🎭: how different are they with strangers versus people they trust?
@2pistols | SYMBOL HC PROMPTS.
so many ways to answer this question. t'challa has a habit of building many masks. i wouldn't consider him "two-faced", as he never intends to stab his loved ones in the back. but... the version of himself presented to strangers is meticulously curated—a potent fusion of diplomatic poise, unreadable stillness, and language, as firm or gentle, as it needs to be. with strangers, i'll say he's approachable, but he does have a disposition about him that lets people know not to get overly familiar with him, unless he allows it. he's not cruel, but his title instills him with boundaries he naturally enforces, and if he needs to remind somebody of his position, then he will do so.
outside that, he purposefully presents as a neutral, until the situation calls for his exact position with the person or the conversation at hand.
but with those he trusts? he does not lower his guard so much as he shifts the posture of it. those closest to him often don't realize how thoroughly he's studied them: their tells, their history. he maps people like explorers maps new terrain. out of love. but love, for t'challa, is often entangled with his penchant for preparation.
because he is the boy who lost his father to a foreigner who should'ven ever been able to breach wakanda's borders. because he remembers betrayal, the sounds of it, those who proudly sided with klaw in his invasion, those who were silent when it happened. because the throne didn't just crown him as the boy-king... it isolated him. and that isolation taught him that even those within your circle could be liabilities if you did not fully understand them.
so he learns people. methodically... psychologically. what makes them waver? what compels them to rise? what unhealed wound still influences their decision-making? which lines not to cross, and which ones must be crossed if that time comes? he learns this secret in conversations or observation; he doesn't ask for them. it all becomes classified information in the safe in his mind.
this often makes his relationships feel uneven ( and he received plenty of critique from his peers from it when they found out ). because he knows people far more intimately than they know him. they share their lives freely. he stores their details behind soft humor, casual, unassuming conversations, and quiet nods. but when they ask him how he feels, he either redirects or offers information that may not prove too harmful. he doesn't do this to manipulate those in his circles. he does it out of fear.
what we should know about t'challa on this matter is this: he's not a cold-hearted man.
he remembers his people's birthdays. he notices when there's a change in your gait. he senses when you're about to be affected by the flu and will help you remedy it. he knows when the antisocials of the group retreat in the back of the meetings, trying to render themselves invisible. if you're close to the edge, he's the friend that'll intervene expeditiously and pull you back before your breaking point puts you in a place of no return. he's a caring man. he's a loyal man. and he is awfully generous. but...
it rarely comes as open emotional availability, even if it presents as such. this mainly pertains to the superpowered community, but generally, having a dynamic with t'challa means there is likely a contigency plans being developed as time goes on. it's for protection.
this means he treats his friends as both beloved people anddddd potential fault lines. because he lacks trust in the world.
so when things are cool, calm... he's warm in subtle, and big ways. but when things start to look chaotic, and he's pushed, t'challa becomes very clinical. he learns people's position on the board. he looks to dive further into the depths of his circumstances, the depth of his internal walls, and go through the files—those he knows, and those he doesn’t. it becomes most visible when necessary.
his love is absolutely real. there's evidence for that. his loyalty is unwavering. but you may never know just how deeply he feels, until the time comes, for better or worse..
