kabhi khushi kabhi khudkhushi

Naksu/Mu-deok thinking that Jang Uk will abandon her now that's he's made it into Songrim, even though Maid Kim basically told her that he's in love with her. Meanwhile, he's climbing out a window because he hasn't seen her in 24 hours and he doesn't know what to do with himself.

I just realized that the last outfit that we see Mu-deok wearing when she kills everyone:

Is basically the exact same outfit she's wearing at the end as Cho Yeong (or at least the same colours, green collar with pink):

She finally got to be married in that outfit!

It's actually kind of hilarious how afraid everyone is that the King Star will take over the country when he's Jang Uk. Like can you imagine a human being who has less interest in doing all that work?

Just another day of the Crown Prince having bi panic over Jang Uk and Mu Deok

Random parallels I've noticed in the first two episodes:

-both Mu-deok and Bu-yeon are accused of being a thief by Joo-wol and she yells for people to catch them. Both times they get away. Joo-wol also tells Mu-deok/Bu-yeon about four people at the beginning of each season, ending with Jang Uk both times.

-after learning Mu-deok and Bu-yeon don't have powers, Jang Uk tells them to leave. Then they both do leave and almost drown, only to be saved by Jang Uk

-Mu-deok and Bu-yeon are both introduced as being enamoured with chicken

-Cho-yeon is distressed both times to see Jang Uk and he angers Jinyowon

-Mu-deok and Jang Uk both say that no one gets close to them

-Maid Kim is (justly) confused and worried about Jang Uk bringing a random girl home both times. She gives both new clothes.

-Mu-deok threatens to kill Jang Uk the first time they meet, Jang Uk threatens to kill Bu-yeon, neither are phased by this threat at all.

-Both Jang Uk and Bu-yeon are being prevented from gaining power by someone who isn't *really* their parent

-Mu-deok and Bu-yeon both steal from Jang Uk right after moving into his home

-Jang Uk and Bu-yeon both can see something special about the other (soul-mark eyes, ice stone) the first time they meet

-And of course, both Jang Uk and Bu-yeon propose a marriage oof convenience to the other, only to be called ridiculous.

yes i am mentally unstable and yes this is my comfort book. yes I spent two days binding breath mints / battle scars by @onyx-and-elm

Hi lovelies,

Last week I convinced my Dad to read the Iliad (well audio-book it but same thing). Every morning I get in the car for school and he launches the entire Spanish Inquisition on to me about whatever book he listened to the night before. He then just sits there in silence and questions why I took Classics. But after explaining the Iliad to my Dad every day, I’ve realised that it can be seriously confusing if you just pick it up with no context. So today I’m going to try and give the Cliff Notes version of the Iliad aetiology!

The ‘Iliad’ translates to the ‘Story of Ilium’ (Ilium being the contemporary name for Troy). The Iliad is a Greek epic written by the poet Homer, and the reason it is called an ‘epic’ is because it has certain defining features. An epic is a very large story that can be broken down into smaller books (in this case 24 books). It usually depicts or focuses on a journey or a large theme or event (so the journey of Achilles, the theme of war, or the event of the Trojan War). In traditional ancient epics the main character is a hero. *enter Achilles, stage left*

Achilles is the son of the Goddess sea nymph Thetis and the mortal king, Peleus. Initially Thetis was one of Zeus’ many loves but a prophecy that stated that the son of Thetis would be more powerful than his father led Zeus to marry Thetis off to Peleus (to ensure that this unborn son did not pose a threat to the king of the Gods).

As an apology to Thetis for making her marry a mortal man, Zeus throws Thetis and Peleus a huge, massive, over the top (basically Indian) wedding. Out of all the Gods and Goddesses only Eris, the Goddess of strife, is not invited. Which is understandable, because why would you want Strife at a wedding? Eris gatecrashes the wedding and holds up a golden apple and says that the apple belongs to the fairest of the goddesses. Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera all claim that the apple should be theirs. Zeus is too much of a pussy to chose which goddess the apple should go to and so he sends them to the Trojan Prince, Paris for judgment. This whole side myth, by the way, is called ‘The Judgement of Paris’

Okay so Paris, that’s a whole other story. Paris is the son of the Trojan King and Queen, Priam and Hecuba. Before his birth, Hecuba received a prophecy about her son too. Her prophecy stated that the child she would have would be a burning torch that set fire to Troy. After giving birth to the baby Paris, she left him on Mount Ida to die. However, he was adopted by a shepherd and brought up as his son. At some point he returns to Troy and reminds his mum that she left him on a mountain (although I don’t know how he knew that) and despite the prophecy Priam and Hecuba took him back in.

Back to the main plot. The three goddesses (Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera) go to Paris and ask him who is the fairest, each promising a gift if he chooses them. Athena says that she will bring him success in war, Hera says she will bring him political power, and Aphrodite promises him the most beautiful woman as his wife. For those amongst you already familiar with the story, I of course am referring to Helen of Sparta. Paris travels to Sparta on a diplomatic mission where the beautiful Helen is married to the most powerful of all the Greek kings- Menelaus. After the mission is complete, Menelaus leaves Sparta for some foreign business, leaving Helen to entertain the Trojans. It is at this point that Paris kidnaps Helen and takes her to Troy.

Now Helen is of course famed for being the most beautiful woman alive, but she was also a daughter of Zeus. When the time came for her to marry she had many suitors (such as Patroclus), but Menelaus was chosen. Odysseus suggested that all the unsuccessful suitors take a blood oath that if there ever came a time that Helen was in danger, they would all bring their men to protect her. That is why the armies of so many Greek kingdoms arrive in Troy (to fight alongside Menelaus and to save Helen). Fun fact! Achilles was never proposed as a suitor for Helen and so he wasn’t contractually obliged to be in Troy, he just went for the glory (and probably for Patroclus too). Oh and also because Odysseus told him that if he didn’t go he would look like a wimp.

The Iliad begins exactly one decade into the Trojan War (I’m not joking they have literally been there for ten whole years- I can’t make this shit up). When the poem takes off both sides are weary from war, but the Greek have just won a small battle victory- abducting two women- Chryseis and Briseis. And it is after the abduction of these two women that Book One takes place.

I’m not kidding, explaining this to my dad has been an entire Olympic Sport. I think me asking him to read it has just opened up the door to him questioning every single one of my life choices! But hopefully you all found that a lot more digestible. Hope you all have a lovely rest of your weekend :)

~Z

The fact that most translations and commentaries I’ve read says that

refers only to Turnus really downgrades the ambiguity in this statement. Because Latio could mean in Latium, in which case it’s Turnus. But it could also mean for/on behalf of Latium. And it’s Aeneas who’s been consistently called the son of a goddess and who will take Achilles’ place at the end when he essentially recreates the Trojan War in Italy. 

This is the ambiguity of prophecy where it refers to two people at once. It’s not just Turnus because, in the end, Turnus isn’t the inheritor of Achilles. Aeneas is.

Virgil, The Aeneid

Learning that Nestor is 300+ years old at Troy is just frosting on the cake. His story is so funny in how nothing bad happens to him. Like thousands of young men and a whole civilization dies in the war with Troy but Nestor, at 300, survives. And then almost all our main greek kings either die at Troy of have a shitty journey back home. Achilles, dead at Troy. Patroclus, dead at Troy. Ajax Telamon, killed himself but still dead at Troy. Agamemnon, killed by his wife upon returning home. Diomedes, kicked out of his home by his cheating wife. Menelaus and Helen, blown off course and have to spend years in Egypt. Odysseus, takes 10 years and loses all his men on his stupid journey. But Nestor? Nestor gets home with no problem and is still kicking drinking margaritas on the beach ten years after Troy when Telemachus comes to cry and ask if Nestor has heard from his dad. He's just like, "I'm the only greek the gods don't hate ✌"

Nestor, you dropped this 👑

James J. O'Hara, Inconsistency in Roman Epic

Sirius: *glaring* Listen here you little bitch!

Sirius: Stop stealing my boyfriend!

Sirius: He’s MINE and mine only

Sirius: You hear me?!

Sirius: HE’S MINE!!!

James: So should I question why you’re yelling at a bar of chocolate or.....

remus: *walks into common room* 

james: *starts blasting here comes the bride* 

sirius: *wearing a wedding dress and holding a bouquet* 

remus: what the fuck ??

sirius: i do 

remus: FUCK YOU!

sirius: okay but is that an insult or a to-do list?

remus:

sirius:

remus: WHAT THE HECK?

sirius: ANSWER MY DAMNED QUESTION FIRST!!

remus: do you have a crush on me?

sirius: no

sirius, looking to the side like he’s on camera: then i said no, ya know, like a liar

remus: you do realize i can still hear you, right?