Theres Something Poetic About Kissinger Biting The Dust During The Biggest Public Pushback Against Israel

See THIS is why I trust the writers because the whole point of the deadline passing was so we could SEE Poseidon surrendering for Percy. The show has given Poseidon a more active and loving role in Percys life. The gods pride would never let them surrender to one another. But Poseidon knew his brother wouldn’t spare his son’s life. And he knew the only thing that would spare his son’s life was him surrendering. ALSO FURTHER CEMENTING THAT PERCY IS HIS FAVORITE CHILD! The writers pens this episode>>>

TW: death, child death, mass murder, corpses (they're blurred)

Pov: we are sitting together talking about random things, having chai and healing

Were others as uncomfortable as me when Yijin in ep12 said, 'It doesn't matter that she (heed) doesn't know what she's doing; I know.' Maybe it's a mistranslation, but in the present version, it came across as paternalistic and very odd.

*sigh*

listen, i get you. it’s very easy to misinterpret or misunderstand this line, and i don’t think there’s anything wrong with your reaction. the way we react to text within or without context comes down to our interpretation, and sometimes our instinctive reading does not take into account the larger picture shown in the entire text.

i can’t speak in terms of translation, but i’m going to tag the lovely @consigliere-vincenzo in case they have any remarks about the translation of this scene as a whole (please feel no obligation to engage with this unless you want to!)

what i can offer my take on is the meaning of the line as i hear it and understand it within context, because context is where the majority of meaning is formed.

firstly, i hear two implied endings to this line:

1. she doesn't have to know what she's doing, because i know what she’s doing towards me.

2. she doesn't have to know what she's doing, because i know what i’m doing towards her.

i believe that both of these endings exist at the same time; they are equally implied within the first part of the line, and are equally important for the negotiation of meaning behind it.

what comes across to me in both of these versions is a statement of trust and a vow of reliability.

in the first instance, i hear the meaning of even if hee do doesn’t understand the full meaning of her actions, i trust her to do things the right way. even if she doesn’t realize what her actions towards me imply, i see her feelings and accept them. even if it takes her a long time to translate her feelings and actions into words, i know her well enough to understand her without her needing to explain herself. i know what she’s doing about our relationship and i’m going to stay by her side until she sees it through. i know her well enough to see her heart.

in the second instance, what comes to focus is the difference between yi jin and the “cutie pie character” (never letting him outlive this) in the way they approach a potential romantic relationship with hee do. while the “cutie pie character” doesn’t know what he’s doing, as he’s just as likely to be serious about his relationship with hee do as he is to get tired of her after abusing her feelings, yi jin knows what he’s doing. while the ex-boyfriend is careless about how he treats hee do, yi jin is careful to never hurt her feelings, to never overstep or take advantage of her. while the ex-boyfriend doesn’t know hee do well enough to harbor any real feelings towards her as a person and not just a pretty face or a successful fencer, yi jin knows every facet of her personality and knows that there is real feeling behind his actions towards her, and her actions towards him. while the “cutie pie character” will approach the relationship without responsibility towards hee do’s needs and feelings and prioritize his own, yi jin naturally puts hee do’s needs first and doesn’t even dare to cross the line between friendship-coded behavior and romance-coded behavior, because he values her emotional well-being more than his own. so hee do doesn’t have to know what she’s doing in terms of their relationship, or whether she’s doing things the right way, because she can count on yi jin to know what he’s doing. she can make mistakes for both of them, because he is careful not to make any.

with yi jin, hee do can be vulnerable enough to do things by instinct instead of by logic, by feeling instead of by thought, because yi jin trusts her instincts and feelings, and because yi jin is committed to always putting her first.

as this line is the culmination of yi jin’s speech, all of these meanings are encoded in the statements he makes before this one and supported by his previous behavior and words towards hee do. if yi jin’s reaction towards the ex-boyfriend seems out of proportion to the conversation, that’s because yi jin’s feelings are much bigger than the ex-boyfriend’s. it’s because he cares intensely while the ex-boyfriend is willing to toy with him and hee do that yi jin gets really angry, because who is this person to question their intentions towards each other when his own do not come from a place of genuine love? who is this person to accuse yi jin or hee do of not knowing what they’re doing, when he clearly doesn’t know the consequences of his own actions?

if anyone is being “paternalistic” in this situation, it’s the ex-boyfriend, who keeps infantilizing hee do by calling her by a pet name, and tries to verbally “win” the right to date her, as if the matter should be solved between him and yi jin, without taking hee do’s opinion as a factor at all. yi jin is clearly uncomfortable with this conversation from the start, and systematically counters the ex’s usage of the pet name by placing emphasis on hee do’s name in his sentences (it’s not always translated but listen and you’ll hear it), thus continuously asserting her autonomy as a person and not the idea of a girlfriend. when the ex questions hee do’s judgement, yi jin implies that even if hee do is unable to put a name to her actions and feelings, he trusts her to know what she’s doing, and she can rely on him to know what he's doing.

interpretations are subjective, and your feelings are valid -- but i hope my analysis helps you understand the line in the way that i do.

never ask a joel miller/pedro pascal girlie what happened on april 20th 2025

The Female Gaze in 2521: On Empowered Female Characters and Healthy Masculinity

Y’all I’m so excited to dive into this!

If you’re a kdrama fan, then by now you’ve probably caught on that kdramas often incorporate “the female gaze”. While it’s debated what’s considered the female gaze, we can all conclude that it is different from the omnipresent male gaze in media.

The male gaze describes the visual or aesthetic presentation of women in a way that depicts them as sexual objects, with personalities that tend to center towards men or their fantasies of how women "should" behave. That’s a bit of an oversimplification, but if you watch literally any popular show or movie, you’ll quickly notice the male gaze because it’s woven into the camerawork, the characterization, or body language of the characters on screen. See if you can catch it here.

Not so subtle, right? Kdramas are not free from it, either, but it is worth noting that kdramas do tend to pull an opposing card, namely the female gaze.

This tends to center female characters as being a spectator rather than an object, and typically holding more agency, meaning they lead their lives and choices. The male characters are often characterized as charming, sweet, polite, and romantic.

I see two forms of the female gaze in 2521: first, the empowered female characters and their depiction on screen; second, the portrayal of healthy masculinity in the leading male characters. 

Since this would actually become a literal essay if I tried to encompass every instance or relevant detail, I’m limiting it to just a few observations. But trust me, this show is abundant with many more. If you want to discuss it more, feel free to message me - I’m a nerd for this shit haha

Anyway, leggo~

Let’s start with our empowered protagonists (abbreviated to FC for Female Character from here on)!

Hee Do’s character is a take on the classic “I’m not like other girls” trope but thankfully the writers have spun it into a refreshingly animated and enlivened perspective. She is loud, sometimes adorably obnoxious, a little childish, and passionate. Contrary to the typical loud kdrama FC, she is innocent but not naive. Also contrary to other FCs, she does not seek a love interest. Her main goal is to improve her fencing and transfer to the school where her idol trains.

I like how Yi Jin’s presence in Hee Do’s life lifts her up and helps her accomplish her goals, but he’s not an absolute necessity. This kdrama could very well have orbited around the high school friend group and Hee Do would still succeed. This is pretty poignant, since Yi Jin being there merely enriches her life. She still ultimately has agency over her choices and dreams.

Also, let’s highlight how none of these FC are sexualized, be it their school uniforms, fencing gear, or the beach scene. Yes, Korea is much more conservative with these things, and yes, I think the writers and directors were cognizant of the thin line they were treading with the age gap and Hee Do being a minor for a while. But still! I think it’s worth celebrating and pointing out that they often show her wearing her red tracksuit pants under her skirt while no one else does. 

Seungwan is another FC who shines so well with the female gaze. She’s the one who makes an active effort to call out the abuse of the teachers at her school. She is an active participant in her life - she makes a clear stand that she will no longer tolerate witnessing abuse. Her agency is clear: she’s not backing down, and not stooping down to threats of being expelled.

Instead, she whips a reverse uno card and goes fuck this place, I’m leaving. That’s not to say empowerment comes without vulnerability and emotion. I think that’s what I enjoy so much about FCs done well in kdramas contrary to western media lately, because western media female empowerment these days seems to be “see, I’m a heartless bitch, watch me stand up for my beliefs and not even cry”. So when Seungwan explains the situation to her mom and says she’s sorry and starts crying in her mother’s embrace, it makes her moment of courage to leave and stand for her values that much stronger.

It’s brave because it has a toll. It’s brave because it’s an unfair situation to be put into. Crying about it makes that reality crash down on us much harder. Also, can we celebrate how this drama doesn’t attempt to give us beautiful crying scenes? A lot of male gaze centric media will make even women’s suffering an aesthetic viewing experience. But this? Not at all. We got runny noses, snot, creased eyebrows and sobbing breaths and shaking shoulders. Beauty isn’t the focus. It’s the feeling. 

This feels like a good transition into part 2: healthy masculinity! Because! Let me tell you!! We have plenty of kdramas with men crying, sure. But I’ve never seen performances like this where 1) male crying is filmed in such an intimate way and 2) where the female lead is framed as the dominant comfort - but not an emotionless hero, either.

Let’s talk about Jiwoong’s crying scene on the rooftop when he found out Seungwan was leaving.

The camerawork doesn’t shy away from showing the growing hurt and welling tears in his eyes. She comes over to hug him, swooping her arms over his shoulders even though he’s the taller one. We see him cover his face but not shy away from letting it out. She pats him on the back. It’s refreshing to see a male character cry without him having to throw things or break shit lmao like men can just stand there and cry and allow women to see them like this. 

Transition into Yi Jin’s crying scenes (oh man, Nam Joo Hyuk is my favorite actor for a reason: you can read his face so perfectly without him needing to speak). Yi Jin’s crying scenes are also devoid of being overly dramatic while still encompassing the intensity of his feelings and the weight of the moment. The scene that stands out the most to me is in episode 8 when he’s doing the live reporting via the hotel room but his computer crashes.

The deafening silence hits the audience hard. It’s meant to feel like a slap in the face because we’re meant to sit in his shock for a bit. The shock, denial, anger, and sadness washes over him as the camera centers a closeup of his face. He shakily puts down the phone, gets up, collapses next to the hotel bed, lifts up the sheets, and shouts - and I mean fucking shouts - into the duvet. This happens as the camera pans out so we all go from feeling caught up in his emotional turmoil to feeling the spaciousness of the room around him; how he’s so alone, how he has no one to rely on in this moment.

I fucking held my breath man. Because this felt so intimate. We don't normally see male characters on screen break down like this. And if so, it might be framed in an aesthetic or artistic way or even sexual way, like crying in the shower. This was just...plain hard truth. That shit was intense. Can I just say? Oscar worthy, my dude. 

The second moment that stands out combines the two observations! We get an empowered FC and a representation of healthy masculinity all in one! That’s right peeps, I’m talking the tunnel crying scene.

God, what a performance. Note how the camerawork highlights that he is collapsed and lower than her.

Hee Do is the one holding his face. She’s the one who caresses his tears away. And mind you, even though we’re talking the Very Handsome Baek Yi Jin here, he is still a snotty crying mess. In traditional media, this visual is very much a male-dominant gaze: a helpless woman being saved by a heroic male protagonist in her moment of vulnerability, held in his arms, her tears being wiped away. This scene flipped the script, though. It’s beautiful to see a female character in this role. And again, just like with Seungwan, it’s not to say that she, being the hero in this moment, is devoid of emotion either. No, she cries too. She cries because she sees him, sees his pain. She doesn’t let it eat away at her and let her spiral. It isn’t an overly dramatic moment of hysteria and tears. It’s an acknowledgement: I see you. I understand you. Which is why their romance is all the more special. These are two people who have now seen each other at their worst. And they still choose to be gentle and soft and caring because the world around them is cruel enough.

What are your thoughts? Overall, I keep finding ways to celebrate this kdrama. Be it the writing, the visual directing and color theory, the character development and character arcs…….there’s just nothing quite like it. And I don’t think there will be something like it for a while. Hopefully this sets the new standard.

Love you fam :) Thanks for reading!

Peace out~

also, a friendly reminder, the world we live in now consists of an active genocide.

of warcrimes being posted on twitter by the official account of israeli government.

of people looking at children, women and men being bombed, killed, starved and butchered and saying it is okay because of a single terrorist group, THAT ISRAEL CREATED.

of westerners saying to look away from the slaughter happening in gaza because your mental health is more important than thousands of lives.

of israeli politicians straight up using propaganda from nazi handbooks to dehumanise palestinians, calling them less than human, less than the rest of us, animals.

and what one palestinian man posted on his social media hit me more than anything: “if we actually were animals, people would care.”

Manifesting a scene where Im Sol runs and jumps into Sun Jae's arms. I need to see him hold and twirl her around.

hey, with the intention of doing this everytime i wear a dupatta

Perfection ✨

seokjin weverse magazine 2022