Reading it after it's completed is the Best! My eyes are swollen fuck

It started cliche, then continued to dig deeper into the shallow stab it made until it fully pierces your soul and smile at your own killer.
SPOILERSSSS AND PERSONAL ESSAY LMAO






This story is driven by the EVERY character's strong emotion instead of the plot (and the line is vague because of the "law of causality"). Every SINGLE one of them are stubbornly aiming at something which makes their ends so satisfying. The process for Eris (like did we even learn her actual name, or did i just forget? A reintroduction wouldve been nice) to get home was complicated, I was honestly confused. The mental leaps of Hubris, Jason, and Alec also make them the most toxic men LMAO. They hear so many yeses in a woman's no. Helena is actually well written because she managed to strip away her pretenses yet also showed that she is truly kind despite her mom's "keep smiling" advice for self preservation... It's neither "im just dense" nor "white lotus" acting. Despite Anakhin being the ONLY decent man in this story, it highlighted how among those who desire something and was somehow met by a woman, they have their due diligence to respect their opinion (granted he is also at the extreme spectrum of devotion, but in this world of extreme blindness, he's perfect). It's kinda apparent in the Emperor and Empress ngl. The emperor made a mistake yet stubbornly tries to hold on to the Empress, and in his last attempt to receive his wife's vengeance, he accepts dying for her (WITH her most probably coz that fits his selfish guts lol). Also, even Eris shows that Selfishness of even requesting Anakhin to die with her.

At the end, everyone had a strong desire for something. Medea says the most accurate quote which drives a lot of what the story is about: Men made the rules, they dont need to "break" them.

They had the upperhand in being direct about their desires while women have to bid their time because even being an Empress didn't help a mother save his son. She was still a wife. Maybe her only power as she realized was using the emperor's 'affection' to finally deal with him and her both.

It's just sad how much of a domino effect it is that despite saying Men made the rules, it's also a matter of women having to acknowledge their own power that is so entangled with a man's. Their power to affect men (this is why we have manipulative women,no?), the power to affect their child (as a mom, the empress caused alec's attachments), the power to support another woman (the maid being a key to having her mistress' wish to be granted or even Helena consenting to Eris, like bruh. And eris trying to support Helena's choices).

TL;DR
Every character had a desire so strong that they begin to source out their power. Men would have obvious powers as "men make the rules", but women, in their most desperate, will bend and break those rules with a power that persists as much as it was suppressed. And I love how "dramatic" the story was, really pokes fun of "women are so dramatic with their grudges" but then you see all men but anakhin going "WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO??".