#and I guess I never will

[wingletblackbird]

You know, in To Kill a King, the question Merlin asks of Gwen is really lacking in context. It’s understandable, as Merlin can’t exactly tell her everything, but it also means that Merlin is, (once again), acting on poor information. Whether or not his decision is right or wrong can be debated. It’s a tough choice. However, I think the show waters down the murkiness of it all, and presents Merlin’s choice as morally superior without even giving us a truly good reason for this.

The crux of the argument comes down to Gwen’s answer when she is basically being asked by Merlin: Would you take revenge and kill Uther if you could? She is horrified at the idea of killing someone, anyone, for such a purpose. She thinks it’s wrong. It’s the classic “it makes us no better” and fair enough. Unfortunately, vengeance is barely what this is about so the answer is somewhat lacking for this scenario.

There is another angle at play here: Uther is a threat to a great many more innocents. His laws guarantee the death of innocents. There is no way to prevent all of these deaths. Granted, killing Uther will not change these laws. However, Arthur is at least more lenient and reasonable than his father. There will be fewer unjust deaths under his rule. At the bare minimum, children, like Mordred, aren’t likely to be killed under his rule.

So, Gwen, is it okay to kill the man who killed your father to stop him from killing more children? More innocents in general (like your father)? Especially when said man is above the law and cannot reasonably, (short of a coup), be stopped in any other way? Will you kill a child-murderer, who gets off Scot-free otherwise, to prevent him ordering the murder of more children?

And this is a significant part of where Morgana is coming from. She’s fought with Uther tooth and nail over his cruelty and injustice. Morgana, at this point, knows Arthur is a better man than his father. She’s outright said so. It’s a part of her decision-making process even! Arthur has spoken out against punishments that don’t fit the crime, like when Gwen was falsely accused. He helped with Mordred. He let Morgana out of the dungeons. He risked his life for Merlin, (and proved willing to accept Morgana’s influence in doing so). Morgana can see that things will be better under his reign, so killing Uther can be justified.

Plus, there is also the element of self-preservation. Why does Morgana change her mind in the end? In her own words: “I thought he cared for me.” Morgana, at this point, suspects she has magic. She is scared of Uther knowing this. Choking her and being sent to the dungeons confirmed that he would not spare her. If he can kill even his almost daughter over a disagreement, he really knows no limit. Now it is her life on the line too. She’s not safe. Is it not just to kill in self-defence?

So Morgana’s logic is not just revenge. She is choosing to kill Uther because she knows it will protect children like Mordred, avenges Gwen’s father, Morgana’s father, and countless others. And it ultimately keeps her safe. Arthur, after all, won’t likely execute her like Uther will. Innocents will be safer under his rule. Knowing Morgana is not even safe, cannot even influence Uther anymore, is the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

Morgana changes her mind when she is given reason to. She understandably wrestles with the decision to kill, (let alone someone who helped raise her), and Uther at the gravesite gives her the indication that she is a) safe from him, and b) able to influence him, given his apparent regret of Tom’s death; (hence possibly allowing her to also protect people without killing him. In the Middle Ages, it was even the woman’s expected role to counsel the king to mercy.) Morgana is rather let down by these hopes in the end, and by S2 regrets her hesitation in killing Uther.

But, yeah, sure, we’ll boil all that complexity down to “killing him makes me as bad as the evil people.” 🤦‍♀️

#winglet rambles on about #bbc Merlin #because all of this has surely been said before #I have never joined a fandom early #and I guess I never will #lol #Morgana

[koddlet]

personal rules for winter ❄

#this was fun bc i didn't intend for it to be kind of cryptic #i just wanted to make some reminders for myself about winter cuz i never learn #especially the back cover which i guess isn't really a rule but still stands. i'm in a rural place so when it gets dark it's Dark #and its hard to want to do anything #zine #mini zine #illustration #nonfandom #analogue art

[lizardsfromspace]

Love the random censorship in Victorian novels. Mr. ------- came down from -----shire in the summer of 18--. Who? Where? When? Wouldn't you like to know, book boy

#books #i've never found a good explanation for why this was a thing but if anyone knows share it i guess

[shrimplovercat]

i think the worst part abt being a furry and therefore being surrounded by furries is the lack of knowledge of animal welfare that the majority of the fandom has. nooo raccoon sona friend dont share that video of a raccoon being fed chips by a human person 😭😭😭

#the big cat petting videos as well #or the obese pet opossums #its not great out here!!! #i guess one pro to having a sona that is based off of an extinct animal is i literally will never see my sona animal being abused LOL

[cvsette]

Clicked on an article from the anthropology subreddit about loneliness and was immediately blasted into oblivion by this opening paragraph

#NARUTO IS NEVER BROUGHT UP AGAIN #IN THE ENTIRE ARTICLE #LIKE??? #GET HIS ASS I GUESS #Naruto #wish that subreddit was more active I love reading about archaeological discoveries and anthropology

[atinymexicanbird]

in which shadow cared !! (again)

#i wanted to color this at first but if i did that i would have never posted this stupid comic so it is what it is #srry if thr art is inconsistent jsajsj #hot topic wannabe and blue gumball son of a bitch #my art #sth #sonic the hedgehog #shadow the hedgehog #sonic fanart #sonadow #if you squint your eyes i guess #who r we kidding this is them flirting #sonic

[newttxt]

crisis of disbelief

#one piece #trafalgar law #zoro #luffy #‘what ship is this’ sure #lulaw? luzo? law…zo? or is it zolaw. none of these sound like words anymore #well i guess bc they aren’t. they aren’t real words #‘law and zoro never really saw gear 5’ yeah. law saw his giant head in the roof and zoro was basically dead #they felt That tho #and finally #‘i thought you were taking a much needed rest break after weekly comics’ #yeah well. i need a new brush bc my old one kills my wrist and there is a STEEP learning curve for me :// #it’ll get easier right. it’ll look better right. RIGHT?!

[weaselmcdiesel]

Do You Love The Color Of The 413?

#HOMESTUCK #413 #HOMESTUCK 413 #john egbert #dave strider #rose lalonde #jade harley #vriska #kanaya #terezi #karkat #HAPPY 413 YAYYYYYY!!!!!!!! #THIS TOOK ME 4 DAYS PLEASE LOVE IT #AHHHHHHH IVE NEVER MADE ANYTHING THIS BIG BEFORE #IT'S NOT AS FINISHED AS ID LIKE- LIKE I USED A LOT OF JUST MULTIPLICITY LAYERS FOR SHADING BUT #I DONT HAVE MUCH TIME LMAO #ALSO IM PRETTY SURE TUMBLR WILL EAT THE QUALITY SO PLEASE CLICK TO ZOOM LOL #ART #MY ART #heavens. i dont know if i should tag all the characters? #ill only tag the bigger characters i guess #since so many are in there #it's supposed to be transparent and not black #but apparently tumblr will turn transparency white if the photo is too large #fucking great

[time-woods]

do you think theyll ever be able to escape that cycle of sadness ? or will they be forever stuck in the madness, together ?

they really are bound to that sadness madness

#simon petrikov #betty grof #fionna and cake #adventure time #adventure time spoilers #im so excited for the new episode today #guess whos staying up just to watch it #this deranged fellow #also realized ive never drawn betty before so i had to change that

[chloesimaginationthings]

FNAF Mikes and Vanessas talk about money struggles,,

#myart #chloesimagination #comic #michael afton #fnaf vanessa #vanessa afton #vanessa shelly #fnaf vanny #mike schmidt #fnaf #fnaf movie #security breach #sister location #fnaf fanart #five nights at freddy's #let’s be honset none of these guys are in good financial situations #but Mike literally never got paid so far at his fnaf job so he has it worst #I made this whole comic for mikes punchline BAHA #These are just my guesses on how everyone is doing #fnaf is not a profitable universe to live in #unless you are the fazbear company itself pff #they struggle together 🙏🏾

[grovylelover]

people who know

#im never escaping from episode 65 binary #very funny little joke you made there #really funny bit. silly little gag. #im aware this means absolutely nothing in the story as is #however #sergey ushanka enjoyers who up #tmagp #tmagp spoilers #not OF anything but. just in case i guess #magpod #the magnus protocol #mine

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

going through my old journals as part of therapy homework and i'm reading a section written in the emotional wreckage of a full-on breakdown when i get hit with this line:

There is never a satisfying answer to ‘Why didn’t they love me?’

like wow babe. good fucking point

#like you were on the ground biting the carpet and dry sobbing while you wrote that and still. good fucking point #not a shitpost #cptsd #and it's true. there's never a satisfying answer #the truth is i know why i wasn't loved #i analyzed my parent's traumas and abuse to death. i understand why i alienated and was alienated from my siblings #i know why my mom was too overwhelmed to be capable of nurturing #i know why my dad vanished into addiction and avoidance #the details of our cycles of trauma and cptsd and family history i have a phd in all of it #i understood perfectly. i spent years studying and now i knew the answer #and guess what? IT WAS NOT SATISFYING!!! #because they still didn't love me! and i still couldn't change that! #it was still a completely unsatisfying state of affairs! #so like. when the people who are supposed to love you...don't. #when the people who are supposed to take care of you...fail to #you can look for answers and reasons and explanations #but that's not actually going to FIX your situation. #and it's probably not within your ability TO fix the situation. (and definitely not your job) #because you don't need answers--you need a new situation #*inserts Just Walk Out. You Can Leave!!! (Running Skeleton) Meme* #and yes. walking out isn't always possible. #but for you i hope it will be one day soon. and i hope you build the courage to take that leap. #stepping away from the people who failed to love you...it feels like being untethered but also like being lighter than air #new and scary. immensely relieving. the future opens up. empty but empty like a canvas. blindingly bright until your eyes adjust #like climbing out of a pit you called home and for the first time realizing how bright the light of day can truly be #when you aren't just getting glimpses from the bottom of a hole

[fossilized-forest-friend]

this was funnier in my head

#the cure #cats #the lovecats #voices from the woods #edit: wow you guys really liked this one! i’m glad i thought like 8 people would see it much less interact lmao #i might post other funny things later so keep your eyes peeled for that i suppose #greatest hits #i guess? i’ve never been this rich before #flashing lights

[habken]

how can I be the greatest hero without you ?

fly high king 🙏😔

#bnha #mha #mha spoilers #bnha spoilers #my hero academia #midoriya izuku #bakugou katsuki #deku #bkdk #dkbk #bakudeku #dekubaku #habs art #I never posted this here :00 ! I made it last year for… you know #happy anniversary i guess lol #mha 362

[queerdraws]

Fanart for a snippet of my most favorite heartbreaking moment from swordsmans's fic bone-breaker ospreys mate for life (rated E)

#zolu #luzo #one piece #comic #i love this fic i love this fic AAUUGHH!!!! #this scene exploded my heart #okay so artist note luffy only has forehead bandages in SOME panels in his post-raid outfit #he doesn't at the post-raid party itself but he does on the hillside spectating the momo / marine guy fight #so i guess he just got a knock on the head at the party or something?? #his cheek bandage also switches sides between when he's recovering post-raid and the party #u never realize how impressionistic oda is w detail stuff until u gotta place patterns on clothing n bandages on boys #anyways very happy w how page 4 turned out #luffys autism stare n big big smile

[cemeterything]

the whole "angels in the bible don't look like that, they actually look like this" thing is beyond exhausted at this point, but i do think it's interesting to consider it from the perspective of an actual angel. imagine being told that this thing which makes your halo crackle and wings bristle from how wrong it is, is you. this twisted mockery, with its wings that don't sit quite right and move in such unnatural ways, and its halo which looks so dull and lifeless and hollow, its flat empty eyes with nothing behind them. the humans have a word for this feeling, "uncanny valley" - that which resembles what you know but which your senses just can't accept as anything but a false mimic, an intruder infiltrating your ranks, threatening to replace you without anyone even noticing your absence - but you have no such concept, only a nameless fear and inexplicable sense of dread.

#🐉 #i guess this is sort of what the mandela catalogue is about but we never actually get another angels perspective on fake gabriel #angels