I’ve designed suits for the Rats, and I’ve gone into my own theories on their bionics. But I haven’t really gone into how I imagine Leo functions. A crime I wish to rectify, here’s a look at not only my take on his suit, but also his bionics as a whole
A small warning for... gore? There’s no blood or 1-1 accurate anatomy, but the lad gets peeled
Yeah that’s right we’re going CLEAN for this bad boy
So in the show, Douglas says that the doctors determined Leo would never be able to use his arm again. Which, absolutely true; getting a stone pillar dropped on you from 10+ feet isn’t something you can walk away from unscathed. It’s implied (but not explicitly said) that the arm would’ve been amputated
Key point being would’ve been. Douglas says something that I found interesting
“Doctor said you'd never be able to use your arm again, and I wasn't about to let that happen. So, I used bionic components to save it.”
He saved the arm, meaning he didn’t replace it. But only so much of the original realistically could’ve survived that level of trauma. Bones shattered, muscles torn, ligaments severed, the works. So there’s gotta be quite a bit going on beneath the skin to achieve what Douglas did
It’s established that Leo doesn’t have a chip. Combine that with the bionics only being limited to his arm and the suddenness of the procedure, I’m gonna say that he doesn’t have nanobots like I theorized for the Rats. Instead, his bionics are closer to Krane’s model in the sense of relying on physical implants to support the body.
The replacement bones are metal and rigged more or less as clunkier chips that send the necessary signals throughout his arm. And the plating is an extra layer of protection for what remains of this poor kid’s muscles, along with guiding the muscle into the correct positions. My rendition is loose at best, but there’s only so far I’m willing to go before it looks like a completely different style
A note for the skin, it played a big part in me giving Leo freckles! The synthetic skin would theoretically be “perfect” and free of blemish, so post-incident, Leo would have a visual nod to it that’s subtle, but distinct
Now the HAND is where the fun is. The base material is different for flexibility and rigged with the conductors. There’s also a plate with conductors on the back of the hand as well, ‘cause I wanted to give his ability more range
My logic is this: If Douglas wanted to give Leo a way to fend for himself, why limit him to throwing stuff? Kid’s not super athletic; we see that if (and when) someone catches up to him, he’s toast. So I dipped into Chase’s pool and gave him a baton and shield that he can generate. Due to the limitation of his bionics, he can’t form anything larger than shown above, but it gives him an edge in close quarters
Fun fact: Chase’s staff is canonically called a laser bo, while Leo’s ability is referred to as laser spheres. So hey, all the more reason to overlap
And finally the suit. This one’s short ‘cause honestly? His canon suit was kinda fire. I really didn’t change much outside of simplifying it. Gave him a few more pops of color to break up the black and leaned into a more casual look. I had fun with his jacket, leaned into the asymmetry. He doesn’t need heavy padding on that arm, so the sleeve’s been shortened. Add the crooked hood/zipper and he’s got his own flare!
Horrible, awful habit of running my thumb on my lip when I think. Holding the tip of it between my teeth, letting it rest on the swell of my bottom lip, letting my tongue just barely touch the very tip of it; cannot - will not - stop thinking about Neuvillette fixating on it.
It's nothing significant - it should be nothing significant - but oh. There's something about it. The motion of your thumb running over the deep curve of your bottom lip, up along the crest and pausing on the dip of your cupid's bow, before continuing its path back down to settle back in the middle of your bottom lip; as though it's a pillow for it to rest while you gather your thoughts. The indentation as you push down ever so slightly, just enough to let the tip slide in. It's barely enough to even count as your mouth being open; your lips are too full to let more than the barest hint of teeth show where they're lightly closed around your nail. Your tongue is just barely raised to meet the intrusion. It's almost an invisible action, but he can see the tiniest flicker of movement when your tongue presses against the tip, and it makes something in him ache.
Neuvillette doesn't understand it; how something so innocent, so casual, could send these licks of desire straight through him. How, even though it does not (fully) distract him from the topic at hand, he finds himself following every move with his eyes while you're blissfully unaware. How he wonders if you'd make the same expression if it were his thumb against your lips. Or even, how you'd look if it were something else entirely -
It's not long before he slips up. His hand moves faster than yours, and while he tilts your chin up against his fingers his thumb rests against that curved swell of your lip; he's almost lost in the softness of it. He can feel your surprised gasp through the thin material of his glove along with the startled whisper of his name you let out and - oh, it sends a flame through him. He can't stop himself as he follows that familiar path, feeling the gentle dips that he's traced with his eyes so frequently.
He blinks. His mind catches up with his actions.
"Forgive me," said so calmly, as if Neuvillette's heart wasn't racing in his ears.
Yet he doesn't stop. He lets his thumb continue that path, rest on your cupid's bow, before coming back to rest on your bottom lip. Your lips are already parted, they have been the entire time, but he can't help but gently tug your lips down just a bit further. Just a little hint of that temptation -
"I was simply curious."
Surely you will pull away. Surely you will reprimand him for touching you so freely, so...wantonly.
"Only curious?"
For the first time since he'd moved, Neuvillette's eyes meet yours, and he can't describe the feeling curling through him when he sees that telltale spark in your eyes. Though, perhaps the softly stifled groan he lets out when you open your mouth oh so slightly to let his thumb rest against your teeth tells on his emotions more than he could put into words. You tease him with a bite and watch as his pupils dilate at the action, listen as he sucks in an uncharacteristically sudden breath. Relish in the hint of gravel that lingers on his exhale.
"...only curious." A lie. A blatant lie. But...perhaps it's one you can let him slip away with for now.
Hiii, i love your stuff and kinda from a distance really look up at you for, in my perception, being able to express yourself without giving a fuck. Thats sick dude, Im so so afraid, of absolutely everything, its nice to think like i might grow into someone less apologetic of my existence. Nice to see people just being yknow
hey, thank you, this is really really nice. the secret that is probably not a secret is that i am also deeply afraid a lot of the time lmao -- but less than i used to be, and in ways that feel less stifling and self-suffocating, if that makes sense.
like, it used to be "i'm scared that if i express myself the way i want to, everyone will find me obnoxious, so let's just sand those edges down to be safe" -- now my fears are more like "now that i'm expressing myself in a way that feels natural and real, i'm afraid that it's all stupid/vapid/not worthwhile or meaningful" (<- specifically abt my art) or "i'm happy that i talk and act the way i want to now, but what if it makes me impossible to befriend," etc etc etc. which still feels bad and puts me in a funk a lot of the time but at least it's a fear that comes After/in reaction to doing stuff, rather than a fear that STOPS me from doing stuff, you know? like, it's evolved into a kind of fear that's less in my way.
anyway. i believe you'll experience something like this, because wanting to grow is the first step of growing. the fact that u hope or wish for something different means you're already on your way. to fewer fucks!! or at least distributing the fucks u give in a way that serves u better
Another pinup piece of my Skyrim dragonborn, Vakna lol might color it, might not. She is singlehandedly responsible for me learning how to draw big muscles and abs
Dethvanity is really funny to me conceptually as an episode because you can see how little they had to make the characters insecure about for the bit. They swing for obvious lowblow choices with Pickle' baldness and Nathan's weight and even those require some suspension of disbelief because ok. Sure. Nathan '(said extremely proudly) never skipped a meal in my life!' Explosion is insecure about being a big man now. Nathan *guy who everyone thinks is smoking hot 99% of the time* Explosion is a tiny bit larger than usual and is insecure about it now. Lol. Lmao even.
But anyway then we hit Skwisgaar and Toki and there's like NOTHING to swing for, you can see them going uhhh ok Skwis doesn't sleep he probably drinks a lot of coffee, and Toki? Shit, what does Toki have to be insecure about with his looks. He's perfect, he's adorable, he's ripped. Um. FUCK IT, HE'S DOING NOTHING BUT EATING LEMONS. WE GOT NOTHING, WE GOT NOTHING, JUST GIVE THE BOY CITRUS FRUITS.
WOE 🍋 BE UPON YE
I'm sure i could make some smarter points about the attempts at applying vanity in this ep and how outside of this and a few other moments i do actually like that the show rarely takes pot shots at things like Nathan's weight, but you see Nathan has shirtless scenes in this one and so my intelligence is impeded when all the blood rushes out of my head and into my-
Kenjaku would kill in the name of love me thinks <3
OH ????? 👀👀👀 hmm …. very interesting proposition anon…… i associate this a lot more w geto but!! give me a couple seconds to think about it………
kenjaku and love …….. hmmMM….. it’s tough to think about 😔 i do think he loves passionately but not in the way geto does (devoutly, borderline worship, etc), more like… in a kind of way where he’d remember you forever. no matter how many millenia pass. he’s absolutely the kind of freak who would bring you back from death somehow… in some way…… yk that One anime trope of like. losing the person you love and making an android version of them To Cope? that’s kenjaku coded. he’d give you the existential crisis of all time just because he misses your voice. it’s love but it’s … horror. yk?
but i do think that as opposed to geto kenjaku is distanced from love as a concept…. he would 100% kill for you (and very casually at that!!) but i’m not sure if he’d do it in the name of love (ie viewing it as an act of love the way geto would). i can see him being a romantic at heart but more in a sense where he’ll never forget you once you’ve wormed your way into his heart…. he’ll always think fondly of you. human connection is something he cherishes and even though he’s kind of cold by nature i think he’d have a soft spot for you that never really goes away. i don’t see his love being quiteee as heavy as geto’s though…. or at least not as explosive.
I’M JUST SPITBALLING TO BE CLEAR i love talking abt this freak and i love hearing different takes on him :33 i’m still sort of building my own take on kenjaku’s view of love + ways to show love… it’s sooo interesting to me . BUT PLS FEEL FREE TO ELABORATE ANON i’d love to know your own thoughts!!! plspls!!!! i’m begging for kenny crumbs!!!!!! 🙏🙏