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hogwartsandhawkins · 11 months

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Prove Me Wrong

Chapter 13: The 13th

If you need to catchup, here's the masterlist.

Summary: Watching a horror movie with Billy goes better than expected

Warnings: Cursing, Slight angst for a millisecond, Mentions of blood and gore (from the movie they watch), mentions of death (again from the movie). As always let me know if I missed something.

Word Count:4k

Author's note: Sorry this post came late loves! My son got sick so that was fun to take care of. But good news, because I slacked you guys get two chapters this weekend 🤗

Also, as someone who also isn't a big horror fan, I watched this movie as homework and surprisingly, completely straight-faced this entire movie. Guess Billy's right, it was kind of cheesy 😂

Billy climbed his way to Jess’s bedroom with ease this time. With the knowledge that Jess’s parents were not directly below her, he took less care about whether or not he was silent and instead jumped quickly from the trash can to the last quoins, lifting himself over the gutters where he found himself once again in front of her draped covered window. He tapped the glass lightly and was immediately met by a still annoyed Jess opening the pane and quickly walking away. She was now wearing a faded cheer sweatshirt and a pair of cloth shorts. He looked over at the sickly green atrocity that held her TV just above her bed level, the VHS sitting on top of it. Her bed was littered with snacks, some from the store and some that she seemed to have provided herself, Billy taking note of the stack of brownies, which he hoped were as good as last time he snuck into her room.

She seemed to be pacing before he got there and was continuing to do so as he arrived. “Please tell me you’re not serious about wanting to be here for Christmas.”

“Doesn’t really look like that’s up to me. What? You don’t want me over? Where’s your holiday spirit, princess?” Before he knew it, a Charleston Chew bar hit him in the chest.

“For once, be serious. Steve is gonna be there. And I don’t want to deal with the two of you bickering like an old married couple.”

Billy picked up the candy bar and tossed it back on the bed, grinning to himself. “I’ll behave if he does.”

Jess stopped pacing and turned to him. “Right, because he’s the one I should be worried about.” Jess recalled earlier today how Billy purposefully blew smoke in Steve’s face right before successfully irritating Steve with the thought of him spending all winter break with her.

Billy walked over to the side of the bed he usually sat on and pushed the assortment of food to the other side and sat down, kicking off his shoes as he did so. He sucked in his cheek and bit down, contorting his mouth in a downward smirk. “Don’t gotta worry about me, sweetheart. I’ll be an absolute angel. Call it an early Christmas gift.”

Jess considered his promise for a moment, her eyes traveling from his smile to his eyes, which gave off a hint of playfulness but no level of insincerity. “I always have to worry about you,” she huffed before settling down on the opposite side of the bed, pushing snacks closer to Billy.

“That’s cute of you,” Billy teased before eyeing the cans of beer that were at the foot of her bed. He leaned forward and grabbed the pack, twisting a can out of the plastic ring that held it secure to the other five. He swiftly cracked it open and took a swig from it, earning him another annoyed glance from Jess. “What? You want one, Logan?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Why? You’re cute when you’re drunk.”

The mention of her being intoxicated began to stir the memories from that last weekend, how she spent the majority of her night with Billy, and how that night ended. She began to feel light-headed from the memory of how close she stood to him towards the end of that song, how she was practically leaning against him for support. She was brought back to reality by the bed shifting, Billy placing the remaining five cans underneath her bed. “Let’s get this show on the road, princess. Not tryna keep you up all night…”

Jess shoved him, making his beer slosh.

“Aye watch it…”

She made her way toward her TV, taking her time to put the VHS in, not in a hurry to start hiding under her covers the whole time. She looked over the cover, “Friday the 13th, The Final Chapter…” Jess scoffed, placing the tape in the player. “Billy, I swear if this is as bad as the first one-“ She was quickly cut off by the tape being played where it was last on, causing Jess to jump at the sight of Jason killing the hitchhiker on the side of the road.

“Oohhh shit!” Billy laughed out, taking another sip of his beer before swinging his legs off the bed and quickly making his way to where Jess was standing. He watched her close her eyes, turning away from the TV as the ominous music played. “Go back to the bed, princess, I got it.” He squatted down, pressing the rewind button on the VCR as he stared down the TV, waiting til he heard a click, indicating it was done.

He turned back around to find Jess already underneath her blanket, the top of it bunched up by her mouth with her hands. He smirked down at her, able to see her eyes squint up at him in irritation. “Don’t worry, it’s honestly not that bad. I chose the cheesiest one of the two. Promise.” He chuckled as he made his way to her light switch, flipping it off, and began to sit back down on his side of the bed, deciding to take a brownie as adjusted himself back against the headboard.

Jess’s glare softened as he joined her on the bed. “You’ve seen this before?” Billy only nodded, turning his head to the side to look over at her, smiling for a moment before looking back over at the screen.

They stayed that way as the movie started, Jess bunching the blanket over her face, Billy smiling to himself as he continued to look over at her, sipping his beer contently. Billy felt the blanket shift suddenly, suggesting to him that the sight of Jason’s hand falling free from the stretcher startled her. He bit down into his brownie and smirked to himself, swallowed, and then turned to look back at her once more. “If it makes you feel better, Logan, we’re not out camping right now so it can’t happen to us.”

“Yeah. Great. Thanks.”

Billy chuckled out loud, looking down at the load of snacks that separated the two of them, silently cursing the barrier as he sat up straighter. He picked up the Charleston Chew that was thrown at him and tossed it on her lap.

“Eat a candy bar, you’ll feel better.”

Jess smiled lightly, grabbing the bar from her lap and slowly unwrapping it, not taking her eyes off the screen, lifting her knees to her chest. Billy continued to look from the snacks to her, watching the way the shifting lights from the screen illuminated her features, the way she cautiously bit into her snack, pausing with it still in her mouth when she was preparing for something that could possibly scare her. He continued to smile to himself as he noticed the way she squinted her left eye more than her right when she braced for oncoming jump scares and the way she slowly began to relax more throughout the movie. When they watched the hitchhiker get stabbed for the second time that night, Billy finally summoned the courage to start moving the snacks.

The rustling of the wrappers being moved made Jess finally remove her eyes from the screen and look over at the cause of the noise. He moved the bags of chips to the nightstand closest to him, along with the baked goods, seeing as he was the only one eating those, leaving the assorted candy bars where they were for Jess.

“What’re you doin’?”

“Making more room.” Billy shrugged as he coolly answered. He then playfully tossed the rest of the candy onto her lap when she didn’t make a move to remove them from the middle of the bed. “Think those belong to you.”

“Yeah, so did those-” She was now pointing at the Doritos that Billy had already moved, but then quickly shifted back her attention toward the TV when she heard a twig snap. “Oh, don’t walk alone…”

“Don’t worry, she doesn’t die. Yet.”

“Billy…” He only laughed in response but stopped immediately when she looked more annoyed than scared.

“Hey, I’m just kidding.” He scooted inches closer to her, the snacks no longer blocking his way. When she didn’t say anything in response, he offered, “You want me to turn it off?” He continued to look down at her, his tone was serious and softer than it had been tonight, which caused Jess to look up at him.

She furrowed her eyebrows at the sight of him and then began to shake her head. “No…” She then looked back at the TV for only a moment, “I guess you’re right, it’s not as bad as I thought it was gonna be.” When she turned to face him again, she noticed the smirk he was now giving her and rolled her eyes.

“See what happens when you try new things, Logan?”

“It’s still bad,” she rebutted. “And by the way. I do watch horror movies. I just don’t like them.”

“Whatever you say, gorgeous.” He then reached for the Dorito bag that he placed on top of the nightstand and moved it to the opposite side of Jess, where it wasn’t separating the two of them, making it a point to reach behind her as he did so. When the chips were secured next to her, he allowed his hand to linger longer than needed before resting his arm above the pillow she was leaning against. He cracked his knuckles nervously, his arm tensing up every time Jess shifted.

Get it together, Hargrove. He cursed himself, attempting to look down at her without her noticing, but she was too busy noticing the way her body burned at the close proximity to his, attempting to free herself from the blanket without making it too obvious it was now causing her to overheat. When she could have sworn she was beginning to sweat, she jumped up suddenly.

“Bathroom…” was all she said, assuming the word would explain itself.

Billy sucked in before clearing his throat. “You want me to pause it?”

“God no,” she laughed out, exiting the room before the TV became too bright and he was able to see the strong blush that she knew currently covered her entire face. Billy chugged what remained of his now warm beer once Jess was clear of the room, hoping maybe it would loosen him up slightly. But unfortunately, he knew it would take a lot more than one beer to do that, and he would definitely like to stay sober while he was with her, at least in her bedroom.

When he heard footsteps reappear in the hallway, a mischievous grin appeared on his face as he got up from the bed and walked to the door just as she opened it, grabbing her hips as he scared her, believing all she would do was jump. When she let out a loud, short scream, however, he quickly widened his eyes and placed his hand over her mouth, chuckling quietly.

“Shit, Logan.”

Jess smacked his chest, causing Billy slowly to take his hand off of her face.

“Dammit, Billy, if my parents heard me…” She was answered by the sound of a door creaking open and the shuffle of footsteps. She pushed Billy further into her room as she stepped back into the hallway and found Stan at the bottom of the stairs.

“You okay, kid?”

“Uh. Yeah. Just watching some stupid scary movie. Sorry.” She looked back into her bedroom for only a moment, but enough to see Billy’s smirk growing on his face.

Stan Logan gave her a strained look, but then shrugged his shoulders and turned away from the stairs, “Keep it down next time kid, it’s the middle of the night.”

“Sorry,” she then turned to look back at Billy before she continued, “It won’t happen again.”

She made it back into her room and shut the door behind her, refusing to break eye contact. “You absolute asshole!” she hissed, picking up another uneaten candy bar and chucking it at him, which he easily swatted away as he laughed, attempting to be quieter.

“How was I supposed to know you’d scream like that?”

“It’s like you want to get me into trouble.” She shook her head in exasperation, but when Billy could only laugh at the incident, it caused her to break into a smile as well, which she attempted to hold back once it appeared. “It’s not funny!” Her giggling, however, said otherwise, and she rolled her eyes once more, plopping down on her bed as Billy sprawled out on his side, now taking the candy that was thrown at him and opening it for himself.

The sound of glass breaking made both of them turn their heads back to the screen as they watched some poor girl get thrown from the top story onto a car by Jason, making Jess cringe.

“So they’re just all dying at once now, huh?”

“Typically how it goes,” Billy answered, biting into the candy bar and quickly swallowing, “Surprised she didn’t survive that.”

“She was thrown out of a window!”

Billy just shrugged nonchalantly, “Eh, the car cushioned her fall.” Billy then turned back and smiled at her, taking another bite.

“The car cushioned-“ Instead of finishing this sentence, she shook her head in disbelief and began laughing even harder. “You’re insane.”

“I’d survive that fall.”

“Sure you would, tough guy.”

Billy scooted his way closer as they continued watching the movie, making the excuse that Jess was ‘hogging the chips’. Jess stopped feeling the need to shield herself from the jump scares and gory scenes as Billy continued to make jokes and ridicule how each character handled the situation, making her laugh as if she were watching a comedy. By the end of the movie, Billy was practically leaning against Jess as he continued to eat more chips than he wanted.

“So what did you think, princess? Not that bad huh?”

Jess shook her head slowly. “No, not that bad.”

Billy beamed at her then tapped her leg with his hand before climbing over her, swinging his legs off her side of the bed, and heading to the door.

“Bathroom’s this way, right?” He asked as he pointed in the right direction.

“Yes, just please be quiet.”

“You got it, Princess.”

While he was gone, Jess took the time to remove the wrappers and crumbs from her bed, getting back under the covers as Billy was reentering the room.

“Alright, Logan.” He climbed over her again to make it to his side of the bed and then sprawled out, laying his head on one of the pillows, “Goodnight.”

“You think so, huh?”

“What?” He then looked at her with feigning surprise. “You wanna sleep all by yourself tonight? I guess you’re a big girl after all.”

“Shut up.”

Billy relaxed against the pillow he was lying on and moved his gaze to the ceiling and quickly changed the subject. “So have you seen the other ones?”

“Just the first one. Like I said, I’m not into scaring myself for fun.”

“You know what that means…” Billy nudged her side as he continued staring up, the solid blue light from the screen softly illuminating the room. “We gotta go on a marathon.”

“That is not what that means,” Jess responded, also settling into bed, lifting the covers so that it barely covered her chin.

“I thought you said it wasn’t that bad,” he teased, shifting his head so he could look at her. Her eyes met his, rolling to the side before looking back at him, peering at him through her eyelashes, making Billy feel as if his chest would explode if he didn’t look away. Despite his whole body pleading with him to turn away, he kept his eyes fixed on hers as he continued. “I’ll tell you what,” he smiled deviously at her, “we switch off. You show me one of your lame chick flicks, and then we’ll watch the first Friday movie, yeah?”

“First of all,” Jess pulled the covers back down to her chest so she could prop herself up with her elbow, “they’re not lame, and second, I’ve already seen the first one.”

“Then it shouldn’t be a problem to see it again.” Billy continued to stare at her, challenging her to accept. He also moved to incline himself, taking his pillow and folding it in half.

“Fine. But after Friday the 13th, we’re done with horror movies.”

“Unless I make you like them.” Billy widened his smile, opening his mouth a bit to allow his tongue to run along the bottom row of his teeth.

“Yeah right,” Jess scoffed, scrunching her eyebrows in disbelief.

“You seemed to like this one just fine.

“That’s only because you’re-“ She stopped abruptly, not allowing herself to finish that sentence, but when she looked over the expression Billy was making, the way his smile dropped and his eyes squinted, she knew she had to say something. “It’s only because you were making fun of it.”

Billy’s smile returned, but not as wide as it was earlier. “Then I’ll make sure to do the same thing next time.” He winked at her, settling into his folded pillow as he listened to her complain about how much she was going to hate this upcoming movie marathon, and how scared she was to watch the other two she hadn’t seen yet. But he knew better. He had watched how comfortable she had gotten after the first 30 minutes, watched how her shoulders stopped tensing. He liked to think he maybe had something to do with it, or maybe it was just the fact that he did pick the corniest movie out of the two.

He wondered what would have happened if he had picked a different movie, a more frightening one. Would she have cowered under her blanket the whole time? Would she have cowered behind him? He quickly shook the ‘what ifs’ away. He knew that’s not how he wanted this night to go. He didn’t want to be the default guy she cuddled next to, didn’t want her to feel like she had to get close to him. This was the same reason he didn’t fight Steve about taking her home so early into the party. And he knew this was why he chose this franchise of horror movies to introduce her to.

He continued to listen to her talk about all the movies she would make him watch. She figured she might show him the Star Wars movies since he was so adamant about making her watch a franchise as well, which he just scoffed at, but he knew watching some weird sci/fi films wouldn’t be the worst thing ever if it were with her.

They continued changing topics for hours, whether it be about movies, school, and again about California until the conversation moved to the party that was being thrown on New Year’s Eve.

“You’re going right?”

“If Steve goes, yeah.”

“Why does it matter if Steve goes? You didn’t even hang out with him last time.”

“Steve happens to be my ride. And plus, I normally hang out with him. He was just busy last time.”

“Yeah, I saw,” Billy replied bitterly, “You forget I have a car or something?”

Jess looked at him interrogatively, “You’d want to take me?”

“If you need a ride, I can give you a ride.”

“That’s not what I was asking.”

“Sounds like what you were asking.”

Jess sucked in and sighed, folding her pillow in half as well now and laying into it as her eyes started to get heavy. “I mean,” she paused for a moment, knowing exactly what she meant, just not how to say it, “I mean… everyone’s gonna be there. And everyone’s gonna see you taking me to this party. It’s not just you taking me to school anymore.”

“And?”

“You want people to see me in your car?”

Billy shook his head and chuckled sarcastically, “Seems like you’re the one who’s worried about it, not me.”

“No that’s not…” Jess began to backtrack but paused. He was right, she was worried about it, but not in the way that he thought. It was when Billy began to get up that she started to speak again. “What’re you doing?”

“It’s hella late, and I’m falling asleep.” He began to grab for his jacket that was on the floor next to his side of the bed, holding it at his side as he turned to face Jess again. “Look, if you don’t want me to give you a ride, then I won’t, that’s all you had to say. You don’t need to go into some lame excuse about how I don’t want to-“

“That’s not what I meant...” Billy stood there, continuing to look at her, finally shrugging his shoulders, exaggerating the movement as to tell her to keep going. “It’s just. Your friends don’t like me, okay? And I already had trouble when you first started taking me to school and-“

“Who gave you trouble?” Billy quickly interrupted, seemingly unamused by this bit of information.

“That’s not the point nor does it matter…” She sighed one last time, “The point is, I don’t want to be the talk of the school again, especially if your friends are the ones doing the talking.”

Billy took this into consideration, nodding as she finished, he then looked down at the ground, pondering what to say next, and looked back at her. “You know, Carol’s just bitter you don’t talk to her anymore. She doesn’t hate you.”

“That’s not really the vibe I get.”

“So who’s giving you trouble then, because I know it’s not Carol, she talks but she wouldn’t come at you directly. And Tommy really couldn’t give a shit.” Billy tossed his jacket down again and sat back on the bed, folding his left leg under him as his right hung off the edge.

“Who do you think?” When Billy continued to stare at her, just about ordering her to give him an answer with the raise of his eyebrows, she scoffed, “Your girlfriend, that’s who.”

Billy began to shake his head, laughing coldly at the news. “Which one?” he teased before releasing his downturned smirk, “Next time just tell her to fuck off.”

“I did.”

Billy nudged her lightly, conveying his approval. “That’s my girl.”

“It doesn’t make it any more fun though.”

“Getting to tell Jane to fuck off isn’t fun?”

Jess laughed at this, nodding her head in agreeance. “I meant the being talked about part.”

“Yeah, well, fuck ‘em.”

“Is that what you tell yourself? ‘Fuck ‘em’?”

“I’m starting to.” Billy drew a short, loud breath threw his nose, nodding slowly as he turned away from her for a moment. “It took me a while to get there but… yeah. Fuck ‘em all.”

Jess giggled at this statement, relaxing her shoulders at the thought of not having a care in the world of what others thought. “So is that why you’re such an asshole?” Jess teased, earning a snort from Billy.

“Nah,” Billy paused, staring at the foot of her bed, “No that’s not why…” He then tilted his head to look over at her, the light from the screen casting still shadows on her face. He smiled more to himself than at her before lying back down on the pillow that was now partially unfolded.

“I thought you were tired?”

“I am,” he said flatly.

“I thought you were leaving?”

“That’s because I was irritated, and now I’m not.” When she didn’t respond he tilted his head and asked, “Do you want me to leave?”

“No…” she whispered suddenly.

“Good. Because I don’t want to either.”

Taglist: @nix-rose @fandom-princess-forevermore @ooo---hazelgrimm---ooo @axionn @defenslessheart-main @the-lost-are-ignored

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hand-picked-star · 2 months

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The 13th Anniversary Arshi Fiesta

Moodboard : Historical AU

Whispers of the heart | Chapter 17

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.

The story is set in early 20th century. 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.

Thank you notes: For this chapter I want to thank @featheredclover as she asked me to write about their London life, I got a chance to delve into their psyche and got to write about their fears and insecurities. And also like to thank my husband as I annoyed the living shit out of him by asking how did he think Arnav would react to certain questions.😂😂 and last but not the least @phuljari who inspired me to write in the first place.❤️

Chapter 17

“I’m hungry. Let’s go out to eat tonight,” Khushi suggested, as she and Arnav lounged on the sofa, both worn out from their earlier activities.

"But we need to shower first. Let's save some water, Mrs. Raizada."

Before Khushi could react, he swept her off her feet. She yelped in surprise, as his strong arms carried her towards their bathroom.

After a while, they found themselves sitting across from each other in a nearby Indian restaurant. Arnav looked at her amusedly as she ordered to her heart's content.

"Kadai paneer, tarke wale daal, sarso ka saag, rasun aur dhaniye ki chutney umm....haan jeere wale chawal, naan aur haan makhan wala naan." Then she looked at Arnav expectantly. "Don't tell me you will only have water," she teased, causing him to break into a grin.

"Order for me too."

"Ek plain naan aur daal makhni, tarke mein mirchi kam dalke, thik hain?"

Arnav took Khushi's hand across the table as the waiter went away to prepare their meal. He played with her fingers absentmindedly.

"What exactly did Lavanya tell you?" His voice was calm but curious.

"I met her at the market the other day," Khushi began, noticing the way his eyes narrowed at her words.

"In this part of the city?"

"Yes. She mentioned they have a farmhouse nearby where... you and she spent last summer together."

Arnav's eyes darkened briefly, but he remained silent, prompting her to continue.

"Then we went to a coffee shop. She said it was your favourite.... that you two frequented it last summer."

Arnav chuckled softly. "She didn't actually lie. She just omitted some crucial details."

Khushi frowned. "I don't understand."

"It’s true we were at that farmhouse last summer," her heart almost stopped at his admission. "But she conveniently left out the ten other people who were there with us as well. Every summer, Mr. Kashyap invites his apprentices to spend a week at his farmhouse with him and his family before the vacation."

"And as for the coffee shop," Arnav continued, "we used to go there as a group every evening during our stay at the farmhouse. It's just an okayish place, nothing special. That you already know since you've been there."

A silence fell between them as they both absorbed the situation, each lost in their own thoughts. The bustling energy of the restaurant faded into the background as they reflected on their conversation. The clinking of dishes and the murmur of other diners became a distant hum. Arnav’s fingers, still gently caressing hers, seemed to hold a comforting warmth, while Khushi’s gaze lingered on him, curious to know more.

"Did Mr. Kashyap give you the proposal that summer?"

"Yes," Arnav replied thoughtfully. "I actually know Lavanya from university. She was my junior but we were in the same debate group... and as time went on, our social circles began to overlap. One of my friends back then suggested I should pursue Lavanya. At the time, I wasn't actually looking for any distraction. I had this one-track mind to finish the course as soon as possible and go home. After graduation, I started my apprenticeship...I didn’t really see her again until last summer when she began attending the Inns of Court parties."

It was as if Khushi’s curiosity was increasing exponentially. She wanted to know so much more but didn’t want to ruin their evening. Still, she decided to let her heart take control and ask him everything she needed to know to find peace.

"Why didn't you marry her?"

"Because I was in love with someone else."

Khushi simply nodded, her lips forming a surprised 'o' as a rush of thoughts and emotions swirled in her mind. She wasn’t sure how to respond, the weight of his words hanging heavily between them.

"You see, Khushi, the summer before that, I kissed a very drunk girl who might not have been in her right consciousness, but she stole all of my senses....that beautiful girl gave me countless sleepless nights."

Her eyes held a playful accusation as she gazed at him, noticing the smirk dancing at the corner of his lips.

"Is that all?" Arnav asked. He had no desire to linger on this subject any longer.

Khushi hesitated and then blurted out, "How did she know about the scar on your left thigh?"

A deep furrow appeared between his eyebrows as he gazed at Khushi, the corners of his mouth set in a hard line. He sighed, "She took it too far, didn't she?"

After a brief pause, he said, "She was there when it happened. There's a lake nearby, and we all went fishing one afternoon. We found an old boat, and I cut my thigh on a sharp edge when we tried to get on it."

Arnav’s mind drifted to that day, recalling how Lavanya had insisted on dressing his wound. David rescued him by taking charge of the dressing himself, though he never missed a chance to remind Arnav of his favour.

Khushi felt a cloak of mortification settle over her. Her downcast eyes were fixed on his finger gently caressing her palm.

"She didn't actually lie about the scar too, I guess. She just said she would have an identical scar on her thigh like you. It was me who assumed the worst."

"That's exactly what she wanted you to assume. Don't feel bad about that." he chuckled humorlessly.

Khushi felt her cheeks burn. She felt utterly embarrassed for being fooled like that. She blinked a few times to clear the blurriness from her eyes. Arnav took her hand in his and gently tugged it, urging her to look at him.

"Hey, don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Fold in on yourself. You need to talk about what's bothering you, Khushi. Don't let it fester in your mind." He sighed, "You used to share everything with me. Now you don't. Did I do something wrong?"

"No," she replied with an embarrassed smile. "I've dumped so many pointless conversations on you over the years. You probably need a break. I don't want you to run away, scared by my ramblings."

He looked at her with an unreadable expression. His eyes softened, and his face transformed into the expression she adored—a look that made him a hundred times more handsome than usual.

"You aren't going to lose me, Khushi."

A lone tear escaped her eye as she gazed at the beautiful face of the man who had become her whole world. She longed for him to want her for the rest of his life, and only her. She wished these caramel-brown eyes would look at her as if she were his entire universe. She wanted him to dream only of her and to feel as if he would crumble into pieces if she ever stopped loving him. Because that’s how she felt about him, and she yearned for him to feel the same way.

"You have no idea how deeply I feel for you."

"I love you too, Mrs. Raizada."

"You mean comparing a small tree to an entire forest?" she said with a teasing smile as she brushed her tear away.

"A small tree, Mrs. Raizada? You could have at least compared it to a garden. You've just wounded me," he replied, feigning pain. Khushi broke into a fit of giggles, her laughter filling the space between them.

Their moment was interrupted when the waiter arrived with their food. Once the server left, Arnav’s eyes smoldered as he asked, "Do you really think it’s just a small tree?"

"I was just teasing you," she said with a soft smile. "Most of the time, I feel it's at least a small forest—except when I'm being a bit 'sanki'." She winked at him as she dug in.

As they stepped out of the restaurant after dinner, the chilling wind of London swept around them. It was noticeably colder than it had been all year. Arnav helped Khushi put on her scarf and coat, his movements gentle and attentive as he wrapped the fabric snugly around her. Khushi shivered despite the layers and rubbed her hands together. She edged closer to Arnav as they walked down the dimly lit streets.

"Why haven’t you brought your gloves?" Arnav scolded gently.

Before Khushi could respond, Arnav removed his left glove and handed it to her. She took it without thinking and blinked down at it.

"Put it on," he urged, coming to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk. Khushi slid the glove onto her hand. It was too large for her, but it still retained the warmth of his skin. Once her hand was covered, Arnav intertwined their gloved fingers and slipped his bare hand into his coat pocket, guiding Khushi to place her bare hand into her own pocket. As they walked hand in hand through the chilly night, a serene calm settled over them.

"Can I ask you a question?" Khushi said, tugging on his hand to get his attention.

"Mm-hmm."

"Why did you fall in love with me?"

"Um...because you kissed the hell out of me."

"Arnav, I’m serious," Khushi whined.

"What? I had dreamed about our first kiss for almost two years. Why can’t that be a valid reason?"

"You are impossible." Amusement and mirth sparkled in her eyes. "You know, I spent a lot of time last summer imagining what kind of person you would fall in love with one day."

"And?"

"I drew up a picture in my mind, you know, kind of like a blueprint."

"And It didn’t match you at all, did it?" he chuckled.

Surprised, Khushi looked at him and averted her eyes to look ahead.

"What was she like?"

"Strong, independent, smart," she whispered in the air, her voice barely audible over the rustling of the wind.

Arnav fell silent, his gaze thoughtful as he seemed lost in his own thoughts. Khushi watched him intently and wondered what he might be thinking, the pause stretching between them as she waited for him to speak.

"You’re right," he finally said. "That’s totally my type. And I got lucky to find someone who happens to give the best kisses as well." He leaned in to steal a kiss, muffling her protest. Straightening up, Khushi shot him a glare, but he just smiled and began walking, pulling her along with him.

"Buaji thik kehti hain, sanki ho tum. You are really mad." he said shaking his head. "That's why Lavanya unnerves you so much, isn't it? I won’t deny that she does have her own qualities, but I refuse to let you believe you're anything less."

"Come on, I know who I am," her voice so small.

"You don’t give yourself enough credit, do you?"

"What have I done in my life that makes you think I’m all of those things?"

He stopped walking and turned her to face him. "I’m not good with words, Khushi, but I want you to know that I’ve always admired your strength, even as a kid. You’ve even inspired me to keep going at times......and it absolutely breaks my heart to know that you see yourself as the total opposite."

He held her gaze and continued, "You chose to live, Khushi. You chose to love." She broke eye contact and looked over his shoulder. He gently tugged her hands to draw her closer to meet his gaze again. Reluctantly, she turned her eyes back to his, but they remained guarded.

"I am sure It took immense strength to keep going when all you wanted was to curl up and disappear. Yet, you gave life a second chance. Loving chachu and chachi as deeply as you loved your own parents wasn't easy, but you did it. You chose to find happiness with your new family..... Despite the bitterness of your past, you've held on to your inner child." He gave her a soft smile as her eyes shone, held captive by his gaze. "Now, look at yourself. You've grown into a kind, gentle and strong human being. And that’s truly remarkable, I think."

"And let’s not forget 'sexy,' too," He added under his breath, causing Khushi to let out a teary laugh.

As these two souls stood still, oblivious to the people and the chilly wind around them, they sought to uncover treasures in each other’s gaze. A slow smile ghosted over Khushi’s lips.

"You seem pretty good with words to me." Her eyes sparkled in the street lights as she said accussingly, "But you still didn't answer my question."

His lips curved into the half-smile Khushi loved so much as he kissed the tip of her nose, which was turning red from the cold. "You are my blueprint, Khushi."

"Come on, I don’t want to freeze to death," Arnav said, dragging her along as she giggled. The echos of her laughter danced in the cold wind.

As they neared their house, Khushi gently pulled a somewhat reluctant Arnav toward her favourite bench. The quiet of the neighbourhood seemed to invite a moment of stillness. Khushi settled comfortably against him, resting her head on his shoulder. With a contented sigh, she closed her eyes and took in the serene surroundings—the faint rustling of leaves, the distant hum of the city, and the gentle embrace of Arnav beside her. The world seemed to pause for a moment, and she savoured the peace and warmth of the simple, shared tranquillity.

“Mujhe yeh bohot accha lag raha hai,” Khushi said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Kya?” Arnav asked, turning slightly to look at her.

“Yeh—ap, hum, aur hamari choti si duniya,” she replied, a gentle smile playing on her lips. The warmth in her words wrapped around them like a cozy blanket.

Smiling, he pressed his cheek against her head.The world around them seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of them in their own little bubble.

“Do you remember me as a child, like before my parents died?” Khushi asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled between them.

“Yeah, I do. you were like a tiny human being. It’s amazing how something so small could be so annoying,” Arnav said with twinkling eyes.

She shoved him playfully, and they both laughed, the sound echoing in the stillness of the night.

“I don’t remember much,” Arnav admitted after a bit, his tone turning nostalgic. “But I do remember you being a very happy kid.”

Arnav chuckled as a specific memory came to mind. “One time, we went to your haveli during Diwali. You were stuffing your face with jalebis. I asked you for one, and do you know what you did?”

Khushi shook her head.

"You stuck your tongue out at me and told me to lick your fingers,” Arnav continued, laughing at the recollection. “Even then, you were obsessed with me.”

Khushi rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the smile that tugged at her lips. To emphasize her mock annoyance, she stuck her tongue out at him just like she did back then.

Without missing a beat, he gently grabbed her by the neck and kissed her sweetly. The kiss was soft and lingering.

As they pulled apart, the first droplets of rain began to fall, turning into a light drizzle. Arnav looked up at the sky, then back at Khushi. He momentarily got stuck in that moment. She looked so beautiful, so serene, it stole his breath. Her hair, escaping from her scarf and slightly tousled from their kiss, framed her face beautifully. The soft glow of the streetlights cast a gentle light on her features, making her eyes sparkle like stars. Her lips, still curved in a tender smile, were slightly flushed, and her cheeks had a rosy tint from the cold, with rain droplets catching in her eyelashes and glistening like tiny jewels.

Reluctantly, they hurried towards the house hand in hand, his eyes never leaving hers. The drizzle quickly transformed into a heavy downpour, the rain creating a symphony of splashing water around them. They barely made it inside before the rain came down in full force, drenching the world outside.

@featheredclover @arshifiesta @phuljari

#ipkknd #arnav singh raizada #khushi kumari gupta #arshi #ipk 13th anniversary fiesta #13 years of ipkknd #historical au #whispers of the heart

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retellingthehobbit · 1 year

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I just finished chapter 15 of my comic adaptation of The Hobbit! It is the first of our “finale” chapters, and is 20 pages long, so it’s twice as long as the chapters I usually draw, and the art has grown more detailed and elaborate. It is very exciting and I am excited to post it! Tho It did indeed take time

Chapter 14 will arrive on August 13th, and the double-sized Chapter 15 will arrive on September 13th!

Chapter 16 will tentatively arrive on November 13th, but is such a Big One I don’t think I can promise that 😂

In the meantime I may continue posting out of context drawings on this blog, but I don’t want to ‘spoil’ everything before it comes out! :D

Also this is what I mean when I say that, if I published at a “normal webcomic pace—one page per week—no one would ever ask me if I was on hiatus XD…if I split the 30 pages of these next chapters into a weekly posting schedule, I would post 1 page a week consistently for 6 months. Instead I am posting two large batch updates over the course of 2 months, which would amount to about 4 a week, because I am a very silly stubborn person.*

(*the real reason I like the large batch updates is because I enjoy updates that feel like a completed chunk of story, and when I read webcomics I think it’s easier to leave comments on ones that publish that way. It’s hard to find something to say about every single solitary page of a comic, but it’s easier to find things to say about an entire chapter, and when you know updates arent super frequent it’s easier to motivate yourself to say something. I personally am willing to accept “”less engagement””” overall if people who are invested are more likely to leave nice comments every chapter haha 😂. )

But yeah! Get hype

#sorry if this half incoherent I have a cold 😂#but yeah!!#chapter 15 is very exciting #the hobbit #retelling the hobbit #not chapters #announcements

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chenfordspiral · 7 months

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Okay, I’m sending this on here because this is where we first interacted. It has now made me think if this is the right day we met though, because the 14th was when we first started speaking on discord so was it the same day ? Anyhow 🤣 HAPPY BESTIE-VERSARY

We say this all the time, but I still can’t believe I met you because of Chenford and because you’re an indecisive bitch 🤣but thank goodness you are, because if you weren’t, I wouldn’t have met my best friend. I’m genuinely so grateful to have you in my life, like it’s just more enjoyable having you in it, so really, truly, Thankyou 🫶 my partner in chaos, my future roommate, my soul sister, my fellow witch in crime, i love you ❤️

I sometimes hate the internet (okay, a lot) and I mean, I do kind of have a point lmfao, but it did bring me my bestie so I guess I’ll say it’s not too bad 🤣

Btw, answer me back bitch, where are you ? Are you writing again ? Are you watching tbbt ? If you’re watching bones, I forgive you. If you’re not, I’m holding this against you for at least two days

Jk, love you lots 🫶

Well, for once I was actually not writing or watching anything but I *was* going over my notes for that multi chapter I've been planning since May and just told you about. I finally decided to choose the more painful route (yo welcome!), so normal stuff. Wait, does that also count as writing? Either way, I'm sorry for my late replies last night haha. You know I answered as soon as my tears were dry (do not recommend crying before going to sleep btw) not long after you texted me so please don't be mad at me for two days because just the thought makes me sad 😭

ANYWAY. I can't believe it's been a year! Feels like so much longer and yet like no time has passed at all. And you know what, I think that first tumblr interaction was just a day or two before? It says Feb 13th for me so I'm saying it was the 13th, which is definitely a sign girl. If anyone ever says that a TV show or a fictional couple can't change your life, they're wrong. Because look at this weird ass friendship we've build because of Chenford. I would not want to change it for the world because life is just so much better with you in it and I'm forever grateful I got mad at you and then DM'd you on discord a day later 😂 that was very unlike introverted, shy me but hey, I'm learning!

Future roommate, partner in chaos, fellow witch in crime, soul sister.. bestie. I love you lots too ♥️ happy bestie-versary 🫶��

#here's to another endless amount of years of friendship #I love her so much #if you could see our conversations on whatsapp..#oh boy #so much chaos

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miss0atae · 7 months

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Random thoughts about Playboyy the series ep 13:

I can't believe we are already at the 13th episode. I spent 13 weeks with these boys and watched their antics!

Again I thought things happened a bit too fast for my liking, but it's okay. I imagined they would face only terrible and tragic things, however, I believe the outcome is in their favour.

▪️Nont and Prom have a weird dynamic. I believe they kind of like role play a bit too much. Playing tragic lovers but ended up kissing and professing their love for each other. They are so dramatic. I still believe Prom is mostly a character who stands there and looks good (the expression in my first language sounds so much better than in English --") but their couple grew on me, thanks to their fans on this website.

▪️Nont is struggling with his latest decisions because he endangered several people close to him and Zouey (who never missed a change to rightly scold everyone) told him he can't consider them friends if he never really cares about their well being in his quest of truth and revenge. I don't like the preachy attitude of Zouey, but I can admit he is always good at making people ponder about what they are doing. He is the best therapist for most of these characters.

▪️Puen is alive and mostly well. Yeah! Last week, I was afraid he was dead. Now, Aob and him must hide from Jason Lee and they found shelter at the boys' house. First helped them settle. Again, I decided I'm not a fan of them individually but as a couple, I believe they are meant to be. I hope they will get the chance to be happy and free from Jason's wrath. Turns out, Aob never found Nant so all this torture from last week was for nothing.

▪️We still haven't learnt about the video Phop found on Nuth's computer. We just know it has something to do with Nant and it happened around the time he faked his death. Nuth wants to move on and be able to enjoy a quiet life with Phop. They are a couple I really like since their conversation about the struggles they face even inside their own community. I'm glad Nuth never decided to get full psycho on Phop as I feared several episodes ago. I need them to be able to leave their problems away and move on to another chapter of their lives. However, I don't like this last drug deal Nuth wants to do for Jason. It smells like bad news and terrible outcomes. Also, why does he not want to give the video to Nont? I want to see this video!

▪️Zouey was so suspicious in the previous episode, but we never got anything from it in this one. Is it going to happen in the last episode? Is he really hiding something? Apart from that I just can't stand him. I don't even have a good reason. I feel bad because I read many posts about him and what he is bringing to the story. The message he is sharing and how important it is. Unfortunately, his character is really unlikeable for me. He always sounds judgy to me.

▪️Porsche, Jump and Tutor worked together to help Jump be free of Jason by faking his death. I knew he couldn't be dead. I just didn't expect Tutor to help the couple because of the history he shared with them. Jump also insisted on the fact it would change nothing since he wants to only be with Porsche. I had to say bye-bye to my idea of them being a throuple. It would have been a very toxic throuple, but they would have made it, in my version of the story 😂. Nont also learnt about this and he now wants to team up with them to take down Jason. Nont is incapable of doing nothing. He is a very goal-driven person.

▪️Now let's talk about Keen. I understood he wanted to get back at Captain because of the videos and consequences. However, I don't get why he is still pretending to be in love with him? He got him expelled and Captain didn't suspect him to be behind it. He should just break up with him and move on. He told Captain he would still help me get to his dream of being a professional athlete... For what reason? Their couple is so dysfunctional. Will Captain learn the truth in the next episode or will he forever be in the dark? I can't see them being happy together after everything.

Next week we'll be the last episode. It's almost the end. 🥹

#my thoughts #thai series #thai bl #bl drama #bl series #playboyy the series #random thoughts #episode 13 #playboyy spoilers #Almost the end of this series 😭#I can't believe one episode will be enough to end the story.#Keen's gone down on my estimation #Is it bad to have some characters you prefer even if they are not “good” characters?

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meimi-haneoka · 2 years

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Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Chapter 67: Comments + JP-ENG translation differences

CCS fans!! Welcome back for another episode of “CLAMP are messing with my brain and I don’t like it”, aka Clear Card Arc! 😂We’ve reached Chapter 67, can you believe… For those who still don’t know, here’s a small reminder of the most important info we found out since last chapter: At the beginning of October (formalized on October 13th) we’ve got the confirmation that Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Arc will end with volume 14. In a Twitter Space of last week, CLAMP revealed that volume 14 will be a bit bigger (therefore, with more pages) than volume 13, which is already bigger than the standard. They haven’t announced exactly what will be the last chapter, so all we have left to do is enjoying these last chapters of the Clear Card saga, where we’ll find all the answers we’re looking for, as Ohkawa and Nekoi themselves reassured us in the same Space. In this chapter, for example, we start getting some answers about the current situation (I’m glad to see I was right on most things 😁)

Without further ado, let’s start this analysis/translation comparison thread, cause I feel there’ll be a lot to point out.

Gif of the month! 😂

The Color Page

Chapter 67 sees on the cover the spirits of two Cards that turned out to be absolutely crucial in this climax: Sakura Card Mirror and Clear Card Mirror, in a very “ying and yang” representation. The Japanese text over it quotes the words of the Card True or False back some chapters ago:

“You’ll have to ascertain… Is it a Lie (dream)? Or the Truth (reality)?

It’s interesting to note how Clear Mirror keeps the typical hair color that’s always been associated with Mirror, while the Sakura Card Mirror got this pinkish-purpleish tint to it. Was it always like this? We are used to the colors the anime canon sets as “official”, but as the manga canon sometimes switches things around (and this is seemingly the first time we have the spirit of a Card appearing on a color page), it might be a change done to distinguish the two Cards better.

The Cards Love Syaoran

We open the chapter with Syaoran waking up to the sound of someone calling him. It’s the Sakura Card Mirror, who confirms to him they’re at the edge of the world they’re currently all in. And lol, my readers, I already have to point out a translation mistake, since it’s important to understand why Syaoran is still inside this world…

ENG: You came to...just before you were driven out.

JP: You managed to stay here without being knocked off this world because [you realized] (the deceit).

So apparently, the fact Syaoran realized the deceit behind Mirror’s disguise (thanks to the absence of the shock, courtesy of Yelan) is what allowed him to stay here. It seems clear by now that if he kept believing the one he grabbed was Sakura, he would’ve been sent flying off this world and bye bye any remote chance to bring the real Sakura back. So again, a reiteration that Yelan’s spell ended up saving her son, one way or another. I think it was particularly brilliant because, even in the chance Kaito might have noticed the spell on him, he would’ve paid no mind, as apparently it was a spell with a “negative” connotation to the kids (and so, hard for Kaito to realize it would’ve actually helped Syaoran in this way). Syaoran realizes the spell is finally broken, and therefore he realizes it was his mother’s doing all along (for those wondering how, well, I can only imagine her son knows her and her methods that much). So we also got the confirmation that there’s no more “no-touch spell” and next time Sakura and Syaoran will be able to touch without any danger!

But the surprises are not over, as Syaoran realizes he’s got Flight on his back helping him staying “afloat” in the void.

And here we go again clarifying a part that’s pretty confusing in the ENG version in my opinion, it doesn’t explain exactly what Flight did here, beside mentioning something that is incorrect canon-wise.

ENG: I am Clow’s Mirror… Even if I look just like Sakura’s. The other Mirror copied the power of the Flight Card...so it remembered me. It saved me.

JP: I, Mirror (鏡), and (the other)Mirror (鏡像) have the same appearance. (The other) Mirror (鏡像) has copied Flight’s power before, so Flight remembered it and decided to help us out.

Sooooo. First of all. I get quite irked whenever the “old” Cards still get called “Clow Cards”, since the Clow Cards don’t exist anymore. It is factually wrong to call them as such because Sakura spent the entirety of the Sakura Card Arc making them be reborn under her name. The old incantation recited “Discard your old appearance and be reborn under your new Master’s name, Sakura”, after all. The Cards have all discarded their existence as Clow Cards and became Sakura Cards so long ago. Calling Mirror “Clow’s” here adds only confusion over confusion (before understanding what was happening, I really thought some shenanigan happened that nullified Sakura’s work on the Cards and somehow a Clow Card was able to come back!! WTF). If their intent was to distinguish Mirror (old) from Mirror (new), since they have the same name and we can’t use the kanji like the Japanese readers can do, they could’ve used any other trick. Call it “the other Mirror”, call it “the new Mirror” if you can’t use “Clear Card” because basically anyone has yet to call those cards “Clear Cards”, in the story. But if you say “I look like Sakura’s Card”, I will immediately think about all the Sakura Cards that are with Syaoran now, not the Clear Cards that Sakura is creating.

After this premise to point out that confusing mistake, this is what happened as I understood it: Flight and (Sakura)Mirror are from 2 different decks, so in theory they shouldn’t know eachother. But Sakura used the Mirror from the Clear deck on Flight before, so it is acquaintaned with that Card. Flight, seeing (Sakura)Mirror in that World, recognized her as having the same appearance as the Mirror from its own deck, made 2+2 (“this must be the Card our Master created Mirror from, since we’re all coming from her past experiences”) and decided to help her by preventing Syaoran to fall after passing out.

As we have all seen extensively throughout the series, Mirror confirms Flight loves Sakura very much, and apparently it loves Syaoran too, since Sakura means so much to him. Flight was also part of that special moment in the sky back in chapter 23, so it’s only normal it has come to know what’s really in Syaoran’s heart. Syaoran is very moved by all this trust in him and pats Flight in a very sweet way. I found this as a “convoluted” but probably necessary explanation as to why Flight would collaborate with Mirror to save Syaoran, despite supposedly not being acquainted with eachother. And then, Mirror apologizes profusely for deceiving Syaoran like that. If you pay attention, we reached a panel with Kaito, so do you think we escaped a translation mistake? Of course not, in fact: (yessir, I’ll call this ‘mistake’ because I’m tired to see him called as what NO one has ever called him in the series, perpetrating this misconception)

ENG: I let that man use me...to deceive you. JP: I let someone else use me to deceive you…

Yes, I am beyond done with the use of “that man” in relation to Kaito. Mirror here uses “someone else”. Besides, the ひと (hito) in 別のひと is written in hiragana. You might have heard me say this before, but apparently the use of hiragana instead of the kanji version for “hito” 人 represents warmth, a lack of animosity toward the person you’re talking about. When Syaoran talks about Kaito, he uses the same pattern. It’s not exclusive to them, as Kaito himself has used two different “ano hito” in relation to other people: with kanji (cold and detached) when talking about the Squids, and in hiragana (warm) when talking about Lilie. I saw my Japanese mutuals discussing about it more than once before, and I noticed it is a thing inside the story. So that “that man” that gives away so much bitterness is not only incorrect on a translation level, but also on an interpretation level. But, alas, we always have to make Kaito look worse than he is, right?(and I don’t think this chapter needed it, as he’s already behaving in the way he’s behaving. It’s like adding fuel to the fire).

Rant aside (it’s not over as there’ll be another instance shortly ahead), Syaoran reassured Mirror it’s not her fault, but rather his responsability for still being inexperienced. He goes to check for the Sakura Cards and….they’re not there in his pocket! Alas, Mirror confirms that the only Sakura Card allowed into this world is her, because Kaito brought her in. Again, we have the ENG translation using “that man”, but here in JP Mirror uses “the magician” instead (another name the people on Sakura’s team use very often to refer to Kaito). Mirror says that the new Cards that Sakura has been making are in this World too, but not all of them might move in Sakura’s interest like Flight did (“moving for her” rather than “answer to her”, as the ENG decided to translate it). We see an example of Shade, which has indeed moved in Kaito’s interest by destroying the scene with Tomoyo/Repair and bringing him and Sakura to the Red Queen, just like I had pointed out last time. Syaoran at this point doesn’t even know if his magic will work at all in this world, but he decides he has to carry on anyway, and Mirror pleads him to take her with him. Flight is absolutely wanting to be a part of this too, and Syaoran officially starts the “let’s go to Sakura” rescue operation!

All My Memories are Here

Right, where did we leave our “Sakura” last time? Alice is in the presence of the Red Queen, and as soon as she sees her, she’s about to shout her real name! It seems Sakura was about to recognize Akiho, but a strong headache messes with her head and she loses that glimpse of memory she was about to regain. The Cat, with a stern expression behind her, reminds her that she’s Alice, and so she introduces herself once again to the Red Queen. Again, Alice starts asking questions upon seeing the two people on the sides of the room. The Cat explains they are “The one who loves with kindness” and “The one who decides”. Interesting the choice in the ENG version where they translated 慈しむ者 with “the one who brings comforts”, as the verb 慈しむ expresses a very tender kind of love and affection (typical of parents for children). That same kanji is also present in the kanji name of the Kindness Card, so I would’ve appreciated the effort to include that nuance more. Alice, as she’s always been doing ever since she stepped foot into this World (guys, Sakura’s intuition is just that crazy good), asks the Cat: “For the Red Queen?” The Cat doesn’t answer (as usual), but his expression is once again very pensive. All these pressuring questions about the Queen...are pricking him where it’s needed to? We’ll see. The Red Queen welcomes Alice and, using the Transfer Card, teleports to Sakura, offering to be her guide throughout the castle. Another translation mistake: The Queen doesn’t say “take my hand” (do you actually see Alice taking the Queen’s hand, afterwards? Nope, indeed), but actually “touch it”, referring to Transfer’s target symbol. I want to remind you that Transfer was the one Card that Kaito commented “A pity. We were almost there” on. Transfer went very close, maybe even closer than the much more famous Rewind, to the Card Kaito wanted. We western fans don’t have much knowledge of it because the ENG translation back then translated his comment as just “oh well”. Back to us, Alice and the Red Queen get transported outside the Castle, to a place we have seen before….hehehe. Yes, this is the infamous botanical garden (would have it k1lled them to actually spell ‘botanical garden’ so it was clearer to everyone? We haven’t seen much of it back then so it might not be immediately recognizable to everyone)

The spread, of course, is absolutely stunning, as Mokona sensei got us accustomed to in this climax. The flowers are made of glass, and the Red Queen comments, while elegantly descending the stairs, that this place is very important, because it’s where all the memories are stored. Whose memories?, asks Alice, and the Queen cryptically answers “Someone’s”. Alice asks her if her memories are here too, to which the Queen replies affirmatively. Hence, I have to infer, the first person she was referring to wasn’t herself. Reflected in the big crystals, in the meantime, we see glimpses of the botanical garden we saw back in chapter 53.

Alice got the feeling she already knows this place.

ENG: Something tells me I’ve been here before...with someone very special to me. And I met someone very dear to me...and someone very dear to them. JP: I have the feeling I already know this “botanical garden”. I went there together with someone very special to me. Once there, I met someone very dear to me...along with that someone’s special person.

Cinzia, why being so nitpicky? Isn’t the meaning the same? No, it isn’t. Ohkawa tried to do something very clear here, and the way they translated it buried it under the sand. I just hope it’s carelessness and not a deliberate attempt at muddling something in the light of the finale. Basically, when Sakura was speaking, she made very clear the level of feelings between the two pairs, by using 2 distinctive adjectives: 特別なひと ("special person") to indicate the person Sakura is in love with

大切なひと ("important person") to indicate the feelings of someone being very dear to her

Sakura used "special person" to indicate Syaoran, but she used it ALSO when talking about Akiho's special person, Kaito. When talking about Akiho, instead, she used "important person". It was very very clear Ohkawa's intent here. "Kaito is to Akiho what Syaoran is to Sakura". Parallelism and such. So using “important person” in this context threw that subtle but important parallelism out of the window and watered down Akiho’s feelings as just the same level of friendship there is between her and Sakura. You should know by now that I wouldn’t tolerate that. 😂

Moving on (phew, so long), the two girls change location again. But we immediately realize the Cat was watching them from a distanced location and didn’t follow them suit. A voice starts talking…..and with absolute joy (from me) we realize it’s actually MOMO!! We only hear her voice and we don’t actually see her, but she tells him “Move them around, interfere with them, it’s all useless. This world, after all, is made by all the memories of Akiho, the one who calls me Momo and named this book ‘Alice in Clockland’...the memories of the girl who’s lost right now...and YOURS too, the one who activated the magic using this book” Basically here Momo is reprimanding Kaito because these little places made of memories that will “trigger” Sakura’s own memories will keep popping up, no matter how much he interferes, tries to steer Sakura’s attention or drags her away. So here we find out that not only Kaito’s subconscious is intertwined with this world, but Sakura’s and Akiho’s memories too. In that regard, we could say the rose garden appearing in last chapter might have been coming also from Akiho’s memories, in addition to Kaito’s. One curious thing I have to point out regarding the botanical garden is that, in theory, the two girls aren’t supposed to remember about it. Cause Kaito rewound the events of the botanical garden. While we might argue that Sakura, due to her powers, might have traces of these memories hidden down her subconscious, I still wonder if once again the place popped up from Kaito’s memories. After all, he’s the only one with clear memories of it and this was the place where Akiho went out of her way to invite him to. It must mean something to him too.

And here we basically get the confirmation of the thing I’ve been quite sure about since a couple of chapters ago, that is…..behind the Cat, there’s actually Kaito in disguise!!😂😂This rascal!! 😂 I mean, last chapter with some reactions of his he really let himself be caught, though 😝 Kaito answers to Momo that he’s been lucky the role of the Cat called for a calm and detached demeanor, and here Momo’s answers made me crack up big time!! 😂 “It would’ve been so much funnier if you had to play a spoiled brat….or a silly role” Kaito answers, with his usual demeanor between defiance and deference “I would’ve made an effort as far as possible” 😂😂😂NOW I want to see spoiled brat Kaito...no, wait...he already is one 😂

We find out from Momo that he used the Clear Mirror Card (note: Momo doesn’t say he stole that too, only that he used it…) to take the appearance of the next head of the Li family, but… Momo: “You can’t hide” Kaito: “What, my wickedness?” ( the JP didn’t use exactly “cruelty”) Momo: “No, your true nature” (I think the use of ‘nature’ here is important. It implies it’s the very opposite of “wicked”).

This is, I believe, a remark that pricked Kaito where he’s most vulnerable, as he gets up and he doesn’t even let Momo finish what she’s saying (something about even a little spell possibly doing damages to him, in the state he’s in right now?), stating he must be back to Alice’s side, as his role requires. We get the last confirmation that we’re currently inside Momo’s book, under the effect of a spell, and that the story is inexorably going towards “the beginning of the end”.

Back to the “outside world”, to Yukito & company, we see his barrier starting to deteriorate. Yukito is very tired and so is Touya. To avoid the spell from breaking, Yue talks to his “other self” and tells him:

JP: “Let’s swap. You and me are the same being, so I can keep this spell alive” "Ah, that's right. There's still my other's self power left" I've put the JP version here because that “traces” used by the ENG version might trick some people into getting a wrong interpretation, that is, that Yue was supposedly gone but there were actually still traces of him inside Yukito. None of this is really suggested in the JP version and the Spanish translation actually suggest Yukito was simply forgetting he could count on Yue as well. And so, Yue takes over and asks Nakuru to turn into Ruby Moon and act as a “battery”, to boost Yukito’s magic spell together...I found this a beautiful moment of collaboration and friendship beyween the two guardians!! They’ve come such a long way!! 🥲

The chapter ends with a BOOM: Yue threatens Syaoran to punch him if he doesn’t make it unscathed, and Touya agrees, saying “Hurry up and come back along with her...SYAORAN LI”.

GUYS GUYS TOUYA KINOMOTO CALLED SYAORAN WITH HIS FULL NAME 😂😂😂 Can you hear the wedding bells in the distance??? 😂This is like the “Big Brother” approval mark 😂

In this general climate of putting aside the differences, the animosity, to embrace others, I can’t help but yearning to see this climate extended to all the characters of Clear Card. I know this is what CCS is about, so I’ll just keep having faith and wait for that moment. It'll be a beautiful moment, I'm sure.

I have to run to bed but I wanted to get this thing out as soon as possible due to all the confusing things, so for now I'll just leave it here and as usual I'm available for more comments and theories in asks or comments! A quick reminder of the dates for the next chapter, chapter 68 (we're so close!!): November 28th, on Bookwalker/Azuki (digital, ENG) November 29th, on Clamp-fans (digital, JP and other languages) December 1st, on Comic-days (digital, JP ) and Nakayoshi (paper and digital, JP)

#cardcaptor sakura #card captor sakura #ccsakura #clear card arc #ccs spoilers #translation differences #chapter 67 #sakura card captor #sakura kinomoto #akiho shinomoto #yuna d. kaito #syaoran li #...my sis will scold me tomorrow

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