#the... the power of love?! nani?!

[untimelyambition]

veeeery parasocial of me but i love jon matteson hes just a silly little dude

[aroaessidhe]

2023 reads // twitter thread      

The Wicked Remain

2nd half of a duology about girls at a boarding school cursed to play out bad fairytale endings

the girls are recovering from the events of last year and try to investigate how to end the curse

friendship!

[its-a-gold-song]

fav npmd line deliveries

tehe yEAH

don't frighten them pokey you 𝔫𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔶 𝔟𝔬𝔶

what is she sayyingg...what the fUCK IS SHE SAYING

and his name. is Jee-Sus Christ.

oh shit! oh fuck!! i didn't think there'd be a skele'un here!!! I'm so fucking scared of skele'uns!!!

does it Feel like I Lost my Power??

it's a story of luhv......ffAMalehh......pAyushun.....bEEtrAyyall.

and with my luck no one will even B O T H E R making me their bitch...

fuckin' traanscendent

heahs the thing about a bãrbĕqüe

it brings folks together...from awl woaks of laif...there's a storé behand everyh burrghurr...everyh kahbahb...

but jesus never threw a football like yoou, mǍX

W E D O N T G I V E A S H I T A B O U T Y O U R P H O N E

for the first time... *insert a full minute of him flopping the zeke costume off* ...I feel like I belong :)

that ain't good news for youuYA BITCH.

this project is on thermodynamics. what the fûck are you talking about.

you're Killing Me is What you're Doing

naNI?!

any time jon says stÊF-A-nee

:(( had to sell your bowtie to feeed your fuckin' famly??

i love....jeEsus!

and of course:

ma'bAHBakew

[blog-name-idk]

The Plot Twist | 05

Written by @blog-name-idk and @eserethriddle

Summary: Once upon a time you would have jumped at the chance to live the idol girlfriend life. The cameras, the action, the whirlwind romance. But what was once a dream has now become your worst nightmare, and you fully intend to fight the universe as it repeatedly conspires to set you up with your seven perfectly good soulmates from Bangtan Sonyeondan.

In which we punt Y/N into all the fanfiction tropes and you do your feral best to subvert the love story.

Because nani the fuck, you are The Plot Twist.

Pairing: OT7 X Fem!Reader

Genre: Soulmate!AU, crack, humor, idol!AU, light angst, slow burn, romantic comedy, just a fun silly old time

Rating: 18+

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Chapter 5: "It's fine! South Korea has universal healthcare coverage!"

Of three things you are absolutely certain. First, soulmates exist. Second, the universe – and you don't know how potent its power may be – runs on some sort of karmic imbalance. And third, you are unconditionally, and irrevocably, fucked.

It is raining.

In a rare, extremely odd fit of forethought, you actually have an umbrella in your bag. Normally, you would scoff at weather predictions and dare the clouds to do their worst. But today, you found yourself grabbing your umbrella before leaving for your commute, and the skies that have darkened into an ominous, storm-like gray after your work shift do not phase you at all.

Today, your undoing lies in a different kind of disaster preparedness.

Hard water pelts down almost as if it is herding you, and you hurry from the assault of the rippling sky to the awning of a closed coffee shop to grab your umbrella. Expletives spew from your lips as you dig through your messy bag. You're so focused that you barely register someone also taking refuge from the sudden storm – a man wearing a mask and a bucket hat, but is shivering through a wet, black long sleeved t-shirt that's sticking to what looks like a very toned body.

Not that that's the type of thing you typically notice or anything.

"Found you!" you screech excitedly as you pull out your umbrella and brandish it at the sky. The man beside you flinches, like you're about to attack him, and you give him a disdainful look.

"S-sorry," he mutters, the brim of his hat still hiding his eyes. "I thought you meant something else."

Something else? Is he on the run from the mob, or fleeing the national military? The incredibility of either prospect nearly makes you snicker, but whatever, you need to get home before the storm gets –

BOOM!

– worse.

The thunderclap makes both of you jump, and you wince at the realization that the rain is coming down even harder. Unforgiving sheets of water pour down, and you can barely see even a few feet past the awning. Maybe you can get an Uber instead…

You pull out your phone to see no bars. No data, no phone signal, nothing. The guy next to you is shivering even more violently now, and you internally sigh. You can't just ignore him, not when helplessness is wafting off him in tenebrous waves.

"Do you have a ride coming?" you ask reluctantly, wishing you had been raised to be more selfish. Your mother does whatever the hell she wants, why hasn't she taught you the same? Though, to be fair, she probably would have been able to get the rain to stop by glaring. Perhaps someday, in your final form, you'll be just as powerful.

The man wilts and shakes his head, and you’re alarmed when you hear a sniffle. Shit, you are not equipped to handle a crying man. You're not even equipped to handle your own emotions.

"I – I left rehearsal because I had a fight with my hyung," the guy begins to share, morosely wiping his face with a wet hand that only leaves more moisture behind. His voice quivers, and despite your misgivings, the piteous sight of him tugs at your heartstrings. "And now I'm lost. I only have my phone, and it’s useless right now."

You start to feel a little sympathy for someone who's clearly been having a bad day. You're about to offer to share your umbrella to the nearest train station when he finally looks straight at you, meeting your eyes for the first time.

The patch of skin behind your ear suddenly tingles and–

Oh.

Oh.

The rain falls, lightning cracks, and your stomach drops in time with the crash of thunder that follows. Yet you can barely hear it over the sudden pounding of your heartbeat.

"Do you… Could you… If it's not too much trouble, could I walk with you to the train station?" Jeon Jungkook pleads, large doe-eyes gazing brilliantly at you from half of an unmistakable face.

This… is why you felt like bringing an umbrella today? Because of the universe and its cosmic–fucking–intervention?

The man across you fidgets, growing self-conscious as he waits for your answer. For a few long seconds, all you can do is stare numbly at him.

Are you going to have to assume every man you run into these days is one of your soulmates? How is this even possible?

You reach your decision in less than a minute.

Dejectedly, you hold out your umbrella wordlessly to Jungkook, and his face lights up. His smile does something unspeakable to your heart that you refuse to acknowledge. His expression scrunches – cutely, to your dismay – in confusion when you just hand him the umbrella. You shove a few crumpled bills from your back pocket into his free hand, careful not to touch his skin, and he looks completely baffled.

"For the train fare," you manage to choke out, already backing away into the unforgiving rain. It's coming down so hard the pelting drops almost hurt, but this is infinitely preferable to whatever the fuck the alternative is.

"What…? No! You don't have to – I just wanted to share – "

"It's fine!" you call over your shoulder, already twenty meters away and sopping wet in the opposite way to what the universe was probably trying to contrive. "Just get home safe! I'm sure your hyung is worried!"

With that you're off, leaving a very confused and equally charmed idol behind. Jungkook stares after the strange, kind girl, wondering why it feels like you're running away.

Pondering, he scratches the tattoo behind his ear.

He’s just about to run after you, but then his phone buzzes in his pocket, and he opens it in surprise to see a wall of text messages.

How odd. The signal bars are full now.

At the influx of messages from his hyungs, his argument with Jimin at the rehearsal studio floods back into his mind, and Jungkook sniffles again and dials the familiar number.

"What do you want?" answers a grumbling Jimin, filling Jungkook's chest with guilt.

"Hyung, I'm so sorry!" Jungkook cries, blubbering in earnest now, the familiar voice opening the floodgates until his tears almost match the tempest around him.

"Don't call me!" his hyung scolds, clearly still angry. And yet, he picked up the call when he could have just ignored him. Jungkook hears Jimin sigh, the sound static and long. "Fine. Where are you?"

"I don't know," Jungkook whimpers as another crack of lightning cleaves the air. Thunder follows soon after, and he hopes that you're okay, wherever you've gone.

“What do you mean you ‘don’t know’?!” Jimin demands, suddenly all love, all worry. "Tell me where you are and I'll come get you."

Ah… warmth. This is what his team has taught him: brotherhood, love, and family. To be angry, to piss each other off, but in the end be willing to drop everything to help one another.

Something the stranger had done despite having no need to.

"I don't know where I am," Jungkook replies, already feeling a little better. "But I'll take a taxi home. S-someone gave me some money."

"Come safely. I'll wait outside for you."

Before Jungkook can protest, Jimin hangs up. The maknae can't help but smile despite how stressful the day has been. Between his team members and the kindness of the girl from earlier, his chest feels warm and fuzzy, driving away the cold and the gloom of the gray skies and icy rain.

He just wishes he had gotten your name.

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

Fuck.

You wake with a head full of cotton and a nose more clogged than a toilet at an American WacDonald's. Feeling like death, you drag yourself out of bed to the bathroom, force yourself into a scalding hot shower that – for a blessed moment – clears your sinuses. You get ready for work, and by the time you're ready, you at least look put together, though inside you're already wishing you could crawl back under your covers.

Any other time, you might have taken a day off to not inflict your coworkers with your germs, but today is that stupid executive meeting and you can't afford to miss it.

You pop some cold medicine into your mouth, mask up, and get to work early, because despite your utter lack of care when it comes to your personal life, you are a demon in the office.

"[Y/n]!" calls Mijoo, one of your favorite administrative assistants. It's for that reason and that reason alone that you pull your head away from your screen to give her a smile she probably can't see through the cloth of your mask.

"Hey," you greet, clearing your throat and relieved you haven't hit the "uncontrollable cough" stage of your cold yet. "What's going on?"

"Soonyoung is freaking out about something again," she replies quietly, casting her eyes over to the corner office where your Senior Vice-President resides.

You're not sure if he ever actually leaves the building.

You sigh. This is a big project, one that is being presented to the company execs, and you really need everything to go perfectly. It's a good thing you got here early.

"When I finish here, I'll go talk to him," you say reluctantly, making Mijoo shoot you a smile of relief.

After you've confirmed that everything should as expected, you push off your desk, letting your chair roll backwards. Then you slip your feet back into your heels, stand, and give a lazy stretch of your limbs before heading to put out the fire, rolling your shoulders as you do so.

Through the glass surrounding the door, you can see your VP frowning at his computer screen, gray brows knit in some sort of frustration. You knock twice, and he looks up, still frowning. It vanishes as soon as he realizes it's you, and with a grin he beckons you inside.

"[Y/n]! Thank goodness," he said in a relieved voice, already angling his monitor so that you can see. "I can't get VLOOKUP to work!"

You bite the inside of your cheek to keep from saying something you shouldn't, instead ambling over to help the dinosaur who is (hopefully) planning on retiring soon. Why is someone so high up even messing with spreadsheets, anyway? You barely have time to do any hands-on work at this point, and all you manage is your own team.

"It's tricky," you agree fondly, humoring him not because you have to, but because he kind of reminds you of your grandpa. "Here, let me help."

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

Your next meeting also has an unusually high number of execs, and you frown as you recall the vague wording of the invite. You settle in a chair next to your work friend slash rival Jaesung, who looks just as confused as you feel.

"Any idea what this 'very important meeting' is about?" you whisper in his direction, and he shakes his head.

"No clue, but there are rumors that there's something big coming up," he whispers back. The two of you are unable to speculate any further, however, as your CEO appears. What the hell?

By the time the meeting ends, you are torn between laughing and crying hysterically. The execs have announced the planned launch of a top secret flagship product, one that the company is expecting massive returns on due to a collaboration with – because this is your life now – motherfucking BTS.

And then VP Soonyoung stands, looks at you and Jaesung proudly, and says that as two of his best people, you will be spearheading the marketing and sales efforts. He adds, with an elderly jovial laugh, “Both of you will even get the chance to meet them, so go get your autograph plaques ready!”

As if you needed to be disincentivized!

"You’re so lucky!" wails Mijoo as you sit in your cube, where you have been staring woodenly at your computer screen for over five minutes now. She thinks you're in joyful shock, and maybe, it definitely is shock. The electric chair kind.

It's bad enough that you had to spend an entire wonderful excruciating evening with Hoba – Hoseok – and he is now aware of your existence, even if he hasn't realized you're soulmates. But now this?

You mull over filing for your immediate resignation, which only adds to your headache. Eventually, you conclude that your time and compensation package from Samsong are just too good, too unbeatable, and… you’ve grown as a professional here. People respect you, value you for you, and you absolutely love working with your personally curated team.

The problem is the universe keeps testing your limits. Executive meetings? Easy. Flagship product development? Doable with the right people. But passionate, self-consuming cosmic schemes involving the world’s biggest boy band in the guise of soulmateship?

You’d rather get hit by a car.

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

The universe hates me.

That is your last thought as you hear the squeal of tires on pavement and the frantic honks of a car horn before you're suddenly staring up at the sky, pain flaring throughout your entire body.

A man gets out of the black Hyundai Palisade with tinted windows, and you suddenly wish that you had been truly run over with no hope of recovery. Of course it's Kim fucking Namjoon of BTS, and he's looking at you in a mixture of panic and concern that makes your heart flutter despite your best efforts.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" he asks, to which part of your brain thinks, What a fucking idiot of course I'm not. The other half stupidly admires the broad set of his shoulders, the strange mixture of grace and clumsiness as he stumbles over to your battered body.

Wait.

You return to your senses, and begin to push yourself back up to your feet.

"Yep, totally fine!" you insist through gritted teeth, ignoring the way one of your legs is twisted awkwardly, and the flare of agony that permeates your body when you're able to bring yourself upright. "It was my fault anyway!"

It wasn't, but you're not going to stick around to let this play out.

You begin to limp away as fast as your contorted ankle allows, ignoring the flabbergasted expression on Namjoon's handsome face.

"I – can I at least pay for your medical bills?" he asks as he takes a tentative step after you. You hobble faster despite the burning pain in your legs.

"It's fine!" you call behind you, getting a regrettable glimpse of his beautiful, worried eyes. "South Korea has universal healthcare coverage!"

Unfortunately, you can only wobble so fast until the physically fit, able-bodied man catches up to you. By this point, your vision is fuzzing with strange dotted lights and your body doesn't feel quite real anymore. Namjoon's hand touches your shoulder, and you turn around to tell him off. Instead, you feel your legs buckle and strong arms catch you before everything goes black.

 ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

"You keep appearing in unexpected places, and often." Jimin swallows, his heart beginning to race. "Your skin is always covered up. You don't eat or drink anything when I'm around."

He takes a deep breath, knowing you're just a step behind him.

"How old are you?"

You hesitate – just barely – before you reply.

"Twenty-five."

"... How long have you been twenty-five?"

"A few months."

A few months. A few months since he's moved into your apartment complex. A few months since the strange not-quite-ennui and melancholy has begun plaguing him. A few months since you have turned of age to manifest your soulmate connection.

"I know what you are."

He feels your body tense behind him, and a thrill runs down his spine. When you speak, he can feel your breath on his neck.

"Say it."

“Soulma–”

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

Kim Namjoon looks anxiously at the nurse checking your vitals as you lay prone on the hospital bed, wishing he could do more to help.

"I think – I think she might have hit her head," he offers, for the tenth time, thinking about the way you had tried to run away on what the nurse is reasonably certain is a badly sprained ankle. The nurse gives him a tight smile, because one does not simply roll their eyes at the leader of Bangtan Sonyeondan, no matter how many times he's said the same thing.

"We'll check for it," the nurse promises, soothing the tall man. For the time being.

Namjoon chews on his lip as he gazes at you, wondering what your story is, what kind of past would drive you to such strange lengths.

For some reason, he itches to hold your hand, but that would be completely inappropriate from a total stranger. Especially when it could cause dating rumors if anyone gets a glimpse or a picture. His manager is already going to kill him for chasing down an injured girl in broad daylight.

His eyes keep getting drawn back to your face, peaceful in sleep and – dare he say it – quite pretty. Very pretty. Beautiful, even. And you had felt so soft and nice in his arms, warm and –

"Sir, please stay seated while I finish here," comes the nurse's tired voice, and Namjoon realizes he's gotten up and has an arm outstretched to stroke your cheek.

"Uh, sorry," he stutters, face burning as he sits back down. What the hell is wrong with him? Why does he feel drawn to this very strange, very lovely girl?

A soft groan tears Namjoon out of his spiraling thoughts, and his gaze shoots to your form as your eyelids flutter open.

"Wha – " you ask blearily, waking up from the weirdest parody dream of the world’s best vampire movie ever. Shifting in your bed, pain contorts your face and you let out a hiss. "Ow!"

Namjoon rushes over, and your mouth drops open when you realize who he is. Before you can react, he's holding your hand in his, and he staggers as something in the universe fundamentally shifts. By your gasp, you're experiencing a similar sensation, and you yank your hand out of his grip before he can get his bearings.

"Your leg seems severely strained," the nurse explains, blissfully unaware of the way the world is tumbling around the both of you. "We'll need to do x-rays to make sure it’s not broken."

"I'll… get a wheelchair…" Namjoon says, in a daze, desperate to be of help even as his mind races to understand what is going on. He stumbles outside of the room, desperately hoping that a moment alone will help him get his thoughts in order and help him find the right questions to ask.

Apparently these are questions he won't receive answers to any time soon, because by the time he's back, the room is empty. The nurse follows after him, and looks around in confusion.

"Where'd she go?" the nurse asks, and Namjoon wishes he knew the answer. Who are you? Why are you so hellbent on getting away from him?

And why does holding your hand feel like home?

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

That was too close. Too fucking close.

You pull yourself onto the bus by the railing, ignoring the driver's confused, concerned expression as he takes in your hospital gown and the way you're wincing in pain. You swipe your card, only vaguely aware that everyone behind you can see your rump through the poorly tied flaps of the gown.

It's fine. Your dignity is unimportant compared to the bulletproof boy scout you just dodged.

You drag yourself to a handicapped seat – if there's ever a time you can confidently sit in one, it's now – and fall into it, finding an angle for your leg that gives some sort of relief.

Despite the pain, it's the warm feeling in your hand you can't stop thinking about.

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

Kim Namjoon is at a loss.

Despite searching the entire hospital, the mysterious girl was nowhere to be found, vanishing from the premises as if she were never there. Still, out of personal guilt and liability, Namjoon lingered, offering to settle the missing girl’s hospital expenses, but the charge nurse expertly dismissed his generosity once it became apparent that he did not know you at all. He couldn’t even give them your name, or any proof of relation, and the rest of the staff quickly became tight-lipped around him.

Even Kim Namjoon, the illustrious 148 IQ leader of BTS, can’t argue against health privacy laws.

Since leaving his phone number with the charge nurse – his final, desperate effort – Namjoon has been staring at his phone, waiting for any news about you… news that simply never comes.

That same evening, he walks into the band’s shared dormitory with aplomb.

Single-minded, he heads straight for the living room and picks up the remote control off of the coffee table.

The flatscreen TV goes dark, and Kim Taehyung complains, “Hyung, no! What gives!”

Jungkook cries in offense, shooting up from the sofa, “My vampire baseball scene!”

Namjoon deigns them both with a long-suffering look. “We need to talk, so call the team.”

His assertive voice, usually reserved for critical matters and scolding, makes Taehyung and Jungkook abandon their emotional support movie in favor of gathering the rest of the group.

One by one, the boys pile into the living room from separate parts of the apartment at Namjoon’s behest. Most of them are sporting rumpled clothes and bedheads, save for Jimin, who looked ready to leave for his own place.

Namjoon announces, “There’s something I want to discuss. A… possibility.” He clears his throat. “A girl.”

"That's what you interrupted our movie for?" Taehyung asks, indignant. "A crush?"

Hoseok lets out an immediate sigh of relief. “Is that it?” And then he pauses, scratching at his nape, “Well, me too, I guess.”

Jimin’s eyes brighten. “No way, hyungs! Me too!”

When Jin, Jungkook, and Taehyung concede that they've also had a run-in with a very memorable girl recently, a new suspicion blooms in the back of Namjoon's mind.

Could they be talking about the same girl?

Though unlikely, he decides to ask, “Did any of you manage to get her name?”

Jin nods, seriously. “G0d$l@yeR_69.”

Namjoon shoots him another long-suffering look.

Hoseok stays silent, if only because his memories of you are one of the few non-idol centered things he still holds onto. Besides, his girl can’t possibly be their girl, too. The odds of that happening would be astronomical.

It's not so wrong to want to keep one aspect of his life to himself… right?

“Sorry, I… I didn’t get her name,” Jimin lies, for the same reason Hoseok keeps quiet. Besides, even if Jin is interested in you, Jimin's your neighbor! He should get first dibs! He's not going to give up your name so his handsome, charismatic hyung can find you and woo you before Jimin even has a chance to try.

"What's this important meeting about?" asks Min Yoongi, walking into the room with a mug of coffee in hand.

"A girl," Jungkook replies, somewhat dreamily, remembering the guardian angel that saved him that rainy day. Yoongi rolls his eyes and immediately turns around to leave despite Namjoon's protests. He has more important things to do than sit around gossiping, especially since he has a meeting with Samsong tomorrow about their new collaboration.

There's a hubbub behind him, a thump, and a curse from the ungainly leader as Namjoon's prized George Nakashima coffee table claims yet another victim. Yoongi's toe throbs, and he sighs.

"There's a first-aid kit in my room." He calls over his shoulder as he goes. "Knock yourselves out."

Far away, in a clinic near your apartment where your ankle is being put into a brace, you sneeze.

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

Masterlist | Next

[hanafubukki]

“I’ll remember you though. I remember everyone that leaves”

Not only does Malleus have similarities with Stitch but also Lilo.

With Stitch, as Lilia pointed out, Stitch is cute and strong and people misunderstands him. They see Stitch and judge him right away for an abomination. They don’t want to get to know him. He’s reminded of Malleus and thinks they’ll get along.

Not only that, Lilia’s beach ssr is the card we learn why Lilia loves cooking. Why he learns to cook. How he learns to slow down and enjoy food with others because of Malleus. His family.

Then you get Lilo. She lost both her parents and was raised by her sister. People misunderstood her. She thought she was the cause of her parents death/played a role.

The parallels with Malleus are there. Malleus lost both his parents. He’s raised by Lilia, who was limited in what he could do just like Lilo’s sister, Nani, because she had to juggle work and Lilo. (Lilia has to sneak in/summoned, helps forge the treaty, helps Malleus get dressed, sing him to sleep, taught him, etc).

But now? There’s also the guilt.

Lilo believes it’s her fault that her parents died because she didn’t feed Pudge that day. She appeases Pudge by feeding him so it won’t happen again. So there won’t be anymore accidents.

And you know who else has this guilt! Who hasn’t accepted what his hatching means to Lilia? Malleus Draconia.

He sees how his birth brings happiness to Lilia and he rejects it. He instead offers Lilia a happy dream. With his parents alive. With Silver. Anyone but him.

He has this guilt. He knows the truth. He believe he’s the reason for it just like Lilo believes. He doesn’t want Lilia to die especially now that he knows that he’s the reason why. He doubles down on trying to give him a happy dream without suffering.

Because Lilia is part of his family and, “You don’t let family die. You don’t ever.”

That is exactly what Malleus is doing right now. He’s not going let him or anyone he loves die. He, like Lilo with Pudge, doesn’t want anyone to go through that loss.

As Malleus said, “all I ever do is lose one thing after another. Everyone eventually gets up from the table and leaves me behind in the end.” And just like Lilo, he’ll remember them. He remembers each one that leaves.

Ohana means family, family means no one gets left behind or forgotten, but in Malleus’s case how much of that is true?

He’ll never forget his family. He’ll always love them even after they are long gone. They are always in his thoughts. But he, for all his powers and status, he’s always the one left behind and forgotten, isn’t he?

All he’s trying to do right now though, is make sure no one feels the same pain he does. Like Lilo with Pudge.

***in case it’s not known, the “underlined” sections are hyperlinks. Please click on them for more painful context😘 🫶***

[kyriefae]

Be it a hot-take or not, Demons of the Punjab, belongs in the Top 5 all time best stories in Doctor Who.

Instead of being about silly sci-fi monsters or the checkered inner-workings of the Doctor (two things I deeply enjoy btw), we spend the length of a very cinematic and beautiful episode witnessing a tragedy on a deeply human scale. Tragedy and hope intertwined; how else could one possibly cope...

Love to all the episodes everyone would likely place into contention to hypothetically keep this story at a lower rank...but I'm going to make space at the table for the spirit of 13's era.

The monsters of the week being humble servitors of the dead is such a sweet plot twist that deepens the extent of the narrative. The Doctor is powerful but she can't stop this event; or events like this. The tension that comes to a head in this episode represents a struggle far greater than any one battle or war. No sonic warbling can stop the tide of human pride; of our systems built to create 'order' that leave ruin and heartbreak.

Attempting to put it to words, even in summation, highlights the gravity of the subject matter this episode invokes. Instead of navigating those waters by diving in as I am inclined to do, the cast and crew highlight a beautiful and vibrant world for us to see and by story's end we watch that world be torn apart by an ultimatum unseen. A hatred that festers in people's hearts through fear of uncertainty and the corrosion that imperialism left in its wake.

But we witness love. However fleeting it may have been. We witnessed it and by seeing it, we're given the hope we so desperately need.

Death comes for us all but before it does we can make that choice to open our hearts to others. They may not be receptive to it...they may even fight us on it.

Even if our circumstances fail to afford us any other opportunity, love will always be a choice.

Yasmin succeeded at meeting her grandmother when she was young and learned why the story Nani Umbreen refused to tell her was being kept secret all these years. She witnessed the pain of that moment in a way words would never quite illustrate. Even the events Umbreen knew were not the complete story; even that which Yaz was able to see.

The Doctor couldn't stop those events from happening but helped to guide a path forward through the darkness in a way only she could.

Stories like this remind me of how powerful the medium of Doctor Who is...and how flexible it will always be.

It's not all mops of curly hair, long scarves, and Allons-y! Occasionally it's a clever way of reminding ourselves of the pain we cause, the pain we keep, the love we had, and the love we still have to give.

[wen-kexing-apologist]

Random BL Superlatives: 2023

Well @lurkingshan did it, so I must do it. So here are some random, WKA themed superlatives for the 2023 BL selection.

Best Hands: Mhok and Day, Last Twilight

gif by @singularities

Listen. I know. I KNOW. There are so many incredible options, and I have written at length about a number of them. I mean come on, La Pluie is right there, I Feel You Linger in the Air is right there, Sing My Crush, Moonlight Chicken etc. etc. etc. But

But, Last Twilight came in with the steel chair right at the end of the year here with that FUCKING HANDSING SCENE. Can you blame me? The handsing scene is shrimply too powerful.

Best Lighting: Playboyy

You know, it's funny cause I don't usually end up writing about lighting in shows, despite the fact that lighting design is absolutely one of my favorite things in film, stage, and television. Chains of Heart has really interesting lighting too, but Playboyy is an objectively better show, and it is doing some absolutely gorgeous lighting design.

Best Sex Scene: Olive Oil, I Feel You Linger in the Air

gif by @pharawee

THE OLIVE OIL SCENE, WHY ARE THERE NO GIFSETS OF THE OLIVE OIL SCENE? WHY IS TUMBLR SUCH A FUCKING HATER???? They didn't even fuck in that scene, but holy mother of GOD it was the best thing I've seen all year. I Feel You Linger in the Air has some of the most inventive and beautiful intimate moments, and spreading the olive oil as a stand in for arousal and masturbation was absolutely goddamn brilliant.

Best Faen (Non)Fatale: Porjai, Last Twilight

gif from @khaopybara

I know Last Twilight hasn't finished yet and will take us in to 2024, but Porjai and Mohk's relationship is absolutely my favorite lovers to friends dynamic I have seen this year. I was showering praise upon them all for this in the tags of a reblog today, so I have to give it to them. Massive shout out and extremely close call to Nara from La Pluie.

Best Emotional Roller Coaster: What Did You Eat Yesterday? Season 2

Ok there were quite a lot of shows that I think would have applied here, but man oh man this entire season has just run me through the wringer with how much Shiro has grown over the course of the last two seasons. Episode 11 had me laughing my ass off, and then absolutely sobbing by the end. So it's going to Kinou Nani Tabeta?

The Shirt I Want to Steal Most from Wardrobe: Blue and White Button Up, The Sign

gif from @ohshinytrinketsmine

I know this will be contentious when the Fart Proudly shirt is right there, but I really loved the blue and white button up shirt that Phaya wore I do not know what is in the water at IdolFactory, but they have hands down some of the best shirts I have ever seen. When I watched Secret Crush on You I wanted the entirety of Sky's wardrobe, now I am having shirt envy for this sexy little blue-with-white-lines-that-are-vaguely-rabbit-shaped (wka do not write a post about rabbits, do not write a post about rabbits-) button up.

The Character Who Most Changed my Opinion of Them: Phupa, OS2 x BBS x ATOTS

gif by @alexshenry (double PhupaPat whammy for @waitmyturtles)

Okay, so to tell you the truth, I made new superlatives cause if I took the superlatives from @lurkingshan's post it would have been at least half the same if not more (because as always, Shan is right about everything). But, I will put an overlap here because I absolutely could not let this year go by without applauding Aof, Earth, and Phupa for really putting in the work to help me understand this man better.

The Show That Most Surprised Me: Wedding Plan by MAME

gif by @wanderlust-in-my-soul

Okay not only was this show that I absolutely was not planning to watch or initially interested in actually one of the best of the year, but it was also a MAME show. And a lot of us have our critiques of MAME's writing, but this was so outside of her typical MO that I am shocked it came from the same writer. Love Sailom, love a Lavender Wedding, love Nuea, love it all.

The Trope This Year That Most Accounted for the Fact These Are Gay MEN: Boxing! Sing My Crush, Wedding Plan, The Sign

Sing My Crush did this the absolute best, but I really genuinely loved that multiple shows this year let men fight in controlled settings to get out some of their frustration and to process their feelings. Han Ba Ram crying in the gym? One of my favorite scenes of the entire year.

And yeah sure, Phaya and Tharn are fighting for the intricate rituals that allow men to touch the skin of men, we get the horny vibes, but fundamentally this fight does occur because Tharn is angsty and ignoring Phaya and that cannot stand. I like seeing Phaya sparring with the punching bag at the end of the most recent episode as well because he's fucking furious about Tharn telling the doctor about his dreams. I love it, I love it so much.

[matenr0u]

Riku: “Taisetsu na hito - Cherished person”

Throughout the series we’ve seen an escalation of Riku’s enduring journey to find the “strength to protect what matters”. It appears to peak in KHIII with “strength to protect someone precious”, but I’m gonna propose that they could some day take it a step further than that. 

I am once again slamming my tiny fistful of evidence and wish fulfilment on the KH meta table.

So as we know this line first appears in BBS when Baby Riku meets Terra and says he wants to protect his “daiji na mono”:

強くなりたいんだ

I want to become strong.

(…)

���うして強くなりたい?

Why do you want to be strong?

大事なものを守れるでしょ

So that I can protect important stuff

友達や みんなを

Like my friend, everyone…

He repeats this in DDD as he fights to save Sora, recalling twice the secret promise he made that day:

大事なものを守れる力

Power to protect important stuff

Finally this culminates in Riku’s KHIII sacrifice, following up from Mickey suggesting that he’s found the strength to protect someone he cherishes.

大切な人を守る強さか—

Strength to protect someone precious—

Which is cool. But there’s room for more, if Squisney decide it won’t hurt their profits to go down that path. Or even if they just feel like addressing at any point the absolute non reaction everyone had to being obliterated on the spot and then Riku dying for Sora. With that in mind, I began to wonder if we’ll see just one more callback later down the line. 

I think there are two possible options. First:

一番大切な人

Ichiban taisetsu na hito / Most precious person

In CoM for example Namine urged Sora to remember his “ichiban taisetsu na hito” — number one most precious person. This one has more of an obvious romantic air I feel. I choose to think Namine was talking about Kairi when she said that but I respect that other SR fans think it’s Riku so I’m including it. If we’re going to hear this one again and in reference to Sora & Riku, we’ll surely get it around the time the necklace theory is inevitably revealed. Either way, it’s already been used in the series, so it’s not a crazy implausible love declaration or anything. It can happen.

I mean, in DDD Riku all but says it when Ven asks:

“Kimi ni totte ichiban taisetsu na mono tte nani?”

“What’s the number one most important thing to you?”

And of course Riku replies:

“Taisetsu na shinyuu”

“My precious best friend”

As far as I’ve noticed, Riku only calls Sora his shinyuu. It’s cute.

Another possible route they could take is:

愛するもの

Aisuru mono / Beloved person

Which sounds far fetched at a glance, but it is what Terra says to Riku during the bequeathing, in response to Riku’s “daiji na mono”.

いずれ選ばれし者として この小さな世界を出て——

Some day, you will leave this tiny world as the chosen one—

俺のもとへたどり着くだろう

You will find me.

その時こそ――

That’s the time—

本当の広い世界——

The real wide world—

愛する者を守る力を教えよう

Will teach you the power to protect the people you love.

“Love” being such a diluted word in EN means it doesn’t convey the gravity of it well at all, but “aisuru mono” is one of the strongest ways you can say you love someone in JP. It can be singular or plural, platonic or romantic, and I’ve seen KH’s fandom war cousins cloti/clerith argue over the use of this term— so it highkey wouldn’t surprise me to see this one used by Riku or someone else in reference to his feelings for Sora. Like, in a ��vague enough to not offend the unwashed dudebros but can also be read as incredibly romantic’ kind of way.

(By the way, I’ve seen “aisuru mono” or “aisuru hito” translated as “dearly beloved” in some places before, too. So naturally I’m gunning hard for this one. Shoot that probably unintentional symbolic double meaning shit straight into my veins.)

For the reasons above, I personally can envision a realistic pipeline of:

Daiji na mono / Important stuff ->

Taisetsu na mono / Precious thing ->

Taisetsu na shinyuu / Precious best friend ->

Taisetsu na hito / Precious person ->

Aisuru mono, Aisuru hito / Beloved person

or

Ichiban taisetsu na hito / Most precious person

Not to say it will happen in any capacity, but there’s space for it. A ton of weird stuff happened around That Moment, and even if that’s just down to KHIII bunk….. the whole ass Fairy Godmother herself has come to set Riku on a solo mission to make his dreams come true.

The setup is right there if they ever want to take that opportunity to clarify the depth and nature of Riku’s feelings for Sora specifically. 

Riku already promised Terra he’d find the strength to protect someone he loves, which he has now found, and in the case of ‘Aisuru’, I think it would round off that callback to the bequeathing perfectly.

[thebramblewood]

thebramblewood's Legacy Universe: A Primer

I've never really been one for following specific legacy challenges, but I do get incredibly attached to families and love seeing genetics play out, so generational gameplay has always been my thing. Recently, I've been very distracted by Helena Zhao Is Dead, which means my long-running family of nine generations (!) has been on indefinite hiatus for most of this blog's life.

I discovered their save got accidentally deleted, which is probably for the best, considering it was the same damn save I started back in 2018. Luckily, I had the current generation in my library, and I missed them, so I decided to bring Naomi and Micah back for Life & Death. I thought it might be helpful to summarize past events for those who might be interested in their family's background. Don't worry, we're not going all the way back! I love my earlier generations, but I didn't start getting into a more story-based approach until pretty far in. So here are the relevant details from generation five on (and I really did try to be brief, I promise).

GENERATION FIVE

This generation's heir was Gaby Martinez-Jang. After saving Strangerville from the Mother Plant with her ragtag investigative team, she moved to Sulani with the hunky conspiracy theorist she met along the way, Alvin. The impetus for this journey was Alvin being adopted and deciding he wanted to learn more about his birth family. In Sulani, he not only met his biological sister, Kaimana, but also discovered and embraced his mermadic ancestry! Meanwhile, Gaby became a conservationist and even won a Starlight Accolade for her documentary film on Mua Pel'am!

GENERATION SIX

Gaby and Alvin's one child, Noelani 'Aukai, became the new heir. After struggling to figure out their identity as a teen, Noelani's love for music led them to pursue DJing and producing. They started off doing pop-up performances in Sulani that gained traction on social media and led to a record deal. Meanwhile, they were falling in love with their childhood BFF, Nani Kealoha. Eventually, the two of them moved to San Myshuno, where Nani pursued her political dreams and Noelani was thrust into stardom.

This is where it becomes really important to pay attention. Noelani's other best friend was Malia Kahananui. The result of MCCC shenanigans, she became the granddaughter of Mele and Alika Kahananui because I thought they were too old for a surprise baby, lol. She was left with her grandparents by her reckless and impulsive mother, who was always going off on grand adventures and eventually just never returned. A yoga enthusiast and masseuse, Malia discovered her talent for communing with the island spirits when she was visited by her recently deceased grandparents, who encouraged her to nurture the gift they never got the chance to tell her about.

The spirits were always cryptic, but during one visit she received a more specific warning: "One day, there will be a cataclysmic threat to the realm where all spirits go. Humans occupy this realm, too, humans with supernatural talents who coexist with us in exchange for the protection they offer. A human of modest background and raw power is the only one capable of defeating this threat. They will sacrifice greatly to save our realm from extermination." She promptly filed that information away for a decade or two.

GENERATION SEVEN

This generation's heir was Noelani and Nani's son and robotics enthusiast, Sione 'Aukai. Unfortunately for him, he was almost immediately overshadowed by his eventual spouse, Malia's daughter, Cassie. Oh, Cassie... Possibly my favorite Sim of all time. As kids, they had a long distance friendship, bonding over their love of magic and fantasy. When Cassie started having dreams of a world beyond her own, her mother remembered the warning from the spirits and, fearing the worst, tried to deter her interest, which only made Cassie more stubbornly determined to seek out magic. Malia thought her daughter's rebellious streak might be fixed by a change of scenery, so she moved in with Sione's family in San Myshuno.

Unfortunately, Sione decided he was "too cool" for their shared childhood interests and rejected Cassie's long-time crush. Even so, they agreed to share a house for uni, where he studied Robotics at Foxbury and she studied Art at UBrite. Cassie soon decided college wasn't for her, but she used her connections in the Secret Society to make her way to the Magic Realm, where she met L. Faba and finally began her magical training. A few years later, she and Sione met up again in the city, finally worked it out, and got married. (Can you tell I'm a big fan of the childhood friends to romantic partners pipeline?)

GENERATION EIGHT

Sione and Cassie have twin girls. Rowan 'Aukai is the heir of generation eight. Rowan and her sister, Sabrina, are just beginning their own magical educations when tragedy strikes. A rogue spellcaster, having acquired forbidden magic, storms the Magic Realm and kills the three Sages. As word spreads, Cassie is one of the first spellcasters to arrive. She defeats the rogue spellcaster but dies of magical overload. Overcome by grief, Sione forbids the girls from continuing their training. Rowan misses magic and her mom every day, though everyone else seems to be moving on. She starts having visions of her mom trying to communicate something important. After clashing with her dad, she runs away from home, determined to teach herself the magic she needs to bring Cassie back to life.

Rowan ends up in Evergreen Harbor, where being a homeless teen in a smog-infested city isn't conducive to developing her magical prowess. She temporarily loses her abilities but is introduced to a couple who takes in wayward teens. After a dream visit from her mom, her magic returns. She and her friend, Alejandro, research all things paranormal and find themselves in a haunted house, where she receives advice from Claude René Duplantier Guidry. Eventually, she returns to the Realm, which is shockingly still intact, and where she finally learns what she needs to do. She casts dedeathify at her mom's grave, and her family is finally reunited.

GENERATION NINE

Whew, we're finally almost finished. Generation nine is ongoing, and its heir, August Uchiyama, only just became a teen the last time we saw him (and will probably look a bit different when we see him again because I have to remake his teen version 😭). After bringing her mom back, Rowan started dating one of her friends from Evergreen Harbor, Raveena Uchiyama. They eventually got married, settled into a hippie lifestyle on a big Henford-on-Bagley farm, and had five kids. August is the middle child and only boy. He's had a rather idyllic childhood full of farm animal friends, oversized crops, and adventures with Uncle Alejandro and Grandma Cassie. He has a lot coming up for him that remains top secret. 🤐

Back to Naomi and Micah, they're August's older twin sisters. (They also have younger twin sisters, Tess and Sadie.) Since August is the heir, they've existed mostly in the background so far. But Naomi proved herself to be a cigarette-smoking rebel who frequently snuck out at night and cut class to hang out with her delinquent friends, and Micah was a reserved, rather moody teen who enjoyed painting and journaling but eventually branched out and joined the cheer team. In The Mourningvale Files, they're meant to be in their late 20s and still struggling to find their footing as adults. I'm excited to develop their characters more before I eventually (hopefully) make my way backwards to fill in the rest of August's story. This may be the final generation for how fucking long it's going to take me to finish. 😅

And that's what you missed on thebramblewood.tumblr.com!

[koizumicchi]

HALLOWEEN KISS (LIP×LIP) English Translation

HALLOWEEN KISS LIP×LIP  (Aizou & Yuujirou)

Lyrics: ドゥー,shito Composer: ドゥー Arrangement: HoneyWorks

MV here.

-----

T/N: Keep in mind that Japanese and English aren’t my first language. I never claim my translation (attempts) to be error-free. As always, if you’re going to use or reference my translations, please do not claim it as your own and credit me.

-----

Ah やっと会えるね もう我慢できないね

Ah yatto aeru ne Mō gaman dekinai ne

Ah, we finally meet I cannot control myself any longer

0時この世に戻る 君をもらいにお邪魔する

Rei-ji kono you ni modoru Kimi o morai ni ojamasuru

I will return to this world when the clock strikes twelve I shall come and get you then

Ah おめかしをして 乾く喉我慢して

Ah omekashi o shite Kawaku nodo gaman shite

Ah, dressing myself to the occasion Enduring the thirst I feel

0時ドアノックする 君の血で乾杯をしよう

Rei-ji doa nokku suru Kimi no chi de kanpai o shiyou

I will knock on your door at midnight And I will make a toast with your blood

ねぇ逃げないで 怖がらないで 君の叫びで 心が躍る

Ne nigenai de Kowagaranai de Kimi no sakebi de Kokoro ga odoru

Hey, don’t run away Don’t be afraid Your cries make My heart dance in excitement

HALLOWEEN KISS LIPS 悪魔との KISS LIPS 契約を約束しよう 極上の快楽

HALLOWEEN KISS LIPS akuma to no KISS LIPS keiyaku o yakusoku shiyou Gokujō no kairaku

HALLOWEEN KISS LIPS, let us make a KISS LIPS contract with a demon, and make a vow It is the finest pleasure

KISS EYES 狂おしい KISS EYES 契約を 今宵結ばれる 聖なる HALLOWEEN NIGHT

KISS EYES kuruoshī KISS EYES keiyaku o Koyoi musubareru Seinaru HALLOWEEN NIGHT

KISS EYES crazily KISS EYES the contract will Bind us tonight On this sacred HALLOWEEN NIGHT

Ah.

もっと味わってたい 何者にも敵わな

Motto ajiwattetai Nani mono ni mo kanawa na

I want to taste it more Nothing is beyond my power

君というご馳走を 奪われるわけにはいかない

Kimi to iu gochisō o Ubawareru wake ni wa ikanai

I cannot let anyone take away The sweet treat that is you

君はもう僕のものだからね 他のやつになんかあげないよ 

Kimi wa mō boku no mono dakara ne Hoka no yatsu ni nanka agenai yo

You already belong to me, understand? I won’t hand you over to anyone else

俺のものになったんだ 絶対離さないからな

Ore no mono ni nattan da Zettai hanasanai kara na

You have already become mine I will never let you go

おいで Oide Come here

HALLOWEEN KISS EARS 甘い声 KISS EARS ささやいて 約束しよう 永遠の束縛

HALLOWEEN KISS EARS amai koe KISS EARS sasayaite Yakusoku shiyou Eien no sokubaku

HALLOWEEN KISS EARS, a voice so sweet KISS EARS, whispering Let us vow to each other An eternal tie

KISS EARS 愛おしい KISS EARS 喰らいつく 恋する怪物 聖なるHALLOWEEN NIGHT

KISS EARS itooshii KISS EARS kurai tsuku Koisuru kaibutsu Seinaru HALLOWEEN night

KISS EARS, adorably KISS EARS, I sink my teeth I am a monster in love In a sacred HALLOWEEN NIGHT

HALLOWEEN KISS LIPS 悪魔との KISS LIPS 契約を約束しよう 極上の快楽

HALLOWEEN KISS LIPS akuma to no KISS LIPS keiyaku o yakusoku shiyou Gokujō no kairaku

HALLOWEEN KISS LIPS, let us make a KISS LIPS contract with a demon, and make a vow It is the finest pleasure

Ah

HALLOWEEN KISS EARS 甘い声 KISS EARS ささやいて 約束しよう 永遠の束縛

HALLOWEEN KISS EARS amai koe KISS EARS sasayaite Yakusoku shiyou Eien no sokubaku

HALLOWEEN KISS EARS, a voice so sweet KISS EARS, whispering Let us vow to each other An eternal tie

KISS EARS 愛おしい KISS EARS 喰らいつく 恋する怪物

KISS EARS itooshii KISS EARS kurai tsuku Koisuru kaibutsu 

KISS EARS, adorably KISS EARS I sink my teeth I am a monster in love

僕と 俺と 聖なる HALLOWEEN NIGHT

Boku to Ore to Seinaru HALLOWEEN night

Together with me With me It is a sacred HALLOWEEN NIGHT

[transmasculineswag]

Transmasc Swag Polls- ROUND 1

Propaganda and other info under the cut.

CANONICITY LEVELS-

DANIEL: Subtext/ Coded RICHIE: Gender Tomfuckery

MEDIA?

The Mistholme Museum of Mystery Morbidity and Mortality, Nerdy Prudes Must Die

DANIEL PROPAGANDA- If you misgender him he will turn you into a chair. He's a chair and an exhibit at the Mistholme Museum of Mystery Morbidity and Mortality. You need to say good morning and goodnight to him or he will get upset and start destroying your day. If you sit on him and don't compliment him he will do the same. Misgender him and destroying your house or making everything taste bad will be nothing, he turn you into a chair. Ultimate trans moment is turning the person who misgendered him into a chair. we all need a local transgender chair to turn people who misgender us into chairs RICHIE PROPAGANDA-

He wears three layers on the top, then he wears shorts. He corrects people about his name. What is he doing with his hair.

He is possibly the lamest little guy I ever did see and I love him so much. Weeb, nerd, fully screamed nani in canon and naruto ran to a haunted house. Autism speech patterns, socially awkward, I see myself in him. His cool power is dying at the beginning of the musical and then making the audience forget until the moment happens.

[perfectprofessorloverapricot]

AMATERASU | Jujutsu kaisen

Prologue

Summary: This is the story of the sun and moon's child. A, not at all, normal kid that found himself participating in the world of sorcery and under the guidance of the strongest sorcerer. Sort of.

Character: Male OC

Warnings: Mentions of death.

A/n: I ask you to take into account that I lack experience writing in English and there'll be some grammatical mistakes because my native language is Spanish.

Masterlist - Next chap

They called him "The sun and moon's love child"

Amaterasu, goddess of sun, and tsukuyomi, god of the Moon.

Born from non-sorcerers parents and during a total eclipse, the town where he was born easily noticed the new addition in the small place. But what made the news spread like wild fire was the baby's appearance.

Born from a brown haired mother and a black haired father, the child appeared with red flaming hair. And the moment he opened his eyes everyones breathe hitched. Gray almost white eyes like milk with a crescent withe moon 🌙 underneath the pupil almost surrounding it. Eyes that seemed to glow even in darkness.

The birth of the child brought great expectations. And the most religious people ironically considered him as the chosen one. The reincarnation of their God. The one they have been expecting for years.

The child became the messiah of the town. The family became rich from all the people coming to seek guidance even from a baby or just the opportunity to see him. And the jujutsu world took notice of the event.

The elders of the jujutsu world kept an eye on the baby for the first two years but lost interest when they realized that the kid was not especial in any way. The people where the only ones that belived so.

At first everyone in the town was delighted with the child. He brought prosperity to the town, wealth and recognition. But not everyone agreed with the idea. Those who didn't like a child basically having everyone trapped around his little finger stared spreading rumors. False rumors of the devil hiding in sheep's clothes.

Little by little, people believed those rumors to be true and the town divided in two. Those who believed in the messiah and those who thought him the to be the devil.

Everything got worse when in one of his walks with his 'servant', the child of 8 years stoped with his veré hands a fast rolling cart from hitting a younger girl in the middle of the road.

Every possibility left of the kid being normal was thrown out the window and the people believing him to be the devil were enraged.

They decided to act before the child could gain any more strength.

In a normal night were the people of the town slept peacefully, the 8 year old child laid wide awake on his futon. He had a bad feeling. Like something was about to happen.

His hunch was proven right the moment his 'servant' (someone he considered a Nani and a better parental figure than either of his parents) came barging in his room with urgency only to halt on the doorway by a katana piercing through her chest from behind.

Moon eyes open wide in horror watched everything and every ditail posible. From the fear in her eyes to the katana moving in slow motion towards him ready to cut his own head off his shoulders.

He doesn't know how but the next thing he knows he's in the middle of a burning old traditional Japanese house. The flames danced fiercely around him but none burned him like they did to all those in the house with the intention to kill him.

The survival of the child scared most of the residents in the town. None of the killers survived. His parents didn't survive. The servants didn't survive. No one but him lived.

Fearing the rage of the powerful child the elders looked for a way to take the childe away from the town and free them from the anomaly.

Looking everywhere they found a contact that assured them they had a way to take the problem from their hands. Unknown to them, the contact was none other than Nanami Kento, a student from jujutsu highschool, and he had just the right thing in mind.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

"Ugh. Why am I here, sensei?" asked a very displaced 17 year old, white haired jujutsu student with his hands behind his head. The Tokyo's school principal and his student paced with calm towards their destiny. "I'm a sorcerer not a babysitter."

Yaga sighed heavily. "It's because I consider you the best one to talk to the kid." And to concentrate in something else than getting depressed, he thought.

Not finding anything that could convince his teacher to let him go Gojo grumbled under his breath about how all of this is a waste of time.

Faster than he would have liked, Gojo found himself walking along the halls of a traditional Japanese house, a big one at that, following a non-sorcerer man.

"Has there been a change in the boy?" Asked Yaga, concentrated in the reason they traveled so far.

"None, sir." Answered the man in a clam voice. "Have you come to a veredict about what happened?" He asked.

Yaga nodded once. Since the town didn't have the resources to find an expert forensic and jujutsu technical college was kind enough to send Nanami and Shoko to investigate. "It seems that one of the servants from the Kimura family may have thought that all the members of the family were dead and blew up the kitchen, starting the fire." He said in a calm tone. "That's as accurate as we can be considering most of it was unrecognizable by the fire."

Gojo rolled his eyes behind his shades. Any decent sorcerer would be able to recognize the signs of cursed energy in that place. And considering the damage, the signature of cursed energy they are approaching and knowing the only survivor, the child's probably a second grade or semi-first grade level. But it's not like they can say.

'Hey, did you know that your good for nothing small town produced a stronge sorcerer child?'

Just like always, they have to hide to cursed world from normal people.

"He is in here." Announced the man nodding to the sliding door in front of him. "He is calm boy not really that energetic, so don't expect much. But he is a good kid."

Gojo was slightly surprised by the honesty behind the man's words. After he heard that the elders of the town wanted to get rid of the child he expected hatred from everyone towards the young sorcerer.

Yaga nodded again before turning to Gojo. "Can you keep the kid some company while I talk with Koshi-San?"

The special-grade sorcerer understood the silent message. Yaga had nothing that should be keep private from him, but the reason he dragged him all the way to the town was to talk to the kid. "Hai hai." He answered nonchalantly.

Yaga stared at him for a moment before turning to Koshi. The man understood the 'need' to look for somewhere to talk alone and guided him to another room.

Finally watching them turn around the corner Gojo, grumbling under his breath, slammed the door open. "Hey kid." Announced his presence with a loud voice.

He already expected the boy to flinch and try to stay away from him. It's already happened before. His height, loud voice and sometimes even his eyes scare people away. But he was surprised by what happened.

In the room there lay an unused futon, the child was sitting in the engawa at the other side of the room, leaving the other sliding door open for everyone entering his room to find him watching the backyard. The child didn't move a single muscle nor did he appear to have notice his presence, but Gojo already suspects that the child knew he was there even before he opened the door.

The next thing that happened left Gojo speechless and with a sense of Deja vu. The kid turned his body slightly to the side and turned his head to see the intruder.

The moment the kid reveled his eyes Gojo was brought back to his own childhood (if he could call it that), the same eyes that used to look back at him trough the mirror were looking at him from the child now in front of him. Those light grey and glowing orbs had such an intensity that Gojo feared for a moment his own cursed eyes wouldn't stop the kid from inspecting his soul.

He was like him.

And yet not.

The kid's cursed energy flowed through his body the same way blood did in his veins. But his six eyes could easily see that by the amount of energy alone the kid was already a first grade sorcerer. The only reason Gojo didn't sense it before was because he was suppressing it. He doubts the child is aware of it, or had any kind of training to learn it, and the fact he is doing it unconsciously speaks of innate talent.

"Is there something I can help you with, sir?" Asked the boy in a soft yet firm voice.

Okay, maybe the child wasn't that much like him. Gojo wasn't respectful with others at his age. (Who is he kidding? He isn't, even now as an already grown up man)

Just like with his domain expansion, Gojo processed all his thoughts in a second and made his decision right then and there. He won't let people do to this child what they did to him.

Gojo took off his shades walking towards the boy before lowering himself to the child's level and looked at him in the eyes.

Glowing blue meet slightly surprised glowing light grey.

"Actually, I'm here to help you." He said with a smile in his face. It wasn't smug nor was it fake. It was completely genuine.

"Help me?" Asked the boy rising a red eyebrow. "How?"

Gojo extended his hand prepared for a hand shake. "If you take my hand I can show you."

Completely confused now, the Kimura boy looked at the withe haired's hand then at the owner's eyes. He didn't sense any kind of hostility or deception from the older.

Maybe he was a little naive to believe the stranger in front of him, but a hunch told him to take the hand. Who knows what could happen. Maybe he'll regret it... or maybe he won't. There's only a way to find out.

The moment the read haired boy took the stranger's hand he end up sealing his fate.

Everyone will know the power of the sun goddess and moon god's child's power.

And they'll either respect him or fear him.

Tell me what you think.

[hand-picked-star]

The 13th Annniversary Arshi Fiesta

Moodboard: Historical AU

Whispers of the Heart | Chapter 06

I am not very good at writing ffs. I even read ffs very selectively. But it was an attempt of me to participate in the 13th-anniversary arshi fiesta.

I might be wrong about certain aspects of that age and era, but it's a fantasy, so why not? I don't own Arnav and Khushi and the story is purely fictional and has no relation to any living or dead. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Chapter 6

The Rajputs had organized a puja for the betterment of their younger son's married life, one day before the wedding.

The Maliks were also present with the future bride. Aman and Anjali had known each other since childhood. When their friendship turned into love, they couldn't tell, but they were glad that it happened, and their elders had also blessed their union. Thinking about them, Khushi couldn't help but exhale a heavy sigh, wishing things would have turned out similarly for her too.

Her Amma's voice broke her distraction, "Titliya, ja sab ko bulake la. The puja is about to start and call Arnav too. Tell him I asked him to come downstairs and sit in the puja." knowing very well that Arnav wouldn't reject his Roma chachi.

Suvadra Malik snapped in response to the comment, "Why invite someone to a puja who doesn't believe in God? Main nahi chahti ke us nastik ke aulad ke bajayse yeh puja barbad ho jaye. I only want good things to come to my Anjali Bitiya's married life."

Khushi was about to protest when her amma caught her hand and quietened her with a shake of her head. When Khushi looked at Suvadra the next moment, she realized everybody was already there. The dark look that fell across Arnav's handsome features made her realize that his Nani's rebuke hadn't escaped him.

Arnav never cared much about religion, Seeing his mother on her knees, praying day and night for the betterment of his father, filled him with a mix of hope and desperation. Her whispered pleas, her tear-streaked face, and her unwavering faith became a haunting backdrop to his childhood. Yet, despite her devotion, his father betrayed her, shattering their family. That betrayal caused his mother to choose death over her children. The bitter irony of it all—the unanswered prayers, the blind faith met with infidelity—gnawed at him. He felt abandoned, not just by his parents but by the very idea of a benevolent higher power. In that crushing moment of disillusionment, he swore off religion, cursing the heavens that had turned a deaf ear to his mother’s relentless prayers.

But despite his disbelief in these "riti riwaj", he was determined to ensure his sister's wedding proceeded smoothly. He chose not to give his Nani any reason to cause a scene, prioritizing a seamless and joyful celebration for his sister.

Seeing no other vacant place, Arnav sat beside Khushi. As the puja concluded and the crowd dispersed, Khushi subtly shifted towards Arnav, her voice lowered to a whisper.

"I am sorry you have to hear that.''

''I won't have to tolerate her after tomorrow, now will I?'' he stated, rolling his eyes.

Khushi smiled at his somewhat optimistic yet sarcastic tone of voice. "For that, I am glad."

After sometimes she started again, "She is wrong you know" when she didn't elaborate, Arnav looked at her with questions in his eyes.

"You are not your father-" she stressed " You never will be"

"How do you know?"

She chuckled, "For a change, I know you better than her and - " she paused to gather herself.

''and I believe in you.''

She gazed at him as a soft, tender expression crossed his face, conveying a multitude of unspoken emotions. She yearned to convey to him the significance he held in her life. With wistful thoughts, she silently mused if only he could see himself through her eyes. She hoped for her unexpressed feelings to reach him, emanating from the depths of her heart.

She looked so pretty today, with a green-bordered yellow saree and a green bindi. Of course, Arnav noticed. She had flowers in her braid that day. Arnav's heart gave a twist as the reason drawn to him.

'Can you sit idly and watch while someone else takes her away?' the voice wondered.

'Shut up,' he said, closing his eyes momentarily. But he couldn't ignore the intoxicating aroma emanating from her. He realized it was partly her and partly the flowers, and decided that he liked her smell the most when it was purely hers, without mixing with anything else.

Buaji spent the entire morning urging her to get ready. She styled her hair and adorned it with flowers. Even though it was a simple piece, her Amma's gold necklace felt like a heavy burden around her neck. She didn't want to dress up for Mr. Ganguly. Every fiber of her being rebelled against the thought of establishing someone else's 'haq' over her. It felt like a part of her was being torn away. How could she make Buaji understand that she was no longer fit for anyone else in the world, no matter how many flowers she pinned in her hair? That He had ruined her for all other men.

One time when she was 14, a similar puja for the betterment of crops was ruined. That ceremony took place in a field slightly far from the village. All of them went there and Khushi was so excited to see all the jalebi and golgappa stalls. However, all the merriments were disrupted by a dacoit attack. People were panicking and running to and fro. When the dacoits attempted to grab Khushi and Manoroma, Akash Vai and Arnav intervened. This resulted in one of the dacoits hitting Arnav on the head, causing a lot of bleeding. Fortunately, the dacoit attack was brought under control by the timely arrival of the village people.

They rushed to the Rajput Haveli and a doctor was called. He examined Arnav's head and face and found out the source of the bleeding. It looked like except for the cut below his left eyebrow, his head and the rest of his face were unscratched. The doctor stitched the cut. The cut wasn't too deep, but he lost lots of blood as it was on the face and soon after developed a nasty infection. The whole household didn't sleep that night. Manoroma spent the night sitting beside him as he kept shivering due to a high fever. Khushi didn't know what to do but stared at him from the corner of the room. Buaji kept saying, it was difficult for him to survive the night. Khushi prayed to Devi Maiya repeatedly and even swore on her life to save him. When he opened his eyes the next day, she cried out of relief. Even though weak he asked her why she was crying.

"I don't want the dacoit to take you away too," she said. To this, he laughed meekly "Don't worry, Phati Sari, You aren't going to get rid of me anytime soon."

As Khushi was watching Arnav helping the workers set up the mandap, she silently wondered whether he would make such a promise to her if she asked again.

Arnav was always like that: always helping around the house. He assisted Babuji in the garden, did the grocery shopping, and took on big responsibilities in arranging every event. These were not his tasks, but he did them anyway. In doing so, he exuded a commanding and authoritative aura, as if everyone was supposed to bow to him and acknowledge the "laad governor" that he was. Khushi silently laughed at his demeanour. Laad Governor, Her Laad Governor. She mused fondly.

Arnav always demanded attention wherever he went, didn't he? She thought to herself, at least he had her full attention every single time. Whenever he walked into a room, the conversation stopped and a stunned silence filled the space. Only the 'dhak-dhak' of her heart remained. He made her feel exposed and safe at the same time.

She understood why he helped around the house so much. He wanted to show his gratitude for everything Babuji and Amma had done for him. It would be a shame as a best friend if she didn't understand that. And sometimes she wondered if this was the reason why he was not willing to consider them being together, or if he just couldn't see her as more than a friend. After all, falling in love with someone was not in one's hands. Maybe Arnav just couldn't love her as she loved him.

But one could never be certain about things like that, could they? Just like how wrong she was in her previous assessment of him not caring about whether she got married to another person or not. He clearly was affected; she just didn't know the extent of it or what to make of all this. For example, for the past half hour, he had been glaring at her and her companion, clenching his jaw, and grinding his teeth, making his jaw more prominent. Khushi couldn't help but speculate whether he was angry or jealous as she observed him closely. She didn't dare to hope for the latter reaction; she didn't want to build castles in the air.

With a heavy sigh, she shifted her focus to the man in front of her. Dhruv Ganguly was undeniably handsome; no one in a million years would deny that. Still, Khushi, sitting across from him, couldn't help but scrutinize him. Maybe Bua Ji was right; her 'sanak' had finally gotten to her head.

She couldn't help but notice how he had a round, clean-shaven face, unlike the angular one with stubble. He smiled too much, and his nose wasn't sharp enough. He didn't have a defined jawline, nor did he have piercing eyes that could hold her gaze and make her feel warm all over. His eyes didn't brighten with excitement when she spoke, or flash with rage when she contradicted him, or show amusement and curiosity when she spoke about her favourite book. His eyes didn't conceal any dark secrets either. Instead, he wore black-framed glasses and talked with a downcast gaze. He had a nervous tic of fixing his glasses with his index finger. And alas! His hands were all wrong too—too slender, too light-skinned, too soft-looking. Most importantly, this man couldn't raise his left eyebrow singly when he asked her something. Khushi chastised herself; she was nitpicking for the sake of nitpicking.

Dhruv Ganguly had no flaws. He was perfect: handsome, well-mannered, and well-educated, except for the absence of a scar right beneath his left eyebrow.

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@featheredclover @phuljari @arshifiesta @jalebi-weds-bluetooth @chutkiandchotte @arshiradio @titaliya

[twomiddlefingersforthehaters]

Both of their desire was to fight each other.

Sasuke mentioned that he knew Naruto wanted attention, so he did idiotic things to get attention from others and he also searched for connection. Maybe Sasuke also knew that Naruto wanted attention from him. "I want to fight you" & "I acknowledged you".... these were the words he desired to hear from Sasuke. Sfx: ドキン means a heavier notion of *doki* or describe one's heart skipping a beat.

When that moment Sasuke said, "Naruto, I want to fight you too"..... He truly felt happy. Because Naruto himself says that he admires him and wants to be like him. So when he heard what Sasuke says he acknowledged his skill and he acknowledged Naruto , he felt glad. The only person he has always admired has now acknowledged him. It was his desire and his desperation to become Sasuke's equal and be friends with him. Because his Bond with Sasuke was what he always longed for.

Naruto also motivated by Sasuke's acknowledgement and trained very hard to face him in the Chunin Exams.

He also got existed by the anticipation of fighting sasuke... ｢キュン｣ Kyun is a common onomatopoeia in Japan when you fall in love and also used for feeling spark or thrill in one's heart. SFX for momentary tightening of one's chest caused by powerful feelings Or to have butterflies. ｢ゾクゾクする｣ zokuzoku suru- Thrilling is an expression for shaking, to get chills, to be shaking as from joy or excitement Or having tingling sensation (excitement). In here tightening (Kyun) happening in his lower abdomen.

This is what Naruto said:

Raw: 何だ... にの気持ち下腹の辺りがキュンとする それに…ゾクゾクする

Romaji: nanda... Kono kimochi shita bara no atari ga kyun to suru Sore ni… zokuzoku suru

Literal: "What... is this feeling? My lower stomach feels tight/feels butterflies! And... I feel a thrill/shivers."

This expression uses when butterflies take flight in your stomach when you're sexually aroused. It is that feeling in your stomach when you get turned on. But what can I do? This is what Kishimoto wrote in his manga. So I can't avoid it (it was his long time dream [to fight Sasuke and show him his skills] and now it's happening...). I only pointed it out because it was all connected to their fight.

(( I'm not sexualizing a 12 year old kid [character]. I'm just pointing out what's written in the manga. That's all.))

It reminds me of Sasuke's reaction (shivering) when he seeing Naruto summoning Gamabunta. Sfx used in here was 「ゾクゾクッ」 Zokuzoku. 「ッ」 added to make the onomatopoeia "stronger". Zokuzoku means - , to feel chills, to feel tingling, to tremble/ shaking with tension, fear, nervousness or excitement.

Sasuke himself said how he felt when he saw Naruto with that tremendous power..... And also.... How did Naruto become so strong, how could he become as strong as him, he trained with this in mind.

Raw: オレは...何も出来なかった...

Romaji: ore wa ... nani mo dekinakatta...

Literal: I... I wasn't able to do anything...

Raw: ナルトは異常なまでにどんどん強くなっていく…

Romaji: Naruto wa ijōna made ni dondon tsuyoku natteiku...

Literal: Naruto is rapidly getting stronger... almost abnormally....

Raw: "落ちこぼれ" 呼ばわりされてた忍者学校の頃から見たら... 信じられないくらいの成長だ...

Romaji: "ochikobore" yobawari sareteta ninja gakkō no koro kara mitara... shinjirarenai kurai no seichōda...

Literal: Looking back from when he was at ninja academy, where he was called a "failure"..... It's (absolutely) unbelievable growth .

[[ "信じられない" is a more surprising expression. What Sasuke means : "Comparing Naruto from when he was at the academy to now.... I can't believe his incredible growth. How much he has grown from what everyone called a "failure" to this incredible growth."]]

Raw: 近くでずっと見ていると分かる... アイツは... 何が凄い力を秘めてる...

Romaji: chikaku de zutto miteiru to wakaru... aitsu wa... nani ga sugoi chikara o himeteru...

Literal: When I keep watching him up closely, I can tell... He has... some kind of amazing power hidden inside him...

Raw: 時に... 恐怖すら感じるほどに...

Romaji: tokini… kyōfu sura kanjiru hodo ni...

Literal: sometimes.... I even feel fear (towards him)...

[Means- Seeing Naruto with that hidden power is terrifying/frightening.]

Raw: うずまきナルト... お前は一体何者なんだ...

Romaji: Uzumaki Naruto... omae wa ittai nanimonona nda...

Literal: Uzumaki Naruto.... What on earth are you/ who the hell are you...?!

Raw: オレは... どうしたら強くなれる...

Raw: ore wa... dou shitara tsuyoku nareru...

Literal: I... How can I get stronger... (What should I do to get stronger)

After that he went to see kakashi for training... even though he was jealous of Naruto's growth.... but when he heard that Itachi came to the Village and looking for Naruto.... he desperately went to look for Naruto. So, Sasuke really wanted to do something... he wanted to train with Kakashi to become stronger, he wanted to mind his own business.... but the thought of Naruto always distracted him. That's why when he heard Itachi looking for Naruto, he instinctively went to save him from Itachi.

In the 'Forest of Death', when Naruto arrives, Sasuke wanted Naruto to run away from that place ASAP because Orochimaru was scary and so powerful. Sasuke suddenly gave up the scroll and abandoned his goal of passing these rounds of the Chunin Exams.

You know what, he could have given up the scroll when Orochimaru cast a killing intent at him and Sakura. He clearly saw Sakura was trembling in fear in front of Orochimaru. But he didn't. But he decided to give up only after Naruto came on the scene.

He was yelling "Run away Naruto" the whole time. That disappointed Naruto as well. It was Sasuke who taught him not to run away and not to be afraid of the enemies. Whatever happens you must be face them. That's why Naruto protected him from the attack of Orochimaru and called him a 'scaredy Cat'.

We know how scared Sasuke was when they were fighting Zabuza. Here too he got scared and ran away from Orochimaru because he didn't want to die.

But that only changed after Naruto's action.... he pointed out Sasuke getting scared and running away from it like a coward. "There's no way.... such a stupid coward like you is the Sasuke I know!!" After that (listening to his words) Sasuke decided to fight back without running away again and face the enemy. (It wasn't because of Sakura's words that Sasuke decided to fight. She just gives a push and that's it).

If you look back at the context of why Sasuke decided to give up the scroll….. Why he was giving up his goal there? Why was he acting like an idiot ? Why didn't he think that if he gave Orochimaru the scroll what was the guarantee that Orochimaru would let them go?

Because when it comes to Naruto "Sasuke's body move on it's own". Do you think Orochimaru was an idiot who didn't notice all this? Right from the start.... As they entered the forest of death.... Orochimaru's plan failed one by one because he used Naruto's disguise. Sasuke saw through his disguise... Like... he can tell the correct angles of his whiskers if it's slightly different from the original. When he was with his teammate he attacked him directly and he ran away from him, but Sasuke never considered giving up the scroll. But when the Naruto kid appeared in front of them, Sasuke quickly give up the scroll. He listened to Naruto's words and fight Orochimaru without any fear of death... even though he knew he couldn't defeat him. He listened to Naruto's words and fight Orochimaru without any fear of death... even though he knew he couldn't defeat him.

If Naruto was in danger…. Sasuke would overexert his body to use his last chakra…. even if it cause him in great pain.

When they are in the Forest of Death with Kabuto.... Even though the curse seal hurting him… he risked it and used his last chakra to help Naruto.

when Naruto was fighting against Gaara, even though he was exhausted and his body was hurting.... when he saw that Naruto was in danger, he tried to get up to help him.

In forest of the death Sasuke's emotions were overflowing. The main reason he gave up the scroll was to keep Naruto out of harm's way. And his heart was hardly pounding as he watched Naruto get hurt. ドクン - The way (or sound) of the heart beating strongly. Shape of his eyes, the inclination of his eyebrows are effective yet simple way to express his emotions. Look at his facial expression in the second ｢ドクン｣.... Sasuke was so hurt to see Naruto being beaten.

Because he's the one who said; " Every time I see you appearing to be suffering. . . I become pained"

His heart beat again when Naruto called back him 'scaredy cat'. ドクン used in here means 'When you are extremely surprised and feel your heart beating strongly'.

Then Sasuke taunts Naruto in the vote about that interrupted fight. Naruto felt really happy when Sasuke invited him to fight him at the hospital that time....but he didn't know that Sasuke was fuming inside. Naruto clearly regrets it. “That wasn't the fight I wanted. even now... "

Even now...he didn't want to fight....they were both hurting equally. This is not what either of them wanted.

He went to Orochimaru layer in order to not obtain power by killing Naruto. If you haven't already established such strong feelings, it is not possible to gain the Mangekyou Sharingan. That whole fight started out as a way to get MS, but then it turned into his desperate attempt to sever his bond with Naruto, which could only be severed by killing him because it was that powerful. But...No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't cut his bond with Naruto. Sasuke leans into his face to say goodbye to him by being closer to him for one last time. He painfully says goodbye for the last time and it hurts him a lot because he knows that it is not easy to leave his 'precious' person who has become a part of him and he hurt him so much during the fight.

Naruto tells him in vote1 and vote2 that this wasn't the fight he wanted because they were both hurting each other… This wasn't the fight Naruto wanted when Sasuke tries to hurt himself. This was not a fight about who wins or loses. This was never about beating the shit out of each other. It is about acknowledging the strength of the others as an equal. It's something that their heart wanted to do from the start. They had to fight their feelings throughout the fight. They cannot live without the other, they cannot bear to see the other one suffer, they always wanted to stay close to each other sharing happiness and pain in their hearts.

[gear-project]

Has A.B.A been training or practicing with Flament Nagal? Because in Strive, it looks like she knows what she is doing compared how she was in the old games.

In the old games, Nagal seemed to be doing all the work but now it looks like a reverse unless Flament Nagal is becoming more reluctant to fight these days.

At first (if you'd been following the Drama CD script) it was revealed that at the very outset A.B.A. didn't even know Flament Nagel* was a weapon!

She just thought he was a giant Key she happened to like and find attractive!

He dropped several hints after that during her duel with Slayer, and agreed to work as her partner afterwards.

Time has passed and Slayer DID state he would check in on them in about 10 to 20 years, so hopefully that will happen soon~

Some minor differences as well is:

In her original Isuka version: Evidence Concealment was a giant golden Key poke, but it later became an Alchemic chain reaction... this later became the "Keeper of the Key" where the Gate of Truth opens up and the Darkness attacks.

The Union command Grab: instead of being shocked at his transformation, she asked the question "What's your Blood Type?"

(Ketsueki nani ka ta?), this was directed at the opponent, since she was taking their blood from them (this is also an indirect reference to Fanny's old command grab from Guilty Gear Petit).

She'd also feed Flament blood generously with her Blood packs.

The change in focus to Jealousy (and Love) makes sense, since their relationship has progressed a great deal since they started out, but it also reveals more about the nature of Flament Nagel as a Foci (Magic Focus Beast).

Originally he "possessed" vessels he deemed worthy of wielding him, but this also meant he dominated them until they died.

During Strive's Story, he reveals to A.B.A. that he doesn't think this is the correct way to do things and is willing to accept her as his partner even if they don't always connect with one another.

So during the command grab, he might try to "possess" a body, but A.B.A. pulls him out at the last minute, leaving him somewhat disformed and ambiguous (like the creatures that exist beyond the Gate he can summon).

He can still feel pain, especially if she bites him and scratches his face, but in that state he is extremely euphoric and can't really think straight... A.B.A. is also mutually affected by the possession as well, though it merely compounds her jealousy to twice the amount of what it was before the Union took place.

It also appears that being in that state greatly elevates A.B.A.'s physical strength, as previously she could barely lift Flament Nagel, but when under his influence, she can crack the very ground she stands on with sheer force of weight by how she wields him! This is evident in her victory animation in Strive.

I'll just stop here to say that we don't know Flament Nagel's full history during the Crusades, but he does remind me of another "weapon" that has a similar effect and namesake.

One of the Sacred Treasures: Jinki Ekitoku (Increasing Fervor), codenamed "Dominator" by the Conclave!

By that name alone, "Increasing Fervor" or even "Dominator" the effect appears very similar to the powers that Flament Nagel can wield...

I can't put my finger on it just yet, but I dare say there might be a connection with him and the Sacred Treasures (whether or not Sol Badguy created him is another mystery though).

[jalebi-weds-bluetooth]

Hi jalebi, I was wondering why Arnav didn't scold lavanya much...just kept quite and ordered painkillers and lemon juice the day after anjali's anniversary party....after all LA had publicly insulted his nani calling her names and all...the one who brought him up,who took care of him and his Di, but when it came to Khushi (post marriage) she was always held accountable for even the slightest mishaps in the family...like why the hypocrisy,why the double standards....Don't you think if he loved khushi,she should be given more leeway for her mistakes,but he infact behaved more gentlemanly and Respectfully towards LA...when he never even loved her....what is your insight regarding his thought process

Hi Anon,

Yeah because when Arnav was dating Lavanya - he liked her a lot and knew his family was being terrible to her. They were being passive aggressive a lot.

But to him, she is a good woman and he can see there are adjustment issues going on. The last thing he's going to do is snap on her because, to be honest, he loses his own mind in his home - La is still another person.

However, when Arnav is married to Khushi, he doesn't believe she's a good woman. He believes she is a gold digger, Shyam's mistress, a person who intentionally wrecked a married woman's life but that too of a woman who has been nothing but kind to her.

Post revelation and Arnav realizing the truth, Arnav has a point when he snaps at Khushi after Anjali tries to abort her child.

Khushi was told one thing - don't visit Anjali.

Anjali is traumatized.

But Khushi, she chose to prioritize her own need to serve people and be a 'good' person as opposed to actually listen. And even when Arnav asked for an explanation - she switches into self guilt and self blame and... kind of not realizing the extent of damage that she has done by visiting Anjali.

And Arnav, whenever he gets angry, he says things worse than he intends to but I can barely fault him here.

His sister could have died. All because his wife triggered her. Intentions do not matter cause Anjali could have been dead.

And all Khushi has to do is not take accountability for her actions but turn to self guilt.

Now, the thing is that Khushi's guilt is real, absolutely. But Arnav - who is traumatized by what he saw - is not the right person to talk to about her guilt.

She needs to speak about her guilt to Payal, to her parents, to anyone who isn't directly connected to Anjali.

So it's a great argument.

Now coming to Arnav's otherwise more respectful treatment of La - I don't think he treated her well, he just treated Khushi worse. And why? Classism. That's it. Lavanya works in his company in a position of some power and comes from a well to do family.

Lavanya might actually be British/NRI. She's definitely of higher class than Khushi.

Also love doesn't equal to respect. Yes, love cannot thrive without respect but it does, painfully, sometimes exist without it.

Best,

Jalebi