#only heartbreak and tragedy

[pendragonsclotpole]

Okay, I know people have played around with this idea but imagine if this scene was Arthur confessing that he knew Merlin had magic all along and never said? Originally, Arthur did it because of his slight fondness for the little shit that stood up to him and then to protect him from the threat of Uther, but then it all felt too late to just tell Merlin that he knew. Also, Merlin NEVER SAID ANYTHING EITHER. Even after years of service, even after all they’ve been through, BUT LIKE NEITHER HAD ARTHUR, so they both suck and make each other suffer for nothing but a misguided lack of trust and now it comes out when Arthur is dying and nothing can change this.

Imagine the inherent tragedy of getting the reveal and having it mean nothing, and change nothing. Arthur has that wound, and no amount of magic can get him to Avalon but now Merlin knows he could have done something sooner to change this fate, but fuck it, if he had known that Arthur knew, then he’d have told Arthur straight up why they had to split up. So fuck Arthur Pendragon for hurting him like this and fuck fate for all of it. Merlin still waits thousands of years to get closure from the one man he also owes some closure to, and Arthur dies knowing he could have also changed his own fate. I just would like to give the clotpole some more braincells, because the evidence was right there, in front of him, and imagine if they’d made it known at any point? But no, and all that’s left is this tragedy and mutual disappointment.

#merlin #merthur #season 5 #diamond of the day #arthur pendragon #king arthur #arthur knew about merlin’s magic #merlin’s magic revealed #but it changes nothing #everything remains the same #no canon divergence #no alternate universe #only heartbreak and tragedy

[sexy-sapphic-sorcerer]

thinking about "it's unreasonable to assume that a character knows what genre they're in" and how in series 1-3, Merlin (and the audience) thinks that he's in a fantasy adventure comedy. no one realises that he's in a tragedy until it's too late.

#I do stand by what I said literally a few minutes ago about how calling merlin a tragedy is giving the writers too much credit #but I think you could twist it and say that the writers also think merlin is a comedy and don't realise that it's a tragedy until series 4 #which makes it worse. because so many things that happen in the first half of the show are absolutely tragic but are played as comedy #the end of 'the sins of the father' where uther says that merlin is “a trusted ally in the fight against magic” THATS FUCKING DEVASTATING #but it's played as funny #and it's only when you reframe the genre that you realise how truly heartbreaking it all is #bbc merlin #merlin #merlin meta

[prolibytherium]

Beautiful friendship

#iasip #dennis reynolds #mac mcdonald #This is actually recreating a dream I had a couple weeks ago. Hopefully it functions on its own merits? I genuinely can't tell at this poin #The dream involved something of this general description happening in an episode #The episode itself did not appear in the dream but I was looking at LENGTHY tumblr posts about the heartbreaking tragedy of the Bong Scene #Like HUGE analysis posts on the Bong Scene (being called 'Bonggate') and the 'lawnmower motifs' (I don't know) #And dream me was like 'OK whatever can we please talk about how they referenced that 'Ariel Needs Legs' comic?' #(the 'Ohhh I can't not fuck him' bit was apparently in the episode) Like I was REALLY upset no one was talking about it #This was only half of the dream before it shifted focus to me crawling through drainage tunnels in search of a pot dealer #'Bonggate' came up again later but it stopped being a tv show fandom thing and had shifted into being about #a major political scandal involving the Bush family apparently? Which resulted in the federal recriminalization of weed? anyway #sketches

[wonder-worker]

I've been thinking about the tragedy of Elizabeth Woodville living to see the death of her family name.

I don't mean her family with her husband, which lived on through her daughter and grandson. I mean her own.

Her sisters died, one by one, many of them after 1485. When Elizabeth died, only Katherine was left, and she would die before the turn of the century as well.

All her brothers died, too. Lewis died in childhood. John was executed. Anthony was murdered. Lionel died suddenly in the peak of Richard's reign, unable to see his niece become queen. Edward perished at war. Richard died in grieving peace. For all the violence and judgement the family endured, it was "an accident of biology" that ended their line: none of the brothers left heirs, and the Woodville name was extinguished. We know the family was aware of this. We know they mourned it, too:

“Buy a bell to be a tenor at Grafton to the bells now there, for a remembrance of the last of my blood.”

Elizabeth lived through the deposition and death of her young sons, and lived to see the end of her own family name. It must have been such a haunting loss, on both sides.

#(the quote is by Richard Woodville in his deathbed will; he was the last of the Woodville brothers to die) #elizabeth woodville #woodvilles #my post #to be clear I am not arguing that the death of an English gentry family name is some kind of giant tragedy (it absolutely the fuck is not) #I'm trying to put it into perspective with regards to what Elizabeth may have felt because we know her family DID feel this way #writing this kinda reminded me of how I am just not fond at all about the way Elizabeth's experiences in 1483-85 are written about #and the way lots so many of the unprecedentedly horrifying aspects are overlooked or treated so casually: #the seizure and murder of two MINOR sons and the illegal execution of another; #her sheer vulnerability in every way compared to all her queenly predecessors; how she was harassed by 'dire threats' for months; #how she had 5 very young daughters with her to look after at the time (Bridget and Katherine were literally 3 and 4 years old); #how unprecedented Richard's treatment of her was: EW was the first queen of england to be officially declared an adulteress; #and the first and ONLY queen to be officially accused of witchcraft #(Joan of Navarre was accused of her treason; she was never explicitly accused of witchcraft on an official level like EW was) #the first crowned queen of england to have her marriage annulled; and the first queen to have her children officially bastardized #what former queens endured through rumors* were turned into horrifying realities for her. #(I'm not trying to downplay the nightmare of that but this was fundamentally on a different level altogether) #nor did Elizabeth get a trial or appeal to the church. like I cannot emphasize this enough: this was not normal for queens #and not normal for depositions. ultimately what Richard did *was* unprecedented #and of course let's not forget that Elizabeth had literally just been unexpectedly widowed like 20 days before everything happened #I really don't feel like any of this is emphasized as much as it should be? #apart from the horrifying death of her sons - but most modern books never call it murder they just write that they 'disappeared' #and emphasize that ACTUALLY we don't know what happened to them (this includes Arlene Okerlund) #rather than allowing her to have that grief (at the very least) #more time is spent dealing with accusations that she was a heartless bitch or inconsistent intriguer for making a deal with Richard instead #it also feels like a waste because there's a lot that can be analyzed about queenship and R3's usurpation if this is ever explored properly #anyway - it's kinda sad that even after Henry won and her daughter became queen EW didn't really get a break #her family kept dying one by one and the Woodville name was extinguished. and she lived to see it #it's kinda heartbreaking - it was such a dramatic rise and such a slow haunting fall #makes for a great story tho

[theriverdraws]

I know some of you might have other favorite characters in UT/DR, and that's completely fair, I myself didn't have a favorite for a long time since I loved them all.

..But can we all agree that Asriel/Flowey is the best character Toby has ever written until now?

Just everything about his tragic story and development, how in genocide we can see explained how he changed so much from a sweet little boy who just wanted to save everyone and who loved his family, to a sadistic, apathetic, and manipulative flower.

That, and the hints that Flowey is still Asriel no matter how hard he tries to deny it. He's done so many awful things, and has gone through so much and in the end he's just a scared, panicked, sad child who doesn't want to be alone.

I couldn't explain it too well I think, there are just so many things to love about him.

It's all just so, so good.

#obviously this is only to ut!Asriel #im sure dr!Asriel is gonna be great but he is gonna be a lot different without all this trauma the ut counterpart has smsjsk #another character who I would say can compete to the title of best written character by Toby would be sans or spamton #but sans has some bits a bit vague due to gaster and certain implications that he's actually from the dr universe and all that stuff so #and spamton just made me feel so many things with the short time he has #i was horrified but I also felt so sad and when he just broke I was in shock #but again I just think Asriel/Flowey is better #maybe becauss he has a lot more different aspects to him by almost being two different charscters in one and all that stuff #also the dreemurr tragedy is simply the most heartbreaking thing and definitely one of the best tragedies in video games #i will not change my mind #but tbh every character Toby has made has so many aspects to them I simply love it so so much #even in characters I dont like I can appreciate the writing! #cof cof King cof cof #Asriel #asriel dreemurr #ut asriel #undertale #deltarune #flowey #flowey the flower #ut flowey #toby fox #OH YEAH ALSO KRIS #Definitely a contender for future best character if we're all correct about them #but its too early to judge #they got big chances though

[stardustedknuckles]

It would just be so easy for Steel to start behaving overtly controlling and War-minded at literally any point (seeking control and owning up to what that means) and at that point it would become easy to dislike her and her sway over Suvi but that's not the POINT, she is GENUINELY wise and so, so brilliant and she loves Suvi so truly and she is infuriatingly level headed and sincere in her efforts to help and so very kind, and I love her character more than I can adequately put into words and the inevitable clash of ideals, the rift that will and must develop, is going to destroy me. Because I genuinely don't know if Steel could choose Suvi over the empire and in fact I think it's pretty clear that she wouldn't, but that does not diminish the love she has for Suvi and the two things being true simultaneously have me biting the air. Steel is a goddamn masterclass in examining characters who act from fundamentally kind intent within a twisted framework of lifelong indoctrination and beliefs that have taught her a distorted view of what that should look like. Bringing the empire's light to the world is the ultimate kindness to her, and she wants nothing more than to be a key part of the mechanism by which that will happen. Because it will happen. And we're not told this, we're shown a brilliant and devoted mother figure who will stop at nothing to make a better world in the image of the empire her life belongs to.

Every single time something goes wrong with Ame and/or Eursulon (and even Suvi) I brace for the kind of overbearing "us VS them" mentality that never comes. She genuinely wants collaboration and answers so she can help. she very much means well, as do they all. It compels the absolute hell out of me.

#I want steel to come with Suvi on this eventual journey #But she has been installed as the very right arm of the establishment #And though she more than most wizards would hear out the turmoil the empire's existence is causing others #There is no future where its dissolution is something she agrees to #If not dissolution is the empire itself the removal of its place of authority #She means so well to be balanced and fair but she will be blind to the inherent threat and imbalance going on here #And it's very likely nothing will move her #So basically I'm setting myself up for abject heartbreak but I love her so much #wbn spoilers #Wbn #suvirin kedberiket #The wizard steel #Steel wbn #I'm learning I might be a tragedy enjoyed #I never thought that was possible bc I found tragedies depressing for no reason #But what I'm starting to see is that the efforts are what make the tragedy hit the way it does #It only matters because everyone cared so much #Everyone was doing their best #It was inevitable it could have been avoided at so many points but everyone cared too much #Ugh god okay sleep time

[the-crow-binary]

We have two series about freaking PACMAN and they're both 40+ episodes. And you're telling me CASTLEVANIA didnt have enough plot to make less than 40 episodes ?? CASTLEVANIA ????

You're really trying to tell me that someone had the inspiration to create a whole ass cartoon about pacman with only "yellow circle flees from and eats ghosts" as a premise, but "an ancestral clan trapped in a cycle of violence, trauma and grief must defeat the Dark Lord Dracula, the most powerful being to have ever existed, every 100 years. They cant escape their fate, for they are the only men capable of killing him, due to their superhuman abilities and their main weapon, the Vampire Killer, wich both have been passed down for generations since Leon Belmont, the Dark Lord's old friend, who sworn for his clan to hunt him for eternity." Is "NOT ENOUGH PLOT" ???

AND THIS IS JUST A SHORT, GLOBAL SUMMARY. THERE'S SO MUCH MORE TO CASTLEVANIA CHARACTERS AND GAMES.

Y'all need to stop insulting the original media to defend your stuff (wich wouldnt exist without said media). Dare I say, if you need to bring the games down to lift the serie up, then there's a problem with your serie. And you also need to stop giving stupid excuses to incompetent writers.

Castlevania has a heart, it was possible to make a serie out of it without butchering it.

#listen. y'all like and defend netflixvania all you want. idc you do you #but stop denying the facts just to justify your opinion. #the ONE thing that makes the heart of the serie is 'belmont defeat dracula' AND THEY DIDNT EVEN DO THAT #i am sorry. but father/son tragedy is NOTHING compared to #'WHOLE LINEAGE DOOMED TO KILL THEIR FOUNDER'S OLD FRIEND FOR CENTURIES' TRAGEDY #'WHOLE CLAN UNABLE TO ESCAPE FIGHTING FOR ETERNITY AND LOSING LOVED ONES' TRAGEDY #'CLAN FORCED TO FIGHT FOR THE FATE OF THE WORLD BUT THEY'RE JUST HUMANS AND ITS HARD' TRAGEDY #anyway i love Castlevania <3 #castlevania #netflixvania #netflix castlevania #also it could have been just as tragic and heartbreaking if Al had let Trevor kill his dad #all this talk about Leon coming to wallachia to hunt Dracula. only to end up with Trevor NOT finishing his ancestor's job. #smh #oh yeah also #pacman #pacman serie #pacman cartoon

[timegears-moved]

tbh i gotta take back what i said before. totk hasn't really done anything to make me care about this version of zel*nk

#bwark #don't get me wrong it's still a fine ship but i think this is just a case of me preferring their friendship #and also it's more of a criticism of this incarnation of link than a criticism of the game itself #he's just too. static. i don't like that he shows more emotion at cooking than at the actual tragedy of the plot #and i know that it's stated that he has anxiety from the pressure of the calamity but like i said he's still capable of showing emotion #but like at the wrong times. it's cute that he's happy about food but where's the shock that he was asleep for 100 years and everyone he #once loved is dead and he doesn't even have memories of them before seeking them out #or that his best friend had to suffer a millenia as a dragon for the sake of everyone #compare this to like. idk tp link's horror when ganondorf holds up midna's fused shadow and crushes it with his hand #and his relief at the end that not only is she back to her true form but is still the same mischevious midna he's known the whole game #or sksw link's pure anger at ghirahim for kidnapping zelda near the end #or ww link's visible guilt and heartbreak at having to leave his grandma behind and alone to go and save his sister #not trying to be mean because i still like him. he is still link after all. but idk he just falls a bit short for me #like his promise to mipha's father comes across as very shallow when he kept a blank face at her in both the memory and her spirit scene #the only character that benefits from him being flat is revali and that's because it fuels revali's dislike of him because of a #misunderstanding and lack of communication #totk spoilers #<- in the tags at least

[scalproie]

I hope John being titled "The Undefeated" is gonna be revealed to be dramatically ironic. I hope he's doomed in every way. I hope he's already been defeated since either making that apparent deal with kayne, or since reuniting with the king in yellow, or even since the very beginning when he got stuck in that book, and he is either in denial about it, trying to beat fate, or trying his best to salvage what he can and hope to get the best possible outcome, like for exemple to save Arthur and/or himself from whatever's waiting at the end, whatever that is

#why? because I love tragedies sooo much✌️ #ALSO if it IS setting up for a ''John betrayal'' aka despite it all in the end John is still only looking for himself I wouldnt even be mad #because 1) it wouldnt be a fully heartbreaking betrayal: John CARES for Arthur and theres no denying that #so itd be sad but the hurt would be soothed because there was love there yknow? #or 2) if he WAS and IS playing him all this time then BRAVO because WOW the absolute long play manipulation. worthy of a god. 👌👌👌 #ANYWAY AMAZING FINALE. GNGNNHNGNGNGNGNHGNGHH #AS USUAL THIS MADE ME INSANE #tagging later #malevolent #malevolent spoilers

[phantom-curve]

queen charlotte is actually one of the saddest shows I’ve ever watched holy shit

#literally sobbed over every episode #when her kids called her out on being a bad mom I felt that in my soul #finished it last week and I am STILL thinking about how heartbreaking the whole thing was #you think it’s a love story only to realize too late it is actually a tragedy #talk about being haunted by a narrative #(except I’m the one being haunted) #honestly wish bridgerton was more that flavor I would take this mini series over the main one every time #mads speaks #queen charlotte

[megah3rz]

while i find it very doubtful that gen would've taken 7 years to revive senku and it continues to irk me a bit with every post, i am very much enjoying this influx of long haired gen art. i love u all for that

#asagiri gen #gen asagiri #tbh i do agree that this plot point worked better with suika. atleast it's so much more heartbreaking #bc i cant really imagine gen taking more than like a. month at most #bc he didn't have to basically teach himself how to read and i think it's fair to assume #that he would've used the platinum. #and like. where's the drama and tragedy in that? #also. my memories a bit hazy on this part. but didn't suika take a while to revive too...? atleast i remember it being discussed that she #mightve only taken like 4 years? dont quote me on that though

[a-luran]

I have been keeping this in my head for a century and a half but: cardverse AU where Alfred is new to the monarchy of spades, lightly infatuated with his Queen, and older and harsher Arthur who only softens in the presence of their Master of War, Alasdair. Arthur himself as Queen serves as head of the scholars and the navy of their kingdom. A quick and brutal war breaks out which costs Alasdair his life and Arthur his heart.

#scoteng #cardverse #i am a fan of unrequited love and tragedy as always #alfred continues to be infatuated and heartfelt even as the king of diamonds comes into the picture #Arthur's oldest friend and perhaps the only person who understands loss the way arthur does #fruk endgame #also lessons in kingship my beloved the reason why i'd want it to be from alfred's pov is because i want to follow his heartbreak first for #himself then another and the final lesson: better to have loved and lost #better to lay down your weapons and hope and accept love as it is #with purpose but no expectation of reciprocation

[wishmemel]

chan hating himself is my roman empire

#how can someone so strong and capable and talented and gorgeous hate himself so much #like my god he’s so devastating #everything about him is laced with tragedy #the whole idea of loving him from afar (or any idol at all) and watching them say things like that about themself #and just not being able to. do. anything? #it’s so frustrating that the only way this works is that he has to put in the effort and realize his own worth but we don’t know if he does #or even will #because you can’t force someone to love them self or fix themself right #you can only love them through it and hope it’s enough #but it’s just sooo frustrating i’m #head in my hands he’s so devastating #i wish he was different #:(( #he’s so beautiful and so precious i’m so ill #i wanna give him the world #and the way he always stands in the back and observes the group as if he’s detached from this whole reality #as if he’s somewhere else completely #the way he once said that if it weren’t for the members and skz he wouldn’t even be alive #like he got a second chance at life #like he was saved all because of them #the heartbreaking way he said ‘you don’t care about me’ to minho like he really believed that #oh i wish someone would just grab his face and drill it into his head that he’s loved and he’s important and he matters !!! #he’s so me i’m so him #maybe that’s why i find him so tragic #it’s a loop #waiting to find the thing that saves me #or maybe it’s just the small things around me that i’ve been taking for granted #꒰ soon you'll get better. ꒱

[tojiswhore-nanamisslut]

One of the things I really love about jujutsu kaisen is how raw it is. Like there's 0 sugar coating. The characters are flawed and sometimes make the wrong choices, with dire consequences. It's repeated two different times that they're sorcerers, not heroes. They aren't going to save everyone, and that's not the goal. Instead, we've seen choosing who to save, even if it's dangerous, as a recurring theme.

First with Gojo and Geto in their high school days when they decide to save Riko, despite knowing that it could have significant repercussions:

And then again when Gojo chooses to spare Geto after he defects, once again with dangerous consequences:

Megumi makes his revelation after meeting Yuuji and it's the first time we see him explain that sorcerers aren't heroes. By saving Yuuji, he acknowledges that he's putting a lot of other people at risk, but he's choosing to save him:

Yuuji begins with the idea that he wants to give people a proper/natural death, but then questions his ideals after failing to save Junpei:

He faces a harsh reality when he fails to save a single person in Shibuya. This is where we see a shift in his motivation. He's not trying to be a hero anymore. He's trying to kill curses:

In the aftermath, Megumi once again repeats that they're not heroes, they're sorcerers i.e. they can't save everyone. But he tries to encourage Yuuji by reminding him of his original ideals, and telling Yuuji to start by saving him:

But, Yuuji once again fails despite everything. Despite his conviction to end his own life in exchange for everyone else:

And in a way I think that's kind of a central theme within the story: it's not about succeeding in saving people, it's about trying and failing. It's about accepting that you can't and very much won't save everyone, and finding the courage to keep going because you're not a hero, you're a jujutsu sorcerer.

#posts #jjk #jujusu kaisen #jjk meta #jjk analysis #this took a long time to write because there's honestly so much else i could talk about #and these also aren't the only instances of this theme there's gojo saving yuuta and yuuta saving yuuji #but yuuji's character development has just been so fascinating and heartbreaking to watch #and honestly jjk is a tragedy at its core i think #actions have consequences no matter your intentions or who you are #these are literal teenagers risking their lives and the jujutsu world is cruel and unyielding #you will not be spared just because it would be the right thing to happen #but i think it really sets the tone for the jujutsu world and jjk as a story #this is not a fairytale #there are no heroes #there's just jujutsu sorcerers. humans. doing their best despite being flawed and sometimes making the wrong choices #and then having to live with those consequences #mine

[1-800-internal-damnation]

The funny thing about jason is that his logic is often extremely cop-like but he thinks he's exempt from thinking critically about his decisionmaking just because his identity is so far from a police officer. He's the fucking definition of "I could do it better" and all his good intentions rot immediately after he takes action. And I'm sure if you told him this he'd blow your brains out immediately.

#a tragedy of a character #how much reprehensible action can you take before you lose yourself #I think he dabbles in acknowledging how fucked up he is as a way to neutralize his intentions #but not enough that's for sure #what's so heartbreaking about jason is that he could probably be a pretty functional socio/psychopath (don't come for #me for using those words using the disorder abbreviations is probably worse here) #but he refuses to accept how broken of a person he is #the road from ''everything's fucked anyways idc'' to ''it really isn't doing me any favors to act on these urges even if #the feelings are valid'' #is long and hard #but there is no road in the other direction #self justification only turns you into even more of a dangerous person #feeling no remorse for murder is still about 3 steps better than thinking murder is only good when you do it #I like to explore the range of this obv and he's much more relatable with just plain antisocial traits #but he is very much an implosion of a person and I wouldn't hesitate to call him genuinely psychotic in many instances #loooong tags again my b #jason todd #dc comics #meta #??? #idk how to file this

[jeweled-blue-eyes]

I really really need an athykiel becomes claudiana 2.0 AU

#one that only ends in tragedy and heartbreak #with Athy as Claude and Ijekiel as Diana #would that make Jennette Anastacius? #wmmap #who made me a princess #sbapod #suddenly became a princess one day #athykiel #claudiana #parallels