Blast from the past: Takashi and Chiharu are my favourite anime pairing on the grounds that they are so adorable and there is very little conflict to cause too much strife for the couple. Yes Chiharu does get short tempered with Takashi's tall tales but at the end of the day they are extremely loyal to one another. Re-reading this chapter was extra sweet and it gave me the opportunity to switch out the 'Mr.' and 'Mrs.' with '-san' along with switching 'Mom and Dad' with Okaa-san and Otou-san'. It was also fun for me to write about a "seductive" character, which was out of my mush and fluff wheelhouse. I really loved how Takashi stepped up to the plate.
The New Trials connection: It was my love for Takashi and Chiharu that led me to New Trials in the first place. I didn't start New Trials from the Prologue like the majority of fans. I scoured the Internet to the best of my ability to collect any T&C fanart (I still remember my favourite one) and read every fanfic. When I read Chiharu and Takashi Special Story: Sincerity I was amazed with how the author was able to explore beyond the tropes and really flesh out these characters' backstories. It didn't take long before falling in love with the fic all together! In return, Wish-chan embraced my enthusiasm and inserted the sweetest T&C snippet about missing beads. I then asked my friend Dragurok to illustrate it. Another connection that that in Arc 4 of NT, Wish-chan starts to introduce the Emotions such as the Pride, the Despair and the Jealousy. These cards have an influence on emotions, just like how the Seduce had an influence on Chiharu's behaviour.
Reading the relaunch: I was very curious to see how Jeremy (KID-Z4P) would treat my OTP. I liked the way that he didn't have Chiharu live in Tokyo because that sounded rather cliché. I made the change in my own fic to have her live in Odaiba as well. I asked Jeremy which fanart he would like to see and he said Eriol linking his arm with Syaoran before running as it was really funny. His brand new aftermath scene when Syaoran commented on Eriol's weirdness increasing with age was a great addition. Another new scene was when Takashi dances with Chiharu after she asked if she wanted a good time. Oh my goodness!! Yes, that's hands down my definition of a good time. Out of everything that was done in the revamp so far, that had been my favourite part!!!
Review spotlight: Past me would have been very surprised that present me is sharing this review. I received my first bit of constructive criticism from my friend John in college, but I reacted to it as if it was a flame. Nonetheless it did make me realize that I did not have to excessively fall back the same tropes that my generation of fanfic writers got too used to. It was the wake-up call I needed!
um... this chapter was rather... suggestive...
I would think that a card named Seduce would be a little bit less... direct...
Nice chapter, but referring to the people by the colour of their eyes and hair (ex. the amber eyed girl replied) is getting to be a little tiresome for me.. I can see a little bit of you in the speech and actions of all the characters cept that of the Seduce... if that too was representative of a part of your personality, things would be much more... odd...
Art: Since the Rendez-vous came out younger than I anticipated, I really wanted to make The Seduce look older and more sophisticated. I'm very pleased with the outcome! Her hairstyle came off as a bit silly but nobody can argue that it doesn't look complicated, which is what I was going for.
Up next: You will see what was my idea of the perfect date back when I was a teenager in Chapter 4: A Night to Remember.
