it's funny, I was talking to someone last night who didn't really know what an illustrator was. so when I introduced myself as one, he gave a speech that would've probably gone over well with a gallery artist, but which was precision-tailored to make any illustrator within a 50 mile radius go into eyes-glowing-red kill mode.
his speech was about how there is a difference between craft and art, and how people can practice craft (as in, skillfully execute a painting) without it having any artistic merit.
so I'm someone who gets paid to paint waffles for restaurant menus and dinosaurs for museums exhibits, and AHHHHHH! AHHHHHHH! you can't make art without it being something something you've made. does that make sense? like every illustrator I know has an individual way of approaching any given imagery that is informed by a lifetime of inspiration, and of passive intake of culture, and of the specific mistakes they make because of whatever their particular mass of grey matter deems as important thing to render or unimportant, just fuck it up.
I can make something that is informed by both a century of Canadian print-making and by my own particular neurosis, and it can also be commissioned commercial imagery that I regurgitate without care because I want to pay my mortgage. everything is art, nothing isn't art, art is something sticky and impossible to shake off of you.
anyway he got very wide-eyed and said "I'm sorry if I offended you," so today I feel a bit bad for having gotten so, uh.... excited.
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I just had to agree, that a huge Alastor fight scene is really all I want for season 2!
During "Stayed Gone", Valentino mentions a time that Alastor almost beat Vox, which implies that he narrowly lost in a fight between them.
He was badly injured in the fight with Adam, and had to retreat.
By the rule of three, it would be so poetic and amazing, if we got a fight scene where he doesn't back down, but continues to fight with everything he has, and emerges the unquestioned victor, wiping the smiles off the Vee's faces for good.
Bonus points if he actually accepts help from his found family, in the form of backup and helping him heal afterwards. He's so stuck on being a lone wolf (well, deer...), that him slowly learning to trust others would be such delicious character growth!
Actually, the way I interpreted Valentino saying that Alastor "almost beat Vox," is that during their fight Alastor was about to beat him. Like, if it continued, Vox was 100% going to lose. But the battle didn't see an actual end, with an actual victor, because, in my headcanon/theory, Vox was forced to retreat.
If Vox won, even narrowly, I don't think he would've been nearly as defensive or annoyed at Valentino for bringing it up. If the fight ended with Alastor retreating (or even losing), Vox would've milked the shit out of that. He would never let Alastor live that down. Hell, if the fight was recorded in any way, he'd be playing that shit on loop.
I think with Vox losing, it'd make him simultaneously eager for a rematch, but also nervous to fight Alastor head-on again considering he nearly lost (which might also explain why they never came face-to-face in season one. They only interacted from a distance, through their different mediums), and why he was SO happy when Alastor lost during the Extermination. He was living vicariously through Adam during that fight (Adams victory was HIS victory) because Alastor finally got a taste of the humiliation and defeat Vox felt all those years ago (and STILL feels, even now).
And considering all of that, I will go FERAL if there's a fight with all the Vees versus Alastor. I want to see what they can do. There are different ways to be powerful out side of strength and magical ability (see Rosie who's not physically or magically as strong as the other Overlords), so I want to see what Valentino and Velvette can do in a fight or on an intellectual level. The brains and the brawn (and whatever Valentino is.) I would laugh so hard if Valentino is actually the muscle of the Vee's. He's got very few braincells, but he can lift 2x his own weight, all they got to do is point him in the right direction. He's all muscle.
And I want that fight to be a close one too. In fact, if Alastor LOSES in that fight, my god, would that be such an angsty, complicated, even more humbling experience for him. Vox would be fucking THRIVING. He would be reveling. He finally beat the Radio Demon. He finally beat Alastor (and the complicated emotions. GOD the emotions that they'll both have during and after that)
But I also don't want Alastor to lose T.T He's my fav, and he already been so thoroughly humbled once, I think I'd collapse if he lost again. BUT if he were on the cusp of losing, got his second wind, and ultimately came out the victory, I would be screaming, jumping out of my seat, frothing at the mouth. I fucking LOVE that shit.
And super, serious 100% extra bonus points he gets help from his found family in the form of back-up or patching him up afterward. I think that would be amazing character growth for him. I WANT IT SO BAD ANON WHY DID YOU MAKE MY OBESSION AND YEARNING GROW I AM NOT A VERY BIG PERSON YOU'RE LITERALLY GOING TO MAKE ME EXPLODE WITH ALL THESE EMOTIONS
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𝐒𝐚𝐲 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧 𝐆𝐨 - 𝟔
You're not sure whether asking Nikto how he worked out what your favourite foods are is a good idea. Realistically, you know that men in his field are required to be perceptive, to pick out the smallest of details which may be useful later. He's been in your house so many times, in your fridge for a left over slice of pie, or the less that you can barely consider a garage to grab whatever tool he'd needed to fix your wobbly fencepost. On the one hand, his awareness of you, what you like and dislike, is comforting. It feels safe to have someone so constantly tuned in on your frequency. Safe.
On the other?
Having someone so impossibly attentive to your needs is unsettling.
It's been far too long since you've had someone shadowing your day-to-day life - and Nikto is, undeniably, like a shadow.
The picnic is - it's really sweet. Well intentioned. The execution, admittedly is rudimentary, but you're just splitting hairs. A guy set you up a picnic after you practically sucked off his face in your kitchen. You're pretty sure most would've run had they felt the sheer reverence, the need in your kiss. He fixed your fence.
Now you're sat rather awkwardly beside one another, picking at a strange assortment of cheeses and fruits, making stilted conversation as you watch a herd of cows graze a couple of fields down.
"How did you know my fence was broken?" You hum in an absent, obvious attempt to keep the conversation going. Tough considering you barely know anything about Nikto, and yet he seems to know everything about you.
Your weak endeavour towards filling the stillness between the two of you obviously doesn't go unnoticed - nor does the way your make an effort to dig deeper and see just how much of you Nikto actually catches.
"You hit it with your car a few weeks ago." He states bluntly, leaving you flushing a beet red. Foolishly, you'd always believed that your sub-par driving skills were just imagined, that no one saw you the way you saw yourself. Clearly, you've been wrong all along.
"You do have your drivers license, yes?" Nikto continues to chide, unable to help the way his blood rushes south when you blush, fluttering your lashes as you avert your gaze to the strawberry you'd been just about to eat.
"Mhm." You mumble, trying to feign an indignant look - futile, seeing as he's already caught you in the act of your embarrassment.
"I can help you if you would like." Nikto utters, before he too turns his burning face towards the gingham blanket he'd found whilst trawling the grocery store in the small hours of this morning, trying to be as prepared as possible for your date. He's far too quickly become accustomed to your little quirks and reactions, the way you flinch like a frightened bunny from loud noises, or worry at your lip when you're nervous but still trying to seem nonchalant. You're hardly ever nonchalant about anything. He sees that too.
"Is it the car that you struggle with?" He tries, so desperately, to claw himself from the hole he's seemingly fallen into, painfully aware that he's probably coming off as some condescending, patronising prick. He knows you can drive. Kind of.
However, the thought of helping you, spending time with you, taking all of the menial tasks of daily life out of your hands, he can't help but to yearn for it.
Or maybe it's just you. You're the one thing he finds himself wanting for after a life of solitude. You, your silly little shoes, and strawberry flavoured lips, your bows and pearls. You with a smile so bright it's blinding, and a laugh that could bring the cruelest of men to his knees.
You are what he yearns for. The silver lining to the rainclouds which have so long darkened his days.
You, you, you.
He doesn't even realise you'd been talking until you stop. Only, of course, to take the next best course of action towards capturing his attention, shuffling towards him until you're sat flush against his side, blinking up at him with a look that clearly suggests that you're asking for permission. The fact that he doesn't get hard right then and there is a miracle - though he's not sure if it's one that'll last. At least, not when you finally work up the guts to crawl up into his lap like a needy cat, searching for attention by any means possible.
Last week he was barely refraining from tearing your clothes off and taking you on the counter in your kitchen. This is far more intimate.
This is what he wants.
He wants to see the way your cheeks flush pink when his hands slide up your skirt, just enough to brush the calloused pad of his thumb over the delicate lace of your underwear. With bated breath, he wants to watch the way the late afternoon sun turns your hair into a halo of molten metal, cascading from the crown of your head in some glorious inferno.
The little sound of your breath hitching as he noses at your jaw is only the first nail in the cruelest of coffins, burying him alive under the crushing weight of his adoration for you. This, he thinks, this is what he's waited for. This is both his reward, and his punishment for the toil of his career, of his life. His reward, you, so sweet and soft in his lap, pliable as gold, glittering as the brightest of precious stones.
Breaking you, breaking your pretty, trusting heart, is entirely out of the question. He'd rather shoot himself in the kneecaps. Walk headfirst into enemy territory and beg to be tortured. Step on a landmine.
Any and all of it would be better than seeing you hurt.
Whilst he can't find the words for the way he adored you, he can most definitely find the actions.
Nothing, no man, has ever made you feel the way you do as Nikto eases you to lie back on the picnic blanket, hooking your knees over his shoulders. A kiss to your inner thigh.
"I hope you don't mind people hearing, Princess. I intend to make you scream."
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There was a frantic knock on the door. Ellie checked the peep-hole, expecting to see her step brother, Richie. Instead, it was her friend, Sofia. She'd barely unlocked it, and Sofia came bursting in.
"Jeez, what's got into you? I thought it was Richie, tryna make it back before he pees his pants again!" She smirked to herself. "Of course... if it was... I wouldn't have opened it so quick!" She giggled a little.
Both her and Sofia delighted in tormenting her step brother. After Ellie had discovered that Richie had had some trouble in the past with bed wetting, and briefly some daytime accidents too, she'd begun teasing him about it. Not long after that, the problem began resurfacing.
"Ellie! Drop whatever you're doin'. We've gotta get over to Jessica's!" Sofia blurted out excitedly.
"Wha...? Who...? Who's... Jessica...?" Ellie muttered in confusion. Most of their friends were mutual, and she didn't recall Sofia ever mentioning a Jessica.
"Alex's girlfriend."
"Alex...?" Ellie paused, somehow now even more confused. "Wait, your boyfriend, Alex...? His... girlfriend?"
There was another frantic banging on the door. This time, it was Richie. He had a key, but Ellie's key was already in, so it couldn't be unlocked from outside.
"Ellie...! Please...! I gotta peeee...!" he whined.
Ellie rolled her eyes. While she'd wanted to keep him locked out there until he pissed himself anyway, she was now far more interested in her friends apparent love triangle. "In a minute, don't get your panties in a bunch!" she yelled out.
"Least of his worries!" Sofia giggled, always happy to see Richie lose it in his pants. She called out to him, "Yeah, sorry... just having a little girl talk in here. Be a big boy for me and hold it...!" she teased. She knew the poor boy had a crush on her, which only made it funnier for her.
"Yeah... anyway..." she turned back to Ellie, "so... I got talking to this girl in line for Starbucks, and she gets talking about her boyfriend, and everything she says about him I'm like... oh, mine too! And when she mentions his actual name I'm like... that cannot be a coincidence. Turns out it wasn't!"
"The son of a bitch!" Ellie exclaimed. But while she would've expected outrage, her friend looked positively giddy with excitement. "Uhh... and... are you... OK...?" she asked.
"Oh! Better than OK!" Sofia grinned. "We were both pissed but, hey, neither of us knew about the other so, we figured he was cheating on both of us. And girls gotta stick together, so it's time for a little payback!'"
"Ohhh... Okayyy..." Ellie smirked. "What'd you have in mind?"
Sofia giggled. "Well... we were at Starbucks anyway..."
Ellie burst out laughing. Knowing exactly what that meant. "Ohh... Ordered off the menu, did ya?" she grinned wickedly.
"That, is exactly what we did..." Sofia confirmed. "So... when he get's over to her house, my new bestie, Jess, is gonna have a fresh, fountainoluccino ready and waiting for him. So he's gonna have an unexpected need to pee about 5 minutes later. And what he's really not gonna be expecting, is to find both of his girlfriends there!"
"Ha ha! You Bitch! I love you!" Ellie cackled. "Almost enough to forgive you calling this girl your bestie!" she pouted, but with a hint of a smirk.
"Aww... sorry, babe!" Sofia cooed. "You know you're my real bestie. Hey, that's why I'm telling you to come over. You're not gonna wanna miss this!"
"Mmm... you're right about that..." Ellie purred. "Can't wait to see the look on his face when you bust him. He's gonna piss himself for real!"
The pair of them burst out laughing.
"I'd bet a lot of boys would wet themselves just knowing they'd been caught!" Sofia giggled. "Buuuut, we wanted to make doubly sure!"
It was just then, Richie tried once again, rapping on the door to get his Step Sister's attention. "Nnnnggghhh... Come ooonnn! Pleeeaasssee... open the door...!"
"Oh yeah... speaking of boys pissing their pants..." she chuckled. She turned to Sofia. "Should I let him in...? I mean... If we let him in now, he could still make it to the bathroom in time..." she teased her friend, "but I know you're in a big rush to go see your new bestie..."
Sofia grinned mischievously. "Hmm... yeeeaahhhh... buuut... I'm sure we have a few minutes to spare..." the pair of them started giggling at the thought of once again forcing Richie to piss himself. And they didn't expect it to take long.
"Come oooonnn... this isn't fair!" he begged. "I made it home, you're just not letting me iiinnnn!"
On the other side of the door, Sofia giddily watched him clutching himself through the peep-hole and giggled. "Hey..." she whispered, giving Ellie a sly wink, "I've got an idea!"
Sofia opened the door and pulled Richie inside. "Oh heeeyy... c'mere, youuu" she giggled, hugging his face into her considerable chest.
Ellie covered her face as her friend teased her helpless brother.
"Thanks for waiting. Such a sweetie, letting me hog your big sis like that. And did you keep your pants dry all day for us, like a big boy...?"
With his face buried in her cleavage, he completely forgot about his desperation for a few, brief moments... but that lapse in concentration proved a fatal mistake. A hot geyser of pee erupted from his suddenly hard cock to remind him.
"Oops!" Sofia giggled, releasing him from her embrace. "Well... almost managed it anyway. Better luck next time!" She beamed. "Oh... we still on for Saturday?" She smirked, lauding that while his parents were away, she'd be over to see Ellie and to "Babysit" Richie, as they put it.
"Oh... he can't wait... just look how excited he is!" Ellie giggled at his misfortune, pointing to his soaking wet pants, and obvious erection. "Aww... poor lil' thing. Just couldn't hold all that pee in!" she taunted him.
"Heyyy... don't you listen to mean ol' big sis!" Sofia mockingly reassured him.
"Besides... being a big boy down there, doesn't mean you can't have accidents. As my soon-to-be-ex is about to find out!"
"Ooohhh... Sof... you little slut, you never mentioned that..." Ellie grinned wickedly. "Now I really want to see this!"
They both giggled excitedly.
"Then we'd better get goin'," Sofia smirked. "Seeya Saturday, Richie!" she kissed him on the cheek with an audible smack, causing Ellie to shake her head. That was a bit much, even by her standards.
"Yeesh..." she muttered. "Yeah, later, bro..." she waved as they made their way out. "Oh... and... clean that up before Mom gets home. I'm not gonna tell her but... you know... she can figure that out!" she pointed to the puddle.
"Byesies!" Sofia waved, this time blowing a kiss. As the walked down the driveway she teased Ellie. "Bet the puddle won't be the only mess he needs to clean up while we're gone!"
"Ewwww...." Ellie giggled... "Bet he won't even take his pants off first. Ha ha ... well... he'll be thinking about you so... enjoy that image."
Sofia grinned widely. "Hmmm... I dunno... He is kinda cute!" She giggled at Ellie's reaction. "And I am about to be single again... does he have a girlfriend...?"
Ellie raised an eyebrow and just stared at her. A few seconds later Sofia cracked up laughing, and Ellie shook her head.
"Totally had you going..." she cackled. "But hey, at least I wouldn't have to worry about other women!" Her eyes narrowed. "Alex, on the other hand... he'd better be worried about other women!"
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"I'm not leaving you behind! It is my duty," he hissed. "I swore myself-"
"Your swore yourself because you had no choice, Percy." Her eyes were endless dark, devoid of feeling, of life. "You had a price to pay for your mother's life and this was your only offer." Her thin fingers cup his face through the bars. "You didn't choose to be my protector." She gave a weak laugh that made his stomach plummet to the floor. "You're not even my guard yet, not really."
Like a phantom, her touch slid down his cheek. He caught her wrist before her fingertip stopped gracing his skin. He could feel the rounded edge of her fingernail poke against him. Silence held fraught between them.
"Bianca-"
"Percy," she cut in, voice so sharp it cut him to the core. "I want you to survive. You're free. Take advantage of that, and go. Now."
"I can't go back without you," he said, quickly. She didn't fight his hold, but still his grip tightened. As though the harder he held her, the more she would stop protesting her escape. "You are-"
"Dead." Her lips thinned. "I'm dead, Percy. I was dead the moment they got their hands on me and I will be dead before either one of us even makes it beyond these walls, but you-" Her voice cracked, eyes watering.
He shook his head. Blood pounded in his ears. He didn't want to hear what she was going to say, wanted her to stop, wanted it all to stop. Just for a moment.
But it didn't, and neither did she. With a deep breath, she carried on, "You can make it. You can live. But only if you leave without me, so go."
His lungs burned. She inhaled so deeply, spoke so forcefully, and it made him hold the air in his chest until he couldn't take it anymore. If he didn't breathe, maybe she would. But his chest ached. Self-loathing wedged itself like a rock in his throat as he let go. The sound of his own breath was like nail on chalkboard.
"Percy," she whispered. He shook his head and leaned in closer. Although tears hadn't yet fallen, her eyes were still wet. They glistened like the night sky. Her forehead pressed against the bars.
He looked away. The brick wall to his left was growing a fair bit of moss in the corner. "What's our star again?"
She laughed. It was a watery thing that choked him where he stood. Memories of standing the long grass, moonlight shining off the river, while she read her books beside him. Every so often, she'd look up at the night sky and search for the brightest star that month. She'd tell the stories behind the constellations. Or at least the stories from her kingdom. Any time she told a story, a fantastical myth, she'd follow up that her brother knew more - Nico, the quiet prince with a voracious appetite for legends and monsters.
Then, if she could spot the brightest star that month and if she recalled, she'd tell him what it meant for the people born that month. At least, in their hemisphere anyway. The stars were different elsewhere. Sometimes she'd crack open the newspaper, the stark image of her father, and read aloud the horoscopes.
He still remembered the incredulous sound she made when he told her they shared the same birthday. She'd dragged him to the library to refresh her memory on their star. Then argued furiously that he did not share the same traits as her.
It was a silly thing. She didn't believe it. He didn't either. But it was the first time they hadn't played the stiff act of royal princess and her knight-in-training. Not Percy holding his tongue and following strictly one step behind. Not Bianca doing her best to pretend he wasn't her shadow.
Awkward civility and stiffness carried thick between them from the moment Percy had been casted into his role. But that night, with the sound of yelling and laughter still echoing in their ears, they made an agreement. They didn't have to be the best of friends, but they sure could be casual with each other. After all, they were going to be stuck with each other for the rest of their lives.
At least... they were supposed to be.
Slowly each finger detached one by one until all that was left was his palm pressed against her wrist. Then that fell away too. Still he couldn't bare to turn his head and face her.
"Leo," she said. "The lion. Strength, pride, loyalty, confidence."
A stabbed orange toy on new year's day passed through his mind. "Sacrifice."
It was quiet for a beat. Then, "Yes." His heart hammered so fast he could feel it in his throat. "The lion represents sacrifice."
What was he supposed to say? He wanted to run, to turn the lock with the key he stole, take her and run. Run far and fast. But deep inside, he knew she was right. He could get by undetected. No one cared about a child knight, not even yet passed his training. He could blend in and slip out. Even if he got caught, they wouldn't nearly put in as much effort to get him back as they would if she were with him.
She was right.
She was already dead.
He swallowed thickly and met her eyes again. The night sky glistened back at him and he thought of constellations and warm handshakes and kind agreements and silly arguments. Breath caught in his throat. "I'll miss you," he whispered, voice hoarse.
Her lips twitched. "I'll miss you too." She blinked, and one tear slid down her cheek. He tracked the wet trace it left behind until it welled up at the bottom of her chin and dripped to the floor. "Will you do me a favour?"
"You're my princess," he said. "I would do anything for you."
It was a weak smile she gave before she spoke. The sight of it crushed him. "Tell my family I love them." Her breath escaped from her shakily. She pushed back her hair. A classic move to hide the nerves that drove her hands to tremble ever so slightly. "And take care of Nico. Please."
"I will," he promised.
Her smile strengthened ever so slightly. But the tears fell fast now, one right after the other. Her face tilted away at the first streak. He immediately turned his line of sight back to the brick wall. Weakness, sadness, grief - she hated being seen with any of them. He always respected it. Look away until she was done. Don't speak, don't ask her anything, don't help her. Just look away and stay silent unless she calls out.
So, even as his mind's eye was trapped in the wet track of tears on her skin, the hitched sound of her breath holding in a cry, he turned and headed back for the dungeon's door. The doorknob twisted in his hand. The door cracked open.
"Percy."
He held stiff. "Yes?"
"Don't forget the bracelet."
Heat burned at the back of his head. In his pocket, the bracelet felt heavier than the weight of the world. When he had first arrived, she gave it to him. When he refused to take it, insistent that she could deliver it to Nico herself, she shoved it into his pocket herself. Like a ghostly stain, his thigh still tingled with the forceful and firm press of her hand. He was sure it always would.
"I won't."
"Stay safe," she said, a princess in a dungeon ready and waiting to die.
His heart shattered. Still, he kept his head held high. "I will."
Then, without another word, he left the girl he had spent the last three years training to protect. He was meant to die for her. It was the role he had accepted the night he and his friends had stormed the castle and pleaded for help with his dying mother. He didn't argue. He didn't plead. Without hesitation, he swore his life away for hers. Without hesitation, he swore his last breath would be hers.
Yet she was the one embracing the eternal coldness to come. She was the one breathing weakly so he could breathe strong. She was trading away her life for his. She was the lion, giving a mighty roar before the dawn of a new year. She was the sacrifice, held down by chains with a glistening sharp blade raised above her head.
But he wasn't the one lowering it upon her neck. No, he was the cold breath of winter. The first drop of snow. The wilting grass. He was the barren wasteland that drove her out into the open. He was the starving masses desperate to live. He didn't have to drop the blade. He didn't have to use his own hands to spill her blood across the ground. His survival was her end. And that made him her killer anyway.
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