Posted:
Originally posted by: vfordonkey
Here are my two cents, as promised. These are my reactions to specific events of the story so far. I hope it does not offend you, the language in some places is quite strong (no profanity though!). It's just that i see people doing some things described in the story and my frustration has bled through. Mixed in is my speculation about their motivations. It's quite long! I suspect it will be quite boring. I'm sorry!
----I cannot believe the audacity of Anjali and, if Khushi's suspicions are correct, Harsha as well (I'll come to him later). Ridiculous woman! For me, privacy and communication are extremely important. I am angry at her, and my inherent dislike will not go away in the near future.The act of stealing a letter is not just an isolated act, it's representative of so much more! And this is precisely my concern. It shows how she is willing to interfere in a relationship in which she should be a spectator at best and mediator-on-invitation (mind you! Mediation extends to advice which is asked for) at worst. Meddlesome people are my absolute pet peeve! I dislike them intensely.I suppose an argument could be made that she's simply that way, and she's representative of most well meaning of well wishers who love you so much they think anything goes. However, I preempt that argument by saying that love and intention are not good enough reasons to unnecessarily interfere into a relationship she has no place in being in the first place. I suppose you could say that it is what it is. In that case, consider this my rebellion against status quo.Just to add on to that, the curiosity with which she asks of what is in the letter just adds to my irritation. It's p r i v a t e.All this being said, of course, I'm not as blinded to presume that is all there is to it. I truly think she has the potential to be a good friend to Khushi, despite all the meddling. The fact that she at least empathizes with Khushi as all the women tease her is quite nice of her. I just think she and Khushi need to have a conversation about boundaries. She's already a very important figure in their lives - it's very maternal. Perhaps this is another reason why she thought it was okay to meddle? I hope to see some clarifications about their shared past and her motivations. What I see currently angers me, but more importantly, disturbs me. I cannot imagine being in Khushi's place and not telling her off for being so ridiculous. It's so frustrating!--Let us move on to Khushi herself. It's clear she's not romantically into the wedding (sorry for wording it so crudely! Do you understand my meaning?) but despite that, even if she wasn't, I'm a little surprised to see her acceptance of how everything is going - the fact that she agreed is something I'm surprised at. The fact that she seems to have accepted the absolute lack of privacy and sovereignty is so strange to me. I'm most certainly projecting. I lived in the states for 2 years (almost?) and coming back home is such an experience - which is true even if you come back home after living in a hostel or a PG.Even if you have an intellectual understanding of what to expect, actually experiencing it is a very different thing. No amount of intellectual understanding can overcome that spike in anxiety when you experience first hand all the sensations of being overwhelmed. It's different from anticipating a move and safeguarding against it (the fanfiction community's favorite way to describe a brilliant but ruthless and astute business-man haha) because there's no way you can effectively safeguard against family and love and well intentioned meddling (someone find me a synonym for meddling)I wonder what makes her accept this so calmly. Is it world weariness? Or is it, as she puts it, just acceptance of the fact that showing displeasure isn't going to work. Either way, it's a sad kind of pragmatism when you can't even exercise your birthright to show displeasure against what should basically be a God honest crime because you know it won't sort anything out.Not to say I'm so naive as to never have done the old keep-your-head-down-and-get-on-with-it strategy when dealing with the overwhelming mass of hands, food and the unmistakable scent of lyril soap and sandalwood that is family. We're all guilty of it! I don't judge Khushi. Merely marvel/speculate.I'm glad she has not dismissed Arnav outright. But I disagree with the idea that proximity doesn't lead to some form companionship and love. I genuinely believe that love is more than a chemical reaction to physical stimulus and definitely more than recorded spikes in the hormones and chemicals. It's like, you're on a diet and breakfast is all fruits. And you're thinking Ew no because pancakes are so much better! But then, you have to eat the fruits and slowly you think it's not so bad to thinking, oh it's quite good! Does that mean you love pancakes less? No! Does it mean you love fruits too! Yes! It's quite different from being a habit. And Being together makes you habituated to each other - and this does not reduce the validity of the love so formed.Earlier, I used to believe that love is just a thing you can't share at all. I believed that there are some things you can share - like clothes (or: if you are particularly unconcerned about dental hygiene - another cultural shock for me in the States - your chewing gum) and your heart is not just one of them. It's not something you can split down the middle at all. I sincerely believed that you will always love someone a little more than you love another.But I've also learnt since that something as ambiguous as love cannot be put into such categories. My experiments with polyamorous relationships gave me some insight into this. I suspect there are some people are are built to not share their hearts with more than one. I suspect there are others who cannot love just one. It's all incredibly convoluted and I made a conscious decision to not engage with it. I wish I was the sort of person who could engage with thoughts simply for the sake of it. Unfortunately, I cannot stand loose ends and engagement with a thought means I will want to take it to a definite conclusion which is not something I want to do right now. Ergo, this.--Which brings me to the man of the moment, Arnav.I feel like he was slightly salty because Khushi didn't reciprocate his interest and comes off as slightly entitled in his conversation with her and also in his interaction with the Nina but I am glad he understood the need for patience in order to establish a healthy relationship with Khushi. He seems self aware which is lovely. Im curious about the nature of his relationship with Nina and Harsha. I wonder if there's any jealousy that had been present at any point in the past and how they worked past it or if there is any jealousy in the relationship now and how it colors the interactions so but this is also something I will come to later, when I offer whatever I have on Harsha.More to Arnav - I think he's a man who spends his time thinking things through and has definite conclusions about him. He's certainly the character I relate to most in that respect. I like that there's a certain stolidness to the character - in terms of his respect for sovereignty and freedom which is something I admire deeply and even share. Perhaps you've sensed my discomfort with the status quo - it stems from and partially births my deep, deep desire for pure freedom.Pure freedom feels like razors - edges and sharpness, the tang of not being bogged down by any social contract whatsoever - whether it's family, society or in extension, government.Arnav, he feels sharp. .I think that Arnav, along with me - we don't seek freedom and sovereignty to gain happiness. Happiness is a byproduct of it. We seek freedom for the sake of seeking freedom. That freedom in itself is beyond the happy, the sad, the melancholy. It's just a desire for freedom. That freedom is an end in itself. I like that. I feel that.--Is the relationship between them sexual?Nina gives me a vibe of wanting more, from Arnav. I see compromise.Compromise as a concept is something I have fundamental issues with. I'm sure there are people who are comfortable with compromise and I'm sure you can find happiness despite it. But compromise, to me, is completely contradictory to freedom. They're literally at opposite ends and it surprises me that Arnav hasn't sensed it yet. Or maybe he has. Which begs a question - how is he comfortable with the idea that someone is compromising? Or does he see that compromise as an exercise of freedom to do so?--Harsha is perhaps the most curious character in the story.But before that, let me just say if I found out my friend stole a letter I wrote for someone at the behest of my sister I would murder my friend and then bring him back to life just make him shit bricks and cacti again. I cannot stress this again. The shit they pulled is u n a c c e p t a b l e.There's obviously some sort of resentment between Nina's decision to have relations with Arnav - he clearly wants exclusivity. Which begs the question - how does he reconcile his resentment with his love for Arnav? I assume it's love and not a strange a wolf wears a costume and parades around as a sheep thing. At least, I sincerely hope it isn't.I don't think a commentary in general is necessary. I mean, there isn't enough to go on. But I am VERY excited for his development. I want to see it happen and his life to play out.I will end my extremely discursive sermon by two questions -Did his aunt really drug her with some strange lust potion?And, the question I've been meaning to ask since foreverWhen will the family leave?Thank you very much for reading this till the end. I'm so sorry for the length. I'm very excited for this story's future and hope there is no hiatus - - I'm hooked!If there's any readers who managed to read till the end, I would love to hear your insights into my commentary.-V
So good to see you back on IF my dear friend 🤗
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