dorothea you're a really brave person, aren't you?
[ ah, what is he saying... one would think, because this is all through text, he'd have much more of a filter. alas. ]
i know you probably don't need me to tell you that... but it still felt important to say
i appreciate your advice
[ even if, in the end, all she really said was how she would do things, and not necessarily advising him on how he should move forward. ]
you've given me a lot to think about part of why i put so much effort in the gym is because i want to feel like i could defend myself if i had to, or protect other people here, if they needed it but i think... maybe instead of focusing so much on strengthening my body, i should maybe work on strengthening other parts of myself first
[ If they were in person, she'd laugh. Her, brave? That's so ridiculous. She feels as if she spends too much of her time worrying about the consequences of things, of what will happen to her if she can't find stability. Or, worse, if she simply dies on the battlefield. There's nothing especially courageous about her at all. ]
It's funny. I don't think that way at all. I was pretty unhappy about the war. I hated fighting. I was probably really frustrating to be around! It's nice of you to say it, is what I mean.
[ She thinks her friends back home would disagree entirely but...well, if she twists it, she can maybe believe it's more that she's lucky to have people, and she can be grateful for that. ]
I think it's more important to strengthen the things that are important to you rather than to push yourself towards something that might not be what you want. Don't get me wrong; having a healthy and fit body is good too! But I think it's just as important to make yourself happy as it is to make others happy.
[ it's probably hard to tell over text, but he doesn't mean this to be a reprimand. just a gentle observance, not unlike glancing into a slightly fogged-up mirror. ]
and maybe i'm way off but i don't think you become any less brave just because you reacted like a person to a bad situation
[ what would he be like, faced with a war? to have to suddenly fight to the death against people he once shared a lunchroom with? he genuinely can't even fathom it, and so he assumes he would simply crumple under the weight of it all. but here dorothea is, still offering a stranger smiles despite it all. ]
happiness... looks pretty different, depending on where you are, huh? the things that made me happy back home, i don't know if it would feel just as good here i'll work hard trying to find that out though
I know I can be. It's just, well. It's sort of what I said to you before. I'm a commoner. I'm surrounded by accomplished people who have so much more knowledge of war tactics and statecraft. I'm just a singer. But I still try to do my best, because the people around me are important. I don't want to let them down.
[ So even if she's hard on herself, it comes both from a place of wanting to be needed so no one discards her...and because the thought of being useless is anathema to her, if it means someone might be in danger because of her weaknesses. ]
You said it yourself about finding purpose. I think it's a good way to look at it. We can find a different happiness for ourselves here for a little while, until we go home.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gently merges the two convos they're having...
you're a really brave person, aren't you?
[ ah, what is he saying... one would think, because this is all through text, he'd have much more of a filter. alas. ]
i know you probably don't need me to tell you that...
but it still felt important to say
i appreciate your advice
[ even if, in the end, all she really said was how she would do things, and not necessarily advising him on how he should move forward. ]
you've given me a lot to think about
part of why i put so much effort in the gym is because i want to feel like i could defend myself if i had to, or protect other people here, if they needed it
but i think... maybe instead of focusing so much on strengthening my body, i should maybe work on strengthening other parts of myself first
ueueueue oushiiiii
It's funny. I don't think that way at all.
I was pretty unhappy about the war. I hated fighting.
I was probably really frustrating to be around!
It's nice of you to say it, is what I mean.
[ She thinks her friends back home would disagree entirely but...well, if she twists it, she can maybe believe it's more that she's lucky to have people, and she can be grateful for that. ]
I think it's more important to strengthen the things that are important to you rather than to push yourself towards something that might not be what you want.
Don't get me wrong; having a healthy and fit body is good too!
But I think it's just as important to make yourself happy as it is to make others happy.
embarrassing...
[ it's probably hard to tell over text, but he doesn't mean this to be a reprimand. just a gentle observance, not unlike glancing into a slightly fogged-up mirror. ]
and maybe i'm way off
but i don't think you become any less brave just because you reacted like a person to a bad situation
[ what would he be like, faced with a war? to have to suddenly fight to the death against people he once shared a lunchroom with? he genuinely can't even fathom it, and so he assumes he would simply crumple under the weight of it all. but here dorothea is, still offering a stranger smiles despite it all. ]
happiness... looks pretty different, depending on where you are, huh?
the things that made me happy back home, i don't know if it would feel just as good here
i'll work hard trying to find that out though
no subject
I know I can be. It's just, well.
It's sort of what I said to you before. I'm a commoner.
I'm surrounded by accomplished people who have so much more knowledge of war tactics and statecraft.
I'm just a singer.
But I still try to do my best, because the people around me are important. I don't want to let them down.
[ So even if she's hard on herself, it comes both from a place of wanting to be needed so no one discards her...and because the thought of being useless is anathema to her, if it means someone might be in danger because of her weaknesses. ]
You said it yourself about finding purpose. I think it's a good way to look at it.
We can find a different happiness for ourselves here for a little while, until we go home.