#and then betray her bc of it?? the fact that they go into these marriages KNOWING they’re there to force a hostage situation. fucking crazy

[meteortrails]

I really do like big mom as a character bc like. one piece DID need more toxic mothers to balance out all the angelic dead ones and by GOD does charlotte linlin fucking deliver…. genuinely I love how so much of the whole cake island arc is set within the context of like, Intense interpersonal family dynamics. linlin’s obsession with her dead, secretly evil mother and with family and belonging and the way that translates into her authoritarian chokehold on her children’s lives and the country that she’s running….. she needs all of them to stay, and the only way to make sure that they stay is to make sure they’re scared of her (after all, loving her wasn’t enough to make her mother stay). she needs a world where she can be accepted and belong and the only way to get it is to be the one in charge of it, to be somebody that no one can deny. god like she even has horrific emotionally scarring family brunches she’s PERFECT

[neyafromfrance95]

what's your opinion on sauron being celebrian's father? i have seen a few people theorize that he is the father but i don't think trop will make it happen. which makes me sad 😭

i think, like many other scenarios, it's a fun concept to speculate about or to explore in the parents aus.

i'm open to and enjoy the variety of theories and the fun of indulging in them, and while i think that one could argue for a possibility of sauron being galadriel's babydaddy, i do have an unpopular opinion when it comes to what i like about sauron x galadriel's "relation".

i think there is something tremendously more tragic and romantic about the fact that all they share is but a cosmic connection. and yet, that cosmic connection is something so grand and special, it's beyond and far above anything explainable within the limits of that which is common and earthly.

it's not an alliance they share, it's not the realms they share, it's not the marriage or the children they share. it's something much much more, much bigger than any of that. not something anyone else but they would understand. something entirely unique. it's their fate to never unite but to have their very beings bound for all eternity.

all they have is this love and hate and longing for one another and it's like a secret that'd be dirty for everyone else in the world but is sacred for them. that's why it's more intimate than anything else could ever be, bc it's something between them and them alone in the entire world.

it's just the two of them, and the eternal connection of their souls. "galadriel and sauron share the deepest connection to another being either of them has ever experienced."

that's why sauron is obsessed with groping for galadriel and her only. that's why galadriel feels alone even though she has family and friends.

they are betraying their own selves and are being selfish at the same time by indulging in this pursuit (sauron) and temptation (galadriel) but this dynamic won't ever manifest into anything other than the essence of the dark and the light and their battle and dance.

this only thing they share is so metaphysical, mystical, it's the connection above the flesh, does it even matter if it is so immaterial? it does to them!!!

or one could argue that one thing that did come into existence from their relationship and symbolizes it, is nenya. makes the fact that galadriel never took it off, even when it didn't have any powers anymore, still wore it when she went to valinor, so much more significant. with added trop context, it means that she could never let go of the one and only reminder of her connection with sauron.

and i think all of this is utterly beautiful and heartwrenching and different and thinking about it drives me insane a bit. quite a lot, actually.

[celestie0]

If someone looked at me the way Gojo was looking at Y/N after ugly crying I think I’d be carrying their kids tbh…

Poor Y/N is so scared to let someone in she puts up wall after wall the moment things get a bit too real 😭 but I get her. Every meaningful relationship in her life has been “temporary” (for lack of a better word) so far: her father left them, Choso abandoned her the moment he wanted Yuna’s pussy (although he was gone way before that), and her mom can’t really be there for her anymore through no fault of her own. I get why she has walls up when it comes to Gojo, they entered the relationship knowing it wasn’t real so why set yourself up for the inevitable hurt when it’s over.

The guilt of lying to someone you love even though you know it’s probably for the best is so painful, I hope Y/N allows herself some grace. Mourning your parents so young, at any age really is never easy and she’s doing it all alone too. I hope she has the happiest of endings because I feel like she’s going to need all the support she can get as her mom’s illness progresses 😭

Y/N is so much stronger than me because I’d probably have taken him up on that sex to blow off steam option even if he wasn’t being serious (I feel like he’d be so down though) 🤷🏽‍♀️

I’m super excited to see how their relationship progresses. The emotional connection they’re developing is actually extending my lifespan.

Thank you so much for the chapter, this is genuinely one of the best works I’ve ever read so I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing your work with us 🥰 I hope you’re doing well and that life is treating you amazingly! Can’t wait for the next chapter, I know it’ll be fantastic

(P.S - his mom’s wedding ring fitting her perfectly had be kicking and blushing 😭 if that isn’t a sign they’re meant to be then IDK WHAT IS)

hi my love oh gosh i could CRY!!!!!!!!!! this ask made me so happy because you 100% hit on like literally every single point that i wanted to emphasize in the chapter and also even managed to predict things that are to come as well??? i ask for your hand in marriage pleaaasseeeee 💍💍

HAHA yes i liked writing the parts where she���s like basically just blowing her nose on him 😂

aaaaaaa yess she definitely has sm walls up bc of how many people have left her and/or betrayed her, i think an additional heartbreak is the fact that she is literally a night shift nurse who saves lives, but isn’t even helped by the very system that she serves (healthcare)…i would be so jaded if i were her too :”( but tysm for having empathy for her!! i think it would take a very patient person to be w her n i def think ihm gojo is that guy hahah

YES ihm will have a sweet ending and we will see as the series progresses that reader softens and starts to reclaim her life once more :) but you’re so right! one of the devastating things about caring for a loved one w dementia is weighing the white lies vs the potential distress over relaying the truth…having grace w oneself is def so important

LOL ya i think he would be so down too 😂 it’s funny cause like? reader? girl? i mean you’re already stressed tf out why not at least get eaten out on a regular basis while you’re at it LOL (the time will come)

ouuu i’m so happy you enjoyed the chapter n thanks so much for interacting so meaningfully w it 🥺 a lot of stuffs u touched on in this ask are elaborated much further in what i have planned for series so i’m so excited to bring that to you!! much loveee (and yes the wedding ring fitting was literally a sign from god LOL)

[sarascamander]

Okay since the trope reveal I have a theory! I don't believe Cole will ever approve of Ava and Eli marrying, let's be real here. ESPECIALLY marriage for convenience, like what would be the reason for the marriage? Cole is rich, Aidan is rich, what issue could they ever land onto that they need to marry?

So my theory is that Ava went somewhere far from home maybe for her concert or something but on the way had an accident and got amnesia (one of the tropes). So she doesn't remember who she is or where or who her family is. Enter Eli, who everyone knows stalks Ava and finds out about the accident and takes her in. He didn't tell anyone except maybe Creigh about the fact that he found Ava so while everyone at home is freaking out searching for Ava, Eli made a deal with her for them to get married and sold it to her like "you don't have a home, you're alone, I'm your last and only choice" or "if you marry me, I'll do my best to search for your family and who you were before" and Ava agrees.

I just can imagine Cole (and I can definitely see Landon ratting Eli out) finding out Eli hid Ava the whole time and there and basically storm into the house ready to fucking kill Eli. And Ava felt so betrayed bc he knew about her this whole time and knowingly kept her away from her family and stuff.

God I actually like where this is going 😂 but who knows what's going on in Rina Kent's mind.

[sirsnortsalot]

YOUR TAGS ON THEEEE TOM LOOKING AT GREG ACROSS THE AISLE POST I DSDJKSDJSKJDJKS we shake hands that ep is my entire life for so many reasons i hhhhhhhhhhh. tom's suit being called a gregory. the two of them dressed in black and white when greg says "i do" true to marriage tradition. the fact that when tom sits down in front of greg he literally looks like he's getting on one knee. the way their knees are touching. the way they are sitting so close. the way the two waiters in the background are playfully smacking each other on the ass with towels and both greg and tom look at them wistfully before talking like god i wish that were us. the way greg teases tom a little with the well... keeping him hanging on a little bit. the way greg says "of course". the way their conversation [in that connor asks willa if she really wants this, bc she's kind of giving up her soul wrt money and she says yes i am and i do like the security and wealth but she also likes connor for himself, and connor talks about the age gap!!! and discrepancy in their positions and how they met and came to be and how everyone is always making fun of him/their relationship but she takes him serious and confirms she does want it and then they giggle and laugh it off just like a certain other couple] and body position mirrors connor and willa as well as the cinematography/shots who do actually get married in 4x03 [alone. without the siblings there. almost like a secret ish wedding. hmmm]. the way that nb said 'they wish they were getting married' and the way these mfs act you Know that's actually true and real. the way tom drops the "sporus". the way that after they shake hands, greg's arms twitch out as if to hug tom but then he decides against it bc he's not sure if tom would like that and he doesn't want to ruin this, because everybody else shrinks away from his touch or is disgusted by him but tom opens his arms and greg leaps at the chance, taking tom's shoulders and pulling him in slightly and hugging him tightly, tom literally jostled by the force of the hug.

i Think about the "come with me, sporus" scene a lot.

Oh my god y e s just that one scene felt like peak tomgreg in like 1000 ways 

ESPECIALLY because it’s right after shiv calls tom and tells him about her plan and his IMMEDIATE reaction being “okay, this is my chance to finally hit her where it hurts after her ‘death-by-1000-cuts’-ing me for years, but first i need to make sure greg is safe and on my side” like BEFORE anything else (just checked the script books and greg walks over to him RIGHT after he gets off the phone with shiv, no time to think about anything else) AND THEN ”SPORUS” AND THEN THE MOST ROMANTIC SCENE THAT HAPPENS IN THE (WEDDING) EPISODE AND THEN TOM ‘KILLING’ HIS WIFE I JUST. AUGH THE NERO & SPORUS SHIT MAKES ME GO BATSHIT ISTG HFSKJGHDFKJGHJDFKGHDRKJHY (also while I was in the script books I saw that the hug was unscripted??? It was meant to be just the handshake??? Just like the forehead kiss was unscripted too??? Matthew Mcfadyen is an absolute GODSEND (& nb I guess but yknow) for just ADDING those in UNPROMPTED he’s such a tg truther oml) 

Also can you IMAGINE how greg must've felt at the beginning of the tomshivorce, seeing him and tom going out together to hook up w random models or whatever (i think they were playing it up quite a bit and just wanted to spend time with each other but yknow)  and having the realisation somewhere that “do you wanna come with me, sporus” AND THEN THIS could have been referring to tom wanting to be with greg? Like we know greg knows the story, and we know he knows that tom betrayed shiv and he knows that the tomshivorce is resulting in tom getting a lot closer with him very quickly and he’s not stupid, he can put 2 and 2 together and see himself getting remodelled into the romantic partner for tom that shiv isn’t anymore for him, AND HE DOESN’T SHY AWAY FROM IT! LIKE LOOK AT 4X01, IS THAT THE BODY LANGUAGE AND BEHAVIOURS OF SOMEONE WHO IS AVOIDING THE PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL PRESENCE OF TOM WAMBSGANS FBSKJGHDFJGDFKJY

(i will never shut up about the timeskip <3)

👏 HEART 👏 EYES

[charmixpower]

What kind of arc or character development would you have wanted to give the characters in the series? Ex. in the case of Timmy, what would his character have been like if they had been more interested in developing it?

This is on top of their already present character arcs

1) Bloom learning to be a leader

2) Expansion on the Charmix plot point where Bloom says shes lost faith in everyone and regained it back

3) Stella dealing with her flippant behavior during serious situations (I swear this is an outgrowth of her thinking people only like her for her looks)

4) Stella learning to like other parts of her self (Stella clearly holds her looks up in highest regard bc she thinks that's the only part of her people like and she wants people to like her, so low self esteem is just a natural consequence)

5) Literally anything for Flora

6) It would have been cool if Flora started out with her late seasons character of being a pushover into her s2 character of being more strong willed

7) Tecna acknowledges the fact that she holds winning above living in a lot of situations (aside from that no notes, Tecna character arcs slay)

8) Musa overcoming her insecurity and dealing with some of her attachment issues (Musa's hostile reaction to Stella, and her immediate obsession with Riven are such "please pick me" behavior. I love her)

9) Attaching Musa's insecurity arc to her being more comfortable in her femininity (Musa constantly mocks Stella for her stereotypical traits and that's on "I'm not like other girls")

10) Aisha clearly hates royal decorum, and politics, and all that stuff, so it always felt weird to me in s3 she flips around to being okay with most of it except for arranged marriages. That should have been dealt with. Either by having Aisha stand up to her parents and reject it all, or by having her parents make concessions and her love of her people outweighing her hatred of royal stuff (Aside from that she slayed on the character development front, no notes)

11) Sky needed a s1 Riven arc. Like, it could have been in s2!!! He was being such a fucking control freak at Bloom, he should of been beatened with the "consequences stick" until he had a "I have a heart" moment, thank you

12) Brandon probably has something going on with putting everyone but himself first and being unable to express his emotions from the child soldier thing and I would love to see that addressed

13) Timmy has a character arc in the background it's just never acknowledged??? Every season they just act that that's how he always was, would love to see Timmy becoming more confident as a part of the narrative and not something they just did bc the plot said so

14) PUT RIVEN'S CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT BACK AND STOP FUCKING TOUCHING IT SHOW!! IF HE WAS JUST ALLOWED TO CONTINUE DEVELOPING THE WAY HE WAS GOING IN S1 AND S2 ID HAVE NO NOTES AND YET

15) Literally anything for Helia

16) the Shab stone route is cool, low self esteem perfectionist is so conserned about fucking group projects up

17) Nabu learning what the world is like after being sheltered for so long would be amazing (s4 lies to you, Nabu gets all his romance knowledge from books and Disney movies, he couldn't give relationship advice if the answer punched him in the face)

18) Diaspro has Riven's problem but worse, at least they never regressed his character back to villain. Like wft!!! Diaspro's character should have been allowed to grow after s2

19) Roxy has an actual arc from hating magic to being cool with it instead of just flipping from one to another when her life is in danger. Like I get it, but that wouldn't make her like magic, that would just make her tolerate it bc it saved her life

20) Galatea realizes that Melody has a huge poverty problem and vows to fix it

21) Chimera realizes her mom sucks and helps Stella (this one is Rus wish fulfillment baybe)

22) The Trix actually reacts to the fact that they've gotten their ass kicked every time they fight the Winx and always get betrayed. Like let them have a mental break down and lash out from rage but mostly Icy

23) Seeing how the Trix ended up following the ancestral Witches. NOT LIKE THAT. I vote cult for Stormy and Darcy, and Icy is just kinda like this. Some people just

24) Mirta and Lucy having some sort of conversation, idc if they make up or stop talking I just want SOMETHING

25) I wanna see an older Anne meet Aisha so bad

[reneesbooks]

meja in 3

@chayscribbles thank u for the tag &lt;3

rules: pick an OC and post a song that you relate to them, an image that represents them in some way (aesthetic, picrew, art, etc), and a quote of dialogue or narration from them. feel free to expand or explain!

meja my love. let's talk. salt and brine

song

this was tough bc i make playlists religiously. decided to pick a random from my meja playlist and oh boy did spotify deliver (cw for discussion of domestic violence and miscarriage in the analysis)

so some context. meja is married and was married young, in hass tradition you marry young and have many kids to continue the hass tradition. meja married stian, a spearfisherman who was passing through her village, and moved to his village on the coast. she had one daughter right away, reijka, which disappointed stian because he'd wanted a son. they tried again, and meja lost the pregnancy. stian became more controlling and angry, and meja failed to get or stay pregnant multiple times. stian's abuse grew worse over time, but it was never directed towards reijka so meja let him explain it away. she gets away from him by the end of the story (this is a romance and it has a happy ending) and has some. complex feelings. about him and their marriage in general. some lines in particular:

And I doubt you ever think about the damage that you did But I hold onto every detail like my life depends on it My undying love, now, I hold it like a grudge And I hear your voice every time that I think I'm not enough

And I try to understand why you would do this all to me You must be insecure, you must be so unhappy And I know, in my heart, hurt people hurt people And we both drew blood, but, man, those cuts were never equal

I try to be tough, I try to be mean But even after all this, you're still everything to me And I know you don't care, I guess that that's fine But you know I can't let it go, I've tried, I've tried, I've tried for so long It takes strength to forgive, but I'm not quite sure I'm there yet

i could annotate this entire song if i rlly wanted to bc it makes my brain vibrate at the speed of light about meja

2. picture

meja's refuge is the cove, where she finds kamon on the beach. she continues to meet him there and her excuse for going there all the time is that she sets traps along the shore. no fish swim into those traps, but she picks up plenty of shells and digs up mollusks to bring home, and it's time away from stian if she wants it. she grew up in the foothills, so she loves standing at the edge of the ocean and watching the waves come ashore. fun fact! the north sea is incredibly deep and hass tradition holds that the reason their land doesn't slide into the depths (their equivalent of hell) is due to the waves holding the land up. this is totally an irrelevant detail that has no bearing on the story :)

3. quote

meja's most iconic moment. the night she escapes reijmor, with reijka and her newborn daughter. (another cw for mention of domestic violence)

Meja stands there with Reijka's hand in hers, Eima asleep against her chest, and looks at her friend standing in her way. She feels no remorse. “Move, Tisha.” Tisha shakes her head, her expression hidden by the shadows. “You can't do this, Meja.” “I can and I will.” Her voice is stronger than she expected. “Get out of my way.” The deksa is warm against her collarbone. I know you would defend your home with only your bare hands if you thought you had to. Meja is covered in blood and sweat and tears and she understands the man clutching his deksa, the desperate bravery that comes from having no other choice. “I don't understand,” Tisha says. “I don't expect you to understand.” “How could you betray—” “How could I not?” Meja's hand tightens around Reijka's. “I...” She swallows, steeling herself. “I won't explain myself to you.” “Don't you think I deserve an explanation?” Tisha's voice doesn't raise, as if she's being careful not to give them away. It doesn't reassure Meja at all. “No,” she says. “You don't.” She inhales shakily, shoving down the sobs. “You knew. You always knew what he is. You never helped me, not really.” “I always helped you.” “You let him hurt me for years!” Meja fights to keep her voice low, tears springing to life in her eyes. “You didn't help me, you just turned the other way when the truth was inconvenient to you. I was suffering and you did nothing. So no, you don't deserve an explanation, but I will give you this. The choices I made, I made because the other option was quietly accepting my fate and letting Stian beat me to death without complaint.” Reijka presses against her side, trembling. “I don't care if you don't understand, I don't care if you think I betrayed Bjerkja by laying with an outsider, I don't care if you think Stian had the right to do what he did. It won't change what I did and it won't change what I'm going to do now.” Tisha shifts where she's standing, sighing. “You're a traitor,” she says sadly. “I am a mother.” Meja glares at her. “Get out of my way. I don't want to have to do something that I'll regret doing in front of my daughter.” “I won't stop you,” Tisha says, standing aside. “But I won't help you.” “That's fine.” Meja throws her bag into the boat, helping Reijka climb inside. “I'm used to doing it on my own.”

where is kamon in all of this? :)

tagging @oh-no-another-idea @avrablake @akindofmagictoo and anybody else who would like to do this for an oc!

[akiizayoi4869]

It's been a long time since I made this AU or talked about it, but thankfully I remember it. It's not very Iroh or Zuko friendly though. I made them the antagonists in this story bc in this AU neither had any reason to be redeemed.

Also I really liked the idea of having Iroh be the bad guy because I thought it'd be fun to have the Gaang be against a very capable antagonist (not that Azula isn't, she definitely is, but I always got the feeling that Iroh would be much more capable than her if he actually wanted to fight and that it was a very good thing he was redeemed before canon). Also this AU used to be "Zuko pretends to be good and a teacher so he can capture them later" until I realized it makes perfect sense for Azula. So Azula's arc mimics Zuko's in a way.

************************************************************************

(tw death, marriage, arranged marriage, abandonment, genocide, abuse, betrayal)

So Lu Ten never died (I actually don't want him to be part of this story. So maybe he doesn't even exist), so Iroh took over Ba Sing Sae. He also adopted Zuko. Ursa's out of the picture. I don't know how, but when I do figure it out I'll make her a larger part of the story. The original plan was that after the Angi Kai Ursa took Zuko and appealed to Iroh for help, which he granted. So now they live with Iroh.

Azula kind of was left behind, though, with Ozai. She and Ozai were kind of disgraced bc what did they do compared to the amazing awesome dragon of the west.

Then the Avatar arrives, and Ozai sees an opportunity. He wanted to do it himself, but Azula volunteers herself. She doesn't want to be in the arranged marriage Ozai's planning for her (to get more status). On Ozai's orders, she cuts her hair and dyes it so Iroh and Zuko will have a harder time recognizing her (he doesn't want them to know it's Azula daughter of Ozai doing this until it's too late. Bc that's probably treason and bad.)

Then she fakes joining the gaang to backstab them. And they need a firebending teacher. Perfect opportunity. But then Zuko and Iroh show up. And Azula has to help the Gaang from being captured, and she's the only one skilled enough to actually do something. Which makes her an enemy of the fire nation.

Ozai ends up pretending he doesn't have a daughter anymore once news gets out.

And therefore Azula is pretty much stuck now. She can't go home without Aang, bc Ozai will punish her for making such a huge mess.

She now has to find a way to bring Aang to Ozai without being caught while plausibly pretending to help the gaang while sabotaging their plans. I don't have any scenes from this point on, beyond Azula freaking out once the Gaang realizes that firebenders loose their bending on the day of the black sun and trying to figure out if she should tell about the invasion plans or not.

Though if I had to give a guess, Azula likely spends a lot of time thinking about when to betray the gaang and how to do so (she only has one shot at betraying the Gaang, she doesn't want to loose it until she's 100% certain it's possible) and eventually ends up not doing anything until she's a certified enemy of the fire nation and it's too late. The fact that she doesn't want to do anything suspicious helps.

There's a period where she considers joining Iroh and Zuko in the process, by appealing to Ursa. I don't know if she does it or not.

Mai likely helps Zuko (though she does recognize Azula but doesn't tell anyone) while Ty Lee is on Azula's side. With Ty Lee's help the Gaang can actually beat Zuko and Iroh most of the time.

Oh damn, this is a really interesting au idea! I would love to read it if you ever wrote it.

[love-toxin]

So sorry to ask, but... what exactly is corpse bride?

OHO!!!!!! im so glad you asked >:)) it's one of my favourite childhood movies!!!! I'll put this plot summary under the cut bc im too excited to infodump :,)

I've watched it like a million times, its a tim burton film from 2005 shot entirely with stop motion figures, a lot like NBC! it's got both musical numbers and spoken parts (tears to shed and remains of the day SLAPS if you get a chance to listen to them on spotify or youtube, although the whole soundtrack is really really good--it's directed by danny elfman!)

the plot centers around a man named Victor Van Dort living in a victorian-era village who is the son of a pair of new money fishmarket owners, and has been arranged into a marriage with the daughter of old money aristocrats named Victoria Everglot. although her parents agreed to the marriage primarily for financial reasons because they've found themselves destitute, Victor's in-laws not only openly detest him for his meek personality but they also have a very low opinion of Victoria, as well as being distasteful of having to rely on the wealth of a commoner family to save them from the poorhouse. throw in the fact that the bride and groom haven't met until then but he falls in love almost immediately, as well as the appearance of a passing Lord Barkis Bittern at their home who watches the proceedings, and Victor messes up the rehearsal so badly that he leaves into the woods to go practice his vows so he can hopefully impress his new family, and his new wife. but while he's there, practicing out loud and bemoaning his nerves because he only does them well when he's alone, he ends up putting the ring on a branch-like root and unknowingly summons a corpse out of the ground, who chases after him before pulling him into the underworld with her.

and surprise! when he wakes up after fainting from the shock, he discovers that the branch wasn't a branch at all, but the outstretched hand of a bride-to-be that had been murdered by her fiancé and had her fortune stolen under that tree years before, and has been waiting for her true love to come along and marry her. although a bit naive, she's very sweet and innocent and is so excited to be wed to her new husband, showing off her ring to prove their bond while the other corpses congratulate them and start planning the wedding--she even gives him a wedding present, which is the skeleton of his deceased dog that comes together to play with him again. Victor finds the "downstairs" to be surprisingly bright and colourful and totally unlike the gray, lifeless expanse of the living world, but with such a weak constitution he's totally in shock and insistent on going back home and returning to his living fiancé, to the point that he ends up tricking his corpse bride, Emily, into taking him up so she can meet his parents before their supposed wedding. but instead, he sneaks away once they come up to go see Victoria in secret, who has been worried about his disappearance, and explains what's happened to him while also confessing his love right up until Emily finds them together and jealously drags Victor back down to the underworld. feeling betrayed and hurt at having her heart broken again, she mourns her failed marriage and the fact that it's been ruined because she's dead, and Victor would prefer a woman that's alive even though her friends remind her that she's so talented and has a lovely personality.

while this is all happening, Victoria is trying to convince her family that Victor needs to be rescued and even escapes being locked in her room to head for the church for guidance, only to be taken back by the minister as everyone deems her unreasonable due to hysteria. at this moment, Lord Barkis steps in to comfort her parents and ends up convincing them to let him marry Victoria, with promises that he'll be lavishing her with wealth--but what they don't know is that he's already plotting her death, so he can steal all her family's riches and take her dowry once she's gone. at the same time, while Victor's parents are searching for him, their driver Mayhew ends up dying from a smoking-induced coughing fit and shows up in the downstairs, for him to meet up with Victor and let him know that Victoria has moved on and is getting married to someone else.

and, feeling guilty over the fact that he tricked her, Victor has come back to Emily to apologize and they share in one of their interests, which is playing the piano. upon hearing the news of Victoria's new union, Victor is hurt at losing her but more at ease with the thought of marrying Emily and decides to do so properly--but she soon realizes that in order to do so, Victor has to repeat his vows in the living world and drink poison in order to die, which Emily feels too guilty about asking of him to even try. luckily Victor has overheard, though, and agrees to the terms, and the two of them joined by the undead wedding party bring their festivities upstairs to commence with the marriage. by this time, Victoria has been unwillingly married off to Lord Barkis and is completely depressed, but the reception is crashed by the dead as they flood through the village and cause a panic, to all but the people who soon recognize their deceased family members and lovers and friends and are reunited. abandoned by their own wedding party, a disheveled Lord Barkis insists on Victoria taking all of her family's riches from their coffers so they can steal away from the overrun town--but he becomes furious when she reveals that her family is practically impoverished, and that his perceived wealth was the reason her parents were so eager to marry her off. Victoria storms off to follow the wedding party and slips into the church where Victor is being married. she watches the ceremony, but just as he's about to drink the poison and commit to his undead bride, Emily spots Victoria and stops him from doing so. realizing that the two of them are in love, she can't bring herself to split them apart and gives up her wedding so that they can be together, because she doesn't want to take someone that wasn't meant to be hers.

however, just as Victor and Victoria are reunited, Lord Barkis crashes the wedding and demands Victoria be returned to him, only for he and Emily to recognize each other--she realizes that he was the fiancé that had taken all she had and left her for dead, and a fight between himself and Victor ensues as he stops him from kidnapping Victoria (also because the dead can't get involved or commit murder while they are obeying the rules of the living in their world). Barkis tries to kill Victor by stabbing him but is intercepted by Emily who takes the blow, and turns his sword on him and orders him to leave--but before he does, he takes the immunity he has against the angered crowd of undead to propose a mocking toast against his former fiancé on her failed love, not realizing that the wine he's drinking is poisoned. he dies on the spot, the dead drag him back into the underworld to torture their new arrival on behalf of Emily, and the corpse bride returns her ring to Victor to marry his true love and is set free, her body turning into a cloud of blue butterflies that flutter away towards the moon.

[tenthhell]

Totally didn't forget I was going to add Ori's opinion to this discussion or anything. I don't think that marriage is exactly something native to the Infernal culture or really something most are willing to touch with a ten foot pole for the specific reason that it's essentially a culture of lawyers; they know intimately just how nasty it's going to get if either of you ever want to back out of that agreement, and tbh, when you literally only ever die if someone murders you? I don't know that 'til death do us part' is ever actually applicable to their lives. Eternity is a long time, and there's a whole awful lot that can change in that time.

( As a side note for those who don't know, there are in fact courts in the Hells, but they tend to be p severe. You cannot cheese your way out of things unless you're using loopholes and the like, ie you're not going to get out of the problem by being particularly charismatic, bc that's a really great way to be found guilty and eaten / turned into a lemure / probably a bunch of other horrid shit. Therefore, all of their workings are strictly evidence-based. If you can prove it, or prove why your opponent's evidence is something that you are able to behave in x y z way bc of, permissible. I am by absolutely no means, however, terribly familiar with law anything, so it's an area I'm not getting too specific with -- particularly since my brain structure puts me at a disadvantage to being able to be accurate to the harsh, difficult to worm your way out of legalese that devils adore. )

ANYWAY. That in mind, Orianna sees it as a weird practice and doesn't understand why anyone would put themselves in that kind of situation willingly. Cool that you love each other that much and all, but why go to the lengths to get a binding pact together over it? So it's unlikely she'd ever actually agree to it. I'm not going to say impossible bc there's a possibility she might if it was super important to her partner, but uhhh........ There would likely need to be a strict understanding of 'if you ever betray me in any way, I'm obliterating your entire existence, and it's going to be legally within my right to do so.'

[a-libra-writes]

Hi Libra 💕 I’m back again for your opinions & to pick your brain juuust a little again. I LOVED your answer (about the free cities in Essos, doing my due diligence in researching the Wiki for the fic 🫡). Again, this is a “do you think this makes sense? Could this happen?” Very loaded, I’m so sorry.

So, I decided that the foreign woman in question is a bastard of Tywins. Her mother was a wealthy merchant from Braavos, trading in Westeros. I’m thinking their short-lived affair was about 5-10 years after he became a widower; she resembled Johanna just enough & Tywin was deep in his cups so he was like ok time to ✨make a dumb decision✨. He sent the pregnant Braavosi woman away with a lot of gold, very hush hush. Her daughter was raised well; with the gold Tywin gave, the mother decided to focus that on bringing up his bastard daughter well-educated & refined. I’ve got some more plot points (if you’d care to hear them I’ll be happy to share it!!), but essentially: the bastard daughter arrives in Westeros. She knows of their customs, and very clever + capable within the politics of Westeros.

My questions are 1) do you think Tywin, with a seat now being within the Crown, would legitimize her - especially after she proves herself - and marry her off to a lord for political gain? My reasoning is that his only daughter was already married off to King Robert, he has three Royal grandchildren & his brain is working hard on how he can turn this situation into something he could benefit politically from, potentially

2) Roose is kinda my hyper fixation character rn & I was thinking, to further his own goals, like betraying Robb in the War of the Five Kings (and his pockets - she’d had to have a high dowry being a foreign bastard to sweeten the deal, I think) would he accept or otherwise offer a marriage to her?

(I kinda have this scene of Roose & her getting into a fight. she gets upset, forgets her Common Tongue, and swears at him in Valyrian & it’s givin me a giggle. He’s just like 🧍pls don’t tell ur lord father & she’s like 🤬 *string of Valyrian he assumes is either a threat or continuous insults*)

Thank you, again, if you’re able to find the time & energy for this!! 💕 i decided, I wanna give the foreigner a LOT of power & leverage (I.e, bastard of Tywin) bc Westeros is scary & while she’s capable of protecting herself, lineage is a big factor into how well situations can go.

Thoughts below -

I honestly don't think Tywin would want to keep a bastard around, or he'd at least hide the fact she was his (they do keep Joy Hill around because that was the only child Gerion fathered, and Tywin def had a lot of guilt/emotion about his death even if he denies it). She might be passed off as another Lannister's kid. But this is a central part of your fanfic so let's handwave and move on.

Her being more Westeros-educated and not ""foreign"" would certainly help, with any traces of a Braavosi accent or dress probably coming across as 'interesting' or 'exotic' because it's just enough and not too much.

I don't think she would be legitimized because that would mean Tywin Lannister is admitting to 1) having a bastard in the first place, therefore frequenting whores and 2) he's willing to totally, stubbornly disregard Tyrion as lawful heir (no Jaime is NOT coming back dude he's Kingsguard you can't overturn that STOP THINKING YOU CAN), so I can understand him totally disregarding an out-of-wedlock daughter that is clearly his. That said, like Joy Hill, she can still be used as a bargaining chip because she is still half-Lannister and could come with a dowry. If there's something Tywin can do, it's find a way to use a piece, no matter how it's overlooked by others or not considered. So even if he feels negatively or indifferent of her, she's fair game to be used, like anyone in his family.

as far as roose accepting/gunning for a marriage, you can easily twist this. He accepted Walda because that was the terms of Frey turning on Robb to assist Roose - it's not clear what Tywin gave Roose, but i bet it was less a bribe and more a threat: 'we'll pull back and stop the war, because you know you aren't going to win this, also if you refuse I'll make sure Frey betrays you and Robb dies anyway, so really this is the best option for you getting out alive and on top'. Totally feasible for him to get your character as a bride instead, while Walda is given to some other Northern house to helps or to some Lannister. Brides and girls are just bargaining chips as far as most nobility is concerned, after all. And don't forget how Tywin arranged for Robb to upset the Freys in the first place with Jeyne Westerling!

Anyhoo, those are my thoughts. It's your fic so you can twist and play as you desire; and you could always alter certain events just so in order for things to puzzle out easier in your head. War is chaotic, and alliances (esp those forged through betrayal) can be shaky.

[bitterpngs]

hmmm i feel like i probably missed/forgot some details, but in this film you have eri, this 20 year old woman that meets this sweet guy called haruji and they end up really liking each other and they frequently hang out. and it’s a cute romance, but later the older brother finds out that eri is actually married and isn’t being honest with haruji.

however, eri is basically trapped in this loveless marriage with this significantly older american man (ex soldier probably - it’s a 1956 b&w film, so post wwii). eri goes behind her husband’s back and has flings with various men, but apparently haruji is the first man she’s become serious with.

in the film, natsuhisa, the older brother, ends up warning eri to stay away from his younger brother bc he cares about him, but later in the same conversation tells her to have a fling with him so he won’t say anything to his brother (bc according to him, he’d be heartbroken and leave iirc). eri slaps him, but then natsuhisa kisses her. eri bites his lip and makes him bleed and there’s this moment where they stare at each other before eri seems to give him this slow and hesitant smile and they end up kissing again. the older brother ends up pursing her a lot later on and eri always accepts and has sex with him.

looking back, she’s never happy with the older brother, unlike when she’s with haruji, the younger brother. at some point she even tells him to stay away and never come back. the older brother ignores this and claims he’s in love with eri and ends up seeing his younger brother as competition.

at some point, the younger brother plans a camping trip with eri but because of certain events (a intercepted letter that says eri wants to meet a day earlier), natsuhisa ends up going to the meeting place and leaving with/taking eri instead. eventually haruji finds out, looks for them, and ends up finding them. eri is happy because haruji ended up looking for them/for her, but haruji feels so betrayed that he ends up killing both of them with his boat.

ANYWAY. basically it’s interesting to see ig. you have these “sexually deviant” characters that aimlessly kill time, constantly hook up, are constantly bored and don’t value the things the older generations do, etc. except haruji.

and even though eri’s situation is a sympathetic one, it feels like the story is still punishing her. we dont really know how or why she got married (and i feel like i’m missing important information tbh), but she’s clearly unhappy and i’m not rlly sure how possible a divorce would be or how it was perceived back then. she has had flings with men, she’s a woman that’s sought out sexual pleasure, and at the end she ends up dying. despite the potential sympathy, despite the fact that the movie seems to imply she felt pressured to have this hidden relationship with natsuhisa. and even if you look at the end as tragic, at the end of the day, haruji is the more morally upstanding, innocent man that gets revenge on eri and his brother. despite his heartbreak, he lives and gets to continue his life.

ok that’s all i need to do this assignment

[orpheusilver]

look the fact of the matter is that by the end of the show everyone is on the trajectory theyre gonna follow into treasure island, and maxs trajectory is taking her nowhere fucking Near silver like. to my memory they are not on speaking terms. their relationship is nonexistent.

like the only path toward that i can imagine is if silver approached her and said "hey want to open a bar in bristol or wherever the fuck and run it as a fake-married couple so i can hijack a ship and go steal back the treasure on skeleton island?" and max said "ok sure" which neither of them would do! making that offer is a s1/2 silver move, and accepting it is a s1/2 max move. its far more likely that post-s4 silver would raise the idea to someone he actually loves and trusts rather than operating on mutual self-interest with someone who doesnt fucking like him. and why the fuck would max, comfortably wealthy shadow governess of nassau, throw away everything shes built there for another get rich quick scheme based on a pseudo-marriage of convenience with a man - a compromise shes already established she isnt willing to make? like it simply isnt happening. its Not happening.

madi on the other hand is literally Right There in xxxviii like. the last conversation between them is silver saying hes gonna sit there and wait for her like a dog at her doorstep until shes willing to open the door and let him back inside, and based on that final shot on the cliffs it looks like she does! she wont forget and probably cant forgive but theres definitely space for some kind of reconciliation, even understanding. bc shes a strategic thinker, shes familiar with doing hard and kinda fucked up things to achieve a given end, and shes also a super compassionate person, so its believable that she could come to terms with the fact that he betrayed everyone and ruined everything Purely Out Of Love For Her and decide to move forward together with all of that bullshit in the past. especially! if retrieving the cache is her idea! idk if treasure island says anything abt what silver wants the treasure for i havent finished it yet but assuming nothing in there contradicts this, who says that wealth couldnt fund another war? who says they couldnt rebuild the material base for another revolution? who says silver doesnt do everything he does on that island out of devotion to madi, again?

idk im just saying shit now, but either way its much simpler and wayyyy more likely for madi to reopen that door than for silver to pull max into yet another bullshit scheme to retrieve the urca gold

someone remind me to talk abt why i think the theory that madi never forgives silver and max is his wife in treasure island is wrong and bad

[slightlyrebelliouswriter23]

What's your opinion on Vivi? Cos I'm re reading the series and have just finished twk and while she does love her sisters I'm reminded of why I don't like her much there's always something that never struck me right about her mainly it's the whole situation with Heather and how Vivi glamoured her and everything else but also bc of how she deals with her sisters

DISCLAIMER: this post is about defending Vivi Duarte with what little information we are actually given about her, for those who are genuinely open to interpretations on her. if you've made up your mind and do not like Vivi, that's fine, but this is probably not the ask for you!

i love most of the characters in TFOTA. in fact, unless it's Balekin, Valerian, Asha, or Locke, you can be sure i will probably take the time to defend them.

Vivi is funny, outspoken, and (like most HB characters) complex. but i think people's dislike of Vivi is along the same vein as their dislike of Taryn.

both betrayed their sisters in one way or another–Taryn through more obvious modes of betrayal (the Locke situation in TCP and tricking Cardan in TWK), and Vivi through more covert modes (questionable sisterly neglect). but if we look at a person's actions as facts about their character, rather than the result of nuanced motivations, it's easy to dislike them.

i like them precisely because liking them is so much more difficult. not impossible, though—we just have to do a little digging.

I. Words and How They Bind

something very interesting about Vivi that i think is hard to remember for the duration of the series is that, in the prologue of TCP, she vowed to hate Madoc forever:

“'I hate you,' Vivi proclaimed to the tall man with a viciousness that Jude was glad of. 'I will always hate you. I vow it.'”

this isn't something to be taken lightly. it's not a rage-filled but mostly empty threat of a child that can be later assuaged with a few kind words or a handful of sweets. it's a proclamation.

it is explicitly a vow.

to the fae, vows and promises are absolute. just how the people of Elfhame are bound by their word when they pledge themselves to the High King/Queen, or how the fae bind themselves through vows in marriage, Vivi is literally bound to her word.

she will hate Madoc forever.

additionally, it's almost as if she pledged herself to a life of being the opposite of whatever Madoc wants her to be. he wants her to live in Elfhame? she will move to the mortal world when she's old enough. he wants her to attend classes? she will stop going. he wants her to go to the revels and socialise? she'll stay at home and read comic books.

"If it annoys Madoc, it pleases Vivi." (TCP, ch.2)

so it's interesting that Madoc, right after Vivi has made her vow to hate him, tells her not to shirk her responsibilities as the eldest child—and, consciously or not, she proceeds to do exactly that. and perhaps even more interesting is Madoc's constant emphasis on "family over everything", juxtaposed with Vivi's almost apathetic absence from it.

this isn't to excuse Vivi of everything she never noticed with Jude and Taryn by pinning it on some magical vow she made when she was nine. but i do wonder if, because of her vow, there's a little more at play than just carelessness here.

still, even if we are to believe in Vivi's free will, imagine growing up being forced to live with a biological father you viscerally hate, and having your younger sisters—whose parents (and yours) were literally murdered by him in front of your eyes—treat him as more father than murderer.

at that young of an age, i suspect it would be hard to understand why Jude and Taryn didn't hate Madoc viscerally, too. to Vivi, i think it might even feel a little gaslighty.

Jude hints at Vivi's feelings about this in TCP:

“When Vivi wasn't reminiscing about home, she was a terror. She broke things. She screamed and raged and pinched us when we were content. Eventually, she stopped all of it, but I believe there is a part of her that hates us for adapting. For making the best of things. For making this our home.” (TCP, ch.2)

if you're alone in hating someone, it is probably a very isolating experience.

II. Coping or Cop-Out?

Vivi is portrayed as this impulsive, rebel-child with her head in the clouds. her main focus is on escaping a life she never chose for herself. in fact, i think one of the ways Vivi tries to take control of her own life again, after Madoc upends it by murdering their parents, is through escapism.

we see this in her constant fixation on the mortal world, through her voracious consumption of the comics Heather draws, and how she only has one friend in all of Faerie: Rhiya.

“All our new memories are of here, and Vivi has only a passing interest in those.” (TCP, ch. 2)

suffice it to say, she has not bothered putting down roots.

one fascinating theme, which has become apparent to me recently, is that the Duarte sisters each have a very distinct way of handling the trauma they've endured.

Jude carves out a space for herself through strength, skill, and intellect- fight

Vivi seeks any methods of escape- flight

Taryn relies on relationships with others to ensure her security at court- fawn

each of these is a psychologically recognised trauma response. so if Vivi seems distant or detached from the happenings in Faerie, it's because of this coping mechanism.

however, the difference between Vivi's response and that of her sisters, is that hers is a coping mechanism for a memory of the past. Jude and Taryn's responses are survival mechanisms for current ongoing trauma.

i don't think Vivi, as one of the fae, recognises the privilege she has over her sisters.

if there's anything negative to be said about Vivi's character, it is this. that she either presumes that since Madoc claimed Jude and Taryn as his own, they would be just as accepted by the fae is she or Oak is, despite their being mortal; or worse, that she is as Jude suspects—altogether oblivious to the plight of mortals living in Elfhame.

either way, it's not as if any of them talk about it.

but if Vivi's words truly do bind her will, i wonder if existing in a space occupied by Madoc is difficult. i wonder if it weighs more on her than it does on her sisters. i wonder if noticing details of other people's lives is difficult when your mind is totally consumed by a hatred for one person.

i think Jude, of all people, might be able to understand that.

III. Age is Not But a Number

we sometimes forget that, although she is older than Jude and Taryn, Vivi is still a kid herself. i believe she is said to be around 19-20 in the books.

now, i know the "adult" age for humans is 18, but frankly that doesn't really mean anything in our world, much less Elfhame. even with my 25 years (which is still quite young btw), i look back at years 19 and 20 and think about how immature i was then.

i was barely able to care for myself sufficiently. i was in no way qualified to care for a whole other person (or two).

there's this weird theme in YA fantasy novels where the fate of the whole world often rests on the shoulders of kids. where the only adults they know are either obsessed with power or dismissive and impervious. and while i do think kids are capable of a lot, and it's certainly neat to imagine a world where they are given enough respect and credibility to affect positive change in their societies, i don't think it's good or fair to conflate capability with responsibility.

just because someone is ostensibly capable of doing something, it doesn't mean they should have to do it. especially not alone.

which brings me to my biggest point: it was never Vivi's responsibility to raise her sisters.

even when they lived in the mortal world, where the twins were relatively safe, it was presumably Eva and Justin who made sure all of their needs were met. it wasn't Vivi's responsibility then, and it isn't when they get to Elfhame, either.

so my question is, do you actually have a problem with the way Vivi specifically treated the twins? or are you frustrated with her lack of protecting them from the way they are treated by Elfhame in general?

because in my mind, that burden is entirely Madoc's to bear. he assumed the responsibility of protecting them when he murdered their parents. he even says so himself in the prologue of TCP:

“'They are the progeny of my wife and, thus, my responsibility. I may be cruel, a monster, and a murderer, but I do not shirk my responsibilities.'"

yet, how are we meant to believe he honoured his duties to them when they lived every day terrified?

we, as a fandom, seem to have many excuses at the ready for Madoc:

"he loved them in his own way"

"he did the best that he could in raising them"

"he didn't treat them any differently, he regarded them as his own, what an amazing complex relationship!"

and while i think these are commendable and true statements, i also think they should be able to coexist with:

"he didn't do enough to protect them, he should've done more"

"because he was obsessed with power, he was also a bit neglectful"

"he had his own interests in mind more than his children"

so if the twins ever felt unsafe or unwanted in Elfhame, we should only have Madoc (and potentially Oriana, whose guilt is by association) to blame.

IV: Heather the Harbinger of Clarity

to me, Vivi glamouring Heather at Taryn's wedding in TWK was the panicked action of a young person who felt guilty for letting something bad happen to someone she loved. much in the same way as the time Vivi whisked Jude and Taryn back to the mortal world for a few days because they missed home, Vivi just wanted to make the problem go away quickly.

and much in the same way as their escape to the mortal world when they were little didn't fix the girls being homesick, glamouring Heather didn't fix anything like Vivi thought it would. it only made everything worse.

so was it a good move to glamour Heather without her permission? no. it was a mistake.

i don't think she realised the gravity of what she was doing, and it showed the audience (as well as Heather) that maybe she wasn't quite ready for a relationship.

i do think Heather is an important piece of all of this, though. because Heather's problems in Elfhame will be the same or similar to Jude and Taryn's problems. the only difference is, Vivi is directly responsible for what happens to Heather, since Vivi is the one who brought her into the world of the fae.

i'm hopeful that their relationship will shed a light on the subject of mortals in Elfhame that Vivi had yet to see. and perhaps someday we will get to see her make amends with Jude and Taryn, too.

TLDR:

Vivi is bound to her vow of hatred for Madoc, and therefore, is isolated by being the only one who truly hates him.

the way she copes with that is by running away to the only place she's ever known love (the mortal world). this makes her appear detached and neglectful in protecting the twins, which rubs people the wrong way.

but that was never Vivi's job. it was Madoc's.

we see Vivi acting like a kid because she is one. and part of being a kid is acting impulsively and selfishly sometimes.

at the end of the day, Vivi is learning how to best care for herself at the same time as she is learning how to love others to the best of her abilities.

i don't fault her for making the mistakes she does. that's part of growing up.

—Em 🖤🗡

more on words & vows in the fae

more theories & analysis

[kim-ruzek]

no when i said losing him i mean their marriage is ending. i like you have faith their marriage is going to go on when even hardcore upsteads think its going to end ���� let me re ask the question 😂

if adam comforts hailey after her and jays marriage ends and they end up sleeping together yk kind like how it happened in s6- he comfort her after jay was shot, they got drinks and slept together- if the same happened this season? what you think? would you think he cheat or betray kim even though they are not together? would you lose respect for adam and stop watching show?

It's not really about me having faith but more logistics but whatever. My opinion on what's gonna happen is more complicated than that but sure let's just say I think they're gonna be honky dory.

Now, I have absolutely no idea where in how I've answered these asks you've gotten the idea that if you were to phrase the original one slightly different I'd be any more inclined to answer it like you aren't a troll. ESPECIALLY when I've already pretty much explained my opinions on this subject matter, including if Hailey and Jay just spilt up.

And the fact is that my original answer, even ignoring the fact that you said lose, answers exactly what I think about this inane theory and the possibility of Adam actually doing this.

So I ask you, what on earth is the bloody point of you re-asking me?

I mean it probably is my fault answering these asks and all and giving you the attention you clearly want, but I'm ill and bored so idaf. But seriously piss off now bc you're ruining my tagging system and that upsets the part of my brain that gets very happy at my organisational tags.

[laadgovernorandsankadevi]

Hi Lg&Sd.. Was wondering what are your thoughts on the first Shyam reveal…? Imo it was done brilliantly with each person revealing different pieces of information…. But at the same time it was soooo irritating bc of Shyam twisting words and Arnav being quiet…. What is your opinion? Thank uuu

Hello hello love,

Ooo I haven't been really asked any serious canon questions, and I kinda feel nervous answering this!

My opinion is similar to yours. I think the revelation was done quite well. The slow build up since its revealed to the viewers that Shyam is the one behind Arnav's kidnapping makes the revelation worth while to a huge extent, and I think that's where a lot of frustration of Arnav being quite stems from.

I think the most important element of the first reveal is that none of the family members including Manorama questioned the accusations thrown at Shyam.

My take is that the family members had been growing wary of Shyam and his excuses since his late arrival on Teej, and when he abandoned Anjali on their wedding anniversary. I think the fact that his disappearance wasn't taken as uncharacteristic, but there reaction was more along the lines of "He left today? He just left on this day, on your anniversary!" says a lot about how the Raizada's perceived Shyam.

Family members were shocked and taken aback by the extent of accusation yet none of them, especially Akash did not think the accusations were based on lies. I did love how NK was there to account and confirm everything Khushi had to say about Shyam, especially since Manorama witnessed Khushi in a similar situation as Arnav did on the terrace, NK's testimony helped cloud her view of how she treated those accusations. Of course, we might think that NK being there for Khushi on every occasion doesn't provide proper leverage and Shyam tries to use that impression as a way to paint NK as a fool, but NK is also one of the few people in Shantivan who doesn't lie to anyone without probable cause.

I think more than NK's words, it was Payal unintentional revelation of how Shyam posed as a bachelor and lived with them that did more for Arnav stay quiet because at this point Arnav heard all the witness testimonies he needed to hear to fully trust Khushi and all of her actions.

I think Arnav being quiet comes from a place of lack of material evidence against Shyam. If he were to add into the statements presented by NK, Payal, and Khushi, it would again go back to he said, she said. Him being quite restores some of the credibility of him being rational in contrast to the impulsive and defensive tone that NK, Payal, and Khushi had in their accusations.

His reason, stating that he's throwing Shyam out for betraying his sister, and hurting his wife holds more weight in the eyes of the family than him offering any verbal testimony. Everyone knows Chotte is overprotective about Di. Everyone sees this because of the way Arnav acts, and reacts about his sister rather than what he says. A lot of what Arnav feels about someway is understood by his family through his actions, rather than his words.

Obviously a combination of that would be more effective in a lot of other situations besides this one. I think our reaction as viewers who are coming off the high of seeing this man get away with so much is of frustration because we want Shyam to be punished. We want to see a pay off for all his atrocious actions but Arnav himself is unaware till after his marriage about the extent of damage Shyam has repeatedly caused. Even in the last of Shyam, no one truly finds out the extent of damage Shyam has caused overall, or has been exposed to the list of atrocities this man has committed.

NK starts his accusations towards Shyam to corroborate Arnav's kidnapping and back up Khushi's words. Payal's accusation is to hold Shyam accountable for the mischaracterization of her sister. and then Khushi starts her accusations off by holding Shyam accountable for Arnav's state. It was not Anjali being cheated on that pushes the bar for Khushi, it's her Arnav ji being harmed that pushes her over the edge.

This is getting very long but to answer your question, I think Arnav remaining quiet while frustrating lets him retain a bit of his credibility in eyes of Akash and Deviyani at least because he points at the emotional damage Shyam caused to the two women in his life rather than the physical damage he faced through his hands. It's not about what's right or wrong because there isn't any evidence for that, but there is evidence for the emotional upheaval his presence is causing within the revelation and that makes his actions justified in my eyes.

I think Shyam was at his best in this scene. We finally saw a glimpse of the infamous lawyer brain to some extent and he was great at bouncing off defensiveness of NK and Khushi. I missed Mama ji in this scene so much because I think he would've been in line with Deviyani rather than Manorama!

I hope my words make some sense. This is just my take on the scene, so please don't hold me to it! This is also the very first ask I've gotten asking me to share my views which I did not expect at all. Thank you so much for a wonderful question! I was very nervous to answer because I am used to india-forum's format for discourse.

- LG&SD