle itch at the back of his mind, tugging on his joy, his happiness, his sadness, his anger… to communicate with him* hello?…

“You, are worthy… but is this, what you desire?”

Clow: I… I’m not sure… I don’t, yet even know who I am. I’ve only really just gained my freedom… c-can my friends try? And we’ll, make our decision?…

“You may…”

Clow: *let’s the sword go and looks at Wyll*

Wyll: I doubt it will allow me given what Mizora made of me, and if one of us changes, we’ll be made immortal, and no level of power would ever make me want to live forever without you my love…

Clow: but think of all the good you could do for the sword coast! The refugees of elturel would see you as a beacon of hope that there’s still good for them after Zariels betrayal. The sword said I’m worthy and if I’m worthy after everything my former owners made me do then… then surely it’ll forgive you for what mizora tricked you into doing?…

Wyll: *looks at him, then at the sword, then at Karlach, clearly lost in her own mind as she stares at the blade* …You try it Karlach… you deserve a choice at last… you’ve been in this hell of a prison for too long…

Karlach: I’ll… I’ll have a heart again right?… z-zariel will never be able to hurt me again right?…

Yael: if the sword so chooses you as worthy, and you accept. Yes.

Karlach: *nods and steps forward, taking it in her trembling hands as she whispers her families word for love, thinking of her parents* taters.

“You. Are worthy.”

Wyll: *quickly covers Clows eyes and pulls him in close shielding him as the swords radient light swallows Karlach whole, her body shifting and changing to that of a celestial. Huge wings erupting from her back as an angelic presence becomes her. Still Karlach, but stronger* d-did it work? *blinks and looks up as the glow fades and he takes in her form*

Clow: *looks up and adjusts his eyes to take all of her in* a-are you still Karlach?

Karlach: *smiles at them both as she pulls the sword from the earth* I’m going to kick Zariels. Fucking. Arse.

*meanwhile outside*

Astarion: *staring up at the bleeding citadel* … *licks it* …hm.

*6 months later*

Karlach: *excitedly chatting with Aylin, flexing her muscles and wings for her to compare with her own but mostly for Astarion as her small vampiric boyfriend swoons over her*

Clow: *smiles watching them as he sips his wine slowly, humming as Wyll cuddles from from behind* Raphael gone, zariels head on a pike, hope free at last, and us finally getting a moment of peace. Arent you glad I pulled you away from running a city, grand duke Ravenguard~?

Wyll: heh, it’s going to take some getting used to still. But I’m honoured to have my fathers title, and even more so to unite it with your family name.

Scratch: *suddenly runs by in a panic*

Clow: where’s he off to? *looks over seeing a large panther approaching, and beside it a drow about his height and with a ridiculously similar face to his own hidden beneath a green cloak* oh- whose? That??

Withers: I took the liberty of inviting a few added guests, some you may be more familiar with than you realise.

Astarion: *stops swooning over his future wire for just a moment as he immediately recognises the elf by description alone and screams in an almost falsetto* OH MY GODS! ITS DRIZZT DO’URDEN!!!

Clow: My uncle?

Drizzt: *pulls off his hood in disbelief showing they’ve identical faces, his nephew just having an icy blue complexion compared to his* Gods, my sister really was pregnant… Clopin? *steps closer holding his arms out cautiously* I’m so sorry I never-

Clow: *runs to his arms and hugs him tight, laughing through tears* I’ve always wanted to meet you!

Literally everyone: YOU WERE TELLING THE TRUTH?!

[goblinsofdiscord]

Goblins of Discord 👹 Enneagram Type Database 🤓

All typings have a corresponding youtube video (linked). Many more on their way. Please note, that some of these are likely to change a bit in the future.

I’ll probably update a handful of older ones soon, as my understanding of the Enneagram has evolved since some of them were made (and is still deepening). This obsession is all-consuming and I won’t stop until I can psychically intuit every single type + instinct combination on sight, within 10 seconds and am rebirthed into my next form as the 🧞‍♀️👁️ human pixie frequency diviner of the apocalypse. 😈 🔥

If you think you’ve found a weirdo type and might want to join a typing call, DM larissa on the goblinsofdiscord instagram, or post the type below in the comments.

🍄 👀 If you want to book a typing call or submit an introvert video (of you or someone you know) to be picked over, spitroasted, impression’ed on, click here.

Enneagram Type 1

John Waters 🗑️✝️ 1w2 7w6 4w3 so/sx 💖💧🧚‍♂️ The Pope of Trash

Jamie Lee Curtis 🎃 1w2 36 so/sx 👹 The Horny Karen

Nasim Aghdam 🐅 1w9 7w6 4w5 so/sp 💥 Triple Frustration Threat

Quentin Crisp 🎀 ✨ 1w9 4w3 7w6 so/sx 🦚 Trailblazing Peacock

Enneagram Type 2

Pamela Des Barres 🌼 2w3 7w6 9w1 so/sx ☀️ Flowerchild Supergroupie

Big Edie (Grey Gardens) ✝️🐈‍⬛ 2w1 6w7 8w9 sx/so 🍸 Mother Diva

Enneagram Type 3

Lucy Lawless ⚔️ 3w2 8w7 5w6 so/sx ⚔️ watch

Montel Williams 👄 3w2 6w7 8w7 so/sp ⚔️ watch

Jensen Ackles 👻 3w2 6w7 8w9 sp/so ⭐ watch

Corey Feldman 🎩 3w2 6w7 9w1 sp/sx ★Ascension Millennium

David Fincher 🎥 3w4 5w6 8w7 sp/so 📦 What's in his Box?

Bret Easton Ellis 😍🗡️ 3w4 5w6 8w9 so/sp 🖤🚬 American Psycho

Whitney Houston 🖤 3w4 6w7 9w1 sx/so 🥀 Queen of the Night

Gregg Araki 🚬 3w4 6w7 9w8 so/sx 👄 The Doomed Enneagram

Nicole Kidman 👠 3w4 6w7 1w9 👠 watch

Emma Roberts 🫖 3w4 6w7 1w2 so/sp 🍰 watch

Belinda Carlistle 🔥 3w4 1w9 7w8 🔥 sp/so watch

Caroline Calloway 💸 3w4 7w6 9w1 so/sx ✨ Happy Scammerversary

Enneagram 4

Vivien Leigh 🌹 4w3 6w7 9w1 so/sx 🥀 Making Fours Dramatic Again

Winona Ryder 🥀 Enneagram 4w3 6w7 9w1 sp/so 🥀 The OG Sadgirl

Jeff Buckley 🥀 4w5 6w7 9w1 sx/so 💔 watch

Enneagram Type 5

Anna Khachiyan 🧠🕳️ 5w4 9w8 4w3 so/sp 🚬 watch

Shirley Jackson 🥃 5w4 📓 livestream slop job

Sam Bankman-Fried 🤓 5w6 9w8 3w4 spso 💩 Gaslighting Nerd

Enneagram Type 6

Larry David 🍋 6w5 1w9 4w3 so/sp 😒 Miserable F*ck

Lauryn Hill 😇 6w5 8w9 2w1 so/sp 🎤 Gonna Find You..

Julia Ducournau 🚗 6w5 9w1 4w3 💋 Baby, I Like it Raw

Caroline Ellison 🧠 6w7 1w2 3w2 sp/so 🖖 Polycule Pick-Me

Robert Crumb 🤡 6w7 4w5 1w2 💦 The Sex Weasel

David Icke 🦎 6w7 9w1 3w2 so/sp 👁️👽 The Passion of 6

Daniel Clowes 👻 6w7 9w1 4w3 so/sp ✒️ Like a Velvet Glove

Phil Ochs 🎸 6w7 9w1 4w5 so/sp 💧 The Misunderstood Folk Hero

Dylan Moran ☘️ 6w7 9w1 4w3 sp/so 🤴 watch

Mia Goth 🍯 6w7 9w1 2w3 sp/sx 😇 Strange Angel

Sean Baker 🍊 6w7 9w1 3w2 so/sp ☀️ Red’s Rocket

Enneagram Type 7

Josephine Baker 💃🏽 7w6 28 so/sx 🎶 Shine on, Queen

Little Edie (Grey Gardens) 🧚‍♀️ 7w6 9w1 4w3 so/sx ⭐ 🩸 Fallen Star

Florence Welch ✨ 7w6 4w3 9w1 sp/so 🧚‍♀️ Chaotic Pixie Queen

Theo Von 🍆 7w6 9w8 4w5 sp/so 🐀 The Rat King

Danny Elfman 💀 7w6 9w1 4w5 so/sp 🎃 Dead Man’s Party

Johnette Napolitano 🩸 7w6 8w9 4w5 sp/sx 🐍 Concrete Blonde

Vincent Gallo 👹 7w6 4w5 8w9 sp/sx 😈 Horny Goblin

Heidi Fleiss 🐍🦜 7w8 1w9 3w4 spsx 🍑🚬 Hollywood Madam

Eartha Kitt 😻🐈‍⬛ 7w8 4w3 1w2 sx/so 🐈‍⬛😿 Cat Woman

Enneagram Type 8

Robin Quivers 😈😇 8w7 6w7 2w1 so/sp 💋 Glorious Narcissist

Ma Anand Sheela 😎 8w9 2w1 6w5 so/sp 💧 I Love B*tches

Glenn Danzig 🦇 8w9 6w7 4w5 sx/so ☠️ Prince of Darkness

Sylvia Brown 🔮 8w9 7w8 4w5 sp/so 🧿 watch

Enneagram Type 9

Rachel Dolezal 🐑 9w8 62 sp/so🌹 Mother Issues

Kathy Bates 🍯 9w8 62 sp/so 🩸 Sweet Misery

Shelley Duvall 🍯 9w1 6w7 2w3 sp/so 🐑 The Saccharine Sacrificial Lamb

Keith Moon 💥 9w8 7w6 3w4 sp/so 🌙 Wild Man

Sophie Thatcher 🩸 9w8 7w6 4w5 sx/sp🧚‍♀️ Grime Fairy

Dash Nekrasova 🕯 9w8 4w3 7w6 sx/so 🚬 watch

Nathan Fielder 🕳️ 9w8 5w6 3w2 sp/so 🤡 watch

Cazzie David 🦝 9w8 6w7 4w5 sp/so 🦝 Sad Sack

Charles Burns 🕳️ 9w1 5w6 3w4 so/sp 🕳️ watch

David Cronenberg 📺 9w1 5w4 3w4 so/sx 👄 Dream Daddy

Jessica Lange 🦢 9w1 63 so/sp 🦢 watch

John Galliano 🧵 9w1 4w3 7w6 sx/sp 🪡 Objet D'Art

Tyler Gaca 👻 9w1 7w6 4w3 so/sx 🍯 Ghosthoney

Chuck Palahniuk 🧞‍♂️ 9w1 7w6 4w3 so/sp 😈 All Hail the God

Corey Haim 🍍 9w1 7w6 3w2 sx/so 💔 Heartbreaker

Anna Biller ☠️🔮 9w1 4w3 7w6 so/sx 💖⚗️ The Love Witch

Frank James 💅 9w1 3w4 6w7 so/sp 🔪 watch

👯✨ Twins ✨👯

Lori & George (formerly Reba) 🤠 🤩

Lori: 6w7 9w1 3w2 sp/so

George (Reba): 9w1 3w4 6w7 so/sp

Carmen & Lupita 🦋🧙🏽

Carmen 6w7 9w1 3w2 sp/so

Lupita 9w8 7w6 3w4 sp/so