#Life is Good and Other Lies

[avengerdaisy]

liar lying about not lying again in the future Lucy predicting Seth will lie again

[trnstlnticism]

liar, paramore // shawn spencer & juliet o’hara in psych 7x07 // the seven husbands of evelyn hugo, taylor jenkins reid

[tiredamberhues]

hehe gottem

[phasmophobia-n-knots]

The Clockers Family but I make the dysfunctional even worse.

Etho has a habit of lying about so many things, Cleo isn't even sure about what part of his backstory is real or not.

Cleo is trying her best but she has enough inconsistencies in the rules that it throws Bdubs and Scar off a lot, and sometimes she tends to favorite one over the other.

Bdubs and Scar are always against each other, sure they can have moments of peace, but they both believe that they are right and that the other is always wrong.

Bdubs' admiration for Etho makes him push down a lot of bad memories associated with Etho. Etho hurt him? No, Dad would never!

Scar can somewhat recognize that Etho isn't *good* and so he stops going over, sometimes even begging Cleo to not make him go.

Cleo is raising two kids on her own (who are neurodivergent one or two ways) and they sometimes have a hard time comprehending that Bdubs and Scar learn different and don't understand what she's saying. This leads to a lot of moments where either Bdubs or Scar needs something and Cleo just tells them something that makes it worse.

[zero1qn2]

a piece that will most likely be unfinished + sketches (second one directly inspired by @indigo-constellation writing)

[itspileofgoodthings]

I’ve said this before but Jane Austen makes me feel better about living a completely normal/ordinary life.

[nightmanatee]

i love it when people misunderstand the true tragedy of both endings in life is strange that are now canon in double exposure. yeah, bae ending hurts... a lot considering that max and chloe don't even stay friends.

but bay ending??? do you really think chloe would've wanted max to be miserable and (potentially) suicidal (bc she for sure is in bae)? she loses all of her friends, one of her only... connection to the a.b. is victoria and even she just sends her a singular photo. max still hasn't let chloe go and hasn't had a single relationship/friendship before caledon. she barely texts her parents or joyce (who considers max as her second daughter and even then, max "left" her too) who's marriage with david didn't last long after her death. max can't even step a foot into arcadia bay.

and worst of all she STILL blames herself for chloe's death.

[fire-in-my-woods]

REGGIE IS TO VINH WHAT VINH WAS TO SAFI SO TRUE!!! and i think this concept is fascinating because the solution isn’t ‘maybe love this person you don’t love’ but it’s to move on instead and respect yourself more. i’ll never understand the weird vinh x reggie stuff pulled at the end of the game … what happened to them being ‘bad’ for each other ?? i do not mind vinh realizing how poorly he’s treated people and trying to be better, especially after his safi revelation, but i don’t understand how this immediately equals romantic love ??? anyway. sorry. your opinions are amazing as always, and i’m so glad someone else has a similar view of them

NEVER APOLOGIZE KING UR ALWAYS CORRECT AND YOUR OPINIONS R ALWAYS RIGHT!!

[sneakyboymerlin]

I have said it before, but Kilgharrah has a parallel-opposite arc to Morgana. His character is redeemed in the same streak of episodes where Morgana goes from an ally to a major villain. While Kilgharrah was often self-serving and manipulative in the first 2 seasons, this changes by the end of season 2 because Merlin chooses to show him mercy after incapacitating him. It’s the first real kindness that Kilgharrah has experienced in well over 20 years. Whereas, when Merlin shows Morgana mercy by making the deal with Morgause to save her after she’s been incapacitated, Morgana returns more vengeful than ever. Back to Kilgharrah, though…

Not only does he indebt himself to Merlin, he comes to see Merlin in an entirely new way. Before, when he would call Merlin kin, it was in the most literal sense—both are creatures of magic, cut from the same cloth, and should be allies. But now, they’ve formed a bond from that kinship (and in a literal soul connection sense, too, no less). Kilgharrah’s plea strikes Merlin with so much force because they’re both now the last of their kind, and Merlin cannot help but consider and understand what Kilgharrah has been through, despite the destruction he’s caused, because it’s happened to Merlin, too. When they see each other next, this is what they have to say:

Merlin: I didn't think you'd answer my call.

Kilgharrah: Merlin, I could not resist a dragonlord, even if I wanted to.

Merlin: I’m grateful, thank you.

Let’s focus on that: “…even if I wanted to.” Kilgharrah did not want to resist Merlin’s call for help because he’s come to care about Merlin in his own way. This development is easily traced back to Merlin’s show of mercy. It cannot be stressed enough: this was the first kindness Kilgharrah had been shown in over 20 years, after rotting away in a dungeon when he was betrayed in every way possible, suffering from the grief of his entire species going extinct on Uther’s orders. And with this one show of mercy, Merlin changed the heart of a creature that everyone had already dismissed as a monster (the same way Merlin sees himself), one who sought his revenge by razing an entire city to the ground. From the start, Merlin treats him as a person: “Why are you doing this? You’re killing innocent people!” No one who saw him as a mere beast acting on its true nature would ask a moral quandary of him. And in the end, this path leads to Kilgharrah being spared, and Camelot repeatedly being saved as a result.

Kilgharrah’s sincerity in his care for Merlin is consistent in later seasons, and is seen in more than just his rescues. In 4x02, he plainly urges Merlin not to sacrifice himself, despite the fact that Arthur’s life (and thus, Kilgharrah’s ultimate freedom) hangs in the balance.

Merlin: Arthur intends to sacrifice himself to heal the Veil. It is my destiny to protect him; you taught me that.

Kilgharrah: Merlin, you must not do this.

He shortly follows this with something we’ve known since Merlin mended the rift between them in 2x13:

Kilgharrah: From the moment I met you, I saw something that was invisible. Now, it is there for all to see […] It will be an empty world without you, young warlock.

Having failed to convince Merlin to let someone else be the sacrifice, Kilgharrah commends him. Not only that, Kilgharrah mourns him.

This is all to say that Kilgharrah’s actions in seasons 1 & 2 should not be the sole focal point for our judgment of him, when he undergoes such an extreme change of character. Furthermore, there is no reason to believe that Kilgharrah’s faith in the prophecies is anything but genuine. Alongside his newfound care for Merlin, his ultimate goal is his own freedom, and he believes that Arthur is the key to that.

Kilgharrah: We need Arthur to live […] Your destiny is to protect the young Pendragon until he claims his crown, and when he does, magic can be returned to the realm. Only then will I be free.

This logic is in line with what occurred in 5x13. Kilgharrah wouldn’t have said or done any of what he does in 1x13 if he did not believe that Arthur’s ascension to king would lead to his own freedom (even if it didn’t take immediate effect). Arthur’s place on the throne made room for an end to the wars, namely the one on magic. Kilgharrah did not make these prophecies up, nor is he the only one to believe in them. Alator and Finna possessed knowledge of the same prophecies, and both believed in Emrys’ vision/mission.

Kilgharrah had great knowledge himself, and tried to share that with Merlin to pave the best path, but he was not all-knowing, and he tells Merlin as much himself. Kilgharrah is merely a messenger, believer, and interpreter. So, he still believes the prophecy has come to pass, even if Arthur did end up dying anyways. The five kingdoms could now be united and magic restored to the land once the war was ended upon Morgana’s death. The prophecy was fulfilled within Arthur’s lifetime, despite the success of Arthur’s Bane. It did not go as Merlin expected, nor how Kilgharrah expected, but it still… went. This is what he means when he says, “No young man, no matter how great, can know his destiny.”

The idea that Kilgharrah simply played Merlin, when he was depending on Arthur as much as any creature of magic, and when he genuinely cared for Merlin as kin, is bad faith conjecture. How they got to the end point still mattered to him (i.e. Merlin must protect Arthur so that he has a chance to fulfill the prophecy), because that potential only existed through Arthur, and they all continued to suffer until that time came. Regardless of the age at which Arthur died, though, he was destined to fulfill these prophecies and return at Albion’s time of need. This, Kilgharrah knew. So is it any wonder that he maintained faith in it even after Arthur died? Especially after Arthur died, proving the prophecies true once again?

Kilgharrah: Merlin. There is nothing you can do.

Merlin: I've failed?

Kilgharrah: No, young warlock, for all that you have dreamt of building, has come to pass.

Merlin: I can't lose him! He's my friend!

Kilgharrah: Though no man, no matter how great, can know his destiny, some lives have been foretold. Merlin... Arthur is not just a King— he is the Once and Future King. Take heart, for when Albion's need is greatest, Arthur will rise again.

No, Kilgharrah did not predict the exact ending, but he did his best to help Merlin bring about the best possible outcome, and he said what he could to comfort Merlin when he was grieving Arthur. Kilgharrah was genuine, and his motives were in alignment with Merlin’s by the start of season 3.

[snailvibes]

Their camp is in the woods so technically!! It’s them goofin off in the woods!

Ty for the request @citadelrock 🫶🫶

[hanzajesthanza]

"the michael kandel translation of "the witcher" short story can't hurt you!!"

the michael kandel translation of "the witcher" short story:

[bookshelfdreams]

.

[crowsintheforest]

three thoughts about severance 2.09:

it's totally normal to spend an entire episode of television curled up in a fetal position out of sheer stress, right?

john turturro and christopher walken have more chemistry with less screentime than most people have with entire seasons of television behind them. give my cold war old man yaoi a fucking emmy. two emmys even.

harmony cobel choosing the most dramatic possible place to stand at the end of the episode, backlit by the fireplace, the theme song flickering as the camera zooms in? how did we go so long this season without her

[hikeyzz]

nothing really enrages me as much as people willfully disregarding my wishes or trying to pressure me into changing my mind. i am allowed to say no to things. i will not be a martyr for christ sake.

[dumvixerum]

Okay hear me out HEAR ME OUT

[sherlock-is-ace]

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