we've talked about wyll's bit and we all know about astarion's bit but let's talk about gale's bit. let's talk about his presentation as the Ideal of what it is to be an archmage. the man wears purple velvet pajamas with an embroidered collar to camp in the underdark. he wears a gay little earring with mystra's symbol on it. its all fun and games to joke about his jammies but let's be clear: those things Fuck. he dresses well, he dresses richly, he is a wealthy lavish man who, in a world where things like long hair are not traditionally associated with femininity, is not what I would call gender nonconforming, but I think he does have a very interesting presentation.
robes and jewellery are traditionally associated with wizardry and femininity - or, if not femininity, at least nonmasculinity. theyre the garments of monks, eunuchs, and nuns, people who stand outside of the typical sex/gender binary for socially accepted reasons. traditionally most archmages are men (karsus, mordenkainen, elminster, etc) who perform this exact presentation. the doylist explanation is, of course, that dnd canon is inherently misogynistic, but the in-universe implication would suggest that to present in this way is not regarded as gender non-conformation but as class conformation. so our options are:
wizardry is for gayboys
'wizard' is its own gender
gender presentation is less important than getting that sweet sweet +1 spell save dc and everyone knows it
class is a gender modifier. this has interesting implications for the other classes - particularly ones like clerics, which might have prescribed uniforms or vestments - but given that faerun does have a not-insignificant classless, non-adventurer population- how does it work for them?
regardless, I think it's fair to say that gale's bit - like wyll's is the Blade of Frontiers and astarion's as the seductive rake - is The Archmage. he presents himself, from the start, as an academic, as a wizard. he's a friend of elminster, the (ex-)chosen of mystra, gale of waterdeep - he's everything a Wizard should be. even when he's tadpoled, camping in the woods, he carries a stack of unread books, wears mystra's symbol, wears his purple velvet jammies. he's presenting himself with care and thought, and giving a highly specific impression. I think it's really interesting that, as much as wyll and astarion, he's putting on a front, and it plays into his story. do you encourage the side of him that's ambitious and daring, the archmage, the man who pushes the boundaries of power and knowledge - or do you try to break that down, and place the value on the man who just wants to sit in front of the fire with his cat and read a book?
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Eddie has a lot of nicknames for Steve - Stevie, sweetheart, big boy, baby, darlin', it seems like he adds new ones every week - and Steve adores every single one. The way Eddie beams when he says "Stevie." How he winks when he calls him "darlin'." The once over he gives Steve as he tacks on a "big boy" to whatever it is he just said that Steve can't properly process now because all he can do is stare at Eddie's lips.
But Steve's favorite?
It's the day his parents call to say they aren't coming back to Hawkins. That the house in the Hamptons is just so much more comfortable for the two of them. That they don't care what he does with the other house, the house he grew up in, the house he still lives in, as long as they don't have to deal with it. He doesn't even hear the flimsy excuses they give for leaving him behind because all it sounds like to Steve is "whatever you do, just don't bother us anymore."
He wants to scream, to smash something, to tear the entire house to pieces when he hangs up the phone. But what he does instead is lay on his bed, his arms wrapped around his knees, staring at the wallpaper he wishes he could set on fire.
Which is how Eddie finds him an hour later when he comes over for their weekly movie night.
"Stevie?" he calls, coming up the stairs, worry in his voice. Steve can hear him pause in the doorway before he comes over to the bed. Feels the mattress dip as Eddie sits next to him.
"Hey, sunshine," he says and Steve hasn't heard that one before but it doesn't really matter at the moment.
"Not feeling particularly sunny right now, Eds," he scoffs. Or tries, since his voice is a lot wobblier than he wants it to be.
Eddie doesn't say anything, just lays a gentle hand on Steve's shoulder, tugs a little to get Steve to turn toward him. He resists for half a second, but he also can't deny Eddie anything, even now, so he rolls to face him.
"Storm clouds, thunder, rain, doesn't really matter, you're still my sunshine," Eddie murmurs with a soft smile, pushing Steve's hair back from his face.
And Steve can't help it then, can't stop the sob that tears from his chest as he curls against Eddie. Eddie, who doesn't even know what happened yet, doesn't know why Steve is sobbing into his shoulder, doesn't know that Steve isn't wanted, but who wraps him up in his arms and hangs on tight anyway.
He's humming something as he rubs a hand up and down Steve's back, the vibrations rumbling into Steve's chest and its soothing and soon Steve's sobs are hiccuping breaths. Eddie doesn't let go though, doesn't move away, and now he's softly singing into Steve's ear and Steve almost wants to laugh because of course that's what he's singing. Of course he is.
But Steve doesn't laugh because it's perfect actually and so he just tucks his face against Eddie's neck and listens and breathes and decides it doesn't matter if his parents don't want him because Eddie does. Because with every note Eddie is telling him he makes him happy, that he loves him, that he doesn't ever want to lose him.
And Steve is finally able to lean back just a little, tell Eddie what happened. Sees the storm clouds roll over Eddie's face on his behalf, knows he really does mean it when he tells Steve he'll help him burn down that house in the Hamptons if he wants. Presses their foreheads together with a shaky laugh as he tells Eddie its okay, he's okay, he's going to be okay.
Eddie sighs, softly kisses his cheek. "What can I do to help?"
"Stay?" Steve asks, "Just stay with me?"
And Eddie is nodding, shifting so he can lay down and tuck Steve tight against him. They're quiet now and Steve listens to the beat of Eddie's heart, feels it pulse against the hand he has splayed across Eddie's chest. Tentatively asks, "Could you maybe keep singing? Until -"
Until what? Until he falls asleep? Until it doesn't hurt anymore? Until he really believes what Eddie was singing?
But it doesn't matter because Eddie just starts humming right where he left off and Steve falls asleep to words he can feel in the vibrations of Eddie's voice under his ear and the soothing fingertips moving up and down his arm.
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
So, yeah, sunshine is definitely Steve's favorite nickname.
You make me happy when skies are gray.
Because when he has a rotten day - he has to deal with a terrible customer or the teens are being particularly bratty or the whine of the dying vcr at work rewinding a tape sounded a little too much like a horde of demon bats shrieking across the sky -
You'll never know dear how much I love you.
Eddie takes one look at him and gives him that certain soft smile. "C'mere, sunshine," he says, laying down on the couch and pulling Steve on top of him, running gentle fingers through his hair. And he quietly sings until Steve's shoulders relax and his breath evens out and there is no place else in the world he would rather be.
Please don't take my sunshine away.
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