#complete troll apprentice

I rest my case. [I'm not saying that  surprising number of lecturers are Mokona in this situation, except..., no yes thats exactly what Im saying] [Lava lamp has seen this scene a dozen times through Syaoran's eyes, but apparently nothing has prepared him for the reality of seeing it live, MOKONA NO,, complete troll apprentice] [5]

Oh Mokona. 

Where Kurogane is like "this will take the edge off that sadness I see you drowning in" Mokona instead leaps immediately to let's get him smashed.

Combined, they are the two types of people you will find at any given university party. (Including the ones that the lecturers go to. You can trust me on that one.)

[5]

“This is a magic wall,” he says, quickly followed by, “I mean, probably. It’s not like I would anything about magic. Right? Ha, as if that would happen! Magic is.. not even...a thing? Who even knows about Magic? NOT ME, THAT’S FOR SURE. Why, I have never even seen magic in my entire life. Not once. Ever.”

Meanwhile other jokes are happening on the page and I still don’t know how I feel about this but AT LEAST IT’S BETTER THAN I WAS EXPECTING SO.

Also like. As someone who knows how heavy bookshelves are? Wow. 

As someone who knows how heavy even SMALL bookshelves are? Even when they have wheels? Even when they are not TWENTY FEET TALL AND STACKED WITH BOOKS FROM BOTTOM TO TOP? 

[8]

This is 

quite possibly 

the funniest thing they have ever done.

I can’t get over it.

This is what I live for.

Wait it got better.

I was right. I wasn’t supposed to live through this chapter.

[1]

*chin hands*

SO LIKE

When Syaoran got sucked into the book I partially assumed that the arc would be over when he got out and we wouldn’t stay in Recort much longer. BUT I AM VERY GLAD TO BE WRONG BECAUSE I WILL DRINK IN LITERALLY ANY AND EVERY DETAIL THEY WILL GIVE ME ABOUT THIS WORLD.

GIANT WINGED TRAINS THAT FLY THROUGH THE SKY LIKE A FLOCK OF METAL BIRDS? SURE. TELL ME MORE. TELL ME EVERYTHING.

But of course the first thing we get is Fai trying to act all surprised like, “WOW. Flying? By Magic? How NOVEL and UNUSUAL.” And I’m sure it’s supposed to be more for the fact of conversation than anything but we were all in the Hanshin Republic, Fai. We were all there. Don’t you even try it.

And then the daddy jokes return but in a somewhat more palatable version so I guess I’ll take it?

… ahhhhhhhhhh.

OK SO HOLD UP ONE SEC. I JUST REALISED THE NEXT TWO SCANS ARE IN JAPANESE AND I WAS SUPPOSED TO ORGANISE THIS BEFORE HAND. I DID NOT DO THAT.

In the interest of not holding up the liveblog I’m just going to take photos with my phone but I APOLOGISE IN ADVANCE FOR THEM LOOKING LIKE NONSENSE.

Mokona pls.

Mokona no.

[5]

SO. We’re spending a lot of time lingering on the fact that Sakura is extremely worried about Syaoran. Which is notable enough because “being worried about Syaoran” is essentially the default anyway, but there were two pages about it in chapter 99, a whole page spread in this actual chapter here, and now two more pages where it’s the main focus of the action. Sakura is worried, and it feels like it’s building up to something that might be more than what it usually is.

Especially when paired with the fact that Sakura just used the “It’s nothing” line. The lie on its own? Nothing too out of the ordinary. But Syaoran already dropped this exact line in the previous chapter, and Fai took Special Notice™ of it, and now Sakura is saying it too.

These kids are distraught ok. They are so caught up in the sadness their family members are going through that all they can do is lie about it and silently brood from a distance, even though this is exactly what Sakura was 100% against several worlds ago. But it’s different now, because it’s not just general hardship, it’s suffering that Sakura herself caused.

She didn’t actually, and we know that, but Sakura sees how her feather DESTROYED Syaoran emotionally and all she can do is cling to the guilt of it as it tears her apart from the inside out. To Sakura, SHE did this to him. And she doesn’t know how to deal with that. Because Syaoran has done worse - Syaoran has stormed castles and punched giant flaming children all in the name of retrieving her feathers, and that only makes it all the more painful, because how much more of this is Syaoran going to put himself through? How much more suffering is SHE causing him? She can’t know, but any answer at all is more than what she’s happy with.

I’m not sure how this will erupt just yet, because I’m still not sure what Tsubasa is capable of doing to Sakura, but the narrative has been stacking up a lot of ideas about “What Sakura is willing to do for her family” and I feel like the answer might be slightly horrifying.

BUT UNTIL THEN.

[4]

WHO’S LYING NOW SAKURA

WHO’S LYING NOW

FAI YOU ARE A TERRIBLE INFLUENCE ON YOUR CHILDREN AND YOU NEED TO REMEDY THIS

PERHAPS LESS SARCASM ABOUT FLYING TRAINS WOULD HAVE HELPED

Oh… oh my god is Mokona impersonating Yuuko Ichihara.

I was not supposed to survive this chapter.

This is where I die.

Go on without me.

[8]

Fai looks so proud of his son for smiling and lying through his teeth. I WONDER WHO HE LEARNED THAT FROM. IT’S A MYSTERY. 

Sakura would probably punch him in the face if she realised. 

Ok no not really but I can dream

[1]

AND WE OPEN!

Starting, of course, with Watanuki dreaming of Himawari. The world is 0% surprised. Because honestly, does he do anything else? 

What I DIDN’T initially realise was that the panels were being cut off half way in the first few panels, as if something was blocking half of Watanuki’s vision. And like, Watanuki wakes up to find Mokona on his face doing just that, but I’m not sure that’s entirely it. Because your eyes are already shut when you’re asleep, Watanuki. They were BOTH SHUT.

AT LEAST MOKONA IS PLEASED EITHER WAY. 

Real talk though, I read these two pages and thought nothing of them at first, but I keep coming back to the frame on the second page where Watanuki only has one visible eye. 

Because that would mean nothing if the manga was written by literally anyone else in the world, but this is CLAMP.