Chapter 10: Icy Barrier

Release Date: Summer 2000

Word count: 4474

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Thoughts: I love the details that Wish-chan gives with each and every battle costume. We probably wouldn't have this dimension if she wasn't an artist herself. Little would she know that these details would be appreciated for years to come by fanartists. That's why I created the Dark Force Guide!

It was nice to have Sakura's thinking process about which attack Card to use. I feel like we haven't had that in a long time. The Emotions are a lot more personal and can only be resolved by the person undergoing the sensation.  

"If you don’t… If you give up, I’ll take your goddamn body and kill you over again." Woah. That's a Syaoran sentence that wouldn't pass in NT of today.

Even though Meilin assigned herself as Sakura's rival, it's really sweet to see her take care of Sakura while she was recovering from the icy barrier incident.

Ahhh, Sakura contemplating death this early on makes the April Fool's Day Massacre even more chilling. And Sakura asking Syaoran what would he do if he lost his powers practically confirms that Wish-chan knew what she was doing at the end of Arc 3. Sakura even dreams about chasing a shadowy figure disappearing in the mist, which is just another all too familiar scene. 

Fanart spotlight: Icy Barriers by Wish-chan may seem like just another sketch to our dear author, but for us it's a precious gem. I can only imagine the amount of unfinished treasures there are out there and I really, really hope that we'll get to see more no matter how rough the draft. 

Chapter 9: Ticket to the Winter Rhapsody

Release Date: Summer 2000

Word count: 5846

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Thoughts: Wish-chan was pretty upset at the beginning when the finale of CCS ruined her fanfic, but I really love how she did predict that Syaoran would leave for a period of time before coming back. Her scenario is very believable. It's funny how she complains about how she hates endings and when you fast forward 17 years, NT is still going.

The point by point passage of why Sakura wasn't too keen about having an audience while training is something that would be completely forbidden later on. It's kind of fun watching Wish-chan experiment with things.

The first time we see Miho's last name is in the signature of Tomoyo's letter from CompTech International. 

Fanart spotlight: This is the first chapter that didn't have a fanart tied to it so I sketched out the scene that jumped out at me the most. I titled it 'The Rope in Action' and I like the way it turned out even if the flaws are obvious. 

Chapter 8: The Angel of Hallow's Eve

Release Date: Spring or Summer 2000

Word count: 6173

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Thoughts: Happy October! Seeing how Tumblr loves celebrating Halloween the moment September is over, I'm definitely in the spirit (ha, ha) to dive into this chapter. 

I liked the scene where Sakura used The Firey, The Power and The Illusion. For a fic about CCS, it's a lot more about character and story development rather than the Cards ~ especially the original ones.

I barely remembered the training session, let alone Sakura punching Syaoran in the stomach. Like Syaoran, I didn't see it coming!

The way Tomoyo is pulling on Syaoran's strings is hilarious from making him dress up to roping him to compete against Eron.

Remember in the early days when Wish-chan called cell phones "handphones"? There's a name that didn't stand the test of time.

Halloween is the only night that The Haunt can do as it pleases. After breaking its contract this time, it never does it again even if there has been other Halloween specials. Forgotten plot point or did the resealing have a permanent effect?

Fanart spotlight: Another classic fanart from Asumei! Not only did she draw this adorable Chibi S&S fanart, but there's a companion piece featuring Eron and Erika in their costumes.

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.