living weapon who’s been trained not to speak but has a very obvious ‘tell’
- eye twitch
- mouth twitch
- white knuckling whatever they’re holding
- sideways glance
- maybe even a scoff
they can’t help it, it just comes out
i think it takes a while for them to talk about everything
i love thinking about body language esp with these two, i think when they first try to be there for each other they keep their hands to themselves lmaoo.
deku is so stubborn and loves to pretend he's fine so he's not gonna go in for a hug (which is why he hugs himself) but also, he needs some contact when he's anxious so he kind of leans into bakugo and they just sit like that for a while they're so unserious.
i think bakugo is even worse (he lovess to shove his hands into his pockets) and needs to be pulled into some physical contact (he needs it too when he feels queasy).
i like to draw them hugging and such but i think it takes a while for them to get there as teens, eventually they're familiar enough with each other's body language to know when the protest against being pulled into a hug is serious or not and they would respect each other's boundaries <3
I imagined Bruce did coke in his twenties for a second but then I was just like no that's Brucie, young Bruce Wayne is so anti-drug it's lame, young Bruce Wayne is a bit of an alcoholic who's trained himself to have a high tolerance but occasionally at parties he messes up his with his pain meds by accident (?) and goes on a rant about cartel violence whenever anyone pulls out anything. Young Bruce Wayne did actually punch a guy, that was just smoking in public, as batman. Young Bruce Wayne once accidentally took a edible and went home and cried in alfred's lap for a while because he was too stoned.
This is first year stuff he gains nuance quite quickly (goes to AA)
Living weapon PTSD
Content: punishment aftermath, scars
(stoic whumpee vibes)
Sees someone pick up a long thin object, immediately winces and takes a rigid, chin-up posture like a soldier in line
Or (if severely triggered) yanks off their shirt in one fluid motion, turns and faces the wall, bracing their hands against it for support
If they see a weapon they watch it, and whoever has it, like a hawk
Trying to figure out who's in charge no matter what situation they're in. Using a formal tone with them even if they're TRYING to just be normal
Tensing up around people that act/speak like whumper. They don't want to embarrass themselves by flinching every five seconds so they're just going to flex every muscle until they are gone.
Self aware of their stiff posture. Sitting down and forcing themselves to relax into a couch and put on a fake smile
Caretaker seeing their scars and covering their mouth.
In that event, whumpee flushing and covering them because they're still ashamed of "earning" the punishments that left those marks
Or if they're from combat, smiling and telling the story proudly because they made their owner proud that day and they weren't punished
Trying to explain what happened and then suddenly going quiet
Answering questions like they're being interrogated by a superior
Refusing to speak because they're flashing back to a time they were interrogated in an enemy compound
Every now and again, Noelle breaks things.
Not as in she accidentally snaps a pencil or messes up when fixing a grapple, though that does happen, when Noelle breaks things on purpose it’s… a lot.
Dear followers, today I offer you: this bullshit
Tomorrow: who knows
A trope I love is the moment Caretaker just goes 'Damn it'
That moment Whumpee says/does something that makes Caretaker realize just how fucked up Whumpee's life has been. Maybe they tried to hate Whumpee, maybe Whumpee was their enemy, and now they have to realize Whumpee isn't just an evil, soulless killer. But instead, someone who has been hurt just as much as they were.
Just that moment, maybe Whumpee is confused by a normal concept, doesn't know what something is, because they've never had it. Maybe they say something about their own body, that's 'normal' (hint: it's not. It's really not).
("Do you need a painkiller?"
"A what?")
And they know Whumpee isn't trying to manipulate them. They're just... confused. This is normal to them.
And just... damn it.
What did they do to you?