Chapter 7: Melody of Loneliness

Release Date: Winter or Spring 2000

Word count: 11,077

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Thoughts: Syaoran mouthing off at the music teacher was funny. Him making the distinction between liking music vs not liking to sing in front of others is nice foreshadowing. This was also the first mention of the Winter Concert!

Why does Sakura ask who is Ryuuren (when she found the compositions) if she heard his name in the flashback? I guess if Wish-chan re-edits, Syoaran's father's identity should be more cloaked in secrecy.

Syaoran sneaking in Sakura's window will never stop being precious. When he looked at the music, his eyes had a painful look. First hint of Leiyun!

Nadeshiko was 14 and Ryuuren was 17. Three years isn't much of a gap, but because of puberty and life experiences, at those ages there might as well be a decade between them. 

So Real!Syoaran was playing the entire time that Ghost!Syaoran and company were in the flashback. I never thought about what their bodies would be doing during time travel. 

It's incredibly wild so see Syaoran and Meilin speak furtively about Leiyun so early in Arc I and then in Arc IV he becomes a prominent character. 

Wish-chan's understanding of music and how a harmony could be joined to a piece and completely change the effect is mind boggling. I'm the wife of a composer and funny enough my husband teaches counterpoint: two melodies playing together harmoniously as one. 

She apologized for the length of the chapter and said she would try to make them shorter. Ha. Ha ha ha…

Fanart spotlight: The fandom was so lucky to have Asumei around to capture a lot of moments. Violin is a lovely fanart and the fall leaves go perfectly with the NT timeline too. 

Chapter 6: The First Meeting of Rivals (or Allies?)

Release Date: Winter or Spring 2000

Word count: 4383

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Thoughts: Why doesn't Syaoran recognize his father when everyone hears his name being said out loud during the ceremony with the Great Elder?

The Li Sword is the first G5 treasure to be in the spotlight. I like how Wish-chan gave Syaoran's iconic sword from CCS this role. 

I enjoyed the parallels between NadeRyuu's meeting in New Trials with S&S's meeting in CCS. Chosen by Clow vs Descendent from Clow: who will win?! 

Plothole! Moonstone says that she was created by Clow Reed. Yet she's the Ruichi's patron spirit. Moonie-chan was also gender-swapped because the pronoun in this chapter was "he".

This chapter marks the introduction of the Great Five! They'll be playing such a significant role in this series. 

Fanart spotlight: I'm not narcissistic but there isn't any fanart for Chapter 6 so here is my version of Moonie-chan based on the original description of Kero's body but Mokona's ears. It's only later on she's described as bun-shaped. 

Chapter 5: The Five Force Scrolls

Release Date: Winter 2000

Word count: 6050

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Thoughts: This is the first chapter that is completely unchanged and shows. It's already a bit of a surprise to be greeted with the author notes before the fic continues and it's funny to see actual emoticons in the text and anime special effects (sweatdrops and lightning sparks). Plus, I'm going to have to get used to "Meirin" all over again…

And so resumes the Syaoran vs Touya face-off. Syoaran had many foes in his life, but Sakura's brother is going to be an opposing force for a long time to come. 

Syaoran cheering Sakura up after she botched the cookie recipe was sweet.   And he compliments her on having her mother's smile. Sigh, I am not looking forward to that chilly scene on the bridge later on in this arc.

You'd think that becoming a "ghost" herself in the flashback would be enough for Sakura to overcome her fear of the supernatural. 

It really tickles me to see Nadeshiko call Clow Reed the most best looking man she's ever seen considering who she marries.

I remembered that Ryuuren had long hair because of Syoaran's hilarious comment about if his father didn't lose the braid, then he would have had to grown his hair and then share a look with Eron. I appreciated the way that Sakura made the conscious decision of calling teenage Nadeshiko by her name and not mother. 

Fanart spotlight: Because there was no fanart for Chapter 5, I thought it would be easy enough to draw the Five Force Scroll with Microsoft Paint. This drawing is a decade old! I miss MS Paint. We use Mac now and their Paintbrush program is not the same.

Chapter 4: The Camping Trip

Release date: December 1999

Word count: 16.337

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Thoughts: What I like about the whole camping trip idea is that such an excursion is indeed canon, as we saw in the Erase Card storyline. But then Wish-chan makes all of the trips to Mt Kumatori her own. Personally, camping is not for me but the students get a kick out of it.

Sakura returns a green sweater to Syoaran at the beginning of the chapter. When did she borrow it? Maybe when they were researching?

Naoko's stories about ghosts on Mt Kumatori is a lot eerier now that we know what happens after the G5's seal breaks.

With all of the NT drama, we sometimes forget that Wish-chan has a great sense of humour. The setting up the tents scene was funny!

Remember back in the day when I totally shipped Takashi and Chiharu? They were an adorable background couple with little drama and too much cuteness. Chiharu telling the person she likes why she likes him was adorable. Fun fact: I compiled all of NT's T&C moments in a word file in the early 2000s.

Syaoran not wanting to let go after he saved Sakura from the fallen tree branch was everything.

I wonder if the importance of calling people by their first names is still something that happens in anime. I've been out of the loop for a decade and a half probably. 

Though we all remember Sakura falling off the cliff in Arc 4, I completely forgot that she fell off a cliff during Ch 4 as well. 

There's just something so wonderful about Syaoran calling Sakura by her name for the first time. 

Wish-chan's precisely choreographed action scenes never fail to amaze me. It makes feel that we're right there in the moment.

This chapter is so emotional. I also forgot that it was the first S&S hug. 

“Well, don’t you go jumping off cliffs. I’m not going to risk my neck to save you again.” ~Syaoran. Heh heh heh…

I think the first real hit of nostalgia that I got so far was when Syaoran started the, "You know what I like about sunrises, Sakura" quote. Ahh, that's such a special moment.

Thirteen-year-old Wish-chan explaining that this is the end of the "Beginning" in the "Beginning, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and the Resolution" formula and then questioning how long this story was going to be was such a hoot!

Fanart spotlight: I really like The Lesson by Saloni Khoja because it's an action pose rather than a portrait. Though she has always been good at sports, we never see Sakura take in interest in self defence since she relies on her magic instead.

Chapter 3: Of Ghosts and Statues and Quarrels

Release Date: Fall or winter 1999

Word count: 5212

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Thoughts: My first thought about reading this chapter was how heavily influenced by the CCS anime and manga it was, which makes sense because it was still ongoing at the time Wish-chan released NT. Soon NT would branch out and grow roots in a universe of its own while still staying true to the source material but nowhere near relying as heavily on it. 

Though I'm not a fan of Jealous!Meilin (especially after the progress she made in the anime), I understand why she reverted to her old self. Sakura being out of the picture gives her a chance. I'm glad she at least questions her actions.

It's so unbelievably wild that The Veil is introduced in this chapter but isn't dealt with until Arc 4. It's not often that we see Eron concoct spells. Hmm, he has a crystal ball. I wonder if that magical item would have more mentions! 

Heh heh, "Bad Sakura" snapped at Syoaran. I don't think she makes a comeback until the Cohabitation, Part Deux chapters also in Arc 4.

Fanart spotlight: With the exception of a drawing of The Haunt, there is no specific fanart for this chapter. So a sketch of Syaoran upsetting Sakura by Wish-chan was a good pick.

Chapter 2: The Mysterious Past

Release Date: Fall/Winter 1999

Word count: 8242

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Thoughts: This is the chapter that gives us information about what this new trial may be, but when you think about it, it's more of an old trial since it originates from the era of The Great Five. I like how at this point S&S's parents are just their parents. Later on the younger versions of Nadeshiko and Ryuuren with be full fledged characters thanks to the flashbacks. This is the chapter where Meilin comes back. I can't say that I'm a fan of her pursuit of Syaoran after all of her progress in putting her feelings aside, but if she loved him that much she must of felt that she owed herself a second shot. Don't worry Meilin, you'll find your special person!

Fanart spotlight: So Peaceful by Dragurok. I had an idea for the Answers prompt for the NT 100 Themes project and he was kind enough to whip it up. I love how peaceful Sakura looks.