But what makes Merlin the perfect tragedy it’s its end.
Yet, it is not that end, it is not Arthur’s end. It is not the death per se. It is the wait. The end hurts more to us viewers because we witness Merlin’s grief. They could have hinted about the fact that he is immortal, that he lived long after what everyone knew.
But they didn’t stop there. We know Merlin has been waiting.
What hurts more is the pain we see in Merlin’s eyes as he stops on the side of the lake, in a place where that lake is no more, where that life hasn’t existed for ages, now. We hurt as Merlin hurts, because he remembers as we remember, because we’re conscious that we don’t know what is worse:
to die, or to watch the person you had adored most, you had loved most, die by something you should have had under control, while you still live.
And Merlin wishes, but he can’t have.
That’s what’s always going to hurt us. The tragedy could have ended like any other:
with a death, whatever it is deserved or not.
But there is something else to be added, there is a, “what if”, there is, “and now what, will Merlin wait forevermore, will he wish to die too, did he suffer unimaginable pain than what we could possibly imagine, because he has lived so long, he has loved so long, perhaps he has killed and healed so long, and yet, after all these centuries,
and the only man Merlin still thinks about, is Arthur.
Arthur’s death hurts not because he dies.
Arthur’s death hurts more because we know Merlin has died that day too.
But he’s patient.
And the ending reminds us of that.
It reminds us that Merlin is still there, hoping.
But we have no idea for how much longer he’ll wait, and if the years that have passed in which Merlin has hoped, will be repaid with Arthur’s return.
And that’s why the ending hurts more than Arthur’s death.
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there is something so entirely fucked about Louis’ psyche… look at it all! the physical beatings to an obscene degree, the damaging affairs, the psychological warfare, the public humiliation, the participation in the murder of their only beloved daughter. Lestat does this all to him, or a significant amount even if memory is playing its wicked games. Lestat is a vicious horrible thing with his teeth marks on every part of Louis and yet even with decades of freedom, a new partner, the ability to recognise and condemn cruelty and abusive actions, Louis still wants him back. Knowing what he is, what he can do, Louis wants him back. It never mattered if vampires can dream, for Lestat haunts his waking days, a torturous vision of the only living one Louis really loves.
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dance macabre
let us have this dance of macabre!
strums of lullaby accompany our steps
spectators of all kinds eagerly waiting in silence
people of all race, of all ages
humans and fae alike, mingling into one
isn't this what you always long for, my dearest?
rub away your tears, if you would
look above, my dear!
look how the ceilings crumbled,
forging a path upon the starry skies
under the sea of stars shall we waltz with grace
one step forward, two steps back
a tango everyone desires
now then, don your brightest smiles!
as we are the prima donna of this palace
knightly boots replacing glass slippers
briars and thorns, prettier than roses
mere infatuations and lust desist,
only loyalty alone shall exist
hush now, dear
do not loathe me amidst parada
cease your sadness at once
bury your soul deep within one’s eyes
never let those speckles of aurora
be tarnished by the mere sight of carcass
for I have bestowed you the honor
of taking my hand for this dance
moving in front ochos,
I whisper to you eternal happiness
a promise that’ll never go unkept
holier than the eternal slumber
oh, if only the crowd would cheer!
rather than rotting beneath our feet
but fret not, my dear
as we have a long night ahead of us!
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when jane's powers return in season four (and because they were regained by her confronting and accepting her past, rather than being retraumatised with it!) they're stronger than they ever were. when she starts getting a handle back on them, she very quickly comes to realise not only have they affected her, but her mother, too. one of the biggest losses that came about with her losing them was the fact that she could no longer visit terry in the void; while there was no real communication there, it did allow jane to sit with her, and gain a little more connection than she could in the real world. when she first visits the void after their return, it takes her three hours to find terry, something that is both unexpected and incredibly worrying. but when she does, it's something of a miracle. jane's increased strength and control over the void actually wakes terry up from her catatonic state, but only in the void. there's no way to help her mother physically, but she does do so (unbeknownst to her) mentally. terry is reborn in jane's newfound control over the vale of shadows; she becomes the woman she once was, and while her body remains frozen in a "good dream", her mind connected to jane's own allows her some freedom. jane is able to speak to her mother in the void, is able to be held by her, and while it's still unfair and jane cannot stay in there forever, it's something. this only lasts for about eight months, as each visit slowly begins deteriorating terry's physical and mental state, and jane's health begins declining after spending hours upon hours in the void each and every day.
when jane finds out these visits are actually killing her mother on the outside, she deems to stop, but terry expresses the importance of them being able to speak, that she'd prefer to die on the outside, if it meant she could have just a few months with her daughter like this. terry and jane's connection was always so strong, which ultimately led to terry "waking up" in the void, but even jane's newfound strength cannot save her from the harsh realities. each visit nearing the end of those eight months, terry fades more and more, becomes weaker in the void, and her real body eventually gives up. jane's in the void when her mother eventually passes on, and physically feels their connection weaken, like some part of her suddenly becomes lost in the shadows, a part she'll never find again. jane falls into a depressive state for weeks after her mother's death, given she's technically lost her a second time, but soon comes to realise she was lucky to have even shared those eight months together. it was better than nothing at all. there is a proper burial and funeral, (and when jane dies, she's buried next to her mother) which allows jane some sense of closure. she never fully recovers from losing terry, nor from the fact that she never had a proper relationship with her, but she does eventually find some peace with it all.
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Mediterranean writers were keen to emphasise that the Celts practiced human sacrifice, something Romans found particularly abhorrent, and suggested that Celtic priests consulted human entrails for messages from the gods. Were it not for the archaeological evidence recovered from the bogs of northwestern Europe, we could explain all this as negative propaganda, examples of the Romans demonising their enemy. However, a variety of prehistoric bodies that have been dredged from the wetlands of Ireland, Denmark and southern Scandinavia have shown that human sacrifice was indeed carried out at times; the broad similarity of injuries recorded suggest that these executions were all part of the same ritual practice.
Comparison of these so-called ‘bog bodies’ has indicated a form of execution which is sometimes referred to as the threefold death. A good example from Britain is that of a young man found preserved in Lindow Moss in Cheshire. Here, the individual had, at some point in the first century AD, been struck violently across the head, before being strangled with a tightly wound cord and having his throat cut. Finally, his lifeless body was deposited face down in the bog.
— The Celts: Who Were They, Where Did They Live, & What Happened After The Romans Left Britain?
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yeah ok Guillermo can't kill humans (directly)
the simplest solution is to just - bring the fucking blood home you morons
take over all the hunting and dismembering and shit. make sure Guillermo can turn a blind eye to it. let him live in his delusional world where nothing he does has any consequences and he can just drink blood from a glass instead of a neck.
do your husbandly duties Nandor and bring home the bacon you lazy fuck
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