Years gone and even more forgotten. To be so far removed from a life you feared you'd never escape that you scarcely remember what was so bad about it; you must be exaggerating. You must be lying. And no matter how much you apologize and forgive yourself for being a bad kid, you still gnash your teeth. You still feel some internal fire, licking at what remains of you and lit so long ago you don't remember what it was kindled with. But it was kindled. Without any control, it will spread.
A spreading fire must be suffocated, regardless of why it was kindled. Don't let embers poke through.
-----
Eli is entering his teens in a bittersweet manner. His mother has died, but he's been placed in the care of his father. He had to abandon his home and nearly everyone he knew, but his new home is clean and full of friendly faces. His childhood has become a hazy memory, but all the more reason to live a better teenhood.
His new life is stable, even happy at times, yet he spends so much of it in isolation, always boarded up in his room at home or keeping to himself at school. He rarely talks; polite when he does, yet there is an underlying tone of scorn everyone picks up on.
His dad chalks it up to usual teeange angst and quietly hopes he grows out of it, as does Eli himself. He doesn't want to lash out, but he does. Every time it leaves him scared, confused. Better to keep things inside and try to be nice.
---
Can't help but be poetic whenever I get a sick comm. The initial idea was just another Eli & Tower pin-up but the harsh lines, the limited yet glowing palette, the long and loathed hatred in his eyes yet the seemingly controlled nature of Tower, it's all so good and got me thinking.
It's strange realizing you've entered a good era of your life. When you're away from all the things that were hurting you, you begin to wonder if they ever actually were. Like your anger is unearned because it no longer has reason to persist. You've got a good life now, so forget the past! Remembering it so much and lashing out when it's overwhelming makes you a bad person, duh.
Eli's much the same; suffered in a way no one ever saw and just wants to forget about it now that it's over. The brain forgets and the heart remembers, so he is angry at nothing. It's unfair to the world, so that anger must be turned inward and suffocated.
This gorgeous piece was drawn by Furaffinity's ColoredCat. Please go check out their work!
