that WHO in no longer u oh my GOD
YESSSS
Like, yeah, Odysseus is like "Yandere" (joking but also not) because kills all who even go near Penelope and Telemachus and he's very protective of them AND jealous.
But I think this "WHO?!" is also a desperate plea as to who is this dangerous man who is near his wife? A warlord? A conquerer? A man who would not even care about Penelope for who she is and mistreats her?
Because even in the Odyssey, Odysseus asks about Penelope to his mother.
Tell me of the wife
I married. What are her thoughts and plans?
Is she still there with our son, keeping watch
on everything? Or has she been married
to the finest of Achaeans?
(Book 11, Johnston)
There's not even much resentment in his question. There could be but Narrator does not say. The use of "the finest of Achaeans" almost is a "Did she at least marry the best man? Did she at least marry a GOOD man?"
In "No Longer You", when he hears of this dangerous man NEAR his wife, he is SCARED. It could be jealousy but I feel it's more of concern. As it is in the Odyssey.
"I understand if she would remarry, it pains me but I did tell her that when Telemachus finally grows his beard, she could. I will love her always but is she at least happy? Is she safe?"
And she's not safe. She's not happy. He is terrified.
Psst. The reason why My Odysseus takes a long time to grow his beard is because of that line. He's hoping that his son will take after him and take forever to grow a beard like he did (as he doesn't really have one even when he first leaves for Troy) because he would try forever to get home. Penelope even teases him that he still doesn't have one so that's a silly request and that's the point. "I will never stop trying to come back to you. He and I will likely remain beardless forever." (it's a little funky for him when he finally grows one by the end of Troy. He's thinking "...Shit. Telemachus, stay baby-faced for your dad please.")
ANYWAYS.
I mean we all know that these two are obsessed with each other in the Odyssey and in Epic. They are likeminded and are so integral to who they are. They mean everything to one another. I think Odysseus genuinely does want Penelope happy. As even in the Odyssey with him simply asking for another bed, shows how much he loves and respects her. He could've been like "get in it" even though she had rejected him at first but he LISTENS BECAUSE HE LOVES HER. Only breaking down into a sobbing mess when he believes she destroyed their bed.
"Heaven made you as you are, but for sheer obstinacy you put all the rest of your sex in the shade. No other wife could have steeled herself to keep so long out of the arms of a husband she had just got back after nineteen years of misadventure. Well, nurse, make a bed for me to sleep alone in. For my wife's heart is just about as hard as iron."
(Book 23, Rieu)
Please note that this is his attempt to insult her in a way and yet he still talks about her being from Heaven 👀 SIMP
But even though he's deeply hurt by her rejection (poor guy would've probably sobbed himself to sleep) He still asks for another bed. After sleeping on the floor and in the dirt since he's been on Ithaca, refusing beds unless it's his own marriage bed, he takes her 'no' because he values her happiness and comfort over his own. He takes a lesser bed so she can still sleep in their own luxurious one.
I mean we know how fucking awful the suitors are. Hold Them Down is a disturbing song. (as it should be. As they are not good men) He does not even know how bad these men are yet. If his future self could speak with his past self, he'd probably be like "Yeah, don't worry about the guy who kills a bunch of people, they had it coming. ;) " or something.
That "WHO?!" is a mix of jealousy AND fear.
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[Approach the mirror]
...
It's You.
Something finds me in The Long Quiet, and brings me the gift of a fragile vessel.
It approaches me. Feathers cover its eyes. It cannot see me, and I cannot see it.
And something else. Something that seems similar to me, though not familiar. It occupies a space that isn’t occupied either by me or you.
It speaks words to me. I’m sorry, I don’t understand them. Though we are similar, we speak in different dialects.
You though. Though you don’t speak, your words are the same as mine. I can understand them. Can you understand Him?
I see.
These stories help widen my horizons and fill the creeks within my knowledge. And may yet make this language He speaks on known to me.
This one is short and sweet. She doesn't know anything of the world other than the kindness and mercy you showed her. Her hopefulness and curiosity born out of inexperience is something that'll never leave her. She will make for an open heart.
Do not mourn her. Her story has only begun.
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In defense of Kanghan trying sucking!
*puts on my Kanghan defender hat*
Kanghan's dad never lets Kang do anything. He dismisses Kang and tells him not to try, which Kang has stated upsets him. But Sailom always pushes him to try. He never does anything for Kang because he knows Kang is capable enough to do it himself.
Yet . . .
Sailom, who had Kang fail a test to teach Kang he couldn't be bought, quickly told Kang that he would complete their assignment without Kang having to contribute. Normally, Kang would be thrilled by this, but Sailom had faith in him when no one else did.
So Kang is hurt.
Things are awkward between them, but even when they were enemies, Sailom expected Kang to pull his weight. Now, Sailom is treating Kang just like his father does, and that bothers Kang.
Instead of giving up like he would normally do with his father, Kang goes to check on Sailom (because he wants to make sure he is okay), AND THEN GETS TO WORK!
Kang picked Sailom up and gave him the worst wipe down in BL history, but just like with Sailom and that steak, this is new to Kang and the fact that he tried is what is important. He didn't make fun of Sailom for not knowing how to eat a fancy meal, and Sailom didn't make fun of Kang for trying to care for him later when they spoke.
Then, Kang went further and completed their assignment ON HIS OWN!
I know everyone and their grandma hated the amount of flashbacks in this episode, but I appreciated that each flashback in this section showed Kang getting answers right and Sailom praising him. The flashbacks didn't show them necessarily working together on an assignment, as much as they showed Kang getting the answers correct on his assignment with Sailom's guidance.
And those flashbacks also showed the times Sailom took care of Kang when he was too tired to continue, even when Sailom himself was tired.
Because those memories served as a reminder that 1) Kang could complete this assignment alone, and 2) Sailom had already done the same for him several times. Kang just needed to try.
Caring about someone is new to Kang, but he told Sailom he would try FOR HIM.
This is a kid who has never had to keep a promise in his entire life not even to the girl he likes, yet here he is showing up to check on Sailom and take care of him even though he has no clue what he is doing. He took that promise seriously because Sailom takes him seriously.
Then, he sees Guy taking care of Sailom, and Guy is doing so much better than Kang who rarely cares about anything, so how would he be good at caring for someone?
We get flashbacks of Guy (I know y'all hate them), who even pointed out to Kang that HE takes care of Sailom, pushing Kang away when Kang tried to help Sailom in the classroom.
This is the same person who told Kanghan that people only want to be around him because of his money (which is a sore point for Kang).
Kang tried to take care of Sailom and sucked at it, yet here is someone who doesn't seem to struggle the way he does. Kanghan cares about nothing, so to finally care about something, NO, someone (Pimfah and Sailom!) and fail at it both times . . .
This is why his dad tells him not to try. This is why he doesn't expect anything from him. This is why Sailom told him he would do their assignment by himself without Kanghan needing to help.
Because Kanghan sucks.
He sucks at school, which is why he was failing. He sucks at soccer, which is why he is on the ground. He sucks at caring for someone, which is why Guy steps in each time. And Sailom knows this, which is why he said he would do their assignment alone.
Then, Sailom screams "Troy!" "Kang, YOU'VE GOT THIS!" and like a damn health bar in a video game, Kang remembers through the power of a flashback (I know, I know) that this isn't about how much he sucks at caring about Sailom because what is important is that he does care about Sailom.
Kang showed throughout this episode that he does care about Pimfah. He likes her. He wants her happy, even if it isn't with him. But he doesn't care about her the way he cares abut Sailom, right? Yet when Pimfah was describing how she knew she liked Sailom, she was describing Kanghan's experience with Sailom.
And many people wrote that what Pimfah was describing was admiration not love.
So, according to many of y'all, if what she is describing isn't love which just happens to be the same exact experience Kanghan is having with Sailom, then he isn't experiencing love either, right?
No. He feels sorry for Sailom.
He feels guilt.
But, according to y'all and Kanghan, he doesn't love Sailom.
So what is it he is feeling because he, and the audience, doesn't know how to describe this?
He doesn't want Sailom to have to work so hard. He doesn't want Sailom to walk in the rain. He wants Sailom to eat a nice meal. He didn't always feel this way though.
But somewhere after seeing Sailom get beat up and threatened with an iron to his bare arm, he started to care about Sailom.
Then, he promised Sailom he would try, for him.
So . . .
Kanghan is trying to describe what he is feeling when everything in his life (and the audience) is telling him this isn't love. It's pity. It's guilt. It's admiration. But it's not love.
So when Kanghan throws this in his face
he really thinks about it.
This doesn't feel like guilt. This doesn't feel like pity. This doesn't feel like admiration. He cares about Sailom. He cares for Sailom. He sucks at it, but damn it, he is trying.
He keeps getting everything wrong, but he is trying.
He is trying to do better. He is trying to figure out what this feeling is. He is trying to get it right. And he is trying to make Sailom understand something that he doesn't even understand.
But the point is he is trying.
Even if he sucks at it.
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