#i understand it is different as he is her father but she would not be upset i promise!

[shana-reviews-tmblr]

I want to give insight as someone who grew up in Via's position and i will say that i will only be speaking for myself, if anyone else grew up in Via's position but feel differently you are also valid.

The situation is complicated, OP brings up a lot of points that are accurate, Via being 17 and also not being an innocent child in terms of not knowing the situation.

here is where I counter a few points as far as Via supposedly being in the wrong and i want to stress this is no hate to OP because if you went in this without knowing how things are from Via's perspective you'd assume she was being unfair.

Via all her life has only known her father being her emotional support, she trusts him and loves him undoubtedly more so than her mother and as we see in pictures and in the show, Stolas has always been there for her and was a far better father to Via than Paimon was to Stolas.

Stolas's desire to protect Via falls in line with Goofy's protectiveness and love for Max from the Goofy Movies

I use Goofy as an example because both are undoubtedly loving parents, but both are also very flawed parents, Goofy smothers Max while Stolas wants to protect Via so much from having her world view of her mother and her life being not what she thinks it was that it backfired.

Because Stolas wasn't able to tell Via the truth, Via has grown up with this idea her parents loved each other and that the reason Stella has become what she is now is due to Stolas cheating.

remember Via does not know the abuse her mother inflicted on her father from before the cheating and divorce.

so, from Via's POV she's seeing her mother turn into a hateful person because her husband betrayed her trust and their marriage

not helped was that Via always had a fear of losing her father (side note i think Via has prophetic visions because her song in Sinsmas describes what she said she saw in her nightmare as a child from S1 ep2)

this fear that she had grew until now after Stolas was banished, which she didn't know about, in her view point her dad left her for Blitz (as her song showed, Via sees Blitz as her replacement as his shadow covers her position in a family portrait)

these are fears that kids have with losing their parents either because their dad or mom found a new spouse and had a new kid, etc. Via's fears come from a real place

not helped was her finding Stolas's medication and with all the above mentioned, and her finding the pills, Via now thinks Stolas never cared about her that he used the medication to go through the motions and everything was a lie

this is partially the fault of Stella as she kept Via from contacting Stolas and vice versa for 1 month, had Stolas been able to get a hold of her the day after the trial (which he did) or had been able to see her within a week, that would have been a window for him to get to Via and explain everything so she understands his banishment and he could even have finally opened up about everything, but it didn't happen and Via was left in an environment of two toxic people while her own emotions were left without a means of processing everything which turned to sorrow, bitterness, and eventually anger.

All of these are emotions i went through when my parents divorced, though thankfully I was under my father's custody he had better luck than Stolas did because he at least was able to tell me his side of the story and even then only told me after i turned 18 because much like Stolas he didn't want me to grow up resenting my mom, turning against her, or having me fall apart, as much as i wanted to know why they divorced, but i do know that during this time when they were divorcing i felt Via's anger and sadness because it felt like my life was breaking and it did affect me as a kid because i took my anger out in different ways.

Via may be 17, but her anger is very understandable, but like stolas she is a victim of stella's abuse because thanks to Stella's evil and cruelty, it prevented Stolas from ever telling Via how much of a monster her mother is and because it was difficult for Stolas to say this to Via, she only thought her mom became this person because of Stolas.

Some people think there was an easy answer to this, but the truth is like i said before this is a VERY complicated situation because abuse does not leave victims with many options.

Stella's abuse of Stolas broke him but he did the best he could to protect Via, but at the time prior to Sinsmas it was difficult for him to tell Via the truth because doing so would have still broken Via, the woman who is her mother who she thinks is probably someone who loved her being a monster? it would have been difficult for Via to process everything and Stolas didn't want that for her.

In the end Abuse hurts EVERYONE and Abusers only destroy, and, in this case, Stella caused the issues that lead to Via and Stolas's relationship breaking and now Via feels betrayed by her father and has essentially shut herself off from him, maybe even Stella too.

the show now has a narrative stake on the line as Stolas is going to have to fight now to try and make amends with Via and help her reopen up to him.

this is something too that happened to with my sister and our dad, because when our parents divorced, much like how Stella kept Via away from stolas our mom did the same with my sister only in a more cruel fashion because she lied to my sister about our dad, i won't say what she told her that's too private for me to want to share, but it was enough to make my sister afraid of him and because of that i had to grow up without my sister being in my life most of the time, only regulated to when my mom wanted me to visit where she lived

so, if I'm guessing correctly HB is going to do the same, Via is in a vulnerable position and if Stella can get her claws into her, she might turn Via more against Stolas.

but I'm hoping much like how my sister learned that she was lied to Via will see the lies her mom might tell her and realize the truth and let herself be open enough for Stolas to reach her and he can finally tell her everything.

to end this I'll just say that once more the situation is complicated and Via is not being a brat or is in the wrong, most people would only see her as being in the wrong because we have an omnipotent view of the show, we know what has happened to Stolas and we know things Via doesn't, without the info we know, Via only sees her life breaking apart and it's because her father chose someone else over his wife and daughter and she thinks he used medication to go through the motions and that he basically put on a mask the entire time.

and after he broke his promise beforehand in seeing stars, this was just the straw that broke the camel's back for her and she was too angry, sad, and scared to open up and let Stolas explain.

all of which is understandable, and you can't hold anything against Via

So I want to address something.

Octavia: “You had a choice and you chose him.”

I am of two minds: she’s 17. She’s going through a traumatic situation. She’s emotionally stunted because of the way she was raised.

She also told Stolas, to his face, in front of Blitz, that he should have let Blitz be executed.

I don’t hate her for this. Not at all. Teenagers are notoriously self-absorbed and you add some privilege/entitlement to that, a dash of trauma, and you get the inevitable consequences.

And also

She’s not an innocent little girl who’s done nothing wrong ever. She’s 17. She knows what she’s saying.

She said, to Stolas’ face, in front of Blitz and co., that he should have let Blitz die.

She’s speaking from a place of hurt and betrayal.

She’s also in the wrong for that. And I hope with time and perspective, with some maturity to understand that her father is flawed and traumatized and doing his best between a rock and a hard place, she will apologize for that.

[4linos]

behind closed doors

kim seungmin x fem!reader

synopsis/request: When you overhear Seungmin's parents' doubts about your relationship, you’re left questioning if you can ever measure up to their expectations until Seungmin’s support reminds you of what truly matters.

wc: 1948

It was an evening you had both anticipated and dreaded: your first meeting with Seungmin's family. The entire day had been a mixture of excitement and nerves for you.

Seungmin's parents and sister were very important to him, and you naturally wanted to make a good impression. Everything had started off nicely enough. His parents were polite and respectable, while his sister was vibrant and charming. They all seemed really friendly, which relieved some of the stress in your chest. However, there was an underlying pressure to appear as if you were the right person for Seungmin in their eyes. You wanted to show them how serious you were about him and the relationship.

Seungmin was his usual self, loving and fun, in stark contrast to the formal atmosphere you were trying to navigate. As the night went on, you tried to figure out a balance between being yourself and what you believed his family would expect from someone in your position.

You laughed a little too loudly at his father's jokes, became overly passionate talking about unimportant topics, and may have made a couple too many silly remarks. You didn't want to be too stiff or too serious; it felt like you were trying to draw a careful balance between demonstrating that you were polite and truly interested in getting to know them, while still allowing your personality to peek through.

But then came the time when you excused yourself to go the bathroom. You'd noticed a strange tightening in your chest, an almost unbearable sensation of pressure. Maybe it was the food, or it could have been the nerves. Regardless, you needed a time to breathe.

As you stood in front of the bathroom mirror, trying to settle yourself down, you had no idea that the thin walls allowed you to hear faint sounds on the other side. You weren't trying to eavesdrop; your mind was busy with your own ideas. But when the conversation you overheard started, it was like a punch to the stomach.

The words came through clearly, and they stung more than you expected. Seungmin's mother spoke softly yet firmly. "Do you think she's the one, Seungmin?" she asked, somewhat hesitantly.

You felt your heart speed up as his father spoke out, his tone condemning, "She seems so playful, too much so, don't you think?" "She doesn't seem to take things seriously." That was hardly the worst of it.

His father went on to say, "Seungmin, she is not marriage material. You need someone more grounded, someone who knows what it means to settle down.

Your throat tightened as the words struck you harder than expected. You wanted to run back into the room and interrupt, but your legs felt heavy, and your mind was racing to find a way to mask your pain. His mother continued, almost sadly, "She doesn't seem to be serious about you or this relationship. She seems too... young, too carefree."

Seungmin's voice came next, quieter than the others and almost protective. "She's just not used to...this," he explained. "She's a little different from what you expect, but that doesn't mean she doesn't care." His father was obviously unconvinced. "It's more than just caring, Seungmin. "She lacks the necessary maturity."

Then, maybe recognizing just how difficult the topic was for her brother, Seungmin's sister interrupted with more than a hint of impatience. "Mom and Dad, stop! She's great. You don't understand. She's like me; she's lively, warm, and kind. I really like her.”

It was comforting to hear someone fight for you, even if it was Seungmin's sister. You stood motionless, the hurt of their words still echoing in your chest. But you didn't have the courage to confront them right away.

What could you possibly say?

You tried so hard, probably too hard, to appear mature and serious, but it didn't feel like it was enough.

You stood in the bathroom for a while longer, feeling the weight of their judgment. You had tried to be someone you thought they’d want, but in doing so, you realized that you hadn’t really been yourself. You didn’t know how to process the idea that, maybe, you weren’t seen as good enough for Seungmin not by his parents, at least.

When you finally returned to the room, you knew something had changed. The air felt different. Seungmin’s sister, noticing your quieter demeanor, tried to shift the atmosphere by asking you more about your hobbies. “Wait, you like pottery?” she asked with wide eyes, an obvious attempt to get you talking.

"Yeah," you said quietly, trying to keep a light tone, "I've been getting into it lately. It's sort of relaxing." Her eyes sparkled with genuine enthusiasm. "No way! I've been doing pottery for several months now! That’s great!" She gasped, smiled warmly, attempting to lighten the mood even further. "We should definitely do something together. It will be so much fun! I can teach you some tricks; I'm very good at it."

For a little while, the connection you had with his sister managed to reduce some of the nervousness. Still, you couldn't shake the feeling that you were being watched in ways you hadn't expected, and that something was wrong. Seungmin also noticed the shift in you. He kept looking at you, brow wrinkled, stare kind yet anxious. His eyes would wander between you and his parents, almost as if he sensed something was wrong, but he didn't push.

Dinner continued, but the lightness was gone. His sister made more small talk, and you tried to engage, but it felt forced. Every time you tried to speak, Seungmin's gaze lingered on you, looking for answers he had not asked for. His parents, while being respectful, seemed to fall into silence after their earlier talk. You couldn't help but feel like an outsider in a space that you had hoped would feel like home.

You told yourself that you were overreacting. Maybe it was all in your head. But every time Seungmin's parents spoke to you, you felt judged, as if you hadn't proven yourself in their eyes. His sister, sensing your uneasiness, attempted to change the subject as much as possible, but the shadow of their words hung over you.

When the evening drew to an end, Seungmin led you to the door. You were calmer, almost withdrawn. You didn't want him to know how much it hurt, yet the disappointment persisted. As you grabbed for the door handle, Seungmin's voice broke the silence, softer than normal.

"Are you alright? You've been unusually quiet recently." You smiled, pretending everything was alright, but the weight of the evening hung heavy on your chest. "I'm fine," you said, but neither of you found it believable. "Just... tired, I guess." He didn't press any more, but his eyes were gentle and concerned, indicating that he had observed the change in you. "If you need to talk... anything, I'm here," he said softly, his fingers brushing over yours. You nodded, trying to smile, but it was hard to shake the feeling that you weren't enough, that you would never be enough for his family, no matter how hard you tried.

The cold breeze as you stepped into the peaceful night air did little to relieve the pressure in your chest. You strolled beside Seungmin, his arm brushing against yours in a way that used to comfort you but now only increased to the gap you felt between yourself and what had happened inside. The drive home was quiet, with the hum of the engine filling the gaps between the silences. Seungmin was still looking at you, his eyes flickering back and forth as if he wanted to question, to comprehend, but didn't want to push. His hands clutched the driving wheel tighter than usual, and the stress was evident. You could feel his anxiety, but you were not yet ready to talk. You weren’t sure how.

When you arrived at the apartment, he parked and sat for a time, his fingers drumming on the steering wheel. "I know you're not okay," he continued, his voice lower than usual. "Whatever happened tonight, please tell me. I'm here. But you don't have to if you aren't actually ready. You paused, unsure where to begin, but the weight of the overheard conversation, judgment, and unsaid expectations pressed down on you, threatening to spill over. "I don't know," you said, your voice trembling. "It's just hard, Seungmin. I tried so hard to fit in, to prove that I am... enough for you. But it seems like nothing I did mattered. They say I'm too childish, too carefree, and that I can’t take things seriously." Your voice caught, and you looked away, suddenly feeling exposed.

Seungmin's stare softened, and you thought you noticed a glint of frustration in his eyes, not at you, but at the situation. He reached over, softly squeezing your hand. "You are not too much of anything. I adore you for being who you are. I apologize if they made you feel uncomfortable. That is their problem, not yours.” You struggled to hold back the tears that threatened to flow, but they fell regardless.

The irritation, the hurt, and the overwhelming sensation of not being able to measure up all spilled out of you in an instant. Seungmin wasn't trying to stop you. He just sat there, holding your hand, allowing you to cry. His thumb traced small circles over your skin, the simple act offering more comfort than words ever could.

"I just don't want you to feel like you have to change," he said after a moment, his voice quiet and steady. "I understand they can be difficult. But I love you for who you are. I have never wanted anyone else. And you don't have to fake or change to make people see it." You sniffled and looked up at him with hazy eyes. "What if they never see it?" What if they never realize I'm serious about us? about you?" "They will," Seungmin replied confidently. "It may take time. And while they may not understand it right now, they will eventually see what I see. And in the meantime, all that matters is what we see in each other.”

You took a long breath, hoping to settle your rushing thoughts. Seungmin was right. The weight of his family's expectations should not be entirely on your shoulders. You weren't perfect. You didn't meet their expectations. What mattered most was that Seungmin saw you for who you were and loved you despite, or perhaps because of, your differences. "I'm sorry I've been so distant tonight," you said, wiping your tears. "I just didn't know how to handle all of it." He smiled tenderly, moving a stray strand of hair away from your face. "There is no need to apologize for how you feel. You don't have to explain your emotions to me or anyone else.”

The two of you sat in comfortable silence for a moment, the weight of the evening slowly lifting as Seungmin's presence settled you. You eventually turned to him, giving him a faint, sincere smile. “Thank you. For everything. I just don't want to disappoint you."

"You could never disappoint me," he continued, his voice firm and confident. "You're everything to me. And I will always stand by your side, no matter what." It wasn't a solution, and it wouldn't solve everything quickly. But it was enough to know that, in Seungmin's eyes, you were enough. And maybe that was all you truly needed to hold onto, at least for now.

The night wasn’t over, but somehow, with him beside you, it already felt a little lighter.

//

masterlist 📩

[therandomfandomme]

We're all going feral over the whole "Mercy? Mercy?" which is so valid of us, but the way mercy comes back as a theme in this final saga is really interesting to me, because before this, Odysseus is asked for mercy, for forgiveness:

"Old king, our leader is dead

You've destroyed the serpent's head

Now the rest of us are no longer a threat

Old king, forgive us instead

So that no more blood is shed

Let's have open arms instead"

"No"

He has become Poseidon, the one that first forced him into believing that mercy isn't something he can afford ("Look what you turned me into"), which is made doubly poignant with Eurymachus echoing the open arms of Polites ("Greet the world with open arms"). Now I'm not saying he should have forgiven the suitors for what they were planning on doing, however, this interaction directly informs this one later:

"Throw down those weapons

And I ensure you'll be spared"

"After seeing what the king will do to us

We wouldn't dare"

Because Odysseus doesn't show mercy to Eurymachus, Melanthius doesn't want to take the risk when Telemachus extends mercy to them, which then leads to the starting interaction.

When extending mercy and creating a kinder world is discussed again, it's by Athena. She is the original god, who pushed him towards a lack of mercy, who found that a warrior of the mind is one that showed not mercy and Odysseus believed her during the war, even threw a baby of a roof about it, and it wasn't until after that he rebelled her teachings only to be forced into it by other gods (Poseidon and Zeus most specifically). To which this is said:

"If that world exists, it's far away from here

It's one I'll have to miss, for it's far beyond my years

You might live forever, so you can make it be

But I've got one endeavor, there's a girl I have to see"

"Very well"

"Father, she's waiting for you"

I especially want to highlight that Odysseus says it is beyond his years. He has become that monster and he can't undo that in the years he still has. If this is to happen, then it must be the future generations that Athena has to influence to make that world. Having her reply to that getting interrupted by Telemachus is very purposeful to me. Because he does still extend mercy, he is the new warrior she trained and she trained him differently because her belief changed.

But I also think having her show Odysseus her face with the lightning scar as she agrees is very telling. When she pushed Odysseus to be ruthless she had not been on the other end of no mercy, which is what makes Odysseus turn against her ("Unlikе you, every time someone dies I'm left to deal with the strain"). She now has been on the other side of it by the hands of someone Odysseus also faced and they were both shown the same lack of mercy. For Odysseus that was his final turning point where he chose no mercy, while Athena did chose mercy.

And in the end, she did get some mercy from Zeus in response from it. Zeus also learned from her, from the lesson Odysseus taught her, which was taught to him by Polites. And that mercy gets paid forward allowing Odysseus to get home (yes, I'm emotional about Polites helping Odysseus get home in the end). Almost every time mercy is shown, his journey progresses (Lotus eaters, Aeolous, Circe, Zeus).

Athena has been through not receiving mercy, but she still believes, is still working towards that future. And while she accepts Odysseus words about him being beyond such a world, she doesn't agree with him. Her reply feels more like accepting a dismissal rather than an agreement. And Telemachus shows up as a reminder that she is more correct than Odysseus in this, and he leads them into Penelope.

God, I love Penelope. With her, Odysseus tells someone yet again that he has changed ("I am not your kind and gentle husband") and that he would understand if she did not love him anymore. And then we get this banger:

"Only my husband knew that

So I guess that makes him you"

Penelope shows him mercy in this. She has asked him what he has done and she is given the option to not want him anymore after hearing about the monster he's turned into, but she doesn't. She forgives him. He asks for forgiveness and she grants it. That is mercy.

Not only that, but she also affirms that he is still him. The usage of husband here is important to me, because he says he's not her husband, who was gentle and kind, and she tells him that he is. He believes him beyond that world where people are empathetic and kind, but the roots of that world he created in Ithaca and with Athena allow him to come home. He isn't a monster beyond redemption, he is also a part of that kinder world, regardless of what he has done.

And then you have the music echo the Just a Man melody when Odysseus sings:

"I'm just a man who's trying to go home

Even after all the years away from what I’ve known

I'm just a man who's fighting for his life

Deep down I would trade the world to see my son and wife

I'm just a man"

He is brought back to who he was when he was still just a man, before he became a monster. He did trade the world to see his son and wife and that makes him just a man.

The whole musical asks the question when a man becomes a monster and I think while it is never explicitly answered, that the answer is: when he isn't shown mercy. And that by showing someone mercy, you can reverse that. That it isn't permanent. I really love the moral question of mercy vs. ruthlessness in that Epic has, so it was really interesting to see how it came back in the end :D

[arliedraws]

Anything for Our Moony

Well, it’s @impishtubist’s birthday, and I figured a Wolfstarbucks ficlet might be a nice lil gift. So! Here it is—the moment that Sirius and James decide to make Remus their precious little princess.

The Lupins did not raise their voices.

His father went quiet when he was angry. The muscle in his jaw would twitch, and his thick brows would knit together, forming a deep line above his strong nose. His mother would speak very rapidly when she was nervous or upset, but her disappointment was soft.

For the first decade of his life, Remus grew up speaking gently. Even in his irritation, he chose to code his fury in biting remarks and double-meanings. The wolf did enough howling for the human side of him, and he hardly wanted to draw attention to himself anyway.

But school was different. He’d never been around others his age until he attended Hogwarts, and he learned very quickly that children were loud. The train ride itself had been a slap in the face—children running down the corridor and hollering to their friends and enemies. And then to be sorted into Gryffindor alongside James Potter who didn’t seem to understand the concept of a whisper.

At first he’d thought Sirius Black was a bit more like himself—quiet, withdrawn, watchful, yet as soon as James Potter threw his arm around Sirius’s shoulders, he invited him to be just as loud. Together, they roared; they laughed, hexed Slytherins, showed off in class. And Remus watched them. Sometimes it was in admiration, other times in irritation, but most often in envy.

Upon leaving Hogwarts, Remus learned that Sirius was quiet when James wasn’t around—although their separation was a rarity, Remus had come to appreciate the times he caught Sirius alone. Moving into the spare bedroom of Sirius’s flat made such occurrences more frequent, and Remus longed for the moments when he and Sirius lounged together and read or quietly discussed magical theory.

It was in those moments that Remus felt something shift inside of him. Watching Sirius lean against his fist as he spoke, listening to the deep timbre of his voice, admiring the way those pale eyes sparkled with cleverness—all of it made Remus very warm in that drafty flat. Remus loved James, of course, but he loved who Sirius became when James wasn’t around.

So it was too bad that James was often bursting into the flat unannounced to banish the secret Sirius that belonged to Remus. While he shouldn’t have been jealous of whatever thing was happening between Sirius and James, it was hard not to bristle when Sirius would tense with a feral hunger as James stirred the energy in the flat.

They’d always been a bit odd about each other, Remus recalled, but since they no longer slept in beds a few feet from the other, they had become something wild whenever they were brought together. James still lived with his parents, and his relationship with Lily consumed most of his free time, so he took advantage any time he could come see Sirius.

And they were loud again.

Usually, Remus could handle it. He could handle Sirius and James wrestling in the lounge as if they were fifteen; he could handle the strange noises that emerged from Sirius’s room. It was annoying, of course, but they were his friends and he was grateful to have them. Sometimes when he wasn’t in the mood to tolerate it, he would escape to Peter’s house and enjoy the peace of quiet, if a bit dull, conversation with Mrs. Pettigrew.

Yet his patience for their infatuation with each other had been growing a bit thin, he realized, and this became quite evident on a Friday evening when he returned to the flat, weary and drained from his shift as a bartender. It was past midnight, and he’d been looking forward to a bath and a long sleep. When he unlocked the door and shuffled inside, however, he heard them.

“Fuck! Fuck. Yes. God, yes—”

“Yeah? That’s good?”

“Yeah—fuck, Pads, you’re fucking incredible—”

Remus groaned. The flat was small, and the door opened into the room where the sofa was shoved against the far wall. He might have simply turned around and slept at his father’s house if only he hadn’t caught the gaze of Sirius Black.

It wasn’t the first time Remus had caught them doing something strange, but not like this. James was sprawled on the sofa—his bare rump pressing into the spot where Remus usually sat—and Sirius straddled him, a hand gripping James’s hair and the other on James’s—

Remus grimaced; he tried to ignore the sudden flood of heat in his face and a rush of blood from his core, pricking him with a horrible yearning. He looked away as Sirius pulled a guilty look.

“Oh, shit,” Sirius muttered. “Fuck—James, stop a minute. Get up.”

“What’s—?” James opened his eyes. He saw Remus and winced. “Oh. Fuck. Bollocks. Shit. Remus—I’m—we’re—”

“—so sorry,” Sirius finished.

“Oh,” said Remus mildly, waving his hand. “It’s no trouble. Don’t worry about me..”

They rushed to fetch their underwear from the floor, looking a bit like clowns as they stumbled in a panic, still gushing apologies.

“No, no, it’s my mistake,” Remus said, clenching his teeth as he shed his coat. “My fault. I should have knocked first.”

“We’re really sorry,” said Sirius.

Their mouths were red and glistening, and for some reason, Remus could hardly see for the rage that welled inside of him, and he wished that he had the sort of bravery that they both possessed so he could tell them off. The apologetic looks suddenly incensed him instead of pacifying him, and he wanted to pack up his things and tell them farewell forever.

But they were his friends. Putting up with this sort of thing was the price of friendship.

Remus smiled tightly as he turned to hang up his coat on the coatrack.

“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” Remus assured them. “You’re completely entitled to do—er—whatever it is you’re doing. That isn’t any of my business. Please, go on. I wouldn’t want you to stop on my account I’ll just be in my room if you need anything.”

An odd look passed between them. The guilt dissolved from their faces, leaving behind a sort of skepticism that made Remus’s stomach churn. He’d seen them exchange that look before, usually when Severus Snape was around and saying something that was passive aggressive to them in front of a teacher. It involved a slight raise of the eyebrows and half a smirk. Remus swallowed. Usually that look was followed by a volley of hexes when the class ended and a thoroughly humiliated Snape.

Eager to avoid such a confrontation, Remus cleared his throat.

“Look, I’m not upset,” he said. “I just didn’t realize what I’d be walking into when I got home. I wouldn’t want to interrupt your…fun.”

The guilty looks were completely gone now.

Sirius rolled his eyes at James. “What d’you suppose that means?”

“Dunno, Padfoot. Sounds like Remus is a bit angry with us.”

“Is he?” said Sirius. He tilted his head, his eyes sweeping up and down Remus in a way that made Remus feel completely exposed. “You’d think he’d say something to us if that were true, wouldn’t you?”

“I’m not angry,” Remus ground out.

They smirked at each other.

“No, of course not,” said Sirius.

“Look at how red he is. He’s furious.”

“I’m not,” spat Remus. “Now excuse me, I’m going to bed—”

Directly into his path, they stepped in unison, blocking his way. Both of them were a bit taller than him and he felt as if he were drowning in their curious looks. Remus swallowed hard, clenching his fists, itching to take out his wand and curse them. James grinned first.

“He’s really angry, Padfoot. Look at his hands.”

Sirius smiled at Remus. “Is it true? Are you angry, Moony?”

“I’m starting get angry,” Remus warned. “So if you wouldn’t mind letting me pass—”

He tried to take a step, but James put a hand against his chest; Remus hoped he couldn’t feel his heart rattling in his ribcage. He breathed in slowly, pleading with himself to cool the heat building in his belly, hoping they wouldn’t look down—

“Then if you aren’t angry,” said James, “what’s the matter?”

“I told you, it’s nothing. Go on doing whatever it is you do together.”

“And what do you think that is, Moony?”

Remus wanted to die. He held back a groan of misery as James shifted his gaze down to the bulge in his trousers. It was unmistakable. He wished they would hex him and humiliate him that way instead. This was unbearable.

But even worse, Sirius followed James’s stare. A whoosh of dizziness made Remus’s vision swim as Sirius’s eyes flickered back up to meet his.

“Ah,” said Sirius, his smile growing. “So you are a bit angry, aren’t you?”

“Not at all—”

James shot Remus a pitying look. “Poor Moony,” he said, simpering. “A long, hard day at work, and you have to come home to this.”

“And thinking you’ve got to shuffle off to bed,” Sirius said. “Feeling so lonely—”

“—unsatisfied—”

“—unappreciated—”

“—painfully hard,” finished James. “Were you going to go back to your room and wank to the sound of us out here?”

Remus could have punched him, and he might have if James hadn’t wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close. Remus tried to shove him away.

“Get off,” he growled.

Sirius, however, pushed him gently back into James’s grip.

“Poor Moony,” he said. “Do you feel left out? Have you been feeling jealous this whole time, and we’ve never noticed?”

Before Remus could speak, James buried a hand in his hair. “I think we’ve neglected our sweet, hardworking Moony. How could we?”

Sirius regarded him with a dark look in his bright eyes. It was difficult to breathe, and Remus tried to turn his head away, but a strong hand tipped his chin up and he couldn’t avoid staring at Sirius.

“Is it true?” Sirius asked softly.

“Is—is what true?”

“Be careful—he’s shy, Sirius,” James warned. “I don’t think we should push him.”

“Are you sure?”

“I think we’ve scared him.”

“Oh no, he’s braver than he looks. Aren’t you, Remus? You aren’t scared of us, are you?”

Sirius brushed his thumb against Remus’s lip, eliciting a shiver that made James laugh. Then, James was grazing the back of his neck with a soft brush of his lips, and Sirius was smiling at him fondly as if he were a prized dog, stroking with his thumb, his eyes blazing with wild thoughts that Remus couldn’t fathom.

“I’m—I don’t—”

Words were beyond him, and they soon became impossible as Sirius pushed his thumb between Remus’s lips, and Remus parted his mouth to let him inside; he nearly fainted at the delight that lit Sirius’s face.

“Well,” said Sirius, his voice rich and low. “I suppose we ought to make it up to you, Moony. Don’t you think so, Prongs?”

“Yeah,” said James, lifting his mouth from where he’d been sucking on Remus’s neck. “Anything for Moony.”

Sirius grinned as Remus wobbled and reached out to hold onto Sirius’s shoulders.

“Oh, yes,” said Sirius. “Anything for our Moony.”

[yeonmuse]

𓇢𓆸. 𝕯ECELIS ACA𝕯EMY. —— YJW

BLOODBOUND. ִ. 𓍯𓂃

☪︎ ִFull Chapter log Next Chapter

WARNING | EXPLICIT CONTENT ℭontains the mention of blood & voilence. Mentions of sex & death, Jungwon will be a little mean in this one but the way that each member is written in this does not portray their true selves. Includes ot7, angst/romance/fluff. Includes otr, angst/romance/fluff

𖤓 reader x yang jungwon ── 𝒢enre. angst. fluff, non idol vamp enha. [reqs are open] ᝰ.ᐟ 𝓁ibrary

𝕾ynopsis. — Yang Jungwon has stood by her side from the age of six to the night of her eternal age ceremony. He has spent nearly her entire life reassuring her that her time would come, that she would possess her vampiric abilities soon enough, but he couldn’t have been more wrong. Her lack in vampiric traits cause a ripple in their friendship, her father is withholding secrets from her and she slowly begins to lose a sense of self, but maybe with Jungwons help she can find out who she is truly meant to be in this life.

More | please remember that the things written in this series are a work of FICTION,meaning NOTHING you read in this series correlates to neither enha nor their storyline.

© YEONMUSE 2024. do not copy, plagiarize or steal my works. You can join the taglist for this series here

Chapter 8

The next four days were spent shopping endlessly, the only time yn got to see any of the guys was when she had gone to class, after that when the weekend arrived she hadn’t seen either of them not even once.

“Aleera we’ve been shopping for hours, you’ve got six different dresses, how many more stores will you make us go to?” Fawna complains as the girl continues to drag the two along through town square.

“We’re going to be there for four days Fawn, four days of not having to wear that stupid ass uniform, I’m not wasting my opportunity to serve.” Fawna looks over to yn as if begging her to say something, at which she just laughs.

“Come on, the quicker we let her just do her thing the faster we can get back to the dorm.” Fawna groans as she trails behind the two, of course she was used to Alreeras endless shopping by now but she thought that yn would at least agree that they had been out too long.

“Hurry your asses, we only have a few more hours of freetime before we leave tonight.”

“Tonight? Why are we leaving tonight?” yn couldn’t seem to understand why they’d be leaving tonight rather than the day of.

“Um hello? For dinner?”

“Dinner?”

“Oh goodness gracious yn you really have never left that estate, remind me to judge your father for that when we get there.”

“Aleera please, yn. A dinner is usually required the night before every ball held by a member of the royal true bloods, I guess since your dad never really allowed anyone at the estate you haven’t really had that experience.”

“Oh..okay I guess I get it.” She honestly didn’t but she didn’t want to have to sit through another hour of one of Aleeras lectures.

The rest of their day was spent pampering themselves and preparing for the long awaited night ahead. In all honesty yn dreaded nothing more than facing her father again tonight and knowing that she would have to look him in the eyes and ask how he could send his only daughter away.

She had been calm and collected throughout the entire ride to Sunoos childhood home, which is saying a lot considering how many bumps and potholes Aleera had ridden over.

“Um Aleera, not to offend you or anything if you do, but are you sure you have a license.’’

“Wait, I'm supposed to be licensed? People need licenses for these things?’’

“Aleera!? You’re telling me you’re driving what's meant to be a licensed vehicle without a license?” Both yn and Fawna share a worried glance, Fwna sits back simply shaking her head.

“What? I've only driven once! I didn’t want yn having to take one of those uber thingies alone since she can’t fly yet.’’

“Lord, we’ll all just catch a ride back with nicholas, since he actually knows how to drive and owns a license.’’

“I still don’t understand why he doesn’t just fly or teleport..actually come to think of it i don’t think i’ve ever seen him use any of his powers.’’

“For once I'm actually going to agree with something you’ve said, Lee, I don't think I've ever seen him use them either. What if he’s like you yn? What if he doesn’t have his yet either?’’

“Well the again, he’s pretty fast, like inhumane fast, maybe he has enhanced speed?’’

“Mm could be suppose, i guess we could always ask him as well.’’ the two in the front seat shrug their shoulders, leaving yn to ponder in the back seat, if what they were discussing was actually true. The more she thought about it she hadn’t ever seen him drinking blood and he was always in the cursed book section of the library, maybe there was a possibility that he just like her hadn’t yet grasped his vampiric abilities.

When the three had finally arrived at the kim residence and they stepped from the vehicle for some unnerving reason something in the blowing wind made a sense of solemnness wash over her. She didn’t know why but as she stood looking up at Sunoos childhood home something about it felt familiar. As she pried her eyes away from the exterior of the home her gaze shifted to the trees surrounding the home, she felt as if someone had been watching her, she had only imagined it right?

“There you guys are, we’ve been waiting for you all day, Jake wouldn’t stop asking if the three of you were coming.’’ Sunoo complains as he makes his way out the door to greet the girls, a line off servants trailed behind him to gather their bags.

“Dinner is in two hours so all of you would wanna go in and start getting ready now.”

Yns stomach twisted in knots at the thought of tonight's dinner, she didn’t know if her father would be here tonight or not but she dreaded the thought. What were Sunoos' family and his sister like? Did they know about her since they knew her father? A knock on the door pulled the girl out of her thoughts.

‘Oh come in.’’ Aleera stepped into the room, her beautiful white hair that was once a head full of braids was now pulled up into a slick ponytail, bumped into a curl at the end, her baby hairs slicked down on her forehead, with a strand of hair straightened into a band on the side, she worse a short white lace dress, with lace gloves adorned on her arms, her neck tied prettily with a lace choker and pure rubies. Meanwhile Fawna that had entered behind her wore a semi short white lace dress that, the skirt ruffled at the end threaded with both silk and lace, her waist adorned with a black corset to contrast Aleeras all white look, her hair blown out and curled. Both Aleera and Fawna froze on the spot upon seeing her, so this was what it was like, they knew she was beautiful, anyone with eyes could tell that she was, but this was the true visuals of the pure blood princess. Something about her shined in this dress compared to her usual clothes, was it perhaps that they were now seeing her in all her glory? Or could it have been that she stood here before them all dolled up, her beautiful locs curled to perfection, pulled into a half updo on top of her head, and the beautiful white and gold butterfly corset dress that hugged her frame.

“You look fucking amazing.’’ they all say in unison make them all burst into immediate laughter.’’ the next five minutes consists of the three of them just fawning over and complementing one another until they were interrupted by a knock at the door,

“I guess that means it’s time.’’ the all share a look with one another before locking hands and making their way out the door, as one of the caretakers lead the way.

As they entered the dining hall the rest of the guys had already gathered there. While all of their eyes seemed to fall upon the three girls that had now entered, yns thoughts seemed to be elsewhere, she had been looking for her father but there was no trace of him anywhere.

“Well look at you looking like a princess, living up to your status.” Nicholas’s voice pulls her from her thoughts, her gaze redirecting from the empty seats, up to nicholas, as he stood before her his red hair now black with silver highlights, glasses resting on the bridge of his nose in his formal dining attire it made her heart skip a beat. He was handsome, of course anyone with eyes could see it from a mile away, but for her there was still a specific someone that she found her heart would skip a beat everytime he drew near.

“You clean up pretty nice yourself.” She retorts, causing a slight grin to curl onto his lips.

“Do i? Do I make your heart flutter?” He leans in just a bit closer, closer that their faces were mere inches apart.

“Hey you two if you’re done flirting our parents will be here any minute.” Heeseung breaks the tension between the two, yn immediately backs away feeling her cheeks flush upon realizing that everyone else may have been observing the interaction between the two.

Jungwon on the other hand had been watching from the moment she entered the room, no matter how hard he tried to ignore the beating of his heart as he saw her he couldn't. She was beautiful, and he had thought she was beautiful since the first time they met, since he was six years old he always found her pretty. He wanted to get up, to pull you aside and finish the talk that had been interrupted between the two of you a week prior to today but once again his chance was interrupted. As he observed the interaction between Nicholas and her he felt annoyed all over again. Why did he keep getting in his way? He hated the way she smiled talking to him, the way she stared up at him with her big beautiful eyes like she had once done with him. Why was Nicholas trying so hard to get closer to her, he didn’t understand it but it pissed him off.

As everyone had taken their seats the doors to the dinning hall swung open and in everyone entered, Sunoos parents, Heeseungs, Nikis, Sunghoons, slowly but surely they all trickled in and her eyes continued to linger in the door as she waited for her father to come enter but he never did. Did he somehow find out she was there and decide not to go? Did he not want to face her?

“Now that everyone is here I want to thank you all for showing up for such a special occasion tonight, this is the night that I give my precious daughter away to the woman she loves, my beautiful daughter has found the love that she would love to show eternity with and tonight and tomorrow we shall celebrate. I can only hope that soon enough our little prince will find someone as well.” Sunoos mom reaches down and pinches his cheeks only earning a whiny ‘mother in response’.

“Please enjoy tonight.” As Sunoos mother had been taking her seat once again her eyes fell upon yn and for a second her smile faded and a hint of recognition had glimmered in her gaze, but everyone had been too occupied with their dinner and conversation to realize.

“Sunoo, that girl at the end of the table, is she a new friend of yours i haven't seen her before.” She whispers over to her son.

“yn? She just transferred to the Academy a week ago.”

So it was her, it was just as she thought, her son was friends with the girl she had been sworn to secrecy not to say anything about.

The dinner itself was really nice for the most part, though yn found herself being distracted by the thoughts still lingering for most of it she still had a nice time to say the least. When the dinner ended and everyone had returned to their assigned sleeping quarters she was left alone with her thoughts, this was the first time some arrived at the school that she had been alone again. It was now that the heavy feeling of sadness and disappointment bled into her. Her father must have been ashamed of her to have sent her away.

There was a soft knock on the door pulling the girl back to reality and as she opened the door hoping to see Aleera or Fawna on the other side instead her eyes fell upon him, Yang Jungwon

“Can we talk?”

Tag-list @jwonistic @squiishymeow @river-demon-slayer @lillotus17 @sol3chu @butterflywonz

[magicalwitchbread]

I managed to put my mum on Arcane, so I'm rewatching it with her and taking in more details and understanding things better.

On my first watch, I did not particularly like Caitlyn because of the shit she pulled. The difference is that now I can "defend" my stance.

Arcane spoilers below the cut, so beware.

Jinx and Cait

Jinx, who was obviously in an interesting, to say the least, place mentally, took a shot at Piltover's council. In the aftermath, it was discovered that councilwoman Kiramman had died. Yes, very sad, anyway. JINX DID NOTHING WRONG. She fought back against her and her people's oppressors. This is not wrong.

And very importantly, she did not target civilians out of spite while in-fucking-sane. There is a whole sequence where Vander talks to Vi and says "I know you want to hurt the top side people." The people. Not the ruling class, not the council, the people. Vi had hatred and spite in her because Enforcers killed her parents, and that's understandable. (Also, note that as she matured, she did not act on it.) But since Powder and Jinx had separated, Jinx did not have anything against the people of Piltover, but she was batshit crazy so killing them would not be out of pocket for her. Powder's parents were killed by them, but Jinx had killed her own father figure, Piltover's citizens had nothing to do with it. She purposefully targeted the council. And achieved exactly what she wanted, she killed her oppressors. Not because she felt personally victimized, the way Vi felt, but because they were oppressors. That's why she managed to become the symbol of the revolution in the second season, even though she was not "active".

Now Cait... She could have stopped Jinx and saved her mother. That's the reason why she is so hell-bent on apprehending Jinx herself. But she does it completely wrong. She builds a team, which includes Vi, Jinx's sister, which is just a dick move overall, and her objectives going into Zaun are to apprehend Jinx, dismantle shimmer and neutralize any agents still loyal to Silco, who is dead now. But she does not hesitate to kill any innocent civilian who even remotely inconveniences her and her goals. She kills people, not to mention that while fighting, she almost shot at Isha, A CHILD. She didn't stop at civilians but at least she did at children. And don't get me started on the whole "I wouldn't have missed." bit. Isha's and Jinx's heads were lined up. If she shot at Jinx, she would have killed Isha.

Ekko and Cait

I also hated the way she talked to Ekko. "Yes, I know you live down here as a community's leader at the ripe old age of 'not old enough to lead literally anything under normal circumstances' and live through the consequences of my mother's actions and decisions but you are wrong about the situation in the place where you literally live. My mum would never do that to people who have historically been oppressed and mistreated by people in her exact position."

The way she is disgusted and in complete denial when Ekko says "Your people hunt us like animals.". And then goes on to refer to the people who crashed her mother's memorial as animals. These are the same people, Cait. And that all while not considering that her mother's coffin would have been able to feed all of Ekko's, and anyone's in Zaun for that matter, found family for a long fucking time. And not knowing, I give her grace for this but she can piece it together she's a big girl, that Ekko was forced to leave his dead parental figure in the streets because he did not have the privilege of a burial not to mention a funeral and a memorial. Between him, Jinx and Vi there are seven parental figures that died but were never buried.

[phpruitts]

'Thank you,'

Phoebe smiles again, and nods, but there was nothing that she had said that wasn't completely true. Rafael did look out for her. He gave her rides, took her out to dinners with crystalline glasses and carpaccio and expensive wines, but far beyond that, easily the kindest, most important thing to Phoebe ... Rafael did not look at her with condescension or judgement.

She was an ant, really, in a world as big as Rafael's. But that never seemed to influence the way he treated her. Or looked at her. Or spoke to her.

And to Phoebe, that alone was everything.

Rafael wraps an arm around her shoulder, tugs her in close on the couch, and then—

'There’s a lot you don’t know about me,'

'I don’t know if I want you to find it all out, to be honest,'

Phoebe straightens minutely. There was something subdued in his voice, a little quiet. What did he mean by that?

Work, maybe? Beyond his position in his father's business, handling expansions and investments and shareholder meetings, Phoebe would have to be stupid not to understand there were other aspects of Rafael's career. Serious stuff. Illegal stuff. Phoebe made a point to keep her nose out of where it didn't belong, but she would have to be blind, really, not to suspect that the Dahar's influence extended deep into the city, in avenues that went far beyond hotels or casinos.

But Phoebe had known this from the beginning. When Rafael had first started flirting with her, Phoebe was well aware who he was, and the more time they spent together, the more glimpses Phoebe would get— little things, because Rafael shielded her well, but just the deference he was shown, men coming to him at the club and speaking vaguely about shipments and meetings.

Yeah. Phoebe knew. And there were probably so many more things Rafael had shielded her from, and wouldn't want her to see, and even if Phoebe's mind could fill in the blanks, she just didn't ... care.

Phoebe didn't care if Rafael's daily workload could fill an episode of sensationalized tv.

Rafael was still the person whose first response, when he met Phoebe was, was kindness. But it was still hard to admit this much, wasn't it? It probably took a lot for Rafael to voice that kind of fear.

Her palm brushes along his cheekbone.

"Well. You don't have to share everything with me. If it's something you don't want to do." A beat. "But, uh ... I trust you. I always feel good with you, like safe, in a way I've never felt with other guys. So you should know I won't care about whatever you tell me. I'll still look at you the same."

A smile pulls at her lips, gentle, something flickering warmly behind her eyes as she stared at the man who cared for her so well.

Rafael liked how things were now; Phoebe too. There was nothing that Rafael could ever share with her that would change her opinion of him, or dampen the feelings she felt in her heart.

And Phoebe. Well. If anything, she felt like the fraud here, the one with a thin veneer glossing over an ugly past full of things dark and shameful. The syringes and the evictions and the crunch of glass and all the awful little apartments with awful silences and even more awful yelling, the nights spent with strangers, exchanges that left Phoebe feeling empty and awful. The man who she'd stayed with for weeks, months, who sometimes frightened her so bad she wanted to vomit. And the highs, and the things she did to keep those highs. Years and years of sacrificing everything for her highs.

Yeah. What if she told Rafael all about those things, and he rightfully felt different? Maybe saw her as pathetic, or gross, or someone he just didn't want to associate with.

Rafael had always been so kind to her, completely lacking in judgement, but the fear was still there.

Anxiety churns in her gut. Phoebe looks at that anxiety and does what comes natural now: she tucks her arm into one of Rafael's, and leans her abdomen into his solid frame.

"If it makes you feel better ... there's stuff, about me, that I worry would change your opinion of me."

It seemed obvious, but it hadn’t really occurred to Rafael that Phoebe saw him as something other than just … an intimidating rich asshole. This illusion that there was depth to Rafael felt… strange. It didn’t really seem possible to him. It had felt pretty impossible until Phoebe, and now… well. There were a lot of questions that Rafael wanted answers to, but they wouldn’t come from Phoebe.

Even though she’d offered to help, he had to figure some of it out on his own.

Rafael was nice to her right away. There was just something about Phoebe that drew him to her like a magnet. And over the months, those feelings had only become more intense. As the time went on, there was nothing that Rafael wouldn't have done for her.

“Thank you,” Rafael simply said.

It was endearing that Phoebe was willing to put up a fight about his kindness. She hadn’t seen him at work. Not in the office, but ... his real work. She hadn’t seen him in the hour before he showed up at her apartment. Fists aching and covered in blood. Making a call to dispose of a body on Christmas Eve.

He wrapped an arm around Phoebe, pulled her in close.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” he told her. There was. Good and bad. Maybe she assumed, and there were rumors, but she didn’t really know. “I don’t know if I want you to find it all out, to be honest,” he said, voice quiet.

Would she think of him differently? If all of the rumors were true?

“I like the way things are right now,” he said, voice quiet.

It felt like a scary thing to admit.

[app1es0uce]

Maybe unpopular opinion I understand I might get ragged for but tis the life I live:

I don’t like that Penelope sings the “waiting” motif. 

For me, it’s very important that other types of love get recognition and representation in the media.

And I loved the fact that most characters had their own motif, like their name sung in a specific tune. “Penelope” “Telemachus” “Eurylochus” “The lair of Scylla” or they had their own saying “Ruthelssness is mercy upon ourselves” “open arms” “Miiiiiind” etc.

And I loved that Anticlea (presumably) got her own as well. “Waiting, waiting. Waiting, waiting” 

I loved that it was a major take on Odysseus’s motif. Because that’s her son right there. They’re family, that’s a mother and her son. She maybe taught him that, he maybe just subconsciously picked up on it over time. But I love that it was specifically hers.

Something between family. Something between mother and son. That special familial bond that’s unlike one of a romantic bond. 

She died waiting for her son, the little boy she birthed and raised to protect their home.

And yes, Penelope would die too, waiting for Odysseus, her love, best friend, lifelong partner and husband from young to protect the home that welcomed her. 

And yes, they technically are family, Penelope and Odysseus. As mother and father, as husband and wife. 

But it’s just different in a way I can’t describe. 

The fact it was her motif. It was Anticlea’s specific motif sung to her son. That her entire being portrayed as a motif was that she loved her son, and waited and never gave up on him believed he would return, even as she died, they were her last thoughts, that was really important to me.

And then Penelope sings it.

And I trust Jorge, I understand this passes through countless people, a lot of work went into this, this wasn’t an impulsive decision, this was thought out and written and composed and ab and c. And I can see multiple angles as to justify this decision. 

Penelope is family, it’s a motif for characters who are waiting at home, it’s the motif passed on to Penelope after Anticlea died and she carries it on, 

But still… it feels wrong that for so long that was Anticlea’s motif she sang about Odysseus, and now Penelope sings it in this final saga, and it doesn’t feel like it has the same effect anymore.

[jeeseth]

I DON’T UNDERSTAND — bang jeemin x f!reader

you has to move to a new country due to your father's work. you face difficulties in school as you cannot understand the language and culture of the new place. however, everything changes when you met jeemin, who sincerely helps you adapt and feel comfortable in the new surroundings.

tags 💭 — fluff?, non-idol au, high school au, fast burn, foreigner!reader, sensitive!reader, slight cursing, bullying and etc, lowercase intended, mens dni, grammatical errors .

as you stared nervously out the window of your private car, your dad reached over and patted your shoulder gently.

"don’t worry, you’ll make friends in no time." he said with a reassuring smile. you forced a small smile in return, trying to hide your anxiety.

you were on your way to your new school — your fifth school in three years. ain’t that crazy? basically, your dad’s job means that you have to move around a lot. this time you were moving across the world, and it meant starting a whole new life in a completely different country.

thoughts swirled anxiously inside your head as the car pulled up to the front gate of the school. it was a large, intimidating building with an imposing facade. you felt small and vulnerable as you stepped out of the car and followed your dad towards the entrance.

as you and your dad walked through the school halls, you could feel the weight of curious stares following your every move. everyone was already in their groups, chatting and laughing. it felt like you’re an outsider, like you didn’t belong here.

you two finally made it to the office where you was immediately introduced to the principal and a few teachers. they all smiled warmly and said all the usual welcoming words, but you couldn’t shake the feeling of being out of place.

after the formalities were over, you was assigned a senior student tour guide to help you navigate the school. and that was how you met the bang jeemin.

when you first laid eyes on her, you was blown away. she was so beautiful and confident. she had long, glossy dark brown hair and piercing eyes. as she approached, she smiled warmly and extended her hand in greeting.

"i’m jeemin, i’ll be your little tour guide and help you settle in." jeemin smiled as she speaks in english to you. her voice was soft yet firm and she had a friendly manner that instantly made you feel at ease.

you introduced yourself in a shy voice and shook her hand, feeling your palm grow sweaty. jeemin didn’t seem to notice though (hopefully), or if she did, she didn’t show any signs of it. after that, jeemin gave you a quick tour of the school, showing the classrooms, cafeteria, and other important areas. one place you wouldn’t be able to get out of your mind was the library. the library is so huge and you feel like you can die happy right now.

as we made our way to the dormitory, you couldn’t help but notice that jeemin’s english was not as fluent as the other students. she would occasionally struggle to find the right words, and her pronunciation was a bit off. but you don’t mind it one bit. she’s fully korean after all.

as we reached the dorm building, jeemin turned to you with an embarrassed smile and apologized in a soft apologetic voice. "sorry, my english not very good," she said sheepishly. "i will try my best though."

you shook your head and smiled warmly at her, telling her that you indeed do not mind it all. instead, you find it to be quite cute that she’s trying her best to communicate and guide you despite the language barrier.

"it’s okay, i understand you." you smiled softly in which jeemin smiled back in return. jeemin’s face brightened at your words and she seemed to relax a little (a lot).

"okay so, you like the room?" she asked, gesturing towards the dorm room we had reached. you nodded and followed her into the room. the room was small but cozy, with two beds and a couple of desks. there was even a little window that let in some natural light. oh you love it already. perfectly matched your aesthetic.

jeemin continued showing you around the room and pointing out important things like the bathroom and the mini fridge. as she did, you couldn’t help but notice how naturally she moved around the space, as if she knew it well.

finally, we stopped in the middle of the room and she looked at you with a smile. "is comfortable for you?" she asked, gesturing to the space around us.

you giggled softly at her english cause you find it absolutely adorable. how could anyone be this cute while trying to communicate? you softly nodded again and smiles back, feeling a little bit more at ease in this new environment.

"yeah, it’s nice. thank you for showing me around."

jeemin’s face lit up at your response, and she beamed at you with a relieved smile. "you’re welcome." she replied softly. "i happy to help."

there was a moment of comfortable silence between us, and you suddenly felt a strange sense of connection with jeemin. maybe it was the fact that you were both ‘outsiders’ in a way — she with her imperfect english, and you as the new foreigner. finally, jeemin broke the silence and changed the subject.

"so, where you come from?" jeemin asked, tilting her head slightly in curiosity.

you snapped out of your thoughts and look up at jeemin with a soft smile. why did you just realised how tall this girl actually is. "australia." you replied with a short and simple answer since you don’t want jeemin to get confused or anything.

when jeemin told you to tell her more, you were a little surprised at the fact that she’s genuinely is interested in what you’re saying. even though she might not understand. you smiled and told her more about your home country, how it was different from this one, and some of the things you liked about it. jeemin listened intently, asking simple and short questions and showing genuine interest in what you had to say. as we talked, you could feel your anxiety slowly melting away. jeemin had a way of making you feel comfortable and at ease. before you even knew it, we had been talking for a good half hour. it feels like a minute to you.

just then, jeemin’s phone buzzed with tons of messages. she glanced at it and then looked up at me with an apologetic expression.

"i must go now," she sighed. "have extra class to attend."

you pouted slightly and nodded, feeling a pang of disappointment. you had been enjoying your conversation, and you didn’t want it to end. but jeemin was already gathering her books and packing up her bag. good things always doesn’t last long after all.

you watched quietly as jeemin gathered her things. no matter how much you hate to admit it, you’d be lying if you said you’re not gonna miss jeemin’s presence. you’re not sure why but she has this thing that makes you feel comfortable around her immediately. even though she’s a lil awkward.

jeemin noticed your pout and disappointed expression and she smiles to herself. you’re being so adorable in her eyes. "i’ll come back later." she smiled, reassuring you that she won’t leave you that long. (jeemin could never)

you nodded and sighed quietly. "okay, see you later jee." jeemin was taken aback by the sudden nickname but eventually she chuckled afterwards. gosh. you’re too cute. jeemin feels like she could die from your cuteness.

a few hours later, jeemin finally returned back to the dorm room. forgot to mention to you guys but, jeemin is indeed your dorm mate. she was still in her school uniform and looked tired, but her face brightened when she saw you sitting on your bed, studying.

sensing a presence in front of you, so you glanced up and saw jeemin standing in front of you, holding out two small cartons of milk — one with chocolate and one with strawberry. it took you a moment to realize that she wanted you to pick one, but didn’t know how to ask you that in english.

you smiled at her and pointed to the strawberry milk, knowing it’s your favourite. jeemin grinned back and handed you the carton, then sat down on her own bed, resting her chin on her hands and watching you curiously.

slowly, you opened the carton of strawberry milk and took a sip, savouring the sweetness. jeemin watched you with a small smile, her head tilted slightly as if she were studying your reaction.

after a moment, she decided spoke up, her voice soft. "you like?” she asked, pointing to the carton in your hand. you giggles before nodding which make jeemin grins happily. not to mention but jeemin was contemplating her life decision when buying the milk. wondering which flavour would you like and what if you can’t drink any milk.

the next morning, you was woken up by the sound of birds chirping outside the window. groggily, you sat up and rubbed your eyes, trying to adjust to the brightness of the sunlight streaming in through the curtains. as you stretched and yawned, images from the previous day started to flash through your mind. jeemin's friendly smile, her warm presence, the way she had tried to make you comfortable in a foreign environment.

suddenly, you realised that you hadn’t seen jeemin since she had left for her yet another extra class the day before. you looked around the room, but she was nowhere to be seen. her bed was made, and the room was empty. you frowned, feeling a pang of disappointment. you had hoped to see jeemin again this morning, to chat with her and maybe get to know her a bit more. but it looked like she had already left for class.

and that’s what you thought. and you were wrong. you flinched and your mouth dropped open in surprise as the door suddenly burst open and jeemin appeared, breathing heavily and holding a plastic bag full of food. you hadn’t expected to see her at all, let alone with breakfast in tow.

jeemin looked up at your expression and gave you a sheepish smile, gesturing towards the food in her hand. "um, breakfast." she said in her broken english.

it suddenly dawned on you what she had been doing. she had gone out early to get us food for breakfast. you felt a warm feeling in your chest, touched that she had thought of you and done something so kind. you smiled back at her and nodded. "thank you." you grinned, getting out of bed and stepping closer to her.

as you got closer, you could smell the aroma of freshly cooked food wafting out of the plastic bag. your stomach growled loudly, reminding yourself that you didn’t eat anything at all yesterday. jeemjn laughed at the sound of your grumbling stomach and set the food down on the desk. she started to unpack the bag, revealing an array of different breakfast items — eggs, sausage, toast, and some fruit.

it all looked delicious and you couldn’t help but feel grateful that she had gone through the trouble of getting it all for us. jeemin gestured for you to sit down at the desk and she began to plate the food. you took a seat at the desk and watched as jeemin expertly prepared the food, carefully dividing everything into two portions. she moved with a grace and ease that was almost mesmerizing to watch. ugh. fine. everything she did is mesmerising.

finally, she placed a plate in front of you, piled high with food. she then sat down in the chair opposite you, looking at your expression expectantly.

"eat." she said, gesturing at the food. her tone more like demanding but whatever! you eagerly dug into the food, savouring each bite. it was delicious — the eggs cooked just right, the sausages perfectly seasoned. you realised that you had been so anxious and distracted the previous day that you hadn’t eaten anything at all.

as you ate, you occasionally glanced up at jeemin. she was watching you closely, a satisfied smile on her face, as if she was happy to see you enjoying the food she had gotten for us.

"you’re so damn cute gosh." jeemin mumbled in korean. you look up from your food and look at jeemin with a confused look as if silently waiting for her to translate that. jeemin saw your reaction and chuckles before brushing it off just like that. now you’re so damn intrigued. what was she saying.

we ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes, the only sound being the clinking of silverware on plates. the sun streamed in through the window, casting a warm glow on the room and enhancing the feeling of contentment between us.

once we had finished eating, you put down the fork and looked up at jeemin. "thank you so much for the breakfast," you grinned, feeling a lump form in my throat. "it was really kind of you to get it for me."

on the other hand, jeemin who only understood the ‘thank you’ part smiles softly, telling you that it’s nothing and she’s willing to do it again and again for you. is she flirting now?

after breakfast, you and jeemin left the dorm room and made our way to class together. the sun was shining, and a gentle breeze cooled the air.

as we walked, jeemin chatted quietly to you, pointing out different landmarks around the school and sharing snippets of gossip about the other students. her English was much better today, and her pronunciation was slowly improving. and you couldn’t be more than proud. you listened intently, enjoying the sound of her voice and the way she would laugh softly at her own jokes. you couldn’t help but feel grateful for her presence by your side. in a place where you felt so out of place, she was a constant source of comfort and familiarity.

we eventually reached the classroom and jeemin led you inside. the teacher greeted us with a friendly smile and gestured towards the seats in the back of the room. you sat down, and jeemin took the seat next to you.

throughout the class, you found youtself stealing glances at jeemin. she was so focused on the lesson, her eyes fixed on the teacher and her notebook filled with neat, precise notes. you couldn’t help but admire her diligence and intelligence. and damn. she’s so pretty.

as the teacher droned on, you found your thoughts drifting away from the lesson. instead, your mind was filled with thoughts of jeemin — the way she always seemed to know what to say, the way her hair fell gently around her face, the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed. everything about her seems to make your heart skips a beat.

suddenly, you was jolted out of your thoughts by the sound of the bell signalling the end of the class. the teacher dismissed us and the sound of the other students getting up and packing up their bags filled the room. you looked over at jeemin, who was already packing up her things and getting ready to leave. you quickly packed up your own bag, eager to spend more time with her.

just as we were about to walk out of the classroom together, jeemin turned to you with an apologetic expression.

"i um dance practice," she said. "you go back to the dorm, okay?"

you felt a pang of disappointment at this news. you had been hoping to spend more time with her. but you nodded understandingly and mumbled a quiet, ‘okay’.

as jeemin walked off towards the dance studio, you turned and started making your way back to the dorm alone. the hallways felt eerily quiet and empty now that jeemin was no longer by your side. as you walked, your mind began to wander again. you found myself thinking about jeemin — wondering how her dance practice was going, what she was doing, and if she was thinking about you too.

you snapped out of your thoughts by the sudden impact of being pushed against the locker. ypit back hit the metal surface with a thud, and you let out a cry of surprise. as you tried to regain your bearings, you looked up to see who had pushed you. standing in front of you was a tall, bigger boy with a mean expression on his face. shit. you’re fucked up.

"watch where you’re walking, foreigner." the boy sneered at you, his eyes narrowing in a menacing glare. his friends stood behind him, snickering and whispering. seriously? he’s the one who suddenly pushed you against the locker.

"wait, you’re cute though." the boy grinned.

you was taken aback by the sudden change in the boy’s tone. he had gone from being hostile to calling you cute in the span of seconds. you couldn’t tell if he was being sincere or if he was playing some kind of game. his friends snickered again, watching with amusement as their leader continued to talk to you.

"yeah, she got a pretty face." he said to his friends, his eyes never leaving you. the way he looked at you made you extremely uncomfortable, his gaze raking over your body appraisingly. you tried to push past him, but he stepped in front of you again, blocking your way.

"where you going, pretty?" he asked, a smirk on his face. "you’re not trying to leave already, are you?"

you felt a pang of fear and anxiety. this boy was clearly looking for a fight or at least some kind of reaction from you. you tried to remain calm as you replied to him softly, "i just want to go back to my dorm."

the boy leaned in closer to you, close enough that you could feel his (nasty) hot breath on your face.

"and why should I let you do that?" he said, his voice low and taunting. you swear you’re about to piss yourself right now. this is too scary for you.

suddenly, you heard a commotion behind you, and you turned around to see jeemin grabbing the boy by his collar and pulling him away from you. she looked angry, her eyes flashing fiercely. that’s really hot though. wait what.

"what do you think you’re doing?" she demanded, her voice sharp. you does not understand anything because they are speaking in korean.

the boy looked surprised at first, but then a sneer appeared on his face. "relax," he said, trying to sound nonchalant. "i was just talking to this pretty girl."

jeemin scowled at him. "well, you’re done talking now." she snapped, her hold on his collar not loosening one bit. the boy opened his mouth to protest, but jeemin cut him off. "and if i ever see you bothering her again, you’ll regret it."

the boy’s expression darkened at jeemin’s threat, but he didn’t dare argue back. his friends shuffled nervously behind him, not wanting to get on jeemin’s bad side as well.

jeemin released her grip on the boy’s collar, giving him one last glare before turning to face you. her expression softened as soon as she saw the look on your face — fear mixed with relief — and she took your arm gently.

"come on." jeemin said, her voice calm and steady. "let’s go back." you nodded wordlessly, still reeling from the encounter. as we walked away, you couldn’t help but turn back to look at the boys one last time. they were still standing there, watching us go with expressions ranging from anger to grudging respect.

as we walked down the hall together, you felt a wave of gratitude towards jeemin. she had arrived just in the nick of time, saving you from who knows what kind of situation. you turned to her, feeling your throat tighten with emotion.

"thank you." you mumbled, your voice barely above a whisper. " i don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t shown up."

jeemin only smiled softly before gently ruffling your hair. she might not understand what you said but she can tell that you’re thankful for her for saving you earlier.

we walked in silence for a moment, the sound of our footsteps echoing in the nearly empty hallway. you felt a sense of safety and comfort in jeemin’s presence, knowing that she would protect you from any danger. finally, we reached the dorm room, and jeemin pushed open the door for you to walk in first. the room was just as we had left it, quiet and cozy. jeemin shut the door behind us and locked it before sitting down on her bed.

you walked to your own bed and sat down, feeling a bit shaken up from the encounter. you started to unpack your bag, trying to focus on something other than the events of the hallway.

jeemin sat on her bed, watching you closely. she could tell that you was still shaken up by what had happened in the hallway, and she wanted to ask if you was alright. but she wasn’t sure how to ask, not sure if you would want to talk about it or not. after a few moments of silence, she spoke up, her voice soft.

"you okay?" jeemin asked, her concern evident in her voice. in which, you only nodded in response. doesn’t really want to talk about it.

jeemin frowned, not fully convinced by your nods. "are you sure?" she asked again, scrutinizing your face for any signs of discomfort. "tell me. i listen even if i don’t understand."

jeemin’s words had an immediate effect on you, making your heart skip a beat. it was both surprising and touching that she was willing to listen to you, even though she might not understand everything you said due to her limited english.

"i’m just a bit shaken up from that guy in the hallway, that’s all," you sighed, your voice a little shaky. "he was being really aggressive and it freaked me out a bit."

jeemin nodded, her expression serious. even though she might not have understood every word you said, she could still pick up on the tone and emotion in your voice.

"i see," she said, her voice soft. "it must’ve been really scary for you."

you continued talking to jeemin, sharing more details about the encounter with the boy in the hallway. despite her limited english, her expression and body language showed that she was genuinely interested and listening to you. you could tell that she was trying her best to understand, even though there were definitely words and phrases that she didn’t recognize. as you spoke, you found yourself feeling more and more relieved. it was cathartic to be able to share what had happened with someone, and even though jeemin couldn’t fully understand everything, just having her listen and respond was comforting.

while you was talking about the encounter in the hallway, you noticed that jeemin had a small, amused smile on her face. you raised an eyebrow at her, not understanding why she was smiling at a story about you being harassed.

"i don’t understand but i love you."

you stopped talking mid-sentence, dumbfounded by jeemin’s sudden declaration. had I heard her correctly? did she really say “I love you” in the midst of your story about being confronted in the hallway. you stared at her, your eyes wide and mouth open in surprise.

"wait, what did you say?" you asked, your voice cracking a little bit. you was sure you had heard her wrong. there was no way she had said “i love you” in the middle of your story, right?

jeemin’s smile widened, and she repeated herself clearly this time.

"i love you." she said again, her voice calm and steady. "i don’t understand everything you are saying, but i know i love you."

your heart skipped a beat again at her words. she had really said it, you hadn’t misheard her. she had confessed her love to you, despite not fully understanding the words you had been saying.

you didn’t know what to say in response. you was both shocked and flattered by her sudden declaration, and you knew that your face must be flushed with color. you stared at her for a moment, trying to collect your thoughts.

"but why?" you finally managed to ask, still reeling from the unexpected declaration. "you don’t even understand what I’m saying most of the time. how can you love me?"

"language barrier won’t stop me from loving you."

jeemin’s words hit you like a ton of bricks. she was right — despite our language barrier, her love for you was strong regardless.

"but… how?" you asked, still baffled by her confession. "how can you love someone who you can barely communicate with?"

jeemin shrugged, her smile never wavering. "it doesn’t matter," she said simply. "language isn’t everything. i can see how kind you are, how hardworking you are, how much you care about others. that’s why i love you."

"i’ll learn english for you. i’ll do my best to understand you." jeemin smiled, gently caressing your hand. she brings your hand to her lips and press a gentle kiss on the back of your hand.

[petalkitshadow]

Talking About: Appledusk

So, Appledusk is a character who my interpretation of probably gets questioned the most by readers. Which is understandable! He's not really an antagonist in MV; or, at least, the reader is supposed to understand in MV that while Mapleshade views him antagonistically, the narration is biased into her favor due to the story being from her POV. But the role he takes on in PkS is quite actually antagonistic to Petalpaw and her struggles.... so I thought it would be interesting to dive into it and explain my thoughts behind why I wrote him the way I did!

So - I want to start out by saying that Appledusk is a fictional character. It doesn't bother me if you like Appledusk, or view him differently than I do. I just happen to dislike him, which I think is pretty clear from how he fits into Petalkit's Shadow, lol. But even if I dislike him, I still wanted him to play an interesting role and serve his purpose, which involves making him as frustrating as possible!

When coming up with ideas for how characters will be in PkS, I often don't have much to go on. Mapleshade is really the only character from the cast who has a ton of focus in the canon books. Appledusk is one of those characters who falls a bit in a middle ground. He has enough going for him in MV that you can get a basic idea for how he is, but you still gotta do a lot of legwork on figuring out deeper aspects of his character. for PkS, I look at the characters' actions and go, "what kind of person would do this?" and then write the kind of person who I think would do that, basically.

Appledusk, he struck me as being very focused on self preservation. When he's with Mapleshade in private, he has no problem being loving to her and the kits. But the moment he might face repercussions - repercussions Mapleshade is already facing, he becomes detached and cold. What stuck out to me is how Mapleshade kept thinking that Appledusk never asked the kits' names. Now, Mapleshade as a narrator is biased. But she's right - Appledusk never asks what the names of his children are. He gives no outward signs of grief when faced with their death, and he makes no attempt to speak privately with Mapleshade after the kits drown. Of course, anger is a very valid form of grief, as we all know from Petalpaw. but Appledusk then going on to throw Mapleshade under the bus, and not show her a shred of sympathy even though he is currently suffering from the exact same prejudice that cost Mapleshade everything, speaks to me a lot about his values. When faced with his supposed loved one at her lowest, with nothing left to lose, his reaction is to distance himself from her as much as possible in the hopes that he will be punished less. It's cowardly, it's infuriating, and makes him seem so, so cruel to me.

And then, there's Reedshine. Reedshine in canon irks me a lot, in a meta sense. She's been hurt in similar ways as Mapleshade. Appledusk cheated on her too! But she immediately forgives him, and shows no conflict about Appledusk's actions. She's given no room to grieve or to hurt, she has to immediately come to Appledusk's defense. Reedshine and Mapleshade were both made to bear pain that Appledusk had no interesting in helping them shoulder.

To me, it really felt like Appledusk took the women in his life for granted. Why else would he have an affair, and not confess to it until literal, physical, damning evidence was put on display for everyone to see? Did he consider his own feelings, his own wants and desires, to be more important than that of Mapleshade, or Reedshine's? Mapleshade, with her penchant for cold-blooded murder, is definitely a worse person than Appledusk. But Appledusk's cruelty, I think it gets more under my skin because it feels real. How many serial killers do you know? probably none. But how many indifferent men who think women are just too emotional do you know? how many half-rate, self-absorbed fathers do you know? probably a small selection, at least.

So, when coming up with the basics for PkS, I imagined in the wake of this fiasco, Appledusk would be most focused on his own image, like he seems to be in canon. He wants to go back to being an esteemed, respected warrior. What's the best way to do that? Is it to step up, and be there for his traumatized daughter, offer her guidance and try to to fill the void left by losing her other parent?

No, of course not. Because to Appledusk, his daughter is a constant reminder of the mistakes he's made. He doesn't want to reckon with those mistakes, and he doesn't want to consider that he did something wrong.

In a way... he is a lot like his daughter. (Petalpaw would kill me if she could read me typing this, lol). They both are set in their ways, and very, very stubborn.

So, tl;dr... Appledusk in PkS is an extrapolation based on what I interpret from his character. But he's a character with so little to go on I think there are many ways to interpret him. This is just my thought process about him!

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

It’s so sad and funny to see ‘fans’ being disappointed by Becky English’s articles. I have always expected that Kate would start as a full time Royal again until September or the next year.

I know many are saying she is using her privilege and it’s a bad look and I get it, but people need to calm down and understand that she had chemo, and not all the patients are affected with the same secondary effects or else. If she ended chemo in August as the articles told us, she just has had 4 months of rest, I’ve read that majority need at least 6 months to start feeling a little bit like their old self and some secondary effects even need 1 year.

And to be fair, people need to understand how KP’s PR works, they have always been focused on: Family first and duty last, I think is genuine but I also think that it’s the way to show the world that the RF isn’t a bunch of cold people anymore, that also helps W to sell his father and husband PR (we know he loves that as a way to show the idiots he isn’t a cheating husband and he is a present parent not like Chuck) and Kate being the ‘nation’s mother’ and nurturing figure of the RF PR. Again, I think it’s genuine and they are lovely people, but that doesn’t mean that their office doesn’t use those good things to sell that image to the nation. So having that in mind, of course we will have at least 1 year of endless articles saying that family is first, that she is focusing on what matters and slowly abandoning such PR until she can come again as full time Royal.

The article of course has some briefs from KP, but other things are guesses, and common sense (it was obvious she won’t fully return in January) but people already believe she won’t be doing a damn all the year, when i guess that she will do at least 2-3 engagements per month + her private work with early childhood + maybe key visits to Wales or Scotland (St. Davis Day and Hollyrood week) + 1-2 army engagement + accepting few new patronages + trooping, cenotaph, big maybe the state banquets, etc…. (So be prepared for only having like 50-60 engagements this year)

William himself said during Earthshot that he expected Catherine feeling better and doing some foreign visits with him, so, I think as English said, they aren’t saying if she indeed will travel or not until the date is near and see if she feels good enough. Only William ‘confirmed’ he will do some of the visits but English is just making the common guess: ‘nobody still knows but she wants to if she feel good’ (which is what W said, so nothing new)

Anyway, the point is people need to stop being mad for something that was common sense and expected for this year. And stop comparing her with Charles, because first, he is the King and second we don’t know what treatment he is taking and while he is older, maybe his treatment plan allow him to not feel too bad

Pretty sure you're on the wrong blog because no one here is upset or disappointed by the article.

Everyone here understands that cancer and treatment is different for each individual case. We're not comparing Charles and Kate's experiences. We're comparing the palaces' communications strategies and how that managed (or didn't manage) the public's expectations.

[sasukekys]

the fundamental difference between katniss and gale.

katniss contrasts the people from the seam and the merchants, because she knows the former have it rougher, but she not only knows the anger towards the merchants would be misdirected, but she also learns that peeta, who had it easier than her, isn’t as wealthy as she imagined, that his family, despite not battling starvation, only eats the leftovers because they can’t afford fresh food. her only friend at school is the mayor’s daughter, someone gale resents.

so the problem must be with the other people in the districts. but it’s not, and katniss knows the capitol tries to keep the districts alienated from each other to fuel the feeling of distrust and discourage their union. she learns from rue that people in district 11, for example, also struggle to put food on the table, despite its economy being agriculture, workers there can’t eat what they harvest.

would the problem be the careers, who eat better and train their whole lives to win the games and get the glory? but they are children as much as any other tribute. she can’t bring herself to hate marvel. despite him killing rue, he also appeared vulnerable in his death. cato’s death is much crueler, and after katniss’ act of mercy, both her and peeta feel hollow at his death. the problem isn’t with the other tributes too. meanwhile gale compares killing other tributes to killing animals.

so it has to be the capitol citizens… but she still can’t bring herself to hate them, because not only katniss understands they have different upbringings, and she herself wonders how different she would be if she was raised in their environment, but she learns that, despite being sometimes alienated to the point of acting insensitive, most of them are willing to help, they cry for her for having to return to the games and they respect and are nice to her mother. katniss doesn’t want her team to be tortured at district 13, because she knows it’s wrong, something gale can’t bring himself to comprehend, simply because they are from the capitol.

katniss’ anger isn’t misdirected, she remembers who the real enemy is, which would be snow, but also coin, the political leaders that put the people in those positions for their own interest and safety. i don’t believe gale would kill children wholeheartedly, but he does believe in “necessary evils”, like taking the easier solution with the nut, the one that would have more casualties, and he designed the bombs that killed children and healers and sisters. so where do you exactly draw the line when it’s all extremism?

gale and katniss have the same upbringing, have gone through similar experiences, losing their fathers on the same accident, signing up for the tesserae, battling against starvation, getting their district bombed, but they go on opposite directions. gale falls into extremism because he sees human life as expendable. katniss extends her compassion, because rebellion comes from loving humanity and believing a better life is possible. fire can’t burn enough to turn everything into ashes. the last chapter or the epilogue isn’t a surprise, it’s just a synthesis of what has been going for three books.

[golongbyjoannanewsom]

it is funny how valjean is like “i can’t let cosette know i was a thief :(” when she has just gotten engaged to a man who was involved in a violent anti-government uprising

[katerinaaqu]

I believe I do understand what you are trying to say and there IS a difference in legal terms of assault in the past than modern day but the main aspect of it remained the same in antiquity ironically even if the legal implications were different

No it wasn't common to assault unmarried women actually. In fact I am researching on it for another ask and assault especially of unmarried or Virgin women in fact that was the definition of assault in ancient greek. But it was common for men to have affairs even if it doesn't seem to be preferable (see for example how Hera allegoeically as goddess of marriage doesn't like her husband's affairs so it feels more like it is tolerated rather than preferred) also in later years affairs were considered worse than rape because rape was a crime of passion but affair was premeditated and planned. So it WOULD be considered adultery even for ancient greek standards depending on how the thing was presented on context but as I said I agree because as I said I considered the whole thing with Circe a necessity he had no choice on so I disagree with the concept of cheating.

However the affairs were still recognized as affairs thus children born from them had no real legal right to their father's fortune. In the homeric poems and the sequels for example Helen is being bad mouthed for letting go of her husband and go to another man and marry him the same way as Paris is being bad mouthed for doing the same. But people like Agamemnon have mistresses but the mistresses are slaves aka people that have no right. There seems to be different with war prizes compared women of status or other. Also Aegisthus have an affair with Clytemnestra is not praised either. In fact his death both as an adulterer and murderer seems to be celebrated even by other characters in Greek tragedies.

Actually, no, they do not have a common that woman=bad in my opinion. I think that is a misconception. Was woman equal to man? Absolutely not. Did they consider her inheritently bad? No. In fact many women in antiquity had some lenient treatment (especially beautiful ones, look at the example of Phryne. The etaira even if she was accused with the same accusations Socrates was, she was saved when her defendant stripped her naked to the court and said "a woman like her there is no way of her being evil". And she was saved as opposed to Socrates that was executed). Of course there were people who spoke badly on women the same way they spoke badly about other men. Also, if you take comedies as source comedies, make fun of everyone. Their point was satire. I know modern people love to sag "oh if Clytemnestra was a man, she would be a hero," but is it true now? Is it? Because we have examples like Tandalus who killed his children and was punished for all eternity, Heracles who was punished with his 12 labors even if he killed his children under the madness of Hera we have Orestes who was tormented for a long time not because he killed Aegisthus but because he killed his mother. Odysseus had to cleanse himself from the murder of the suitors, Oedipus was punished by fate for killing his father even if he had no knowledge of the fact etc. So murder was never considered okay. In fact even Achilles has to be cleansed for the murder of Thersites when the latter mocked him on his mourning over Penthesilia.

So were women equal? Absolutely not and we have we myths that need to remind us of that? Absolutely. We're women depicted inheritently bad? No. Absolutely not. In fact even in Oresteia Clytemnestra had the warmest of support from the Furies speaking on her issues and her reasoning. In Trojan Women we have exclusively the viewpoint of women by Euripedes. If anything it is the men that are depicted as inheritently evil. We have so many powerful women even in Homer including Circe or Helen or Penelope. If anything Penelope stands alone in a sea of men who are presented as evil with some exceptions so no I disagree that greek mythology depicts women as evil. He depicts women as complicated as any other character. Do we have certain myths that involve monsters with female names? Sure. Do we have a lack of female figures as heroes? Yes. But nope I do not think that it is right to say that women are depicted as source of evil as far as humans are concerned. But I absolutely see why you say that and many people have said that as well. We can agree to disagree for sure as well.

I know which is why I also talk on the context by speaking on what Homer wrote not what modern writers wrote. Homer himself made it clear that none of them was okay and yet he portrayed the complication of gis own time with Odysseus not only remain with them for a long time but in case of Calypso even share her bed one last time and let it to his viewers to decide. But I definitely see your point and I agree which is why I think it is even more important that Homer felt the need to say to us how unwilling Odysseus was; in a world where affairs were generally excused so in theory as you said many would say "oh Odysseus had some fun big deal who didn't?" At his time and yet Homer felt the need to tell us that "hold on a minute. He had his chance but did he really take it? Or not?" Just some food for thought

In one way it was. Which is also perhaps why it is also important how his men eventually request to leave or how Odysseus gives in his thirst for knowledge and hears the sirens but he does so tied up etc. It is indeed highly possible

Not at all I thank you for bringing it up and that you speak up against fandoms taking over discussion of the classics! It is very important.

i’m so sick of the “odysseus cheated” debate… because it’s always “odysseus was loyal, circe and calypso assaulted him” vs “odysseus cheated because he slept with circe and calypso”. YOU CAN’T APPLY MODERN MORALS TO A STORY WRITTEN THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO…. what odysseus did with circe and calypso wasn’t considered assault OR cheating….he was loyal to penelope either way…..tell me you understand that

[cerealbishh]

"Julian and I are finally getting along!"

[sskk-manifesto]

Ep 6!!!