#(I actually would've posted everything already but for some reason I keep holding my stuff hostage instead of sharing it 😓

[heloflor]

So, making that post about how I love the vibe of the Telltale characters making the main duo blend in rather than stand out and the fact that it’s a world with continuity made me think about how those games also have what I see as my favorite version of Sam and Max’s characters for a handful of reasons that I’m going to explain here.

Little disclaimer first : Note that I am in NO WAY trying to defend the bad and offensive parts of the Telltale games, neither in this post nor in my previous one. While this trilogy + Poker Night are my favorite entries of this franchise, it doesn’t change the fact that this trilogy has its issues and I can absolutely understand people disliking or even hating those games because of it.

Now, onto the things I like about this interpretation of the characters:

- First of all, out of all the versions of this duo, I really appreciate how morally gray this version is, and how they managed to balance “they’re sociopaths who only care about themselves and each other” with “they’re good people whose work is to help others”.

I mean, in the comics, the vr game and “Hit the Road”, Sam and Max are a lot more on the “trigger-happy” side, doing their jobs for the money and the free violence. In the cartoon, they’re much softer and have a more “mature” vibe to them, being more on the “do-gooder” side (while still retaining their love for violence obviously).

But in the Telltale games, it feels like they managed to mix a bit of both in their characters. Like you have Sam playing nice to pretty much everyone even if he doesn’t particularly like them (or being a troll with a smile with those he doesn’t like) or Max being able to form friendships (Sybil, Mama Bosco, Superball) despite how judgmental he can be. Sometimes, like in most of S2, they get involved in stuff because they’re curious about what’s happening regardless of what others want, and end up doing the right thing by the end.

Basically, Telltale Sam and Max are douchebags who do the right thing. They can be assholes towards some people while having friends, they sometimes save the world by accident or because they were fucking around in the right place at the right time. They’re good people, but they’re not great. And by the end of the day, they’ll always prioritize each other over everything else, with the best example being 305. Sam should be at his most selfless in order to save the city, and yet he’s at his most selfish because he cares more about Max than anything else.

- Still something regarding both (TRIGGER WARNING for mention of depression and suicidal thoughts) : while the execution in the games was meh at best and horrendous at worst, I really like the concepts of Sam dealing with body image issues and Max being hinted at having depression. In a way, I think it makes them feel more “flawed” and human by showing that, despite always smiling and acting like nothing matters/never taking anything seriously, they actually do suffer from personal struggles and are both insecure about some parts of themselves.

Tbh I find it a bit sad that no other iteration of those characters really showcases it (yes in the cartoon Sam is shown eating a lot and Max shuts down whenever he and Sam are apart, but in the cartoon Sam has no issues with his looks and Max’s situation isn’t really talked about. There’s also the vr game with one line about Sam being insecure, the “it’s either Sam or the afterlife and I’m good with either one !” line from Max, and Sam in the last fight telling Max to “go into your happy place”. And while that’s definitely a bit more by making them have those issues, it’s still glossed over quickly).

Though, again, the execution was very bad. Sam’s body issues are always played out as a joke with other people calling him fat and him getting offended, while Max’s depression is called laziness in 106 (even if they didn’t intend for it to be depression, the fact that they consider the vice acting like that to be laziness is fucked up) on top of it not being directly addressed in 305, nevermind the fact that Max is shown to be literally suicidal in 305 or at the very least hates himself and is self-destructive since the Superego is part of him !!!

The worst is that there was actual potential here ! Like, in 304, Sam is shown to be uncomfortable around the clones and there’s especially that one cutscene if you find one of the clones’ underwear. Meanwhile, Max spends the whole chapter showing interest in said clones, thus proving Sam that he’s getting worried over nothing. Heck, even Mama Bosco is into the clones ! And yet they never take that opportunity to delve into Sam’s insecurities !

Same for 305. There was a lot of potential to talk about Max’s issues instead of just saying he has them but never dwelling on them. For example, have Sam comment to the Superego on how he knew Max wasn’t alright but never realized it was so severe, or have a few sentences about it from Sam to the rest of the main cast, or even have Sam ask alternate!Max if he’s okay. Or maybe even simply have the episode be more focused on Max suffering. After all, when you think about it, 305 is all about trying to prevent Max from committing suicide, and yet it’s completely glossed over by making the Superego some kind of villain that needs to be stopped !

And yes, I know the franchise is a comedy, but S3 got into some dark stuff nonetheless !

So yeah, the execution in the trilogy was very bad. Still, I love the concept itself of Sam and Max dealing with such personal problems.

- Last thing regarding both before I get more specific : while it’s definitely helped by the 30+ hours length, the trilogy is the instance in which Sam is the most explicitly bi, especially regarding his attraction to men (one line with one of the zombies in 203, Peppers in 205, Flint Paper, that one “Max is looking pretty buff” line from 305, Max in general tbh, two-three lines towards Ash and Brock in Poker Night 2), while Max is the most explicitly gay (not only with the “doesn’t even like girls” joke but also due to his regular flirting with men).

Which leads to another thing : if I had to describe the evolution of Sam and Max’s relationship, I’d say that, basically, Sam and Max love each other in the comics, “Hit the Road” and the vr game, but they are in love with each other in the cartoon and the Telltale games. So that’s another bonus this version of the characters has in my shipper eyes (bonus that the cartoon has as well).

Overall, it’s just very sweet to see not only their usual shenanigans and complicity but also to have a few small moments like the “I love you”s, the way they would always prioritize each other in the face of danger, the little touches like Max jumping on Sam’s back, him fixing Sam’s tie in 204, or the way Sam smiles whenever Max is being a dork. It’s all very good and cute stuff (and the writers of the vr game are cowards for reverting their dynamic back to their “Hit the Road” selves. Heck, even in this game, there were some cute moments like Max’s excitement to go into the tunnel of love or Sam asking the 8-ball if he and Max will stay together forever !).

- Regarding Sam himself, first of all I absolutely adore the “uncool 40 years-old dad” energy he gives off at times ! Like him dancing in 203, the “boom ! More science !” line from 301 or even the “that’s how we do things downtown homie !” from Poker Night 2. This man is just so goddamn cringe while being the biggest dork and I adore every second of it !

Secondly, my favorite thing about Sam overall (aka in the whole franchise) is how overprotective he can get, the best examples being in the cartoon with him losing his shit everytime Max is in danger. But even in the Telltale trilogy, we get plenty of those instances.

What’s more, on top of his usual overprotective self, we also have moments where he just gets worried because of the situation, like in 301 and 304 where you can ask Max in a few rooms how he’s doing with his new powers (btw I love how Max is clearly a bit annoyed by Sam’s worries but at the same time seems to understand why he feels that way and doesn’t try to invalidate them). Idk I just really love this side of Sam and I’m glad we get plenty of this here.

Also, not really related to him being protective but I kinda love how much of a petty bitch Sam is towards Hugh Bliss just because he’s jealous of the way Max drools when around the guy. I mean, usually Sam smiles when interacting to people, including when he’s being an asshole to those he dislikes (with some exceptions like him going noir or being in a desperate situation or provocated etc). But with Hugh Bliss, Sam is uncharacteristically angry and provocative the whole way through, even way before knowing the guy’s evil. And the only thing Hugh “has” that other characters don’t is Max being into him, which really makes it look like Sam is jelly (tbf Max is also really into Flint Paper but Sam likes the guy so it’s no surprise he doesn’t get mad about it).

Special mention to his anger in 205 with the “bend over provocatively” line. Like Sam, buddy, Hugh Bliss is dead. He won’t steal your man so stop feeling so threatened.)

Finally, I love how bad Telltale Sam is with kids, especially with how it contrasts with Max’s baby fever. Like, in 305, Sam straight-up thinks the point of having kids is to pay less taxes ! Also he adopts a cockroach, accidentally eats it as a roomba and goes “welp, no son of mine will die from that !” This dude is such a fucking disaster with kids and I love every second of it (yes I know he’s not that bad with kids but I like to headcanon that he is because it’s funny).

Just imagine a scenario of Sybil asking Sam to babysit her kid, afraid to ask Max for obvious reasons, but then it turns out Sam called Max less than 5 minutes in because he just has no idea what to do and Max is much better with kids than he is.

- For Max, first of all I love how much this guy adores his body in those games. Like, there are several instances of him calling himself hot and I really like it. I think what I love about this is that 1. it contrasts with Sam’s body issues, which is always interesting to see and 2. Max himself has a bit of a stomach, so it’s really sweet to see someone with a bit of a chub going around calling themselves hot and shaking their booty around. It’s just really sweet to see this kind of positivity. Because yeah, I do believe that Max is sincere when complimenting his own body. It doesn’t feel like him pretending to like himself or trying to compensate for his low self-esteem, at least in my opinion.

Secondly, I like how flirty Max is in those games. It’s pretty funny actually to see how different Max’s sexuality is shown throughout the franchise. In the comics and the vr game, they just never talk about romance. In “Hit the Road”, he’s not really interested in it. In the cartoon, he’s straight-up afraid of “mushy” romance (and if you imagine each iteration of those characters to be their own dimension/timeline, I’d argue that Cartoon Max is more likely to be aromantic homosexual, since despite his fear/hatred of romance there are a few sex jokes hinting that he sleeps with Sam + he’s low-key into Mack Salmond and it could be sexual attraction).

But in the Telltale games ? Dude’s a raging homosexual and I love it. I especially like how much this sorta pairs-up with him having a good opinion of his body, like him loving himself is giving him the confidence to be more obvious about his attraction for men and act more flirty with them.

Lastly, my favorite thing about Max is his baby fever and how much he adores kids and wants to start a family with Sam, and those games have a lot of moments showcasing this side of him. I think what I love most about it is that 1. it’s cute as hell and 2. it completely contrasts with Max’s usual destructive self. Although, just like for Sam’s overprotectiveness, this is something we also get to see in the cartoon (and speaking of which I feel like we don’t talk enough about the giant robot episode and how quickly Max melts at the view of the giant baby. Also can we talk about Max calling himself “daddy” when hurting the kid and then calling himself “mommy” when acting like a parent ? No because if there’s any proof that Max has daddy issues, it’s this !)

So yeah, all this to say that the Telltale games are my favorite version of Sam and Max as characters.

And for those who expected me to talk about the voice-acting, honestly I don’t particularly have a favorite voice-actor for those characters. Each entry in the franchise has a few differences in how this duo is portrayed, and I feel like each voice-actor fits perfectly with each version they’re dubbing. So while I could say I’m more familiar with the Telltale/vr and the cartoon versions of the voices, it doesn’t mean that I find them better than the “Hit the Road” ones.

That being said, if I had to praise the Telltale voice actors, I would give huge kudos to Sam’s voice actor for the emotions he’s capable to bring into the character, especially in S3. As for Max, I really admire the fact that he had three voice actor and each new one managed to sound like the previous one, thus keeping Max’s voice consistent throughout the trilogy.

On that note, being someone who adores angst, I didn’t mention the whole “S3 is the angst seasons and there can be many repercussions from 305” because it has less to do with the characters and more to do with the story itself. Like don’t get me wrong, S3 absolutely tests the limits of Sam and Max, but “Sam and Max love each other more than anything else and would give anything for each other” is something we already knew.

So in my eyes, “S3 has a more angsty story and some character development” has less to do with “why I love this version of the characters” and more to do with “why I love the story of the Telltale trilogy and the fact that there’s continuity”.

Also, regarding the repercussions of 305 and how it can play onto the characters, it’s again not something the trilogy itself dwells in. Instead, it’s something the fandom itself likes to play with and interpret (and I absolutely adore that).

Oh yeah, and one last thing : obviously there are a lot more things about Sam and Max’s characters that I love. What I pointed out in this post are things that are exclusive or almost-exclusive to the Telltale games. Just pointing it out in case I didn't made it explicit enough at the beginning. 😅

[softsebnbuckystan]

Soul ties - Part 9 (Bucky Barnes au)

"If I lay here

If I just lay here

Would you lie with me and just forget the world ?"

"Can I come in?"

It was Bucky's voice – of course it was. You tried wiping your tears away before speaking. A part of you didn't care if he saw you crying, but you still hated when you couldn't hold back the tears.

"Yes." Your voice was husky from the crying and you weren't sure he'd heard you until he opened the door. You were still on your knee, unable to even look at him.  Bucky seemed to understand talking wasn't really what you wanted at the moment. Instead, he kneeled next to you and unexpectedly wrapped his arms around your shaking body. You'd noticed how rare it was for him to touch people ; even tapping Steve's shoulder seemed to hardly ever occur to him. Your shaking stopped instantly as you gave into his embrace, leaning against his chest.

"He was about to call me a whore, wasn't he?"

Had it been Steve, he would've told you no in an effort to comfort you. But Bucky radiated blatant honesty when he talked to you, which you appreciated more than you would say.

"It doesn't mean he's right," he said.

"Maybe not. But that's still the word he wanted to call his wife. How did I even- fuck." You shook your head. "How did I ever fell for his tricks? I knew his friends were trash but...I thought he was the exception. I never thought he'd act like this with me."

"Act how? Rude?" Bucky asked, unsure about what you exactly meant.

"Yeah. The neglect has been going on for years, you know." You looked up at him and got out of his arms to sit properly. It didn't take him long to take a seat next to you, leaning his back against your bed. "I just put it all on his job." You grabbed Bucky's hand : you'd never needed to touch him as much as you did now. Something in the controlled way he breathed and the warmth of his skin helped you think straight and prevented you from spiralling.

"Is it the first time he insults you?"

"Openly? Yeah." You sighed. "He's been petty before but calling me names...never."

"I'm afraid to ask this, but I have to." He looked you in the eyes, searching for...what, exactly? "He was pretty violent when he grabbed your shirt. Was that the first time as well?"

The question made you look away once more. Inexplicable guilt flooded your body as you tried to think of some lie. You leaned your head back on the mattress and closed your eyes, opting for honesty.

"No."

You could almost hear Bucky's jaw clenching ;  his other hand formed a fist, whereas the one holding yours remained gentle.

"He's never been violent intentionally," you quickly explained. "It's just... We've had our fights, alright? And when we start yelling at each other, I always tell him we both need to calm down but that doesn't suit me so he tries to stop me from leaving the apartment and...well. It goes from grabbing my arm a little too hard or just locking the door and hiding the keys. He even threw them out the window once."

Recalling those fights didn't help your tears stop rolling on your cheeks but damn, it felt good to actually say it to someone. Wanda never needed you tell her things : she could just read them when she felt like you were lying. With Bucky, it was different. You actually wanted to tell him what had happened.

"What did you do when he did those things to you?"

"Not much. It only made me angrier so I would sit on the couch or even in my room and stop talking to him until he opened the door."

"You do realise how that's...far from right, yeah?"

"I'm starting to." You shrugged. "This might be stupid but, seeing how everyone here treats me, how you treat me, it's making me realise Darren is not this perfect husband I imagined him to be. He was the easy way, you know? We met, we liked each other and he had a good situation and I could already see the white-fence family every American movie depicts. I just didn't know it would turn into a soap opera." You laughed bitterly at your own not-so-funny joke.

Bucky suddenly got up, keeping your hand in his to help you stand as well.

"What are you doing?" you asked.

"It's still your birthday and I don't want it to be ruined by that guy," he let out in one breath. "C'mon."

He took a right turn after your bedroom door, walking you further away from where the party was supposed to be. You didn't walk for long before he opened an other door, walking you into his own room.

"What's the plan, exactly?" you asked again, more than confused. "I thought you meant we'd go back to the others, and..."

"Damn, I didn't realise how this looks." He let out a nervous laugh and you mentally slapped yourself for going blank over how cute it was. "Nobody even asked you to a proper dance on your own birthday and I want to fix that, if you'll allow me."

He looked back at you through his eyelashes, looking all anxious about your answer.

"What music choice do we have?"

His face lit up and he went through a box of vinyls on the floor. "I only have old stuff, I'm sorry. I believe this should do it, though," he said as he picked out one of the pockets. "It's from 1956, but it actually came out first in the 30's. Most people know the most recent, so..."

"I didn't know you were a music nerd," you said with a smile.  "How very cute of you."

He shrugged as he placed the disk on the record player. Piano notes started rising through the air and you recognised Louis Armstrong's voice.

"May I?" Bucky held out his hand and he waited for you to nod before grabbing yours, placing his left hand on your hip. Your instinct was to inch closer to him as you both started swinging slowly in the middle of his room. His blue eyes were sounding  you out.

"This was indeed a wonderful idea," you whispered, not wanting to break the moment as Ella Fitzgerald started singing her own chorus of Cheek to cheek. Bucky beamed and you enjoyed the view, returning  his smile before resting your head on his chest. His heartbeat became another rhythm to follow and be lulled to. "I can't explain how you make me feel and that scares me, Buck. And yet, it's the best feeling I've ever experienced."  The use of his nickname did something to him : you felt his heart skip, causing you to smile discreetly. "Talking to you is ridiculously easy," you continued, "and I'm not that muck of a talker. Just ask Wanda."

He laughed softly and you tilted  your head up as his chest shook from the movement.

"I know what you mean," he confided. "I don't feel all of the guilt I carry when I'm with you. It's refreshing. I don't feel like I'm being judged at every second."

"I couldn't possibly do that," you explained. "I know a little more about the things they made you do, now, and I'm more impressed at how you came out of this. You're still there whenever someone needs help, like when that fire alarm rang for no reason the other day. And when that thing went off in the lab, you took time to help me. How could anyone judge you negatively?" Your frowned. "Sorry, I interrupted you."

"It's fine," he assured you as the next song on the vinyl started playing (not that you were paying much attention to the music, even though Dream a little dream of me was an all time favourite of yours).

Your eyes scanned his face and when you noticed his own gaze lingering on your lips, you moved  your hand from his shoulder to his neck. You were still slow dancing effortlessly, and you could feel his breath slightly picking up.

"I want to do something," you muttered. "But if you don't want me to, I won't feel bad if you stop me." The last thing you wanted was him to let you do anything out of pity ; you didn't think that was the type of thing he'd do, but there was no harm in making sure. Your fingers fiddled with the short hair on the back of his head and you extended your neck a bit. You felt Bucky's breath on your nose and lips as you got even closer to him, closer than you'd ever been until now.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked in a whisper. "Trust me, I do, but last thing I want-"

Those were the only words you needed. You pressed your lips against his and a whole firework show started in your belly. His hand on your hip pulled you into an even closer embrace as you kept playing  with his air. When you broke the kiss and rested your forehead against his, you couldn't get rid  of your smile. So it was true, what books said about butterflies.

--- I'm so happy to finally post this part!! This was definitely my favourite to write so far, even though it's a tie with the stars scene. :) I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it.

P.S. : the tag list is still growing and damn that makes me so happy!! Your support means everything.

P.S. 2 : I feel like this story will be wrapped soon. If you have any request/idea you'd like to see for a next one (short one shots or series), I will gladly hear it!

Tag list :

@ginger-swag-rapunzel @joscelyn02 @writehistorynotthegrocerylist @bluemoon-icecream @lady-loki-ren @simplybombshell @lizajane3

[coinofstone]

5x12 The Diamond of the Day pt 1

Final two episodes! Big finale! Why am I making myself cry in the middle of the afternoon! Both eps in this post.

I do love that they made Arthur a sore loser

Enter treacherous white woman #2. Srsly it was lazy writing when they did it for Mordred, it's worse now with Gwaine.

I do love the actual Round Table war room discussion but a) why isn't Merlin seated at the round table and b) why does Leon have so much goddamn faith in Camelot's walls? Like??? You literally said the same thing last year and yet Camelot *did* fall when Agravaine brought an army through the tunnels!

Poor Aithusa. Kid's had a rough life.

I do love Arthur responding to Merlin presenting him with all his supplies ready - which he prepared without his magic mind you - with suspicion 😂

But then he calls Merlin a coward and it's sad

Katie has such a great voice. That entire thing in the cave from her taunting to her laughter to the spell, it just just beautifully played.

Whole ass battle to prepare for and Arthur is just walking around moping cuz Merlin isn't there

So, Merlin's father-vision telling him he's magic itself and he just needs to believe in himself to get his magic going again, does this mean he *didn't* need to go to the cave to get it back? Cuz it seems like he needed to recharge in the cave itself, his injuries were healed when he woke up. That seems like magic cave stuff to me.

Also that "always have been and always will be" - I'm taking to mean 'always have been' in the sense that since he's 'magic itself' even before he was born, his magic existed in other, intangible forms, like we are all stardust etc. But now that he is, he will always be, aka he will not die.

Arthur waking up with his wife in his arms and Merlin's name on his lips, jumping out of bed to act on dream-info.

Balinor telling Merlin to trust in what will be.... like bitch that is literally not how this ends.

5x13 The Diamond of the day pt 2

You know that gif of the cat knocking everything off the table? That's literally Merlin shooting lightning at everyone from his perch on the ridge.

I have a lot of snarky things to say about Merlin coming out of the cave in full Dragoon gear and riding a horse instead of teleporting like the other witches but I'ma keep that to myself.

Mordred is a bitch and Aithusa has terrible aim. At least Aithusa's loyalty to Morgana makes sense.

Arthur said oh shit I'm magic - oh wait no it's that old man again

He also straight up "No! Bad dragon!"-ed Aithusa

Y'know, for all I've watched this episode and screamed about Arthur's death, I don't think I've ever focused on the exact moment he gets stabbed before.

Mordred catches him from behind and he meets it, no fault there. But as soon as he realizes his assailant is the knight who turned on him and joined Morgana, what does he do? HE LOWERS HIS FUCKING SWORD

He leaves himself wide fucking open and vulnerable and Mordred seizes the opportunity. I understand wanting the moment of recognition for Arthur, but on what planet is a trained warrior going to drop his sword mid-attack because he recognizes his attacker as a dude who only just recently decided to forsake him? It's soooooo dumb

There was a whole sequence a few episodes back where Mordred and Arthur are sparring, the point of it was to show that Mordred has become a skilled swordsman. So what exactly was the point in having Mordred run Arthur through as soon as Arthur idiotically lets his guard down? This should've been a meticulously choreographed sword fight, with Mordred getting the upper hand and sticking Arthur properly. Not this nonsense. Look at Arthur's FACE! Oh, Mordred... 👉👈 do you maybe wanna be friends again- STAB ... guess not

Uther's been rolling in his grave but he's taking an extra tumble watching Arthur forget all his skills and training in that moment.

I do appreciate Arthur getting Mordred back though. Like that moment of merciless anger followed by the hurt and regret playing on Arthur's face, warring with surety and responsibility. It was good.

I've rewatched the big confession scene about 16 times just now.

I don't quite understand why Merlin took Arthur to the woods to begin with. Instead of bringing him to the med tent in the battlefield or back to Camelot. What was the reason?

Merlin saying it feels strange (to use magic freely in front of Arthur) and him just going 'yeah' completely deadpan makes me laugh every time.

I really feel like Arthur's head should be elevated at a further incline if he's going to be fed.

Gaius refusing to outright expose Merlin as the sorcerer but nonetheless letting Gwen figure it out on her own warms my heart.

My God Arthur is sitting there dying, feeling betrayed about his best friend 'lying' to him, and still he can't stop himself from looking at Merlin's mouth.

Percival summoned MUSCLE POWER

Hey um random but why does Gwaine even know where Merlin and Arthur are headed? Why would Gaius tell him?

Arthur looks at Merlin so lovingly after he's killed Morgana 😭😭

And now he's literally grabbing at the man's hand 😭 "just hold me, please"

That's gotta be the gayest death scene in television history. If you can watch that without thinking Arthur puts his hand on the back of Merlin's head because some part of him wants to bring him down for a kiss, or that "just hold me, please" is in any way shape or form a 'bros' thing, and certainly not at all an intentional mirror/callback to Isolde dying in Tristan's arms, then I'm afraid you are what we professionals refer to as a dumb-as-nails fucknugget, more commonly phrased as 'willfully ignorant'.

"All that you have dreamt of building has come to pass" yeah except for the whole, y'know, magic still being illegal thing.

I've said this before, but, while I'm sure there was a determined intention to have Arthur die in his armor, probably in some kind of attempt to make sure the audience knows he's died a warrior's death, I *really* think it was kinda stupid that Merlin never removed it, despite Arthur being weak, despite the fact that there was something like five days between him getting stabbed and him actually dying, despite that for the duration of that time they were traveling or hiding out. Merlin managed to produce a cloak to put on Arthur, why did he need the full armor on that whole time? Like even if they left the chainmail on, those plates on his shoulder were just getting in the way, and it looked quite uncomfortable.

Also not for nothing but Lancelot got like, every flower in the forest surrounding lush verdant greens in his death boat, Arthur gets a bunch of sticks.

It suddenly occurs to me, watching this now, that the reason Leon/Percival is such a common side pairing in Merthur fics, is because these two motherfuckers are the only original Knights of the Round Table to survive the series. 🤦‍♀️ I dunno how I failed to notice that before now. My stupidity amazes me.

I'm *really* glad they decided to do this scene with Gwen wearing the Pendragon red dress instead of the black mourning dress. Yes she looks fabulous in it but it's more the symbolism than the 'reality' - with Gwen wearing her house's colors it represents a continuation rather than a finality. Camelot will go on, Gwen will undoubtedly end the war on magic and with Morgana dead (and frankly, I think by now she already brought about the death of all the angry incel type rulers in Albion) there stands to reason her reign will begin with a period of peace, possibly longer than Arthur's. We kind of have to assume that the 'time the poets speak of' is, inevitably, Gwen's reign - which only came about through Arthur's death. It's a little bit toooo subtle in my opinion, but at the same time, I understand the need for the focus on Merlin and Arthur - after all, this show was their journey - not leaving much time to focus on Gwen and Camelot in the aftermath of Arthur's death.

I will just say, the first time I watched this that fucking truck scared the ever living shit out of me. I also just immediately, viscerally hated that scene and declared it invalid - but I think it was because the truck made me jump out of my skin. It has since grown on me, particularly once I started reading 'Arthur Returns' fic.

Everything beyond this point is post-series spec and headcanon, so if that's not your jam you can exit safe in the knowledge that as usual, if there's anything worth commenting on in the S5 extras, I will create a separate post!

For those interested, my go-to post-series fic is We Begin Again by katherynefromphilly I fully headcanon this series as the continuation of the series.

I have a lot of thoughts about Gwen and Merlin post-Camlann.

For one, poor fucking Gwen. She's lost her father, her brother, and her husband, all by what, age 30? That's rough. And who knows what happened to her mom, that was pre-series and I don't think it was ever mentioned.

Merlin, dear god poor Merlin. First of all, I just wanna say straight off that my instinctive headcanon about Merlin was that he never returned to Camelot. I couldn't really say why exactly. I just don't think he could stand being there after Arthur's death. But practically speaking, Merlin's still got Aithusa to deal with, that dragon needs some godsdamned house training asap. He's still the last Dragonlord, it's reasonable to assume he'd immediately take that on considering Aithusa is partially responsible for Arthur's death (the sword Mordred killed Arthur with, only succeeded in killing Arthur because it had been forged in Aithusa's fire-breath) so he's either going to attempt to train the bad behaviors out of Aithusa, or...well...

The only thing is, I do not believe Merlin would abandon Gwen, or Gaius. So my hc is inherently flawed. I do think Merlin probably spend a couple months with his mum, and I do think he ultimately settled near lake Avalon waiting for Arthur's return.

But I do wonder, what must their relationship have been like? Gwen, surely, would've sought his guidance in establishing laws governing the use of magic. And surely, peace cannot last indefinitely, so Merlin absolutely would've defended Camelot and protected Gwen. There's just no way he could've completely turned his back on them, but I doubt he could bear living in Camelot. And Gwen is both strong and practical enough to get on without him there 24/7, even though I'm sure she'd miss him.

I also think she would've found love again. Whether with Leon, as many people hc, or someone else not in the series.

ANYWAY.

Thanks to everyone who came on this journey with me. I will post comments on the extras if I have anything worth saying - and I think I'll do a master post linking all these episode posts after I clean them up once I get time to sit at a computer and do so. Until then! 💙💚

(Gif source) (h/t @shut-up-merlin)