#i used to be so quiet | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

gothicvalentine · 2 years

Text

😭 I know I'm obsessed with Malleus. I even put that fact in my bio.

What I didn't realize -- until about 10 minutes ago -- was exactly how obsessed I am with this FICTIONAL damn goth dragon!

I am really hoping most people don't read my tags now lol. I saw one of my mutuals post an ask that had a link to art of first year Idia Shroud, with short hair. It's really great art and even short haired Idia is very pretty.

I liked the original post of the artwork and stuck it in my queue. But not after adding my tags. Which started out on the subject of how and why Idia became dorm leader and then ended up becoming a whole ass novella about Malleus! Pretty much anything will make me think of Malleus and then I get sidetracked and go off on a tangent. I have so many feelings about him. Like ALL the feelings! 😭

At this point, I wholly understand that Japanese guy who married a fictional character. I probably wouldn't have a public wedding though 😂. He's much braver than I!

Honestly, though the Idia being dorm leader thing is very confusing to me because he so obviously loathes being dorm leader.

Knowing Ignihyde students, none of them want to be dorm leader either. So it seems to me that someone was able to force Idia to be the dorm leader?

But who and how? Because we know that Idia really only seems to care about Ortho (and gaming lol). And from what I've seen, Ortho is the only one who can convince Idia to do something he doesn't want to.

But I've also seen where, at least once, even Ortho was not able to convince Idia to do something. Ortho is able to get Idia to reluctantly agree to attend the ceremony, but then Idia had a change of heart and stood Ortho up. (Idia's ceremonial robes story)

Here's where the problem with my brain and my tags begins . . . . (this is gonna get long folks, grab a beer and pull up a stool)

:read more:

This makes me start thinking about how Idia runs into Malleus out on one of his walks. Malleus is curious as to why Idia is wearing his ceremony robes and I can't remember what Idia's excuse was, but Idia didn't mention the ceremony at all.

So poor Malleus is confused and apparently just thinks Idia is a weirdo and doesn't question it more than that. Malleus is a stranger in a strange land. And he's been completely isolated and pretty much alone for hundreds of years?

It's never stated, but it's implied to be a very, very long time. Dude hasn't been socialized well with other FAE, let alone with humans!

He must be so confused by their behavior most of the time and their strange and baffling technology. He must have extreme culture shock.

Think about if the only knowledge you had about a certain subject was something you read from a book written by someone 500 years ago. And you had no idea that there had been updates and progress. Soooo much progress and change. Which you aren't used to.

I can't begin to imagine how surprising yet confusing that must be for Malleus! Particular as it's shown that he didn't think much could be learned in only 4 years and he didn't think the human lifespan was enough time to really accomplish anything. Apparently fae culture doesn't change much or at least not rapidly.

I keep thinking about how Malleus is so unused to human gadgets and technology and I'd love to see his reaction to finding out the rate at which computer and cell phone technology advances! 😂 He'd definitely have his adorable shocked Pikachu face! 😁🥰

I love how he's starting to reevaluate what he previously thought about humans and their ability to do so much with their very limited lifespans. And I absolutely adore how he believes that "misinformed knowledge is the source of all prejudice" and says he thinks that he'd like to study humans and learn more about them.

In light of the fact that we know there was a war between humans and the fae and his parents are both deceased, I'm worried that we'll find out they were killed in the fae/human war.

If that turns out to be the case, then this makes Malleus all the more amazing to me. Because it would be only natural to not have any positive feelings or beliefs about a group of people your country was at war with. Especially if someone you loved was killed by the opposing side.

We don't know how old Malleus was either but he may have been really young. And to have their parents killed . . . to a child's eyes, would be terrifying and life shattering. Malleus didn't even have friends or anyone that could help him process his loss and provide support and comfort, other than his grandmother (who sounds like she's always too busy to spend much time with Mal) and Lilia.

Yet his first real friend is a magic-less human and he's kind of adopted Silver (it seems like he's more like an uncle or big brother to Silver though, rather than co-parent). And he's curious about humans and their many cultures and actively wants to learn more about them.

It sounds as if Malleus is attempting to try to repair fae/human relations. He says several things which make it sound like this war was so long ago that the fae have been forgotten by everyone. It seems like Malleus has decided Briar Valley has been isolated and forgotten for far too long. And I think that he's decided, as king, that he wants to change that.

Malleus is naturally a very curious person, and I know his reason for being at NRC is for him to have new experiences and for him to have a chance to learn about the world outside Briar Valley. Perhaps it's also a chance, for a short amount of time, for him to be in a place which doesn't require him to be Prince Malleus all the time. He wants to be or at least is trying to be a regular student, "just like you."

However, I don't think this is the only reason he decided to attend NRC. I hope he can make connections and bring some innovations to Briar Valley. I hope he can manage to change the hearts and minds of his subjects. The humans who fought against the fae are probably long gone, but many Briar Valley fae probably personally fought in the war and probably very few of them are as forgiving as Lilia and Malleus are (and Sebek's mom!).

I hope Malleus plans to help his people integrate with the world outside of the valley. I hope he can improve their lives by bringing in some technology so they can be connected to the rest of Twisted Wonderland so they can be up to date on changes and the news of other nations.

From a security standpoint even, rulers need to be aware of the actions of even allied nations in case they decide to change alliances and start wars. It's important to not be completely in the dark in case relations sour.

And before I finish a 200 page novel about my latest Malleus thoughts . . . I'd just like to say that I think it would be so cute if Idia and Malleus could be friends? Idia could help Malleus with tech and help him get Briar Valley connected and they may be very different in their personalities, yet they do have things in common with one another. At least as far as how people judge Malleus unreasonably without first even giving him a chance. And true or not, Idia believes they do the same with him.

If you're not a dick to Malleus, he seems to be really non-judgmental about most things and I certainly can't see him thinking Idia has weird hair and judging him for something stupid like that.

Hell, Leona is a full on asshole to Malleus pretty much always, but Malleus just threatens him. And when Malleus threatens Leona (and honestly most people he threatens), it seems like he's just reminding them of what he could do if they pushed him too far.

I think very few of Mal's threats are genuine. I've really only seen two times that I can remember where I think Malleus was enraged to the point that he would have acted on his threats. Both times were during the first Halloween event. And granted, I think murder probably would have been a bit excessive . . . but the way they treated Malleus, who was being very polite to them, literally sickened me.

Someone outside of Mal's entourage should have punched those people in their faces. Like Yuu, lol!

In Malleus's defense, every dorm had one person who planned to commit murder. FFS, Ortho was going to blow up everything and level the entire school! Even Idia started panicking when he was struggling to reprogram Ortho.

Can I remind people that's not the only time Ortho has almost committed extreme violence? Chapter 6 is heavily foreshadowing Ortho doing bad things.

Yet Ortho, much like an adorable like Chihuahua, is almost universally seen (in the fandom and at NRC) as cute and harmless. Meanwhile, Malleus is seen by basically everyone at NRC and some in the fandom as the evil pitbull. Dangerous and scary. (I've never been scared of pitbulls either, lol. I've always thought they were super cute, but I've never had a negative interaction with one either.)

Ok, I had to get some of that off of my chest because I don't want to argue with people or tell them their opinion is wrong (because it's not--an opinion is only that--it's just the way someone views something and it's ok for people to view things differently), yet it also bothers me to see people saying that Malleus gets really angry very easily and they act as if they believe he would follow through on all of his threats.

Maybe he would. After all, I don't know him either or what he thinks (as much as one could know or understand someone who doesn't actually exist). But it seems like he recognizes his duty and responsibility as future king and that, as such, he represents the entirety of his kingdom.

If Malleus were to commit some egregious act, it would not only reflect poorly on him, but on all residents of Briar Valley, and to some extent all fae. If he were to murder a human or humans or level the school or something similar, it's not outside the realm of possibility that humans would see that attack on one of their own as an attack against all humans and therefore a declaration of war. If the future king of the fae kills humans I could totally see people viewing that as an act of war as he's essentially the leader of his country. Or close enough that even if people have no issue with Mal's grandmother, they may see Malleus as taking a more violent approach to leadership. Or at the very least, a more unpredictable and unstable leader.

Malleus is not stupid and he's at least somewhat aware of that after Silver gently chides Malleus when he nearly loses control. Silver reminds Malleus that he had told them he wanted to "avoid any aggressions towards other species" and then asks Malleus "what if this feeds into hostilities?"

From what Malleus says after he's calmed down enough to think rationally, it's obvious that he's ashamed and probably really embarrassed that he lost his composure and was ready to commit violence. Like all the NRC students Malleus is arrogant and being as powerful as he is, both magically and physically, as well as being a prince who has lived for perhaps hundreds of years -- I'm sure he's shocked that he lost control of his emotions and temper.

He may have had hundreds of years to work on controlling his emotions (which is a really bad idea tbh), but he is used to people who probably all show deference to him and respect his authority.

Humans are a whole different breed. The magicam type of person probably wouldn't treat their own nation's leaders with respect, let alone the ruler of another nation.

Malleus was neither prepared for nor did he expect anyone to not only be horribly rude to him, but to treat him like he wasn't even a living being. They treated him like an object, who only existed for their amusement so they could get likes on their magicam feed.

Lord, I think I'm finally finished getting all my thoughts and headcanons out there and "on paper." If I printed this out, it probably wouldn't be 200 pages, but I'd be afraid of how long it would be.

I haven't spent this much time writing anything since I wrote my college theses! I remember that being a nightmare to write though and this wasn't.

Of course all I did was write out all the Malleus thoughts in my head (for now lol).

I apologize for any errors if you put yourselves through the torture of reading this all. I started out proofreading and then I added twice as much content.

My last job was proofreading 8 hours a day, so I really don't feel like spending even more time editing the rest of this. And knowing me, I'm likely to make more additions if I look at it again. 🙄

#my thoughts #Malleus Draconia #Malleus Draconia thoughts and headcanons #long post #very long post #i'm not kidding #i used to be so quiet #but when I'm in a certain mood #or if I'm talking about something i really love #i can't shut up #and God forbid if I'm writing #everyone at work hated when I'd send emails #they'd be paragraphs when others could condense shit into a sentence or two #wtf is wrong with me?#Malleus obsessed #I'm not sure if I'd be more obsessed if Malleus was actually real #or if I'd be over him since there would probably be more info on him via twst internet and magazines #you know even if there's not actually very much known about Mal #that I'm sure there would still be all sorts of articles and gossipy type shit online #and 99.9% of it would be made up bs #there's probably articles about him sacrificing human children or something crazy #i do not envy Malleus at all #being famous and unimaginably powerful plus being an actual dragon and royalty #like who tf would find Mal relatable?#even if they got past their fear of him #i would like to have some magic though #that would be cool #twst spoilers #twisted wonderland spoilers #twst jp

12 notes · View notes

kittyprincessofcats · 4 months

Text

ICJ Ruling

Okay, let's get into this.

First of all, I get the frustration at the court not ordering a ceasefire. I was disappointed and frustrated at first too, since a ceasefire was the biggest and most important preliminary measure South Africa was requesting - and of course we just all want this horror to finally end for the people in Gaza. So I get the frustration and disappointment, I really do.

However, I do think this ruling is still a major win for South Africa, Palestine, and international law as a whole and here's why:

The court acknowledged that it has jurisdiction over this case and completely dismissed Israel's request to throw out the case as a whole. It will now determine at the merits stage (that will probably take years) whether Israel is actually commiting genocide.

The court acknowledged that Palestinians are a "distinct national or ethnic group and therefore deserving of protection under the genocide convention". Pull this out next time someone tells you "there's no such thing as Palestinians, they're all just Arabs".

The court acknowledged very unambiguously that "at least some" of Israel's actions being genocidal in nature is "plausible". South Africa has a case, officially. Israel is accused of genocide, in a way the ICJ deems "plausible", officially. This is huge. (And seriously, how freaking satisfying was it to hear all of those genocidal statements by Israeli politicians read out loud and used as justification for this rulling?)

The court might not have ordered a "ceasefire" in those words, but they did order Israel to "immediately end all genocidal acts" (which includes killing and injuring Palestinians) and submit proof that they actually did. How are they going to comply with this ruling without at least severly reducing or changing what they're doing in Gaza?

In fact, this wording might actually be more appropriate for a genocide (vs a war), as author and journalist Ali Abunimah notes on Twitter:

He's completely right. Israel lost today, by overwhelming majority (I mean, 15 to 2? I heard people predict the rulings would be very close, like 9 judges vs 8, but instead we got 15 to 2 (and even 16 to 1 on the humanitarian aid). Holy shit.) The court disimissed almost everything Israel's side of lawyers said, while acknowledging that South Africa's accusations are "plausible".

And this is important especially because of Mr Abunimah's second tweet there^. Because the question is, where do we go from here?

This ruling means that Israel is officially /possibly/ commiting genocide and that should have huge international consequences. The rest of the world now HAS to take these accusations seriously and stop arming and supporting Israel - and if they won't do it on their own, we, the people, have to make them. This is THE moment to rise up all around the world, especially in the countries most supportive of Israel (the US, the UK, Germany): Protest, call your representatives and demand a ceasefire and an end of arms deliveries to Israel.

We now have a legal case to back our demands: If Israel is, according to the ICJ, "plausibly" commiting genocide, then all of our governments are, according to the ICJ, "plausibly" guiltly of aiding in genocide. And we need to hold that over their heads and demand better. We need to do that right now and in huge numbers. Most politicians only care about themselves and saving their skin. We have to make them realize that they could be accused of aiding in genocide.

(As a German, I'm thinking of Germany here in particular: After South Africa's hearing, our government dismissed their case as having "no basis" - how are they going to keep saying that now that the ICJ officially thinks otherwise? Over the last months, people here have been arrested at protests for calling what's happening in Gaza a genocide. How are the police supposed to legally keep doing that now that the ICJ has officially deemed this accusation "plausible"? I used to be scared to use the word "genocide" at protests or write it on my protest signs - not anymore, have fun trying to arrest me for that when the ICJ literally has my back on this one 🖕🏻.)

So yeah - don't be defeatist about this, don't let Israel's narrative that they "won" (they didn't) take over. This might not be everything we wanted, but it's still a good result. Don't let what the court didn't say ("ceasefire"), distract you from the very important things that they did say. Let this be your motivation to get loud and active, especially if you live in any country that supports Israel. Put pressure on your governments to not be complicit in genocide, you now officially have the highest international court on your side.

#ICJ #ICJ ruling #ICJ hearing #South Africa vs Israel #Free Palestine #Palestine #Palestinian genocide #Gaza #Germany #I get why Palestinians are disappointed and I don't want to devalue those feelings #(but maybe this can give you hope)#But thinking about this as a German this is huge #Most politicians and people here still deny (or at least strongly doubt) that there's a genocide happening #Calling it a genocide is seen as an 'extremist' position #And some of our politicians have been borderline gaslighting us and calling anyone who calls it genocide 'crazy'#So I'm just feeling immense vindication and a newfound fearlessness and motivation to be louder and more active than ever #and I hope others here feel the same #I hope the quiet masses stop being scared to say something now

6K notes · View notes

raepliica · 11 months

Text

Heartbeat

[image description: A grayscale Trigun comic featuring Vash and Wolfwood.

Against a black background, child Vash floats in Ship 5, curled up and with his thumb pressed to his mouth. Heartbeat noises sound around him, and he looks at peace. The background shifts to white and shows adult Vash, sitting shirtless with his knees pulled up to his chest. The heartbeat sound continues only to be interrupted by knocking. Wolfwood, from outside the bathroom, asks, "Hey blondie! You fell asleep in there?"

The scene expands to reveal Vash sitting curled up in the bathtub, shower spraying on the back of his head. His clothes are left aimlessly on the bathroom counter and floor. From outside the bathroom, Wolfwood, shrugging of his jacket, continues, "… The sand steamer leaves at dawn tomorrow so don't take all night. I'm not waking you up gently if you're late." Vash's eyes continue to look downward, glazed and unfocused. Step sound effects and a yawn sound from outside the bathroom before Wolfwood says, "'m going to bed…". In the tub, Vash sits curled up against a dark background, before eventually lifting his head and unfurling himself as the background grows lighter.

He twists around to turn off the shower and then looks at the floor, going, "Ah." He sits, thinking, before calling out "Wolfwood?". A sleepy Wolfwood replies, "…yeah?" from offscreen. "I forgot my towel!" Vash exclaims. "Ugh, look under your change of clothes… Knew you'd forget so I left it there…" a grouchy Wolfwood replies. "Gee, thanks!" Vash replies, a cartoony doodle of him saying "so reliable!".

Vash, shirtless but with sleep pants on, opens the door, towel draped over his head, to see Wolfwood, reclining on the bed. Wolfwood's smoking and holding his rosary, lit by the light from the bathroom. Vash climbs into bed next to him, towel still around his shoulders, and rests his head on Wolfwood's chest. His eyes close and then open to see Wolfwood watching him. Vash exclaims, "Oh! It's speeding up!, and Wolfwood bonks him on the head before saying, "Get on here since ya wanna be so up close 'n personal!". The two tussle briefly and Vash laughs before Wolfwood tucks the blanket around them. Wolfwood continues to smoke as Vash curls up against his chest and listens to his heartbeat, the background turning black once again as he smiles, content. /end id]

#trigun #trimax #vash the stampede #nicholas d. wolfwood #vash centric #my art #image described #vash finding comfort in regular and rythmic sounds #vash missing the quietness of the zero-g room and never being able to truly find that same safe space again #at it again with the heart-themed vash comics #its gonna happen again #from the manga we already know vash's little habit of curling in on himself #so i thought i'd give my own little idea to that concept #also sleepy woowoo with his rosary🫶🫶#<- very important to me #i think he'd use it out of habit to occupy his mind rather than for any religious reasons #thank you sm gnomebud for the ID!!#raepliica_art

5K notes · View notes

stevebabey · 1 year

Text

part one here. ze part two to touch-starved stevie that absolutely no one requested hehe <3 but i gots to let my boys have a wee kiss :")

So, hugs with Eddie become… well, a thing.

Not a thing. They’re not a thing, Steve and Eddie. It’s totally the same as when he gets hugs from Robin. Eddie’s doing him a favour as a friend. It’s got the 100% platonic energy of getting a hug from a friend — a hug that usually melts into some form of a cuddle, limbs all tangled together until they can’t tell whose are whose.

Except, Steve doesn’t really do that second part with Robin. Like he hasn’t done it ever with Robin.

So, it’s an Eddie thing.

But they’re not a thing. Not matter how much Steve would actually very much like for that happen. Okay, maybe Steve’s overthinking the whole thing a bit, but he just can’t tell.

Where’s the line? It’s infuriating not being able to discern between platonic and more, just because Steve wasn’t held enough as a fucking baby. Out of all the things he resents his parents for, Steve’s surprised that this is so near the top.

Because, sure, Steve’s had more than his fair share of hookups. He knows that sort of touch. He knows the shape of lust; the scrapes of fingernails down backs, the tight grips over skin, the push and pull of the heat of the moment.

And this thing with Eddie… is not that.

So, really, Steve knows that it’s all friendly. Eddie is just being nice. He’s being a decent dude and helping his friend out — by catapulting himself into Steve’s arms at every opportune moment.

(Steve’s only dropped 3 mugs of coffee because of this so far. It’s only because Eddie says good catch, big boy with a devilish grin every time that Steve manages to catch Eddie that Steve hasn’t completely told him to knock it off. Just yet, at least.)

And he’s different in other areas. He’ll always seem to choose the seat next to Steve on movie-nights now, content to snuggle right up to him. They get thigh to thigh, arm to arm — and Eddie only needs to get about 20 minutes in for him to do a big sigh, like an old dog, and slump over, resting his head on Steve’s shoulder.

Steve notices though. He always notices.

It’s impossible not to— the skin, even if there’s 3 layers between them, burns blazing warm. Eddie’s hair drapes over his arm, a curl inevitably tickling along Steve’s collar. He can feel the rise and fall of Eddie’s breathing, the little shake of when he laughs.

It drives Steve a little insane— insane in the way that makes him think about burying his fingers in those curls again, about pressing his lips against Eddie’s pretty mouth just to feel the smile against his skin, about digging into his chest so he can climb into his chest and live there.

Yeah, it’s— well, it’s safe to say that the effect of Eddie’s touchiness has sent what was once a fleeting thought of a crush into mind-melting levels of affection.

But he can’t fucking tell.

To Steve’s credit, neither can Eddie.

Which is not surprisingly considering sometimes he catches himself wondering how the hell he ended up here; in a close-knit friendship with band-geek Robin Buckley, princess Nancy Wheeler, and King Steve Harrington.

Okay, the Robin one sort of makes sense. He thinks that if no matter when their paths crossed, he and Robin would’ve always even some sort of strange friends - her snark complimenting his bitchiness. Also, the whole super queer thing helps too. Even the friendship with Nancy works, in its own weird way.

Steve though? He’s the fucking curve ball.

It works though, the two of them. Surprisingly well, actually — the two of them get on like a house on fire, bitchy quips back and forth. Even better, is the quiet that they can share. Steve loves to come around and do… nothing. Do nothing with Eddie, though.

So, even though Eddie had noticed the tension in Steve with touch, little moments where he turned rigid when Eddie’s usual wandering hands got too comfortable — Eddie chalked it up to the usual. Guys bring too uncomfortable with him, too weird about another guy being touchy. It didn’t matter than Eddie wasn’t even out to Steve yet, he was still might be that type of guy.

Well, Eddie had certainly thought so. Sure, Steve might not be one of those jocks who smacked around boys who looked too long in the locker room, but if he knew a smidge of the truth, who really knows. It would explain the tenseness at least.

But then— ‘Can I… have a hug?’ There had been a dozen things Eddie was thinking that Steve could’ve asked for but that? Wasn’t even in the ballpark. It was so left-field it left Eddie speechless for a whole moment. And Steve had been staring at the ceiling, his hands curled up tight again like- like he thought Eddie might say no.

A ridiculous thought, honestly. Anyone who knew Eddie well enough knew he was touchy; loved giving it, loved getting it. Like an overly affectionate cat, Wayne had once called him, just 11 years old, because Eddie’s need for affection seem to never be sated.

After that night, Steve’s lack of touch became far more obvious. It’s always hair ruffles or high-fives, yet never hugs. Normally, Eddie would keep to that boundary; some people are less touchy other than others, he knows that.

But… “Sometimes I realise it’s been awhile, since I’ve had some touch.” That’s what Steve had said, his words. Eddie doesn’t even think he meant to say something so heartbreaking. In fact, the guy seemed embarrassed.

It had thrown Eddie for a loop— because Steve gets around. He’s nearly notorious for one-night stands and failed flings, as Robin loves to drone on about considering she’s subjected to all the flirting. What had originally been a point of envy for Eddie, just saturates the bleakness of Steve’s words. Sex but without a moment of intimacy.

So, while Eddie is miles away from being the person who gets into Steve’s pants — not for lack of want, mind you — he does try hike up the touchiness. Little things. Lingering when he taps him on the arm, hooking his chin over Steve’s shoulder to peer over it, leaning up against him when they’re side by side watching a film.

It’s good. It helps Eddie release the pressure of his stupid monumental god-awful crush he has. Yeah, yeah, it’s laughable, even to Eddie. It’s like Gay 101; don’t get crush on straight dudes, especially the ones you’re friends with. And yet…

Steve lets him. He lets Eddie give him touch, more than he lets anyone else. He still tenses; there’s still always a moment before he can remember to relax, like he’s trying to shake off bad thoughts but then he melts. He always melts into Eddie’s touch eventually — in a way Eddie knows Steve actually loves it, drinks it up as much as he can.

And maybe, Eddie is the biggest fool to grace the Earth to let that fact give him some hope. Sue his gooey heart, he’s a romantic. It’s a quiet hope but, it’s there.

Tonight, it seems relaxing for Steve is been harder than usual— several times has Eddie traced a quite long along Steve’s arms, a subtle point that they were far too tense for someone who was wrapped up in cuddles on the couch. ‘Cos that’s 100% what they are now. Eddie will still call them hugs, but usually, when it’s just the two of them, it becomes this.

Steve, tucked up into the corner of the couch, one leg flush along the back of the couch and one hanging off the edge. It’s the prime position for Eddie to crawl up, wind his arms around Steve’s middle and give him a good squeeze and then settle there. Head on Steve’s chest, lying in the cradle of his hips. Safe. Warm.

It makes him warm, oh very warm to know that he gets this. That Steve doesn’t give this amount of trust to many, if any, other people but Eddie — he trusts Eddie.

“Y’know,” Eddie says, cheeks smushed against the plain of Steve’s pec. It feels deliciously warm and Eddie’s fairly sure he can feel how toned it is just through his cheek. Hot bastard. “I’m actually real glad you asked for that hug all those weeks ago.”

He leaves it there ‘cos he knows Steve will ask. Eddie’s eyes stay on the buzzing tv-screen even as Steve’s head shifts, turning to peer down at the boy slumped on his chest. Eddie’s pretty sure he can see Steve’s mouth twitch up into a smile.

“Yeah?”

“Oh yeah,” Eddie affirms, giving a nod and his eyes flick up to meet Steve’s for just a moment. “Think I’ve had some of the best hugs in the world.”

Okay, that was maybe more honest and sappy than Eddie was going for. He is just letting Steve know he isn’t just doing it for Steve — that he enjoys these moments just as much. He lays it on thick, tries for a smarmy angle.

“Swept up in these pillowy arms?” He croons, giving Steve’s bicep a quick squeeze, making the other chuckle softly. “Who wouldn’t think so? I’m a lucky guy.”

Despite the joking tone, there’s no quick comeback from Steve. That’s alright. Eddie’s quite happy if this is one of the times Steve just takes the compliment; let’s the word sink in and hopefully, believes them, even if it’s just a little bit. He watches the film and doesn’t read into the silence.

Not even when Steve says, “Eddie?” all soft. Nearly shy sounding. It doesn’t quite register to Eddie’s ears.

“Mm?”

“Eddie.” Steve says again, a little firmer and that catches Eddie’s attention. He turns his head and rests his chin on Steve’s chest, his brows drawn together in silent question.

But the moment he makes eye contact, Steve’s doing that scrunched up face again. Is studying the ceiling instead of facing Eddie. And just like all those weeks ago, his hands clench up tight. Twists up the fabric of Eddie’s sweater in between his fingers and uses it to ground himself.

Last time, he asked for a hug. Considering he’s currently just about squishing Steve beneath his body weight, Eddie can’t fathom what he might be worked up to ask for. Unless he was going to ask for something more than a hug— which, well, just wasn’t going to happen, even if Eddie really wanted it to.

“Can I-” Steve starts. He sucks in a breath, almost like he’s gathering courage. But he’s not, because he’s not about to ask for what Eddie hopes for, he’s not, he’s—

Unless…?

“Can I… have a kiss?” Steve asks, barely audible. The sentence is murmured, soft words that hit Eddie like a gentle kiss in itself — imprinting right onto his heart. Steve Harrington wants a kiss — from him!

“Oh.” Eddie says, in a breathy delightful way. He’s fairly certain the little monkey in his brain is clapping its cymbals at double-speed as the words process; or maybe it’s his heart, which feels like it’s leapt up his throat.

“Oh?” Steve echoes, a smile already playing at the edges of his mouth, because he can see Eddie’s want. Because he knows him.

“Yes.” Eddie says suddenly, with a frantic nod, pushing up closer so their faces are aligned. “Yes, absolutely, you can.” He affirms.

Steve huffs a quiet laugh at the eagerness and then his arm that had been slung around Eddie shifts. It moves up til his hand caresses along the line of Eddie’s jaw, tilting him just how he likes.

Eddie holds his breath. Counts the freckles he can see this close. Tries to feel Steve’s heartbeat through where they’re pressed so closely together; can Steve feel his? Thundering and hurried, beating so hard Eddie thinks he might bruise the inside of his ribs.

Then Steve kisses him. And shit, Steve’s lip are better by ten-fold than every daydream Eddie’s ever had about them. They’re warm and so soft — plush and pressing against his own and Eddie is freezing. Fuck, wait, how does this go again? Right, Eddie’s never… well, kissed anybody before.

Steve pulls back and Eddie screws his eyes up — not ready in the slightest for the disappointment of his own shoddy kissing skills. Fuck, did he really just freeze? Steve — Steve Harrington — asks for a kiss and Eddie decides to stab himself in the back by not figuring out how to fuck to kiss back.

“You call that a kiss?” Steve teases and Eddie’s well aware of the parallel — of the irony of Steve repeating his own words back at him. But he can’t make himself laugh even though it’s funny. Instead, a little groan wiggles out his throat.

“I’m sorry,” Eddie says, earnest. He forces his eyes opens — he needs to see what’s Steve’s thinking. Where he’s expecting disappointment or perhaps regret, is only patience. Maybe a touch of concern. Eddie continues, despite the humiliation that makes his throat sticky.

“I haven’t- I don’t do this often.” He coughs awkwardly clearing his throat and hoping it hides the next word. “Ever.”

There’s a jump in Steve’s eyebrows, a moment of surprise in his eyes that lets him know he did, indeed, hear that final word. It makes Eddie feel… well, it’s nice that Steve had expected him to have been kissed by now. Even if he hasn’t. He tries to take it as a compliment.

“That’s okay,” Steve assures. Absentmindedly, his thumb rubs soothing along Eddie’s jaw. It makes Eddie shiver, some outrageous amount of joy clawing into every nerve. Steve likes Eddie. He wants to kiss Eddie.

“Do you want to try again?”

Eddie nods before the questions even out of his mouth. Steve smiles, all sunshine. This time when he draws Eddie in, he notices the way Eddie holds his breath — the rigidness in his body.

Steve kisses him again, another short and soft one and then whispers against his lips, “Relax.”

‘Cos isn’t tonight just full of the parallels, Eddie thinks. He listens, tries to focus on how sweet Steve’s kiss is than his panicky heart, forcing out a breath between the kisses. His hands along Steve’s sides find a grip, grounding and good, and by the fourth kiss, he begins to feel a bit melty.

It’s good. It’s really good. Kissing Steve is top 5– nay, the top moment of his life so far. Somehow, it’s made all that much better knowing the build-up behind it. Knowing that Steve knows he isn’t just kissing him for a heat of the moment — that Eddie wants kisses here, kisses before bed, in the morning, on dates. Eddie wants Steve.

And with the way he kisses, Eddie’s pretty sure Steve wants him just as bad.

It doesn’t take long for Steve to reach what Eddie decides is an ultra pretty fuckin’ state; lips swollen from kisses, cheeks flushed, hair a little mussed up. He bets he looks no better. The thought makes him grin, enough they have to break the kiss ‘cos Eddie can’t stop his stupid happy grin ‘cos shit— he actually gets to have this Steve.

“What?” Steve asks, somehow half heart-eyed and half suspicious at the mischief in Eddie’s eyes.

“Can I... have a hickie?”

now with a part three !

#at this point call this the 'can i' series #sweet boys asking each other for things they most certainly would be given <3 #but don't think they will <3 #tried to flip it and make it so even tho eddie is used to touch. the romantic touch? he's got none! that's where he's touch-starved #ALSO EVERYONE'S TAGS WERE SO NICE ON THE LAST ONE #trust i am. not feelin so bad nowadays (me saying this like 4 days later lmao)#but <3 thank u all #gay ppl in my phone.... you know what to do #ruby writes steddie #steve x eddie #steddie #steddie fic #steddie ficlet #touch-starved steve harrington #not rlly anymore hehe #does anyone notice that it ends with yet another 'can i?" question? HEHE #yet again stib gets kisses where ruby doesn't but alas <3 dis is way fluffier this time #nearly went the angst route! and went hmmmm naur #ok ok i'll be quiet now

5K notes · View notes

dreamsy990 · 7 months

Text

you know i used to think it was weird how sora and roxas have such different personalities for supposedly being 'the same person' but after playing a few games i sort of realized that they do have similar personalities, because roxas acts how sora does when he's under extreme stress.

compare roxas to sora in, say, kh1. that's where a lot of peoples idea of sora's personality comes from. sora is generally very upbeat and optimistic in that game. not very similar to roxas, right?

but let's switch the game and talk about a game where sora is ABSOLUTELY GOING THROUGH IT. chain of memories.

sora's resting state is melancholy in com. he only ever cheers up in short bursts, usually when he's joking around with friends. just like roxas.

he's quick to anger, and tends to lash out at the organization members. best example of this is when larxene makes him 'remember' namine, and he swings at her repeatedly, even after she's gone. he only stops when jiminy is able to snap him out of it.

you know what scene that resembles?

sora, while a bit more on the angry side and less sad, continues to act like this in kh2 when he's in stressful situations. (he also has a tendancy to insult people which, while it's not very related to the point, is very funny and sora saying 'gonna cry?' to xigbar is great.) i cant comment any further than that about kh2 off the top of my head.

so, roxas acts like sora does when he's stressed, right? but why is roxas always acting like that? to which i say, he isnt!

he only ever acts like that when he's also in fucked up and stressful situations, which happens to be a CONSTANT in his life. but when he's hanging out with axel and xion, a decidedly NOT stressful situation, he's a lot more like sora. he's teasing his friends and insulting his coworkers and joking around and acting like a normal kid. not really important, but unless i misremembered some sora lines which is VERY possible, both roxas and sora respond to friendly insults with "oh thanks!" a lot. just a funny little detail that felt relevant.

the biggest differences between roxas and sora boil down to environment and... i dont know how to put it besides volume? roxas is very quiet and tends to keep most of his thoughts to himself, while sora is very loud and expressive in comparison.

there is one other huge difference i noticed, which is less character based and more story. sora wanted to get off destiny islands and explore with his friends, but roxas just wanted routine. sora wants adventure, and roxas wants things to stay the same, for days where he gets off work and eats ice cream with his friends to last forever, to keep having conversations about nothing and watching the sunset. roxas wants normalcy, sora wants excitement. it's just interesting seeing their contrast.

not sure if this is very well said or anything i just wanted to talk about my boys

#random thoughts #its been a while since i got to use that tag eheheh #i bet theres a few people following me who didnt even know i did analysis posts #the fact that sora and roxas grew up in very different environments is pretty important btw #roxas was already a bit quiet and being in a cult where any expression of emotion is immediately shut down probably didnt help #we'll probably never get a good idea of how roxas would be if he was in a normal situation #id say some of the twilight town stuff might be a close estimate but even that doesnt really fit considering all the shit going down #even from the very start hes being accused of theft hes Not doing the best #anyways. sora and roxas are different obviously #but theyre a lot more similar than people really talk about #kingdom hearts #roxas #sora #not rereading this so it might be a little weird and hard to read sorry

2K notes · View notes

dovewingkinnie · 3 months

Text

the doppelgangers in elevator hitch kind of (just found this game am in love)

#i just watched the gameplay of the game #(too dumb to play puzzle games)#i have #a lot of things to say #about coworker #but i will be quiet for now #anyways the doppelgangers #whats up with them!#this is probably not in character #just thought it was funny LMAO #i wanted to use this audio for ages now #i dont know how to draw these characters at all #im still getting used to it #its like #my first time #so #elevator hitch

403 notes · View notes

delta-piscium · 1 year

Text

Murray, after watching Steve and Eddie for all of five seconds, confidently walks up to them and starts his whole spiel about pining blah blah etc etc, and like, Steve will absolutely not have that, there is no way.

So he snorts, looks at Murray down his nose, and with zero hesitation lies, tells him “We’ve been dating for a month, congrats on seeing the obvious... Or not since you couldn’t tell”

He just hopes Eddie will play along. Steve is sending him the strongest signals with his mind right now, and, just, he knows Eddie can be petty like this too (that’s why he likes him so much, and yeah Murray is a little right but fuck him so much more for it)

Eddie ‘lives for the bit and to fuck with people’ Munson does not disappoint. He slings an arm around Steve and is like “Yeaaahhh wow, real clever observation there buddy.” In the driest tone imaginable

And Murray, well he was sure he was right, still kind of is sure he’s right so he just squints at them for a bit and then breaks out in a wide grin, and only sounds a little sarcastic when he says “Congrats on figuring your shit out yourselves.”

Except he absolutely does not mean it because he wanted to do that, he likes doing that. And now he's sulking and will watch them so closely because something seems off

Eddie and Steve, so committed to the bit and to not let Murray win, start fake dating. All while Murray tries to catch them in their lie, and they’re all too stubborn to give up

Murray starts to slowly think he maybe was wrong though because they really seem like a couple. And even though there’s still something there he can’t ignore the proof.

When they straight up make out in front of him, and he can tell that they’re so lost in each other they probably don’t know he’s there he's about to concede

But then after that, they act so weird around each other again? It’s like before but worse and how did the pining get worse when they’re actually openly together? Regularly have their tongues down each other's throats and all?

Meanwhile, Steve and Eddie are going through it because they thought they’d be okay but that kiss was so much, and oh god they don’t think they can do this? But they can’t let Murray win?

A week and a half later at their monthly 'we survived the apocalypse, again' get-together at Hoppers and Joyce’s, Murray just gets enough of how twitchy they are. He grabs them both and locks them in a closet and is like “I don’t wanna know anymore, whatever fight you had or didn’t figure it out”

They sort of stand there shuffling from foot to foot not marking eye contact until Eddie is just like “Oh for fucks sake, I like you for real okay? The bastard was right so can we actually just date? Please?” And all Steve's can do is say "Thank god," while he smiles the most blinding smile and grabs Eddie by his collar pulling him in for a kiss

Fifteen minutes later they come out of the closet (the irony and symbolism is not lost on them) all disheveled and a little too satisfied looking and are met with very loud screaming from all the younger teens, ranging from a simple “Ew!” (Mike) to “Dude we are right here what if we'd heard? Or walked in there and seen?” (Dustin)

They’re lucky they’re too distracted by this to see Murray's self-satisfied smirk because if they did they would have pretend broken up and there would have been another month of sneaking around but this time actually dating and pretending they weren’t

#I'm bringing you all another steddie gets Murray'd take because well I can #and bc I think they'd be so bitchy to him about it and like see it as war #they refuse to admit he got them together until years later and even then they're like 'we would have gotten there quicker and with less #confusion without him- he was a roadblock actually'#they’re bitch boyfriends ok?#Murray moves on to Nancy and Robin after this and both Nancy who has been Murray'd before and Robin who knew this whole mess #just shake their heads and is like 'you quiet- we are not doing this let us figure out our own lives'#dels steddie thoughts #steddie headcanon #my post #steddie ficlet #murray bauman #stranger things #eddie munson #steve harrington #steddie

2K notes · View notes