Merlin Is A Mother-type Character And Its Hard To Explain That To People Because They See Chaos And Murder

merlin is a mother-type character and it’s hard to explain that to people because they see chaos and murder and impulsivity and they think “that’s not motherly” (or else they mischaracterize him to fit their idea of motherly, which is an independent but equal issue) and i need you all to understand. when i say merlin is a mother-type character, i don’t mean the common perception of human mothers. i don’t mean the warmth of an embrace and the reliability of structure and the soothing of an unshakable figure. i mean the kind of “motherly” associated with wild, vicious animals. i mean the warmth of a hollowed carcass in winter and the harsh reprimand of something bigger and wiser than you trying to keep you alive against terrible odds and the vibrating single-minded ferocity that comes with a protective instinct so deep-seated that even something twice as large and just as hungry doesn’t stand a chance against the brighthot rage of fucking with something that should not be fucked with. because magic is a wild thing and merlin is magic as much as he is human and merlin’s motherly tendencies are every bit as feral as a provoked lioness. merlin is not a mother of humans, he’s a mother of the earth and humans just happen to inhabit it.

not saying you absolutely cannot elaborate on ozai in fanfic but I do think it’s often. weird especially considering his place in the narrative which is. quite literally to be the Evil (tm) the protagonists need to fight against/overcome (mostly imperialism & child abuse). like there’s a difference between adding nuance to a villain and writing an uwu fluffy romance fic between said villain and his wife (whom he canonically abused in the comics!) with zero critical thinking (and possibly accidentally becoming apologism for the things the villain symbolises)

Enid: Wednesday kissed me!

Yoko: Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!

Enid: It was unbelievable!

Yoko: Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!

Bianca: Okay, we wanna hear everything. Yoko, get the wine and unplug the phone. Enid, does this end well or do we need tissues?

Enid: Oh, it ended VERY well!

Yoko: Do not start without me! Do not start without me!

Bianca: Okay, alright, let’s hear about the kiss. Was it a soft brush against your lips or was it like a, you know, “I gotta have you now” kind of thing?

Enid: Well, at first it was really intense, you know? And then, oh God, and then we just sort of sunk into it.

Bianca: Ohh... So, okay, was she holding you? Or were her hands on your back?

Enid: First they started out on my waist and then they slid up and then they were in my hair!

Yoko and Bianca: tell us more, more!

*meanwhile*

Wednesday, eating pizza in the Addams family cemetery: And, uh, and then I kissed her.

Uncle Fester: Tongue?

Wednesday: Ew, no. Too fast.

Uncle Fester: Cool.