#i don't know if i'll keep going with them yet we'll see 😅😅

[moonfromearth]

the end

From Daniel Bard's Journal: Annabel has a plan. She doesn't know if it's going to work exactly, but she says we have to leave. We can't stay with Mom anymore. I know it's true... But it's still hard to go... As long as we're together, though, I guess it'll turn out alright.

transcript [under cut]

Annabel: Yes!! Freedom!! Are you coming? Daniel: Yeah, but could you slow down?? Annabel: Alright, fine. We'll go together.

[gotham-daydreams]

Hi! I love your gothan platonic batfam series, but every time I read it I can't help but wonder what Duke's reaction to all this would be. He's one of my fave batfam characters, do you have any plans to add him in later chapters?

Just curious, no pressure. Hopefully I didn't come off as pushy. (sorry if i did)

Have a good day! <3

Hello! And you didn't come off as pushy, no worries :]

I'll be honest and admit that I have thought of adding Duke to the series- but if I was going to do that in a more organic manner, and just generally in a way that makes sense- that would've been in Chapter 2 or 3. Though trust me I am still debating... and the only reason I'm hesitating is because I don't think I'd be able to capture his personality, or really just him as a person very well.

Granted, I do inherently view yandere versions of characters as OOC for... various reasons (some of which are obvious, especially when it comes to the Batfam and DC characters in general), but I do try to keep very close to the character (or my general understanding and interpretation of them for things like DC, who have multiple canons and such) and write them in a way that does still compliment or adhere to parts of their personality or overall mindset... if only generally. Like Bruce and his closeness to those around them yet the distance he so desperately tries to keep - not for himself, but rather those around him. His strive for justice and to do good to make up for a sin, a fault that isn't his to forgive or one he hardly had anything to do with and so on. How that makes him inherently protective if only at a distance and in silence. How he tries to keep himself away from others, if only to protect them, and yet finds himself surrounded anyway. Etcetera etcetera.

Case and point- I don't have a really good graps of Duke's general character and aren't confident enough to write him into the Not Series at the moment- and by the time I do, it may feel shoehorned in and just not as great as it could be (even if a line I wrote in Chapter 1 was meant to be him..). Though I am learning more about him! And if anyone would like to share what they know and their interpretations of his character they have and such while I still have asks open, I'd love to read and see them :]

In future series', oneshots, and just general things I plan to post and share on this blog, Duke will very much make an appearance and we'll reach 10 yanderes for the Batfam instead of just 9. (Some series' which will definitely be longer than the Not Series.)

On that note, I have thought of how Duke would feel (and some others earlier on have asked a bit as well), and from the little I know of him, this is how I think at the moment he would generally react/feel (though it may be inaccurate and such because of what I mentioned previously 😅):

I think he would start out as one of the many others that actually live in the manor or just so happened to be there at the time — and that being he feels guilt first (unlike the only person in that house who doesn't/didn't) and just... wouldn't know what to do. The time passed and everything the reader has done sort of leaves him stumped, and just stuck processing until everyone's rushing out and around to find you and before he knows it- he's following out with them to do the exact same thing.

I think he leaves before everyone else, and considering that he does daytime patrol, it isn't as odd to see him out and about anyway. Though the frantic-ness of his movements and actions are weird, and for once, more outwardly, Duke panics.

He feels bad, of course he does, and more similarly to Cass- he can only wish that he could do things with out. That he wants to be in the room when you got your awards or had been there through the hardships he knows you undoubtedly faced without even having to see the medkit like Bruce does in Chapter 2. So he goes out to look for you, but not so much for your safety and more so to just... apologize. To say every little thing he can in hopes to make things better, to lessen the damage.

And of course, just to see you.

More than anything Duke wants to make it up to you right away, but has half a mind to know he'll have to take things slow. He's still sensible to some degree, if not only partially of half-insane just like the rest of the fam (minus a certain blonde and red head who are only a sliver of the way there), he knows it'll take time, that you probably won't forgive him right away. But that's okay! He can live with that, he understands that, but he just needs to see you. Just once- if only to see who you are now and the person you've become. If only to say an apology that might fall too flat or feel too empty considering the little he knows about you.

Just once. No matter how awkward it is or how much he regrets it later. Just once.

Though, despite that he is divided on bringing you home. It would be nice, sure, but by the time that discussion comes up he isn't sure that's the best idea. Even less so with how those that do want you home seem to want to go about it, and just generally the kind of people they are. Impulsive. Strong. Threatening- they'll scare you and do more damage then help ease tensions, and he doesn't want that to happen. You don't deserve that- even if he barely knows you. Duke can feel it, you don't. Even then, they help people out, not hurt them, not like they did with you.

Duke wants to spend time with you, but he's willing to do that outside of the manor if it means making you more comfortable and warm up to him a little more. As long as he sees you he can't complain...

So when Dick messes up, he's upset. Like everyone else besides Cassandra he doesn't know what happened but knows that something absolutely went wrong. Dick usually wasn't so obvious about things like that either, but with how hurt and just... broken he looks, they could all tell. Duke could tell.

Granted, he's not upset enough to change his mind, and if anything it definitely makes him more adamant about not bringing you home yet, but he can’t find it in himself to be fully against the idea, even then.

The one thing he wants to do after that, if anything, is more determined to make things right.

If Dick of all people couldn't make it up to you, then hell, maybe Duke can.

[meimi-haneoka]

Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Special Chapter: Comments and Analysis

WELCOME BACK, CCS FAAAAAAAAAAAANSSS!!!!!

Oh my god 3 months went already by from that December 1st and chapter 80, didn't they?? Feels like yesterday 🙈But we're finally here, finally ready for the release of the definitive, last SPECIAL CHAPTER of Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card!!!! After this, no more CCS for at least a while!!

Why do you see me so euphoric?? WELL, THERE IS MORE THAN ONE VERY GOOD REASON 😂 But let's not jump the gun and let's introduce this post properly: this time around, I won't be posting pictures to "illustrate" the analysis/commentary, because this special chapter was treated differently from the other ones. It didn't get, in fact, a free release on CLAMP's Youtube channel, in any language, and wasn't even uploaded for digital purchase on Comic Days like all the rest of the chapters. The only way to obtain it was via the April issue of Nakayoshi, either with the physical or digital version. Since it is clear to me their intention to keep this gem of a special chapter away from the internet jungle, and since lately I used only the screenshots from Youtube to illustrate my analysis, this time around I won't be posting anything (aside from the color page, which was released by the official account themselves).

AND! I won't be mixing analysis and summary, because I have already conveniently prepared some screenshots with a detailed summary of the chapter for the people who were curious to know, but didn't get to see the chapter yet or did see it but couldn't read Japanese. I have already posted these screenshots on my Twitter account, and I'll put them here too under the cut (please don't repost them around or in other social media), so you can immediately get a broad view on the content of the chapter (I don't have to point out translation mistakes, haha 😅), and then, afterwards, I'll write my commentary. And there is SO MUCH to say!!

But before starting, we can't break the tradition right at the LAST ROUND of our chapter commentaries, right?? So off we go, with the GIF OF THE MONTH!!

Yes, I think this is the GIF that can represent this chapter the most. 😂

The Color Page

This special chapter is composed of 33 pages, and of course I can't avoid starting my commentary precisely from the color page!!

I admit it, I hoped for a color spread with the four main characters of Clear Card (hence, including Kaito and Akiho too), but since the other two appeared with their own color page just in chapter 79, we'll gladly take this single color page with SyaoSaku too!! ❤️ The JP text reads "We've been together till now, and we will always be! Featuring a long-awaited special chapter!!" Syaosaku look absolutely adorable....and so, so happy!! Looking at us, from a wreath made of cherry blossoms, of course dressed in their image colors pink and green, in a "pair look"...I think their shiny smiles conquered the hearts of the entire fandom (saw many comments about it) and it is certainly a perfect introduction to a chapter that is, indeed, completely made of this happy, leisurely, warm atmosphere. I feel like it tastes even better, after all the anxiety they made us go through, right? I'm pretty sure that was CLAMP's goal all along, giving us this little reward after all the hard situations they've put their characters through. This color page looks like Sakura and Syaoran are saying "goodbye" to us, holding their hands in a lover's hold, but seeing them so cute and happy definitely soothes the sad feeling 🥲 Until we meet again...hopefully!

Letters From Around The World

But it's when the chapter starts that we get our first surprise: the time skip is of one entire year!!! We left our little heroes at the end of the first year of Tomoeda Middle school, ready to go in spring break and then start the second year...here, Sakura says she's in her spring break of the next year, ready to become a 9th grader!!! I almost couldn't believe they actually went that far, I knew from CLAMP's podcast that there was a timeskip, but I expected just some months! Although....I have to say the characters don't look that different, Mokona said she made them a tiny bit older and she kept true to that, because it's barely visible! 🤭 But if you compare them with how they looked at the middle of the story, of course the difference is visible.

I was so happy to see that the chapter started right away with a letter from Akiho: a letter or a videocall was definitely among the type of content I wanted to see in this chapter, because of course I still was quite preoccupied about the difficult journey Akiho and Kaito embarked on, so I wanted to see how they were faring. The amount of letters Sakura accumulated over the span of this year tells me that they moved around quite a lot, and she had always something to share with her "long-distance sister" 🤭 Kero praising Akiho's skills and even feeling some sort of "reverence" for her insane talent to find all the crazy and rare books was so funny and nice!! 😂Sakura is adorable, feeling all proud about the talent of her "sister" 🤭 Loved that they actually mentioned the place where Akiho and Kaito are currently at!! (cause they didn't reveal where they'd go first, in chapter 80, and I guess we'll never know). I appreciated SO SO much that they let us see that Akiho didn't drop, but actually continued to practice her sewing skills like she was doing before everything went down the drain with the Alice in Clockland play: moreover, finding out later that this skill is also helping her greatly with the true ambition of her life made me incredibly satisfied. How cute of her to send outfits for Kero and Suppy, even from far away??

I was quite surprised to find out that Akiho sends all the rare books to Eriol, and then laughed my as* off at Kero saying he's selling them off (the way Kero phrases it in JP makes it look a QUITE shady activity 😂). This shows there's a continued collaboration between the "group" in England and YunaAki, and it's very nice. They're not only "taking" support from Eriol, Akiho also does return the favor, providing Eriol with the books he needs.

And then....got really emotional to know that Kaito wrote a letter to Sakura, back when they left one year ago 🥲 I DID feel like some kind of acknowledgement or apology from Kaito to Sakura was missing from chapter 80 (but honestly, with everything they had to explain, where they could fit that?) and so this little mention completely fixed that sense of "he made a mess and barely managed to apologize to Akiho before leaving". Kaito isn't an ass*ole so of course he would've done something like that, and a letter seems perfect for an introvert boy of few words like him. I imagine the letter wasn't really long either. The little moon on the sealing wax...❤️The fact that Sakura is storing that single letter together with Akiho's letters in a specific box makes me almost cry. She cares for those two so, so much! 😭 Sakura wishes to receive more letters from Kaito and I really hope he will open up to her along the way, because he could benefit ENORMOUSLY from her advices and perspective! Also THANK YOU CLAMP for giving us a little "still" of those two next to eachother from the moment when they were leaving Tomoeda, with the suitcases and all 🥲that last faraway shot of all four of them together in chapter 80 was so great, but I wanted to see them like this too!

The SyaoSaku Date

Aaaaaand then we get to the long awaited, craved, coveted SYAOSAKU DATE!!! 🤣 I can't count how many people I've seen wishing for this....to be honest I was going to be ok with any kind of sweet moment between the two, but gotta admit that a carefree afternoon watching a stage play and then taking refreshment at a café gives this sense of normal, complete fun that was missing a bit for them. They are dressed in a very fancy way (loved that Sakura isn't wearing her usual long one-pieces but something different, with puff shorts! A sign of her growing up?) and even though they're not exactly wearing a "pair look" (too corny, maybe?), they are well matching eachother's outfits. And of course we find out that Tomoyo made Sakura's cute outfit and even the decorations on Syaoran's collar! The fact she was the one asking Syaoran to wear them at the date is kinda funny, like some sort of guidance into looking like a couple, thanks to the matching decorations! Tomoyo really takes care of everything....yes....everything. 🥲 The mention of Sakura's wedding dress of course made me go "OH MY GOD" and made me realize that if Tomoyo is already mentioning that.......we aren't *that* far away from that day (I always imagined SyaoSaku marrying early, since they're soulmates and got together so young!! 😆). Truly an emotional, sweet moment that was reinforced by Tomoyo's tender expression in the flashback. Her resolution to devote herself to learn to design even normal everyday outfits, or date outfits, everything that could accompany her dear Sakura everyday, reminded me that Tomoyo found her very own way to be with Sakura, and she's perfectly content with that. Tomoyo's happiness is seeing Sakura happy, and she will do anything to achieve that. ✨

Syaoran and Kaito's Friendship

And then my blushy blushy Sakura changes topic and suddenly throws me on the floor in a fit of laughter, because seeing Syaoran's confused look while he was trying to make sense of the pictures Kaito sent him on his phone WAS HONESTLY PRICELESS. 😆 My god, how long have I wished to see them like this? Moving their timid steps into a friendship (since their girlfriends are like sisters and Sakura literally saved Kaito's derriere), being their awkward dorky selves...they surprisingly get along so well and Syaoran doesn't seem to hold resentment towards him, which is GREAT for me!! He's learning from Sakura to just let go of hard feelings, when you've found out the person who acted in an oppositive way was just in a very desperate situation and had actually no ill intentions. And that makes me incredibly happy. Kaito needs all the support he can get, to make the right decisions in his life, and I can totally see him finding a particular connection with Syaoran, due to how they're both moon boys, who would give their life for the person they love. I think precisely for this, precisely because Syaoran can understand to a degree Kaito's situation and behavior, he wouldn't feel judged and would feel more free to establish a connection with him. I was k*lled with laughter and endearment when I saw that Syaoran felt confused, but still tried to understand Kaito's peculiar way of communicating with him 😂 And guess what? I think he doesn't realize it, but he's totally starting to get it! 😂The way our wolfie boy snaps that picture IMMEDIATELY as the cat passes by, and how he only framed the ear, really shows how in the end he's speaking "the same language" as Kaito 😂 Seeing Sakura so excitedly think to herself that the two became such good friends made me scream "SAME SAKURA-CHAN, SAME!!!" 😂 All in all, seeing these two having such a relaxed, comfortable date talking about their friends and stuff that happened lately made me completely feel that one year that elapsed, and now they act totally like a couple that's been dating for quite some time. 😊 Ooooh thank you sensei, really. Thank you so much for this scene. 🙏

The Moon Is Really Beautiful, Right?

BUT! The real reason why CLAMP will always have my heart and my gratitude is hidden in the next scene. 😂

Oh my god, the screams I've belted out when I saw them. And when I've read THAT. But let's go in order, let's go in order and not jump the gun! We're in Germany, Akiho and Kaito now seem to be living in an apartment in a nice building! They're still talking in keigo, and still calling eachother "Akiho-san" and "Kaito-san". 😊

Kaito SMILES genuinely at the picture Syaoran sent him!! And answers, to an observant Akiho, that he's having fun!! 😭HIM! The one who couldn't understand what was fun in interacting with others!!! He looks honestly so radiant and happy, a sign that his mental recovery is going strong. And that he's slowly expanding his "trusted people" network. 🥲🙏Also, he looks younger than ever!!! 😂

It made me INCREDIBLY HAPPY to see that Akiho didn't drop the "hobby" she had started in chapter 26 (ages ago!!), remember this scene?

I remember how much I loved to know she had started learning how to do this, because together with my friends, at the time, we all thought this could easily become her aspiration in life......and guess what?? CLAMP confirmed she wants to take on a job revolving around books and book repairing!! This is all canon!! T___T oh my happy tears.... There's a sense of pride in seeing that this journey for Akiho isn't only revolving around finding the cure for Kaito's shortened lifespan (which hurt his body terribly) and restarting his "stopped time", or finding Momo and the Alice in Clockland book, but she's also got the mental resolution to do something for herself, for what she wants to do in life, something that is completely disconnected from Kaito. Again, I cannot reiterate enough how this girl doesn't have an unhealthy codependent relationship with Kaito, and she's completely capable of thinking about her own future, aspirations and wishes. She wants him with her, and she could never live happily without him, but the love of her life isn't the only thing that exists for her. It is incredibly satisfying to see her working hard for her own future, where she'll be able to contribute (especially financially) to their livelihood. I can see Kaito helping her and assisting her with that. The other day I was dreaming away with my friends about Kaito and Akiho managing a "book cafè" together somewhere, how impossibly sweet that would be?

Seeing this volitive, ambitious, strong-willed Akiho once again filled my heart immensely. And I wasn't the only one, apparently.....

Oh god, you have no idea of the SHRIEKS I belted out when I saw Kaito saying "the moon is really beautiful, right?" in full daylight. Like. It is absolutely unmistakable at this point what kind of love he feels for her, and while I always knew, I'm sure the character took his own sweet time and personal introspection to reach that conclusion. If you remember, I've always said it and reiterated it at the end of chapter 80: Kaito won't understand things overnight, it will take a long time. And one year, at that age, is enough of a long time to come to terms with one's feelings and understanding what exactly they mean. They lived all that time together as two "equals", no more butler/boss bullsh*t, so they had even more opportunities to see eachother's true colors. And Kaito couldn't help but fall even more in love with Akiho, to the point that seeing her working so excitedly for her future made him gently overflow with that feeling....and said that sweet quote of Natsume Soseki that we all know, by now, what it means. I think the mere fact that what made his heart explode was seeing her so independent and strong, is a good sign that Kaito's love for her is the healthy and supportive kind, too. He doesn't love her and feels attracted to her soul because she's a weaker, younger, malleable being that he can dominate (as a toxic relationship would portray), but at the contrary, because she's free and strong and wonderful on her own. The more he sees her shining, the more that feeling grows. Throughout this scene, he looks at her and talks to her in such an intensely sweet way, you can totally see he's smitten with her.

The most popular reply to someone who confesses with "the moon is beautiful" is the equivalent of "I could die for you/I can die happy now", in Japanese. And Kaito had been unconsciously replying that way, with his actions, the whole damn time during the serialization of Clear Card. But since he took it way too literally, things were really heading to tragedy. Nobody wanted him to die for real, and yet, subconsciously, that was the only way he had found to give outlet to an enormous amount of feels that he couldn't express (because it wasn't appropriate, and nobody would ever love him, and he only caused her pain, and he had to let go of Akiho anyway at the end of it).

So considering all of THAT, this "I love you very much" he said now (he added とても, "very", like Akiho did ❤️) in this way, makes me think even more "yes, you finally understood what was the best way to convey it!" and therefore, it represents another character development for our moon boy. 🥲

There's debate over whether he had already understood what Akiho had meant, in chapter 48. I stand firmly by my convinction that, even if he was informed of the Japanese folklore tale around it, he quickly dismissed it as "no, she's meaning it literally for the moon", since he couldn't really believe that anyone would ever take interest in him, and was sure he would've always been alone. Otherwise, if he really understood and believed that Akiho was in love with him, I don't think he could've ever said that "I thought you didn't need me to be happy". It doesn't make sense. But everything that happened at the fake moon, and all her angry tears, and all her resolution to find a way to cure him, made him finally see that she really meant it in that way. ❤️So his own acceptance and introspection could finally start, and....it brought to this. ❤️ If you want to know more about the popular phrase "the moon is beautiful, right?", I invite you to check my first Clear Card Trivia post, focused on the literary and musical references portrayed throughout this story!

And LOL, I couldn't help but noticing several things in how this scene played out: first, he immediately "runs away" blabbering about the breakfast being ready, a very similar way to how he "ran away" in chapter 52 when Akiho could see right through him and was trying to express her support and feelings to him. This is definitely an indication (taking into consideration also how he acted when he was little) that the reason why Kaito walked away back then, slamming the door, had a sprinkle of embarrassment embedded in it, too. Yeah. I mean, look at the face he's making here, just before he notices, puzzled, that his hand is shaking:

He's smiling so tenderly, among the pain he's feeling because of his poor health. He even laughs! He's happy he heard that! But he just couldn't stay hearing any longer, back then. Now, in this scene of the special chapter, he literally throws "the bomb" and runs away without hearing her answer or reaction 😂😂😂this is definitely embarrassment, and I'd like to think there's even a hint of teasing streak that I've always seen between the lines in his personality. It came out particularly with Syaoran and Momo, but Akiho isn't excluded from this dynamic! 😂

And excuse me, but Akiho's reaction literally made me roll on the floor laughing!! 😂The poor girl is probably so used to live abroad, and Japanese folklore isn't probably coming up immediately in her mind anymore, despite it's a phrase SHE used HERSELF back then! 😂Or maybe it's because she didn't really expect it from him, and so she took a moment to connect the dots. Either way, it was extremely funny! And I can't absolutely avoid pointing out how our girl isn't blushing like mad anymore, but just slightly.... I mean. It must have been quite clear to her too, by now, that her feelings were in some kind "reciprocated", be it for what Sakura said back at the fake moon, his decision to go back to her, and his decision to reveal his true name, hence giving her his most vulnerable part of himself... This isn't a shock for her, and she probably waited patiently, patiently, for him to finally say something like this. So maybe, more than embarrassed, she's surprised that the day finally came! 🥲 Goodness. This really puts all my worries to rest, Akiho will truly be happy. And it makes total sense that CLAMP made him say this now, and not at the end of chapter 80. As I said, more time was needed. This entire scene leaves me with a sweet, soft, comfortable feeling, and it's totally how I've always imagined their relationship to be. Also....no more of that "he loves her as a daughter/sister" crap, not canon-wise at least. 😊

One last thing I have to point out about this scene, which curiously reconnects everything together, is that recently CLAMP have announced the themes to which their upcoming exhibition will revolve around: among them, there's LOVE (of course!), and among the decorations surrounding the featured character on the key visual (Sakura, for now, but there's at least another one coming!) there are a couple of birds too. Birds are, in this sense, a symbol of love in CLAMP's language. I couldn't really help but noticing all the birds flying outside the window next to Akiho, the moment Kaito says that "the moon is really beautiful, right?". Basically, CLAMP were trying to scream it all over the place, however they could. 😂

"Momo-san?!"

It was so nice to see Yukito and Kero-chan gossiping about Touya right in his face, with the complete intention to tease him 😂in that sense, Yukito really seems like a sweet and harmless character, but don't be fooled! His teasing power is over 9000!! 😂Touya's killing glare made me crack up! He's so done for, now that both Kero and Yukito can tease him in the open! 😂😂😂

But please, please, let me scream about MOMO!!! Oh my god I would've never accepted a special chapter that didn't feature her!! Aaaaahhh I'm so glad to see that she's fine 🥲 The conversation between her and Sakura made clear to me that she isn't that free to move how I imagined her to be. Certainly, she decides where to go and who the book stays with (and when to leave), but the impartiality imposed on her role doesn't allow her to act freely like she wants, unless she pays a price. And she decided to pay a price, not to see Akiho and Kaito, but to go and thank Sakura herself first. Because, as her "those kids" suggests, she of course still feels some kind of maternal instinct towards them, and as any mother would do, she wants to thank Sakura from the bottom of her heart for having helped and saved those two. Even her body language (the position of her hands) portrays that. And excuse me, but I A B S O L U T E L Y loved how CLAMP clarified once and for all, addressing directly the complaints of their own fandom, that Sakura wasn't forcingly dragged into a matter that wasn't related to her. Everything she did, she decided to do it because she felt it touched her personally. From the moment she became Akiho's friend and came to care for her, everything that happened and everything that she was involved with was related to her too. This wasn't "somebody else's business" anymore. Because Akiho is one of her most beloved friends, no matter how "fast" that happened. Some relationships bloom almost immediately, because the connection is just that strong. And so, this turned into just another expression of "your happiness is my happiness", with Sakura acting according to what her heart suggested. As Kaito is Akiho's most beloved person, Sakura couldn't help but care for him too, because doing so would've made her friend happy, in a wonderful "circulation of love".

Special mention for the scene with pregnant Lilie, oh my god I didn't really expect this either. How long ago I wrote that Tumblr post about cosmos flowers and the origin of Akiho's name? A couple of weeks ago? It's like CLAMP answered my curiosity, with this scene. I still keep my interpretation in my heart, but I also love the logic "it is a flower that keeps the same name in many countries". Of course. "Wherever you'll go, you'll always be your unique self". (And now I want to cry, mama's heart is so big😭) The way Lilie keeps her hands over her womb made me tear up. The ring isn't there anymore, a sign that she probably already gave it to Momo (understandably, since once Akiho would be born, she wouldn't really have much time left). The baby bump isn't that noticeable, probably because she's at the beginning of her pregnancy. Who knows if she kept seeing little Kaito while she was pregnant. 🥲Who knows if in the scene where she's telling him about how wonderful it is to have something you love, especially a person, she was already pregnant with Akiho. 🥲

Momo and Sakura's final words made me understand that Momo cannot go back to Akiho and Kaito till the circumstances and the moment is right. Whether it depends on Akiho's wish, or the right cosmic arrangement, it's surely not in the short term. Especially considering the limited scope of Momo's agency. It cannot come from Momo (unless she pays a huge price), it needs to come from them, strongly enough. I also want to think that, again as an acquired mother figure, Momo wants those two to find their own way, identity and figure out their relationship on their own, without her interference. I'm sure she's keeping an eye on them from faraway, though. 🥲Even though this still feels bittersweet because I wanted to see them reuniting in canon so badly, it gave me lots of hope for the future. Momo is just waiting for the right moment, and she'll be ready to embrace them when the time is right. Maybe, who knows, we'll see that reunion in another series or in a special publication in the future?

The End

And then....the final scene 🥲NOW it is finally clear what Ohkawa meant in that one Twitter Space, when she mentioned that there was a reason why they never featured Sakura's birthday!!! THEY NEEDED TO KEEP THE EXCLUSIVITY FOR THIS!! 😂 I'm so glad they did, really...it's so sweet to see her reaching 14 years old (the "standard age" of many shoujo heroines! 😂) and seeing Syaoran giving her a present, with that strikingly sweet smile full of love...but most importantly....the breathtaking final double spread 🥲🥲🥲🥲 The way she pulls his hand close to her chest, to her heart, while saying that Syaoran will be forever and ever her most important and special person.....really, this chapter is meant to k*ll us all with feels!🥲and I love how CLAMP keep finding ways to portray their physical displays of affection without resorting to the classic, most wanted (but also probably considered not appropriate yet) "kiss". The very final page is a direct parallel of a page from chapter one, where Sakura was going to school alone and looked back down the street to admire the cherry blossoms in full bloom.

Now, she's not alone anymore, but actually hugging the love of her life on her special day! Really, what a wonderful and fulfilling way to give the final touch to this amazing story! 🥲 Her very last line also contributed to this. Sakura leaves us again, 24 years after the first ending, with words of positivity for the future, and love for her important people. This wraps everything up nicely, but it still keeps things quite "open-ended", hopefully in the eventuality to return to this wonderful series in the future. Sakura is growing up, as CLAMP wished, and it might be possible to see her dealing with more "grown-up" situations, magic and non-magic wise. But one thing is for sure, her relationship with her loved ones will always take top priority. ❤️

Well well well, we came to the end of this looooooong commentary for this special chapter too. I can't help but thank once again all of you who followed my posts all these years, and commented with your POVs on the story.

As I've said multiple times, Cardcaptor Sakura gave me so much ever since I was a kid, and this sequel was no exception. This special chapter, in particular, overflowed with things I wanted to see, and I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking so. I once again want to congratulate CLAMP for wrapping everything up nicely, and thank them from the bottom of my heart for these almost 8 years of emotional journey. 🙏

See you around with my other tumblr posts, and let's look forward to the release of volume 16 on April 1st, and hopefully, news about the anime sequel of Clear Card!!

[watchingblsnowandforever]

Hello again! =D

Here's Part 1

*looks at all the remaining screenshots and sighs* I really need to learn to take screenshots more selectively-

Warning: long post 😊😅

This is the sole reason Phum chose to ride the cycle, because we all know he brought his car.

I'm not complaining though. In fact-

Peem, give this man all the hugs in this world. He deserves them. <3

HANDS!!

Aunt Pui Live Reaction

She ships them hehe

She's the best wingaunt 😭🫶🏼

Oh, it's his turn with the braincell finally hehe

Oh, that little kernel of insecurity making him question this :(

And it's Phum's turn to immediately refute any doubt about his feelings.

Oh yeah, telling him all the reasons you like him is the only reason you'll "have" to stay over at his place, Phum. It's not like you wanna cuddle him or anything. Pfft of course not.

Peem's reaction is so cute (no pun intended-) oh gods 😭

This is what told me for sure that Phum knows about Peem's feelings.

The way he framed this, the absolute lack of hesitation in his voice, the way he smiled, the way he looked at Peem.

Just because he doesn't confront Peem about it doesn't mean he doesn't know his feelings are reciprocated.

No wonder Peem's reaction looks so genuine 😭 (Pond improvised this part)

What do you do when the guy you like keeps shrugging off your hand? Keep trying of course! And then lock your hands so he can't shrug them off.

Mission Side-Hug Your Crush: Accomplished 😌✅️

Me:

Wait- WAIT, you're gonna leave the cycle right there in the middle of the driveway?! WHY 🥲😭

👀

Yep, same pic.

The moment I saw this I was like where have I seen this before- OH yeah.

See, now Fang isn't hesitating to call him out on it. Now he knows for sure Phum likes Peem, and it's okay to talk to him about it. But he still doesn't prod much, and only takes what Phum tells him.

In conclusion: Fang is a good brother. 😌

Others: Byee! Have a great time!

Chain: I'll play the guitar for you.

Let's be honest, who's the enabler here? Pun might come up with the strangest most complicated plans, but who's the first to go along with it?

ASKFDGHYTRUASKJNCHDFJ

WHAT WAS THIS KISS?!!!! AND WHY WAS IT TAILOR-MADE TO MAKE ME GO CRAZY?!!!!!

WINNYSTANG. I liked you before but to be very frank, I was kinda indifferent, but now you have my full attention. Make me go even more crazy.

Ooh they have a third brother??

See, up till this point, I was willing to ignore their parents (not what they did, but them as people, because they do not deserve any attention) but this? Stopping Fang from going to check on his brother? NUH UH. That's a line you don't cross.

So now, I'm handing Peem and Tan their weapon(s) of choice and letting them have a go at it. The bodies? Oh, don't worry about that, we'll handle those. :)

What I really love about this scene is that Peem hugs first, then asks questions.

Ah I love hugs so much 🥹🫶🏼

No. They can't.

And similarly, our parents can't always be right. They might always want what's the best for us, but that doesn't mean that what they do is always the best for us.

Also- I'm completely normal about the fact that Phum and Fang went to Peem and Tan - their respective safe zones. Very normal. 🥺

AND THOSE 'I LOVE YOU'S BY TANFANG OH MY GODS I-

I could write a whole essay about just these few minutes (of that PhumPeem hug and this TanFang moment) but I don't have that much time or energy 😭

I'll just go sob in the corner because this entire ep was made to attack my heart with fluff but this scene just broke me.

Also- we finally get actual wind-ruffled hair in BL hehe

Isn't he already Golden Retriever enough? 😭

[Also, at this point my anxiety spiked because I had 7 more screenshots, but I'd already done 25, so tumblr would allow only 5 more 😶😭]

Yes.

Peem finally getting his confidence and sass back! Hehe

That peck had me blinking and then smiling so wide and rewatching those few seconds at least four times.

He says no, and yet his face is tilted and eyes closed and he's all ready to be kissed so sweetly.

You betray yourself, Peem *smh*

HANDS!!!!

The day I stop screaming about hands is my last day on Earth.

This broke my heart, but this hug and Peem's reply put it back together. <33

He-

He said it. While he was awake. 😶

Listen, that nose boop and him telling Phum he'd done a good job the first time changed my brain chemistry so much I collected all the stray strands of my nonexistant giffing skills and made a gif just to put it as my header (replacing that scene from Cherry Magic that I've probably watched a million times now, and had changed me viscerally).

AND THEN THEY GIVE ME THIS.

They're playing table tennis with my heart 🥲

Anyways. Love this scene. So much.

BONUS: I couldn't upload the screenshot of this, but that horse riding scene is so funny to me, because Phuwin is the one who can ride, and Pond's the one a little scared (a little like that roller coaster scene except reversed hehe).

Also "I feel like a prince, riding my horse led by my servant." uh huh. no reference here. just a random line in a random series where the main leads acted in a series previously where one of them was a khun chai and the other worked for him. no reference at all.

Finally!

That's it for ep 12, see y'all next week!

If you got this far, thank you so much for reading! 😊

Here, have some pancakes 🥞

All my previous We Are posts.

@inonetoomanyfandoms here's part 2 hehe

[infamous-if]

weekly? update (05 - 04 - 23)

I don't know how consistent I'll be with these but I personally like reading updates so maybe everyone else does too?

I haven't done anything different than what I've been doing:

patreon pov chapters: Orion's is done! It finished at 5.6k words but I think with a bit of editing, that'll be more. Discovering Visual Studio Code has made me much more efficient. I'm a messy writer and not organized at all so I tend to be a messy coder, so seeing my work on a timeline live is really helpful. Right now I'm working on Seven's balcony scene and that's already at 2k words and the first choice hasn't even come up yet 😅. Seven's is expectantly going to be quite bulky. Seven's inner-monologue tends to be a lot more emotion driven compared to Orion's and Sev dwells on many little moments often. One look from MC can have me writing a whole paragraph of how Seven feels about that lol. Writing the characters come very naturally now. Writing such a long, aimless paragraph about something like that for Orion feels wrong, but feels very appropriate for Seven.

Right now I have: Orion's office scene, Seven's balcony/hearth scene, and am still torn between Seb's diner or bar scene. Doing both is still in the cards, let's see how I feel! I'm sticking to the prologue for now, and then do rollouts for every chapter like that. I found these POVs really fun and low-stress since the scenes are pretty much laid out for me already. Anyway, for patreon, I think I'm going to start small and just do one tier and call it a day/throw all my extra content in that tier. No fuss for right now. I've gotten quite a bit of DMs asking for more information on bonus content! We'll see, we'll see.

the drabbles: are still happening, though I did hit a pause because Orion's drabble was so long. I started working on Maya's as a palette cleanser so that's fun.

chapter two: is going well! I wrote a late-night bus scene I wanted to write for a while, and it came out really well! This is when I can really just start putting MC in situations that lead to the routes and stuff so it's exciting. Also the competition begins sjssdubssd I have everything laid out in my head. G and Vic get more shine in chapter 2. Which is exciting! Writing the whole long scene with them and MC that I have in my head...I am Very Excited. Of course, it's a bit...

Anyway, that's all! It does look like I write a lot, but I get my energy to write through...writing. Basically, if I feel drained about one thing I work on something else and that helps me feel rejuvenated to get back to the other thing. It helps me keep my mind refreshed!

Hope you're having a good day! and keep...rocking? (that was so bad)(what is a story appropriate send off?)

Don't do anything Orion wouldn't do!

[marshallpupfan]

Marshall Merchandise Update - Rescue Wheels Edition™

Slowly but surely, the Rescue Wheels merchandise has been popping up in stores here in the USA. Naturally, I've been keeping an eye out for them, so it's time to show off what I've found so far!

First off, I decided to put a background on my monitor again, just to spruce things up. I also attempted some better lighting by using a lamp instead of my camera's flash. Some pics still came out a bit iffy, so I apologize.

In any case, here's the first piece of Rescue Wheels merchandise I got! Nearly a whole month ago, in fact. I seen it listed on Amazon and figured why not go for it, since stores here in the USA were taking a long time to get them.

The vehicle, itself... it's not my favorite, I'll say that. It's just shaped a little too box-like, but the flame graphics are cool, even if they are just stickers. Strangely, the ladder water cannon on the back doesn't move at all. If anything, I do like the figurine. Not the best, but I still like it.

Next, the usual plush doll, which we always seem to get upon each new subseries or movie. They decided to go back to the old style, which is kind of a shame, since I liked what we got for The Mighty Movie and Jungle Pups better. It just looked cuter, imo. Ah well.

Now that's one cool-looking pup. Super cute! 😎

Next, a new "Pup Squad Racer" vehicle! With not-so-good lighting that I didn't notice until I upload these pics. I probably should've put it on something to get more of that background in the shot. Also, ignore the dust under the monitor... I forgot to get rid of that. 😅

As you can see, this is yet another one of those smaller vehicles. I'm fully convinced these are indeed meant to be replacements for those True Metal vehicles... which is perhaps for the best, since the last few we got were kind of cheap. These are a nice alternative.

Unlike the True Metal vehicles, the pup's head is a lot bigger, so it's a bit more detailed and nicer. I dare say it's pretty cute! And...

...Hey, wait a minute. Who's big tires are those? That doesn't look like Marshall's vehicle...

Wait...

Is it...?

BOOMER??

That's right! Boomer, the villain pup of Rescue Wheels, got his own figurine and vehicle! I'll admit, that's quite rare, since PAW Patrol villains rarely ever get merchandise of any kind. It's only happened a few times in the past.

If you remember that character spotlight post I made of Boomer, then you might also recall that I became quite a big fan of this pup after watching Rescue Wheels! Thus, when I heard he was getting his own toy, I knew I had to have it. Admittedly, I think his vehicle turned out a bit nicer than Marshall's. Don't tell anyone I said that.

His figurine's also nice, if you ask me. Even as a toy, this pup looks quite cool... and cute! I'll certainly have to add this somewhere to my Marshall collection. He'll go nicely next to Claw. Two of my favorite villains, hanging out. We just need this in the cartoon now! lol

Oh, by the way, if anyone's interested in one of these, know that they're exclusive to Walmart (at least, here in the USA). They also made one for Roxi, which I believe is exclusive to Target. Just an FYI.

But wait... that's not all! Even more surprising than the vehicle...

Boomer also got a plush doll! Wow, you really lucked out, Boomer! At this point, I'm hoping the kids asks their parents for these and his figurine & vehicle... that way, Spin Master will see him as popular and we'll see him again someday soon. Hey, let me dream. lol

That is also one cool-looking pup! Boomer! Boomer! Boomer!!! 😁

Alright, that's all for now. And a good thing, too... after all these purchases, my poor wallet is probably screaming at me again. Too bad I'll likely make one or two more soon, since Rescue Wheels got its own batch of mini-figurines in mystery boxes, of course. Sadly, Boomer didn't get included in that, else Marshall wouldn't be the only one I'd be tracking down. It's still crazy to see him get what he did though! Man, if only Claw got his own plush doll instead of Sweetie...

So... what's next? I wonder how much longer until we start to see merchandise of Air Rescue? Then again, the USA hasn't even aired Rescue Wheels yet, so no doubt it won't be until next year. Good... that gives my wallet plenty of time to recover. lol

[yumeka-sxf]

Wow, I was not expecting this chapter to be a continuation from the previous one!

To start off, Becky is still a little home wrecker that Martha has to keep in check 😅

Meanwhile, Twilight and Yor continue to be adorkable idiots about their relationship, obsessing so much about being "normal" - something that neither of them has experience with - that they endlessly misunderstand the other's intention. Then they panic when they misunderstand the other's misunderstanding, and so keep misunderstanding more. When will at least one of them get a clue and sever this endless loop? 😂 (but it is nice to see that Twilight will still immediately freak out whenever he thinks Yor is upset with him).

I'll discuss all their exchanges in depth when I get to this chapter in my analysis post series, but anyway...Yuri is back! It's been a while since we've seen him so I had a feeling he'd be back soon. His contradicting thoughts continue to amuse me.

Also nice to see that Yor can be tough with him when she needs to be.

Yuri watches cartoons with Anya? And he doesn't seem all that begrudging about this either. Maybe he's ever so slightly accepting the fact that he's her uncle.

And is this Twilight telling Yuri to shut up?! I don't think he's ever talked like that to anyone, especially not when he's trying to act as Loid Forger. His patience with Yuri must really be wearing thin, and/or he's that desperate about mending his relationship with Yor asap.

Now I don't like speculating about things too much, but I have a feeling this arc may involve more than just the SSS and WISE trying to outwit each other. There would be no reason for most of this chapter to continue the Twiyor situation from the previous chapter if that wasn't still important in whatever is going to happen later. While Yor did go home at the end of this chapter, that doesn't mean her role in this arc is finished. We might not see her again until the end when/if Twilight stays true to his word that he'll talk about her gripes with her later. But maybe what he ends up saying to her will be affected by whatever happens to him on this mission (i.e, he gets close to losing what he has with Operation Strix and realizes he doesn't want that). Or maybe Yor will continue to be involved in some way...we didn't actually see her return home yet, and even if she did, you never know what could happen. Or maybe that was the end of it and their whole marriage gripe thing won't be brought up again. But I don't think so. We'll see! I don't think we're at the point for Twiyor identity reveals yet, but maybe a reveal on Yuri's end? Regardless, I'm excited for what appears to be a new major story arc!

[catt-nuevenor]

First off I was literally obsessed with your demo. It was actually the very first thing I ever read on dashington and I was basically inlove with all of the ROs.

That being said. As for the changes I've read through all the comments, asks and replies. And it's... different. Not necessarily bad just new I guess? Because it changes alot of the wonder I had experienced playing the demo. So it just feels weird I suppose?

No saying I won't read it, come on I love your writing. I practically word vomited my praises on tumblr as soon as I finished reading it the first time. And I get you said the old demo would still stay on but there's like.. no point if it's not gonna continue..? If that makes sense it's just then kind of incomplete?

I also for the most illogical reasons feel the same way as others when it comes to ROs being in relationships outside of MC. Like if they were already in a pre-existing relationship sure I get it! There are many stories like that if you don't choose to romance a character in the beginning they get back with an ex they broke up with or they are with someone else where you choose a route in like the very beginning. But again hear me out I'm completely stupid for this!!! But whenever I play a game where an RO then gets like with one of MCs friends on a different route it just fucks with my head for that LI. Like I then just see them with that other person. And have a fuck you attitude to that character aswell EVEN on a different route lmao it makes no sense! It's not logical! And it's dumb! But that's why I play fictional stories okay! So I don't hve to deal with shit like that. Don't judge me 😅🤣

Kay long tangent aside.. I guess what I'm saying is the new changes kinda scare me. But I'm keeping an open mind. I'd honestly read whatever you post because of how talented you are and yeah.. some of the ROs are probably gonna get a fuck you out of me for being in a different relationship and I'll probably not do that route because of how stupid my head is. So jesus I hope it isn't my fav LI 😭 but I'll still support you and I do wish you the best in the writing. I do love the story and I do like the addition of I guess more characters. Just the RO thing fucks with my head alil. I'm sorry if that's weird to some people.

I'm not making any sense just gonna go now... 🙈

Dear heck, I think this is the longest ask I've ever received. I didn't even know asks could be this long...

The changes will take a while for everyone to get used to, I think. But at least we'll all be in the same boat?

I do get the unsettling nature of seeing LIs romancing other characters while you're on alternate routes. The first one that springs to mind for me is Josephine in Dragon Age Inquisition. Seeing her fawn over Blackwall was weird. But, it made me realise how attached I was to her romance and hers alone, so it worked out in the long run.

Myrk Mire still isn't back on my working schedule yet, I'll let you all know when it is, and I'll try to keep you updated with WIP screenshots or planning doodles. Perhaps then I'll also give a bit more information on the dynamics of the LIs and the variables driving who makes eyes and who.

[oscurascout]

Y/N As A Doorman

From That's Not My Neighbor game

Note - The D.D.D agent will be a sort of OC like he will just be there for the fun of the story but won't be that important (unless people want, ... I finally discover the read more thing, 😅).

Part 5 (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10)

A whole week has passed since the Hoon incident, and the D.D.D still hasn't returned him, which has been making me, not only angry but to also overthink. I also tried to find the doppelgänger who hurt him, yet it's easier said than done. After all, I can't just go ahead and ask them. Instead, I just said 'Hoon', and I got a lot of reactions from every doppelgänger; everyone reacted in anger. I also acquired a weapon, a taser, which my father had bought for me while I was still working.

Today, I was at work, the same old routine. At this point, I didn't even need to check the ID or folders because now I knew everything like the back of my hand, though I still checked if I had my suspicions.

I let Mr. Gauss in before he tried to flirt with me. After my first week, he started to flirt with me, but as a joke, or at least I hope it's a joke. I was about to look at my phone when I saw someone else come in; it was a D.D.D agent. “What can I do for you?” I asked a bit annoyed.

D.D.D Agent - “I see you are still angry at us *chuckles*. Don't worry, your friend will be released tomorrow.”

“Really!?” I asked, surprised that they had actually listened to my requests and pleas. “He must be a high-ranking person for the D.D.D to want to release Hoon,” I thought as I tried to figure out what they were truly aiming for.

D.D.D Agent - “We are going to leave him at your home, but there is a catch.”

I looked at him angrily, “Ugh, what is it now?” I asked, very angry.

D.D.D Agent - “First, let me in, please.”

I groaned and pressed the green button; they entered and got into the office.

D.D.D Agent - *chuckles* “Okay, the second thing to say is that he is going to have to stay with you. After all, there is a very high probability that he was exiled from the group. Every time you called us to get rid of the doppelgängers, they would all scream for your friend and scream at us to 'kill the traitor.' Obviously, they all got wiped out, but it did lead us to believe that he was exiled from the doppelgängers. Therefore, he cannot return to them, or something worse will happen to him, which led us to decide that you'll become his guardian.”

“What do you think was the cause?” I asked, looking at the floor.

D.D.D Agent - “That is a possibility, but we think, it was a problem caused between him and his kind, since we did find more injuries from some time ago, showing that he probably fought against them. These are all theories, so don't overthink it.”

“Well, anything else?” I asked, somehow knowing that he was leaving something out.

D.D.D Agent - “We would like to get both yours and his approval to observe him. We already have his approval; we only need yours.”

“Observe him?” I asked, confused and annoyed at them.

D.D.D Agent - “Yes, even though he has been exiled, he is still a doppelgänger, which could help us in our research. As you know, ever since these creatures appeared, we haven't truly gathered useful information or any important information for that matter. Therefore, with your friend's help, we may come to know these creatures more and maybe, someday, truly make the world safe again. And don't worry, we'll make sure to keep him safe.”

I thought about it; it was actually a very good thing. Hoon would be safe, and they would get their research. “What type of observation will you be making?” I asked, just to be sure.

D.D.D Agent - “Well, we were thinking about normal stuff—what they eat besides humans, what they like, or just anything that he shows us, even if it is his personal opinion on things. It could still help us.”

“Alright, then when are you going to bring him home?” I asked in case I'll have to leave work early.

D.D.D Agent - “Don't worry, I'll bring him to your home and stay with him while you work.”

“Huh? Wait, what?” I asked, perplexed.

D.D.D Agent - “Yes, this is a protocol measure in which any D.D.D agent has to be there with you to protect you, in case your friend turns aggressive, and also because of the observation matter.”

“So, you'll live with me?” I asked, even more perplexed.

D.D.D Agent - *with happiness in his voice* “Yes!”

“No,” I said quickly.

D.D.D Agent - “What!? But you need someone to protect you.”

“I can do that myself,” I said without hesitation.

D.D.D Agent - “Then what about the observation?”

“I can also do that. Actually, I think Hoon would prefer me over you watching him,” I said. They seemed unable to argue with me any further. I sighed, “Why do you insist so much on living with us?” I asked, confused.

D.D.D Agent - “Well, because I've always found doppelgängers interesting. That was the whole reason why I joined the D.D.D—to be able to see them up close and see how they truly are. Yet, the sad reality is that I'm never sent to deal with them. I only get to briefly see them while I have to do a ton of paperwork.”

I thought about it. I didn't think Hoon would ever attack me, but that wouldn't be the same for all the others who were after Hoon. “Okay, you can stay with me, but you will have to pay me in some way,” I said with a smirk.

D.D.D Agent - *surprised* “Huh?”

“What did you think? That you could live with me and not do anything? Well, nope. If you want to stay, then you will either pay rent or do house chores,” I said, smiling. Even with the mask, I could feel them overthinking their life decisions. “So this is the power that parents feel,” I thought as they began to mutter to themselves.

[palacholic]

for someone called palacholic you sure don't talk about Palach a lot/silly (this is an invitation for you to ramble sometime if you want to)

short answer: i'm really shy and afraid of being obnoxious and annoying 😭. rn i'm trying to figure out what the right balance between oversharing and never talking about him at all is😅. and it's both online and irl, so thanks for the question 😁 if there's anything specific you'd like to hear me ramble about, you can always text me 😌😌.

longer answer, more background context: Jan Palach has been my special interest for the past almost 5 years. through reading about him i figured out that i wanted to live in the Czech Republic and study at the Faculty of Arts (dreams that eventually came true).

before coming to Czechia, i never talked about Palach to ppl. very few of my friends actually knew that i was interested in him. it's true that he's not very well known in my home country but i told some ppl and tried to show them why he's so fascinating to me. not always they understood and since i struggle quite a bit with rejection i was always very careful about whom i tell and what i say.

the moment i arrived in Prague, on the contrary, i started telling EVERYONE. friends, classmates, teachers, even random ppl. maybe too many random ppl🫣. i can be annoying af and literally talk about him for HOURS on end (ppl who know me irl - you can confirm) and most ppl don't care that much/don't know how to react/are uncomfortable with so much infodumping. i try to keep it under control but sometimes it's hard💀.

and then i created this tumblr to get more into Czech culture and stuff and find like-minded ppl (i did, big shoutout to them!!! ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥) but with school and other stuff going on i've been quite inactive over the last couple of months 😞, i hope i'll have more time now!!

also, some of the Palach related stuff is really personal, i'm not yet comfortable sharing everything but i've been thinking about sharing some of my writing (mostly poetry/short thoughts/storytimes) on here, so we'll see how that goes 🥺.

[nonbinarydeity]

My manifesting/shifting journey.

Warning: long post ahead, I'll try to put the tips at the end, or at least highlight them if that's all you want lol

So I've made no secret of the fact that I'm a shifter, but because I'm so sure it's going to happen soon, I'm going to share my journey with you guys and give some tips ❤️

First off, let me say that I'm going to shift to a reality that has the same "world"/map as this one, but that's about all that's going to stay the same 😅 I'll look similar, but ofc I'm going to change my sex (just to see what it feels like/ if I like it), and I'll have the Lifa app because I want to be able to edit things as I go. This is only the first reality I'm going to shift to, but it definitely won't be the last, or even the one I spend the most time in! I want to experience this world as I wish it was with my partner, and then we'll go to a waiting room and figure things out from there.

With that out of the way, let's talk about my experience with shifting 😭

So I've been interested in shifting for about two and a half years now. I first learned about it from a friend, and started scripting right away (can you guess where I was going to go? Yep, the same place a lot of ppl started: Harry Potter. Man, so much has changed since then 😅). I tried. And tried. And tried. And then, I started consuming content, learning about how to do it, and overall gaining nothing but limiting beliefs (that I'm still unlearning btw) 😭. Early shift tok was a big help for me, but it definitely did more harm than good.

Eventually, I got my first symptoms, and my research led me to YouTube, then amino, and then finally, Tumblr. Law of attraction was the starting point, though I wasn't as into it as I am into law of assumption, so I didn't get a ton of limiting beliefs from there (thank goodness, because I had enough from shifting 😭😭😭).

The idea that this reality was just as malleable as the ones I wanted to go to was captivating, and I became very interested in how it all works (which kind of led me down a rabbit hole that didn't help my journey much, but it was fun at least).

During this whole process, I promised that I would never give up on this, which was the first act of self love I'd ever done, and the first step towards where I am now.

I've spent my time as a Tumblr user learning about manifesting and trying to explain it to all of you (we're not to the tips yet, they're soon, don't worry!) because it was so hard for my neurodivergent brain to wrap around. Eventually, though, as every journey does, mine started to come to a close.

I was very close to giving up. As much as I wanted it, I had so many limiting beliefs that I thought I would never overcome them all, and it was so hard to think of all the time I've spent trying to do this.

But then, something clicked. I realized that as hard as I was trying, I still hadn't really done the one thing I wanted to do: be happy. I've spent my entire life being unhappy and hating myself, and I realized that I would never get what I wanted as long as I still felt that way.

And here I am today. It took maybe two or three days of just... Enjoying my time. Being happy. I had my ups and downs during this time, and it took me a hell of a long time to get here, but for once, I'm actually proud of what I've done, and how far I've come. I've learned a lot about myself during this process, and I'm so happy to know that soon, I'll be in a better reality, and the stress of this reality will only be a memory (I'm actually tearing up as I write this btw 😭). Also, don't worry, I'm going to be leaving a stand in here, and hopefully they decide to keep making posts for you guys (I'm not forcing them to do anything, because I'm not coming back to this reality. As much as I like this part of it, and all of you, my heart and mind can't handle the stress of this place. I'll miss all of you, for sure ❤️). If I stop posting suddenly, and it's been a long time, just know that I probably shifted. I'll try to have my stand in post an "I shifted" post that I'm going to be writing after this, but I can't promise they will 😭

Tips (these will be copy-pasted into another post btw ❤️❤️)

The best advice that I can give you is to trust yourself. Even if you're not there yet, if you keep going, you will get there. Your subconscious wants you to be happy as much as you want it, it will lead you to that happiness if you let it. Don't give up ❤️

Enjoy your time in this reality, in this life, with these circumstances. I know it can be hard to see past all of the darkness, but where there is dark, there is light, and if you try hard enough, you'll see it. Even if it's just the little things, let them make you happy. Let yourself enjoy all of this, because one day it won't be like this anymore, and even if it sucks, you want to have happy memories to look back on.

Letting yourself enjoy things will help you on your journey. You can't really put yourself in the mental state of having all of your desires if you're constantly upset or angry at the way things are, after all. Accept that this is what you have to work with for now, and know that it will change eventually, you just have to make the best of it for now.

Everything is going to work out for you. Your reality has no choice but to reflect you, so instead of worrying about if it'll happen, or how long it takes, just let yourself go along for the ride. As long as you keep going with the thought in your head that things will get better, they will, even if it takes time.

I know that circumstances can be hard, but in the end, they don't really matter as long as you don't let them. You can cry, you can let out your emotions, but don't let them get in the way of your happiness. You deserve to be happy, and enjoy yourself, even if you don't have your SP, or aren't beautiful (you are btw, beauty standards are toxic as hell), or just don't have your desires yet. It's all going to be okay in the end, so just let yourself enjoy the journey.

You've been doing this forever. Don't forget that this whole reality is literally you pushed out. You can do this, you always have been. You just have to let that hope shine through ❤️

I love all of you, so much. I really hope that I shift soon, but I'm ready to wait as long as it takes, and I'll enjoy my time here while I'm here. I hope you all learn to do the same.

Don't give up on yourself. You've got this, I promise. It doesn't matter how long it takes, or how many "failures" you have along the way- after all, it only takes one success to show you just how powerful you really are.

Keep going, my loves ❤️

[madame-ellunas-moonlit-readings]

SVSSS - Vol. 1 - Chapter 1 - Scum

Part 1

So I reached the first break line and wow, this MC is really something.

After reading up to the bit Shen Yuan where first faints after his transmigration, and I gotta say......his poker face? Legendary. His nigh instant adaptiveness? Amazing. His ability to subtly, quickly and easily settle his mind? Absolutely envious. Stellar acting skills and memory too.

Really makes me curious about his background. How he spent his life on Earth. I mean, I know he's the youngest son and second youngest child of a wealthy family, but surely it takes more than that.

I'll admit I prefer the donghua opening to this one. The bitchiness just makes it. But this one is good too. I have to agree with Shen Yuan (SY) on the harem aspect, I wonder what happened to all those women. Makes you curious about the other plot holes and red herrings he mentioned.

As for the upset over cultivators still eating and sleeping, I'm going to put it down to hedonism and the preservation of ones humanity and sanity. I mean, can you imagine a life without dreams or chocolate‽ Is it possible? Yes. Do I really need them? No. Am I going to stop anytime soon? Not a chance in hell.

It's interesting how they made Luo Binghe (LBH) a little bit crooked even before he meets the main villain, the first Shen Qinqqiu (OG!SQQ). It means the man doesn't have full blame for what became of the child. A lot of it, maybe even most of it, but not all of it. Now Shen Yuan as Shen Qingqiu (SY!SQQ) gets to deal with the ramifications of that.

I love how SY has a game plan for a potential transmigration. Now there's a fan for you. 😁 Interesting how it says SY suffered a high fever that made him sleep a while. I could swear I heard it was a qi deviation.

That System siren sounds awful. 100 police car sirens and a herd of divine beasts. Ouch. 😬 Poor man. Good luck with the OOC function. Guess that memory of his will be put to good use.

And Yue Qingyuan (YQY) seems to be a bit of an abuse enabler. A sweetie to SQQ, but a leader who's both knowingly and willingly allowing a child of his sect to be abused by a member of authority. I don't know if I like him yet. We'll see.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rest of the chapter (3 more parts) is under the keep reading link because 4 parts made for a long post 😅

Part 2

I love SY just internally squeeing at LBH despite how terrified the poor man is. Fanboy much? Such fancy compliments, if only Binghe could hear them.

The comparison of OG!SQQ to a courtyard-complex concubine is interesting. I wonder if he feels trapped. He's certainly bitter. And fearful for his position since the medicine excuse worked. How curious. It'll be fun to see where the story takes that character.

SY's thought process is funny. So dramatic. 😂 And at the same time as admiring LBH he's quietly analysing the situation and characters. Not to mention digging up the System's loopholes. He's quite the multitasker. Sharp minded.

Both LBH and Ming Fan are just there in the background going 'wtf is going on here, what happened to shizun'. If only they knew.

Part 3

"Shen Qingqiu was an easygoing person" No honey, you're a 'fuck it, so be it' person. Seriously though, adopting that name as his own already. So adaptable. I know I said it earlier, but this part really does show how well he assesses and breaks down a situation before setting up a clear game plan. He's definitely intelligent.

It'll be fun when he unfreezes the OOC function. Especially since others are already noticing his odd behaviour as it is. Not only was there Binghe and Ming Fan earlier, now his other disciples are looking at him with "wavering faces".

I know he said it was for self-defence, and he listed some very good reasons, but there is no way him wanting to try out is sword nigh immediately after an extensive cramming session wasn't him being a big child getting excited over a cool fantasy weapon. Boys and their toys, really. He went for the sharp leaves pretty quickly too. The leaves show his genuine love for worldbuilding too. Guy saw the MC woo ladies with a cool spell and went 'cool, what else can it do?'. Scared the shit out of himself with both too. 🤣

Ngl, it's hilarious watching him compare LBH to the side characters. Looks at Binghe, 'wow, what a mind, what a heart, such enlightenment, so bright I can barely look at him', looks at Ning Yingying (NYY), 'so young, so silly, little EQ, little IQ, so sweet but so slow', looks at Ming Fan and crew, 'very dumb, dumb and dumber, too pampered, headed for ruin, rip children'. Then there's his view of OG!SQQ. A creepy, old, lecherous hypocrite worthy of castration. A terrible authority who likes beating up young boys and trying to assault Ning Ying Ying. Best of luck Shen Yuan. That's you now.

His take on NYYs behaviour with LBH is curious. I wonder how much of it comes from his little sister, from PIDW or from webnovel tropes in general. I'm guessing it's mainly his sister from how he went into how little girls want a something of their crush's to feel special. There's also LBH's short responses towards her.

And PIDW, wow. I'm kinda curious how the author kept the story going for 200+ years. There's an achievement right there. Not to mention binging that brick in just 20 days. That's what? 10 years worth of story per day? And he still remembers these details? Even if they're a little suppressed at first that's impressive. I wonder what happened in those 200 years for SY to be so focussed on the fake jade pendant, sad origin story aside. LBH must have found it eventually for the frame of reference to exist.

It's kinda fun seeing him speak all fanficy, lingo wise. It's not something you usually see in a novel. He definitely reads fanfics. If he's not read any PIDW fics yet it's only because he died before he could get to it. You can't convince me otherwise. Don't even bother.

I am noticing the distance he's putting between himself and the story. Like when he watched the fight scene from the novels and treated it like peeking into the filming of a screenplay. He still seems fairly focussed on LBH though. And his expected behaviour being to abuse children. Compartmentalisation? If so that's interesting. That's a habit more common in those with anxiety, trauma and the like. So unless the transmigration is the trauma, that says something.

LBH has started noticing him back. First the medicine, now he's caught onto the bloody leaves.

Swapping one green treasure for another.

Part 4

Poor Shen Yuan. He's got his first beginner mission. No more laying about for him. At least he'll be able to shrug off the OOC restriction soon.

It is nice that SY has been able to relax and recuperate thanks to the Sect Leader's (in my opinion, overbearing) doting, and that SY is taking comfort in all the brotherly love. Unfortunate that he still can't see YQY as a person rather than a character. The man straight up got called a mission giving NPC. So the emotional distancing is definitely still there. Wonder how long that'll hold. It's fair enough though, it would be a difficult transition.

Ming Fan is surprisingly capable too, if he has some level of control of all the Peak's runnings. Guess he wasn't just given a good rank because OG!SQQ liked his bullying tactics. Pity he's a dumbass when LBH's around, or worse, when Ning Yingying's around. Guess he's at his 'dumb for girl' teen stage. Well, everyone gets a free dumb teen pass. Not for bullying, but considering the authority in charge isn't just ignoring or encouraging the behaviour, but straight up instigating, he at least gets a little leeway.

The random practicality that comes with the living part of living in a fantasy world is funny. Poor SY doesn't get to play with the flying part of his sword just yet. The System snarking back at Shen Yuan using Harry Potter and flying brooms as an example just makes that scene. And him asking if the System was involved with that story too. I love it.

I'll have to go look for some HP/SVSSS crossover fanfics later.

The worldbuilding that comes with that practicality is right up my alley. Love worldbuilding. Love adding feigned realism to utterly unrealistic fantastical stories. Love seeing the organisational systems of our main groups. Love seeing the interactions and impact of story elements on the world.

This part gives us why people don't fly anywhere, how and when the disciples of Cang Qiong Mountain Sect get their swords. Which showed us the practicality of passing down swords vs each member getting a fancy new one. That must save so much money. And a more developed if crude, Harry Potter-esque explanation on how and why the sword choosing works. Did anyone else read that 'the sword chooses the disciple' bit in Ollivander's voice?

We also got the idea of how the Sect travels with carriages and horses, their influence in the world, and their wealth. We're peeking into the wider world now too. If they're the top, who's under them? The trip to the city will show us more of the common world. And the new demon, the Skinner, that even Shen Yuan doesn't know anything of, will give us a good glimpse of what the cultivators are up against and what they consider training-wheels level.

This brings up five points, a look into OG!SQQ, behaviour on Qing Jing Peak involving LBH, the Skinner demon, Shen Yuan himself and the System as part of the world. I'll start with OG!SQQ.

This trip showed us what was normal for that man, or in Shen Yuan's words, the 'original flavour'. Several tea-sets, a jade chess set that goes everywhere despite it's rare use, any and all manner of comforts that shocks even a self-admitted wealthy second gen kid. Could just be me, but this guy reeks of a bourgeoisie. Not just the technical definition but the cultural one. The sort that gets rich after a poor or mundane life and overcompensates so hard they make a complete ass of themselves to everyone in what they think is a normal or acceptable display of newfound wealth and power.

Then there's the Skinner demon. We've not seen much of this one yet so I don't know much, but it is freaky. And also curious. 9 deaths thus far via a brutal method where the skin is removed from a body so cleanly it would make a surgeon jealous. Which is what got me curious. Do you think a Skinner demon could focus that skill on smaller selected parts for surgery? Like skin grafting or removing it out of the way for organ surgery. Especially if it can put it back just as cleanly. What a gruesome case for our sheltered MC to start with.

Next there's what counts as usual and acceptable behaviour on Qing Jing Peak under OG!SQQ's command. The disciples treat extreme abuse of Binghe as an expected everyday behaviour. No wonder PIDWs LBH was so vicious. When Shen Yuan found a natural way to put an end to it the ringleaders nonsense, he thought it was an encouragement of their behaviour. Which he then added onto later, moving from taunting to abuse, kicking up dirt into him and terrorising him. We also saw Ning Yingying felt perfectly safe and confident to call SQQ out on his bullshit to his face. LBH also showed us the effects of it, like his blanking face when waiting for more abuse from SQQ. The trauma is strong with this one. Followed by everyone's shock when LBH got a free pass onto the carriage.

Which leads us to Shen Yuan. He is sneaky smart. He was probably sassing the System because he's a ball of sass, but he was paying very close attention to how it worked, what he could and couldn't get away with. He did so well he even had well enough idea of it's weak points to flat out defeat it in an argument and get his way. It sulked later, that -5 points was pure pettiness on its part, but what a job well done. As sassy and critical as he is (poor NYY, may you never hear his thoughts), he's also such a fanboy! If only LBH could hear him, compliments everywhere and any excuse to see or help him.

My guy, you are not just scared of him.

Nor is Binghe for that matter. Such pretty and effusive descriptions of his good-looking Shizun. And the little heart prickle at Shizun's laughter and smile. Awwwww, so cute. You don't know what that feeling is yet but you will.

Lastly, there's the System and its place in the world. Thanks to SYs efforts we're getting an idea of its priorities and how it interacts with the world. He's even managed to get more information out of it. So now we know that the world isn't just the polished (published) version of PIDW, but also the notes, stories and whatnot that didn't make the cut. Having to experience all of it sounds ominous. The System also gave him mission information via files. At first I thought they were computer files but SY said they were all over his desk. Were they scrolls? Manilla files? I'm picturing manilla files. It'd be funny if so.

It's a very scary, knowledgeable and controlling existence with surprising humanity in its communication style. I swear it felt more rote-like earlier. Is it adapting to SY!SQQ?

In Conclusion

So in short, I am loving the worldbuilding, the characters and I find the System fascinating.

I think the MC, Shen Yuan, is intelligent, sassy and very adaptable, though is hiding being one hell of a mental block. Luo Binghe is in various stages of shock and is only in for more, The other disciples are also floundering at signs of what will be the new normal. Ning Yingying is very confident and bold, even in the face of her supposed abuser, though the story says that's naivety.

The System is spooky scary but also fun and interesting. It's also petty but that may or may not be part of what I suspect is it adapting to its user, Shen Yuan, partially through mirroring.

I'm also looking forward to how much this deviates from Shen Yuan's PIDW since the System said he would also see the unpolished, unpublished bits. I mean, I know Binghe becomes a hardcore monogamist for Shen Yuan, but outside of that.

[everybodyshusband]

oooo, a tag game !! :D thank you so much @devoured-by-shadows for tagging me <3

are you named after anyone?

nope ! i picked my name alllll by myself !!

when was the last time you cried?

uhm, this morning, actually (over a bluey episode of all things). i've never ever been a big crier, but this year's been a big one for tears so far :')

do you have kids?

definitely not, and i'd like to keep it that way, at least for now (and probably forever, haha ! kids scare me so much...)

do you use sarcasm a lot?

i think i do :) i definitely use it more often in person than i do online, purely because i struggle typing out sarcasm in a way that doesn't sound genuinely mean and nasty :(

what’s the first thing you notice about people?

to be honest, i have no idea !! i'm more of a stare at their shoes to avoid looking at them kind of person, so i don't really tend to notice anything specific about people apart from their shoes, but even then i don't really pay much attention, haha !

what’s your eye colour?

hazel, i believe

scary movies or happy endings?

i've never actually seen a proper horror movie, but i actually quite like movies with a sad and/or ambiguous endings, so i guess... neither ? but i think if i get the chance to watch a few scary movies i'd really enjoy them :)

any special talents?

i like to think i'm okay at writing :) apart from that i can play the piano and the viola, and i tend to be able to pick up the basics of most instruments i pick up !! (emphasis on basics)

where were you born?

the sunshine state baybeee (queensland, australia)

hobbies?

writing, when i can manage it ! and if avoiding practicing my instruments is a hobby then goodness me, i'm winning at my hobbies, haha :')

pets?

yes !! a cat called adi and a few silkie bantam chickens !!

what sports do you play/have played?

i played netball for most of my primary school years, then i dabbled in volleyball for about a year when i was... twelve or thirteen(?), and during that same year i raced HPV trikes (Human Powered Vehicle, not Human PapillomaVirus) but i haven’t played any sports since :0

how tall are you?

soooo incredibly tall. like, suuuuper duper tall (lying)

favourite subject in school?

i know i keep banging on about it in every ask game i've been doing, but i'm really loving the research subject i'm doing at the moment !! although, maybe that's just because i'm researching ghost... apart from that, i'm not very good at it, but i adore biology :)

dream job?

i'm not sure... i've had a lot of ideas for my future dream job over the years but as i've gotten older, i can't picture one that seems to make me jump for joy just yet !! the medical field has always interested me, so i may end up going down that route if i'm able to, but i suppose we'll see what the future brings <3

goodness this took me a horrendously long time to get around to properly answering, i'm so sorry, shadow !! it was yet another case of the "i'll put it in my drafts for safe-keeping, so i don't forget" and then i immediately forgot 😅 i'm not quite sure who's done this tag game and who hasn't at this point buuut i'll tag @cirrus-ghoulette and @spoiledleaff !! but if you come across this and want to give it a shot, consider yourself tagged :)

[shopwitchvamp]

Pre-order anon again. The blurb on your website says "Fulfillment for this round is expected to be completed by the end of August" about the pre-orders. So what I understood from that is that my order would be shipped out by the end of August at the latest. However I couldn't find anything on your site or blog about when fulfillment would begin, which is why I sent the message.

My suggestions for making it clear would be to change the blurb on the pre-orders to something like "fulfillment begins in August and is expected to be completed by the end of the month" or adding a comment to the FAQ section on your website saying something like "fulfillment for pre-orders usually begins 2-3 months after the pre-order ends"

Ah, gotcha. So I put a completion date & not a start date because it's much much harder to know when we'll be able to start rather than when we can expect to finish by, and because in the past when I put an estimated start date I'd have a lot of people start getting worried when they didn't get their order right around that start date. For the first issue, for example, the clothing for May Preorders was split into two order batches with my manu. One is on the way to me right now and one is still in the process of being made. So some orders that only contain stuff from the first batch *could* start going out at some point sooner than orders that need to wait on items from the second batch. However, we will most likely just start processing the first batch when it arrives and then wait until everything is here before starting to send out preorders (except for a few people that are receiving items as an early preorder, like exchanging sizes on what was a sold out Bittersweet Spring Aroma item). I don't know yet exactly when the second batch will be finished or when it will arrive. We might be able to start shipping out preorders at the end of July/start of August, or we might not be able to until mid-August. Either way, we'll finish by the end of August. For the second issue, if I tell people preorders will start going out by say, the end of July or start of August, then around that time I'll start getting a bunch of emails asking why someone's preorder hasn't shipped yet when we've just started sending them out :[ So I've found it better to say "they'll all be fulfilled by X date", that way no one thinks anything's wrong until X date has passed, by which time everything *will* be sent out. I can see how that's still not ideal, but for anyone concerned about when they'll start going out in case of address issues or so you can keep an eye out for your preorder, please know that I send emails out to my mailing list with updates like "the clothing has arrived and we're processing it out", "we're starting shipments next week, if you have a preorder and need to change your address please email us NOW!", etc. I usually also post preorder status updates here & on twitter as well. Sorry this ended up so long and also I hope this makes some sense 😅

[fantasticcloudcreation]

Sep 23

Just got to the hotel! Blessed by the weather gods today, had the perfect amount of cloud cover and it wasn't hot at all until the sun came out for the last hour of the drive, hallelujah.

My roommate isn't here yet and I want to get high and lounge around but I have to go get groceries first, send me moral support 🙏 half tempted to just, not, but I know I'll regret that in the morning when I have no caffeine and no food...

-

Update: it's now 7:30pm, groceries were acquired, roommate is still not here, I'm gonna take a shower and drink a beer and eat an edible and hopefully relax.

(I'm rambling again so I'm putting the rest under a read more)

Have to be at work around 7am tmro, technically start time is 8 but it's the first day and I gotta figure out where to park and get all my gear together etc. Also didn't get cigs so I have to stop somewhere in the morning...

And I have to eat dinner tonight??? (Ugh you mean I have to eat the food I just bought?? Lol) The weed will probably help encourage that. Wish I had a cig right now I'm a lil bit stressing but it'll be fine, life is good, I will survive even though it's gonna be hot af tmro...

I finally got a new hairbrush (lost mine a couple weeks ago) and it actually feels so good to brush my hair again haha.

Wishing I had a cuddle buddy here tonight but it is what it is! D will be here for show days and hopefully I'll be off work that week in between so we can hang out, that'll be nice.

Right now: just trying to relax, get settled. Got all my stuff organized so whenever roomie shows up it at least looks like I have my shit together 😅 hoping she doesn't ask to carpool to work bc my van is a mess + no AC, but maybe I can just say that and she'll find another ride... Also thinking about like, it's always hot af trying to drive home after work in Austin traffic direct sunlight etc; maybe I'll just hang out at the park for a while after work, cool down in the shade, do some yoga read a book etc, and then drive home once the traffic subsides and the sun goes down? Idk just thinking. (Stop thinking so much just go take a shower and relax, whatever happens tomorrow will unfold on its own time.)

Also, my period is starting, I actually might die tomorrow - it'll be ok just take breaks and eat snacks and pour ice water on your body haha. Last year I went home early twice bc of the heat and I'm going to try so hard to keep it together this year. I haven't built a stage since April but you know what, it's really not that hard, find the easy tasks and start doing them before anyone else does them 😂

Unrelated but L just told me he quit his job and is starting another endeavor, very happy for him but also bummed bc maybe now I won't see him at the next 2 gigs and I was really looking forward to that......... But maybe I will, idk, I don't want to be clingy and weird but at the same time I want to spend more time with him? Like basically we met, hung out for 3 weeks straight, and haven't seen him since lol. I'm sure we'll cross paths again at some point but who knows when.

Anyway, the edible is kicking in already, that was fast but maybe it's bc I haven't eaten anything besides a small bag of chips at like, noon... Go shower and eat dinner and watch something silly on TV. Set an alarm and figure everything else out in the morning. It's all going to work out ❤️

[marshallpupfan]

Marshall Merchandise Update!

In my last update, I said it was unlikely that I'd be adding any more Mighty Movie merchandise to my collection, as I figured I'd found just about everything of Marshall. As it turns out... I WAS WRONG.

I've got five items to show off this time, and all but one of them involves merchandise from The Mighty Movie. I underestimated just how much they were going to make for their theatrical sequel. 😅

First off, this plush + blanket! Much like the last one I purchased, this also came from QVC. I think it's exclusive to them, but I'm not 100% sure. Either way, as soon as a friend showed me one, I knew I had to have it! However, I haven't unrolled the blanket yet, but just so you all can see what it looks like, I provided a screenshot from the video on their website. It's quite nice! Hey, what better way to stay warm than with a pup who's coming in hot! 🔥

Next, the "Meteor Mayhem" board game. Sadly, I doubt I'll get to play this with anyone, but of course, you can all imagine the real reason I purchased it. To be honest, when I first heard about this, I thought that unique Marshall wind-up toy would be rather small, but it's actually much bigger than I expected! I haven't removed it from the packaging yet, but I'm not sure if I'll keep it in there or try to display the whole thing. Also...

Is it just me, or are the designs for the pup here a little different? They look more like their TV counterparts than that from the theatrical film. Hey, we've got an episode of the TV series coming up soon, and it's based on Mighty Pups... you don't suppose this is what they'll look like in it, do you? I guess we'll find out soon enough!

Next, these mini-figurines! I found them at a store that I didn't expect to have Mighty Movie merchandise, so I was quick to pick it up. However, after purchasing it and exiting the store, I suddenly realized I might already own this figurine of Marshall. Once I got home, I quickly discovered that...

...yeah, I kinda do. The one on the right came from that mystery box, which I purchased a few months back. However, it has more colors, so I guess that technically makes it kind of different. Do I consider this another new addition to my collection or not? Ah well, I'll find a spot for it somewhere. lol

Hey, look at what finally showed up at a Burger King near me! And to think, it only took a whole month for Indiana to get some! Admittedly, when I seen pictures of this last month, I thought Marshall's toy would be rather small, like those mini-figurines. Turns out, it's about three or four inches tall! It's kind of a shame that the outfit is just one solid color, but... hey, I still like it! Oh yeah, there's a little switch on his left hind leg that makes his fireball light up and blink. Neat!

Last, this... uh-oh... a mystery box. H'oh boy, I was not expecting to stumble upon this today, and at a Menards, no less.

So... yeah, there are new mystery boxes on the market again. This time, they contain Hallmark Christmas ornaments. Actually, I believe these have been around since last year, but at the time, they were only sold as a set (I think). I wasn't able to get one then, so I'm glad to see they're now being sold individually! Of course, the caveat here is that, until you open the container, you'll never know who's inside. That certainly presents a problem to someone who's just looking for one particular pup.

However...

Much like those Mash'em toys, they made yet another critical error with these containers; there are very small holes on both the top and bottom. Once again, if I shine my phone's flashlight at just the right spots, I can just make out a color or two on the inside. And with a little patience, I spotted some red and...

Well, you can imagine where this is going. :)

Yup! I got the exact pup I was looking for! Yay for cheating the system! Should I feel guilty about this or not? lol

Being a Hallmark ornament, it's of course really nice. And really cute, too! I wish his little paw pads had been colored in (real talk; pink paw pads are legit adorable), but hey, I still really like it anyway! Wow, I did not expect to be going home with this one today!

Well, that's it for now! Currently, I've got a three more items coming in the mail, although they'll take a while to arrive because they're coming from overseas! Soon enough, I'll get to add a few more imported Marshall items to my collection again! And the only reason I got them at all was because, much to my amazement, both the items and the shipping were cheap! Like, $3 for both, surprisingly. They're small, but hey, I can't wait to add 'em to my collection! :)