even now im still conflicted about diana. i read the whole novel and can't say i *hate* her character. her actions from the start were right like,,, who else would openly criticize nobles if not her? she really cared about the commoners and was the only one who actually did something about it, seeing as she was the crown princess. you also can't overlook her first-hand experiences w commoners, and as someone who grew up in the temple. although of course, that motivation turned into something else later. more than anything, i only think she was narrow-minded and self-righteous.
but if i were to hate her bc of that then it's only logical that i also *hate* hestia. bc the impression i got from the novel is that as you read through the chapters, you'll realize that their characters are actually very similar to each other, even their experiences and struggles. like, they both take actions for their beliefs and it's not as if hestia's motivations are all that pure too; they're selfish even.
in conclusion, i like both diana and hestia as characters. they're literally the both sides of the same coin. perhaps the only difference is that hestia actually made something out of her own actions that could benefit a lot of ppl even if that wasn't her primary goal, as opposed to diana who kind of rushed head on to things first without thinking abt her position and how that would affect how nobles see the commoners she's so adamant on protecting and fighting for.
the thing is:
Diana is okay with talking sh*t about nobles and criticizing them, but is also okay with swimming in luxury. She’s not okay with others owning it but is okay with her owning it because all her life she walked a flowery path and believes that it should all belong to her/ does belong to her because God loves her.
The butler said smth that is extremely important, those who are not thankful will receive their punishment. Diana was never once thankful.
Hesita herself also asked Diana, “lately, what do you pray to God?”
I don’t find Hestia and Diana similar at all, yea, both of them were commoners who became nobles but each of them behaved differently when receiving this position. Hestia was thankful and knew how to utilize it, Diana didn’t.
Hestia isn’t selfish at all, her actions may seem selfish and that’s solely because she prioritizes Cael which is a big “F*ck you too” towards Helios and Diana’s “F*ck Cael”.
Hestia isnt selfish, if she were, she wouldnt allow Cael to get back to Diana under the condition of sincere apology.
Thats the most selfless action a person IN LOVE can do.
Diana is greedy, selfish and dumb. I fail to understand how someone can like a character who basically wants to ditch her husband now that she feels the guy she rejected was a 'better option'. Also she and hestia aren't similar at all hes might seem selfish but she wouldn't try to ruin someone for her own greed which diana is very well capable of. Atp diana is nothing but a hypocrite her behavior towards hes shows how jelous she is and the main reason she wants cael is beacuse she's jealous of the relationship they have now lol
You seem to have missed an important part of the story lol even Hestia admits how basically she was ruthless in what she does towards the Crown Prince and Diana, all because she thinks her life is /still/ disconnected from her OG reality. She KNOWS and is STATED in the novel how, for her, that world is still a 'story' for her and how she knows she really does not feel guilty abt it bc it's not her /actual/ reality. She even ADMITS that for a part of the reason why she was sooo mad at Diana and Helios was bc she made Caelus her whole life in the isekaid world where she was anxious living in bc yknow, she was isekaid without knowing why and how she could return to her original world. She was mad for a huge part bc for her, Diana and Helios took a huge part of why she was able to live in that isekaid world and she believed she was nothing without him. That's pretty selfish to me, which I think is NOT bad. But you have to have some comprehension issues if you just conveniently forget that Caelus wanted Hestia to stop her revenge bc he didn't care anymore and bc Hestia was too hellbent on getting revenge that it was becoming unhealthy to her. Please that whole matter was the three friends' whole issue, not hers. I agree that Hestia loves Caelus but her revenge was self-serving for a lot of reasons, which is what I love abt the story bc the author does not ignore that fact and doesn't really glorify that in the name of love. The story was actually blunt in that aspect through Hestia's monologues.
They ARE similar, atleast to me THROUGH THEIR EXPERIENCES and STRUGGLES not in their personality as I already stated, bc Hestia was, for the most part, cornering Diana through the disappearance of her saintess powers, in the same way that Hestia HERSELF was anxious abt her role in Caelus' life without her foreseeing "powers", or did you just miss that again? Both of them had selfish reasons to do what they did. Also yes, they were both commoners but Hestia was already rich even then. Although I do agree that between the two of them, Hestia was the one who utilized their nobility in a way that can *actually* bring some changes.
They both are in unstable positions and for totally different reasons are experiencing the same struggles in effect of these unstable positions. This is why I like them. The story does not dwell on black and white, but rather in grey morality. Diana started out good THEN wrong, and that is criticized through Hestia, in the same way, through Hestia's instropection, she criticizes her own actions too, knowing that she's not really in the right either and that she can only hurt and push ppl around bc she does not really think of them as ppl, i.e. as living ppl in a reality that she knows.
But that's by effect of Hestia's action right? Because in the original story, Diana and Helios would have separated only bc of Diana losing her powers, and in effect, losing the only thing that's backing her as the Crown Princess who had nothing to her name except being a commoner.
In the first place, it's not like I'm excusing Diana. I said I like them as CHARACTERS in a STORY. I like the roles they play in a STORY. She looks bad in comparison to Hestia, but that is bc Hestia exists in the story as an obstacle to her that attacks her out of nowhere. But if you think about how Diana started as saintess, she was alright, she cares abt the commoners and all that. I agree she's dumb as a crown princess, though. I also agree that she's a hypocrite and Hestia calls her out on that rightfully so.
I like characters like her bc the story itself does not sit on a morally righteous chair where only Diana is bad. Helios sucks as a husband bc he developed a crush on Hestia, but he works out alright as a Crown Prince. Caelus was right to feel betrayed bc the Crown Prince and Diana basically threw him under the bus for a political move that both him and Helios made (which Helios made no effort to talk about to Diana), but other than that, Diana's love? Diana picking Helios? Diana shouldn't be criticized bc of that (bc Hestia did). She owes Cael nothing bc ultimately, it was Cael's decision to give her things in the name of love (which, to Hestia is something that he shouldn't regret). And Hestia? Her character is very interesting bc she, herself, knew she wasn't totally in the right either and she knew she could only do that bc she doesn't care enough abt other ppl like Cael as "characters" in a mere "story" that she isekaid on.
All in all, I said I liked Diana and Hestia as CHARACTERS (if you did not read that correctly) in yknow, a STORY. Not as if I like that Diana is a hypocritical cheater like her husband is LOL if you read the title of this topic then you would have gotten my point. I said character study, in other words, I'm looking at Diana and Hestia as characters, taking into consideration their roles in the story and how the story was made and what takes did the author have. This is not my /personal/ take on Diana's personality nor would I want a cheating person IRL LMAO this is just my take on the story-building as a reader who's studying literature and making papers about it
Your explanation is well-articulated and I enjoyed reading your take on the characters and the story.
I guess its because diana hides her greed and pretends she's virtuous. Her intentions are not pure. Hestia doesn't have pure intentions but she does not hide them at all. She makes it obvious and her character is basically emphasising with those who were affected by greed. So with soap business even if it was to hurt diana, she also did it to benefit her people. Diana kept wanting to heal the sick not just for the sake of it but to maintain her position and reputation. Her actions also affect the commoners too and she also back tracks. Im guessing her lack of pure intentions to emphasise is why she lost her powers in the first place. Im not saying shes evil but she is a crown princess of nobles and commoners and she is failing to address both. Hestias thoughts were right. Hestia doesn't care about society that much because she was just plopped there from another world and it doesn't benefit her that much because the world does not feel real to her but keeping kael alive in that world. Either way whatever she does that harms diana doesn't affect society but benefits it and kael at the same time
yeees exactlyy
Really nice analysis though! You can see how people who know diana wont out right hate her as a person or doesn't see diana being greedy. You can understand why kael fell fer her in the first place. Because we're reading it like hestia we already know so much about her to look at her different
omg i like this point sm bc i think it should be noted that hestia can fall under the unreliable narrator trope, and that's why it makes so much sense to look at the characters outside of hestia's pov
but on another note !!! appreciation post for the high priestess gone but never forgotten, the true MVP along with jeokyeon and the other women here
i love her character so much and i love this story with its portrayal of women LIKEEEEE this is how you write women !!! this is how you write about women's passion, struggles, and even malice !!! majority of manhwas will always depict a stereotypical, exaggerated caricature of women, tending to be misogynistic even if the focus is supposedly on them. not only that, their relationship with other women is almost always bad; always pitting women against women and that's what always sticks w the audience, which irritates me the most. other stories will have the audience calling female characters easily w sexualized insults like bitch, slut, whore. BUT THIS STORY BRO !!!
this story actually characterizes women with REAL personalities. it tackles so much about women's struggles and understands it deeply. LIKE, the writers knew what they were doing and they gave huge effort to not only contextualize it, but also to resolve it properly. the male characters are also not misogynistic for the sake of it; like they're also infused w personalities that make them have an interesting growth and a proper character development that follows the intention of the story.
huge props to the author, artists, and translators sm
GIRL IM SO SAD FOR WOMANHOOD i cant properly put into words how this story is just so beautiful in its tackling of womanhood, gender identity, and identity in general so i will settle for one word
DAMN
Ikr i feel the same. It's so angst
girl im so tired of stories pitting women against each other likeee these pretties irl woulda been two pretty besties
im going to fucking cry why are all the monologues and confessions here so good and heartwrenching it's like im reading literature by sappho and kafka
this chapter just pissed me off bc for me personally, if the abused k-worded her abuser i wouldnt mind bc he deserved that
nicola's character is actually so funny to me and my god the FL is a literal goddess i love her
(still dont like the ML)
Why do u dislike him?
i mean you're right , he is a beautiful accessory out thare , i give him that ╮(￣▽￣)╭
characters be so good and have interesting dynamics then BAM incest