malleus draconia is genuinely one of the most misunderstood characters in the fandom and it drives me a little insane
people treat him like a looming threat. a savage. this unknowable monster who knows exactly how terrifying he is and enjoys it. but the thing is… he doesn’t. he genuinely does not know what he did
malleus has a powerful aura that pushes people away before he ever gets the chance to speak. by the time he opens his mouth, the decision has already been made for him. people are scared. people avoid him. people whisper. so he learns to be quiet. calm. distant. not because he dislikes others, but because that’s what’s expected of him
he doesn’t struggle to talk to people. he’s just used to being feared or hated, and that kind of treatment teaches you to stop reaching out
and then people turn around and say he’s antisocial
he doesn’t get invited to events not because he wouldn’t go, but because his sense of time is different as a fae and because people assume he wouldn’t want to be there anyway. so he’s late. or forgotten. or left out entirely. and over time, that becomes his normal
he enjoys solitude, yes, but there’s a difference between choosing to be alone and being consistently excluded
what really gets ignored is how young he is emotionally
he grew up isolated in briar valley. sheltered. revered. kept apart from the world. he wasn’t taught how to form casual friendships or let things go. so when he finally does love something, or someone, he clings hard
he’s protective to a fault. not out of malice, but out of fear. fear of loss. fear of change. fear of waking up one day and realizing something precious slipped away without him noticing
this is the same character who repeatedly hatches and raises his tamagotchi because he can’t accept that it was designed to die. the same character who doesn’t understand technology but looks at people who do with genuine admiration. the same character who tries new things because someone encouraged him to, not because he has to
he has a playful streak. a childish curiosity. a sense of humor that misses the mark because no one ever stayed long enough to learn how he jokes
malleus isn’t cold. he’s cautious
he isn’t cruel. he’s inexperienced
he isn’t a monster looming in the background. he’s a lonely fae who learned very early that wanting connection doesn’t mean you’ll get it
and really, the tragedy of malleus draconia isn’t that people fear him
it’s that they fear him so much they never bother to ask who he actually is
