#“ygraine was not one to abandon the needy when times got tough”

[fluffypotatey]

I find it deeply aesthetically pleasing, character-wise, that Arthur and Merlin are both very much like their mothers, which is especially meaningful in Arthur's case since he's never known his mother beyond a single painfully brief meeting in "Sins of the Father."

Not only does Arthur look like Ygraine (which adds several layers to the clusterfuck of his and Uther's relationship) but it's clear that he takes after her temperament, too. Yes, he sometimes shows his father's temper, and yes, he does stupid things when he's in a temper, but unlike Uther, who literally took his prejudices to his grave and beyond, Arthur never stays mad at people, and he's overall a far more caring and kind person than his father, which is an interesting case of nature vs nurture.

And then on the other hand, we have Hunith, who told a mounted, armed brigand to go fuck himself, later fought another (also armed) brigand with a twig broom, harboured fugitives on multiple occasions, and raised an illegal magic child out of wedlock, and Merlin "Fuck the Police" Ambrosius, who got in a fistfight, got thrown in jail for the fistfight, called the prince a bitch to his face in a public market square, got in a second, armed fight all within his first 48 hours in Camelot, and then committed treason on a daily basis for the next 10+ years, compared to Balinor, who became a weird antisocial hermit that lived in a cave for twenty years.

couldn't have said it better myself bestie

also, there's a reason hunith and ygraine never met in the show. their dynamic duo would outshine everyone, they'd be unstoppable, untouchable, I FEEL ROBBED

#ahem anyway #yes they do take after their mothers and yes this does provide insight in how merlin and arthur complement one another #and like i just have such a soft heart at the thought of arthur wanting to know about his mother and asking the staff what he can #maybe he asks the older knights who treat him like a nephew they never had and one of the most common thing they'll say is #“ygraine was kind and cared for her people” #“ygraine was not one to abandon the needy when times got tough” #“ygraine saw her role as monarch as one of service and not greed for power” #and mini arthur internalized that shit i accept NO criticism #merlin was a total mama's boy as we all saw and she had him drinking that anarchy juice since he was small #hunith was merlin's first hero and fuck i'm crying #bye i'm too soft for this #bbc merlin #headcanons #arthur pendragon #merlin emrys #hunith #ygraine #hunith & ygraine would have totally wreaked some shit if they ever met i assure you it is a CRIME (to me) THAT SUCH A DUO NEVER *gunshots*