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Mordecai Heller, Marigold's Infamous Hatchetman ✍️

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Well, after all, these boyfriend cats will be here too

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Hellerby requests by @bookishcatcafe

Thank for being so patient with me! Like really. I appreciate it.

Also, I kept changing the way I shade things and uhhhhh this is the result! Because I did not draw these one after another. Whoops

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HellerBy

(Inspired by the picture below.)

(Picture not by me. Artist naenae. Poem by me)

Though solemn the snow,

Falls to and fro,

Our smiles glow bright,

With hands together our sorrow we smite,

Like Arthurian blade,

Hellerby is made; true fondest love,

A friendship it seems

Sweet attraction beams

From cheek-to-cheek, they swoon like a dove,

This winter’s tale ends not with the seasons

But the passing of time, yet this itself isn’t a reason

For these two in fondest to stray away—nigh

They form together, like the swirling waves,

Break, break, breaking to shoreline

to shore—in beauteous displays—

Their love never ending.

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A Short Hellerby Fanfiction

Mordecai leaped over the wooden crate as a string of bullets followed him. He panted as he reloaded his revolver. As he did, bullets shot against the crate, some of them going through it, and barely grazing the cat.

His eyes fully dilated at the rush of rounds soaring around him. This wasn’t his first rodeo with violence and he’d be damned if it was his last. Then, a sudden silence.

Such a quiet felt like forever. It was shrouded by the swiftness of his heartbeat, the idle wind passing around them, and the shuffling of feet and anxious hands trying to reload. A soft curse under the tongue. The enemy was impatient, ruthless, and he was not docile to their demands.

After a click of the hammer, he shot up over the crate, standing while glaring back at his assailants, before firing the shots. One by one they kneeled over into a bloody mess. Suits drenched with moist redness, stained as the brush from the colour of pomegranates.

As the last one fell, crawling towards some semblance of safety, Mordecai walked over, aiming again.

“Do not double cross us again.” He pushed a heel onto the tannish cat’s leg, the exit wound spurting from his abdomen. The cat groaned and cried out in pain. Mordecai was prepared for just the occasion. He wore his black leather gloves and leaned over the dying man, opening his waistcoat, and pulled out a letter which now was stained in a darkish hue of reddish brown.

“I’ll take this. Property of Marigold. A thief knows the number one rule is to never be spotted out as such. You failed in just this mere task. Such an inkling would make one surmise you to be a beginner. A novice pickpocket. A dandy who knows not a lick of what it means…” he steps off the man and dusts his own waistcoat,

“To be an honest worker.” He pulls the trigger.

A silence once more. The slow creaking of the ceiling fan. Or is that the mattress? Sweat drenched Mordecai, the blanket was askew—another dream. Another nightmare, more specifically, why was it that one? What depravity was this, which haunted him, dream he’d been having every other night—no precursors—just happenstance.

Then it hit him: the smell. Flapjacks. A usual. Tradition! And coffee? More tradition!

His blurred vision became apparent, especially after rubbing one’s eyes, a yawn, the stuttered breath: the morning routine as it were.

A scratch of the chest, more specifically the white tank top, which now was drenched.

His glasses lay on the side table. He put them on.

In clarity, he saw him: his dear, adorned in a flour covered apron.

Roarke.

Rocky, the living personification of poetics. The vagrant Grecian urn turned prohibitionite—a rumrunner. The magnitude of his chaotic personality was tenfold during every mission he dealt out from Miss M. It diminished on the daily, he hid it well, yet it would slip within the cracks of this aged vase.

Mordecai was no older, then again, that’s just something he’d say to himself to disregard the obvious physical evidence of time passing on. The grey hairs started to pop a few months ago. The lines on his face became more apparent from years of stress and need for perfect symmetry, be it order in Marigold, his constant studying, the years of hiding, the possible acts of vagrancy through moments of rumrunning and murder. This in particular came with the toll of two options of response, of trauma in aftershocks or of bleak stoicism with hints of nihilistic performance.

Yet, when he saw Rocky in his dainty outfits, in such a gaily almost dandy ways of self-performance—it brought a warmth to his shivering heart.

He got out of bed, yawning once more, and stumbled toward the bathroom to freshen up.

This. This is what made Mordecai. What is Mordecai? Mordecai is an intellectual witty man, aged by moments in time, experienced, and one who does not follow by ego. He follows by heart and for the need for order—and in some moments—a desire for sustaining himself.

After washing up, he walked to the kitchen. Rocky wiggled his hips slowly, singing ‘Blue Skies’ as he sauntered over to Mordecai.

“My blue skyyy…smilin at meee…” Rocky held a hand out. Mordecai chuckled and held his hand while making sure not to get covered in flour, swirling Rocky who was laughing before he continued singing. He slowly stopped as Mordecai gave him a peck on the lips. “Thank you for not waking me…and for making breakfast.”

“You were rather tired last night. Too much celebration!”

“Yes—no? Well we did have a big score—oh god did I drink?”

“Yes. You get really rambunctious when you’re drunk.”

Rocky laughed. Mordecai went over to his drawers and started pulling out clothes for today. Rocky tried to pull him into a barrage of kisses, but Mordecai gave in, a small smirk on his face as his need to truly get properly ready being delayed by affection. Not that he didn’t mind it.

“I must get ready. You knowww—haha—you know I how I am, you silly romantic affectionate boy!”

Rocky continued for a moment before stopping. He truly loved the man. They might’ve seemed like opposites, especially at first, but attraction knows no boundaries especially regarding one’s differences. Sometimes those things bring people closer—in the right circumstance.

He soon was dressed in a white undershirt, dark grey pleats, leather brown suspenders hooked to the buttons of his pants, black oxfords, and for when he would actually leave his home a black overcoat with a red tie.

Mordecai sat down and began eating.

Rocky ate with some speed, though Mordecai would give him a look, as if to tell him to slow down.

Rocky started to speak. “Well besides work…maybe we could go out for some fun?”

Mordecai sipped his coffee. “Like what?”

“A movie?”

“How about a play?”

“Play could work.”

“Hamlet?”

“Faust?”

“We can just see what’s performed today. Our guesses will do no good.”

Both of them, starting with Rocky, began snickering. The morning was just beginning, the day ahead was free for the taking, and their plans would have to come with due time. Time, which the both of them have to share in earnest collaboration, not that either would mind otherwise.

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Here's the thing! Where they hug!

#one of my favorites #living in my head rent free

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A little costume change for Mordecai of a different time and place. (Some design work for a thing-in-progress.) Art by L. Frostad and me. --------------- Find more character designs and animation previews on the Lackadaisy Patreon!

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All in a days work?

Merigold!Rocky has the habit of taking on most of the dirty work Mordecai and him get assigned, and Rocky being Rocky it's usualy in the most reckless way possible.

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First drawing of the year is a small before work sketch.

Just some Merigold AU Rocky and Mordecai.

In which Rocky is found and hired by Asa and the Savoys are hired by Atlas and Mitzi.

#very much intrigued by this au #perfect idea

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First drawing of the year is a small before work sketch.

Just some Merigold AU Rocky and Mordecai.

In which Rocky is found and hired by Asa and the Savoys are hired by Atlas and Mitzi.

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No, don’t say anything, leave me in my beautiful lie.

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Here's the thing! Where they hug!

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Mordecai has opinions... A quick peek at something we have in the works. Rough animation by the very incredible ENDO!

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another rocky . thank you michael kovach for this

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♧ The Hellerby Dynamic ♧

(Having to re-write this entire post because the first one kinda... vanished)

To an observer, it seems completely asinine to think that Mordecai and Rocky would like each other in the slightest. Their personalities contrast way too sharply! The only feelings between the two would be that of loathing, right?

Well... in reality, there's good reasons for why the mutual feelings between Heller and Rickaby wouldn't be loathing, but instead would be *love.*

♧ First and foremost, there's an inheret shared respect between them. This is thanks to them both having been through the wringer, so-to-speak.

In Lackadaisy Breakdown, Rocky speaks about hardship in his past- in his usual archaic and poetic way. The specifics are generally unclear, but this incredibly sullen mood speaks volumes and is a clear testament to having been through a lot of pain.

And in Lackadaisy Congregation, we are shown explicitly through a flashback that Mordecai has had it incredibly rough, and was imminently going to get himself killed before being taken under the wing of the Mays.

Thus,

• Mordecai has an entrenched respect and keenness towards Rocky, understanding that he too had been dealt a bad hand.

• Mordecai is able to tolerate Rocky's behavior, as he understands that such a carefree and energized domeanor is something of a coping mechanism... just like Mordecai's hyper-tidy and professional mannerisms.

And,

• Though he'd never admit it, even to himself, Mordecai oh-so-slightly admires Rocky for his rambunctious style. He sees it as Roark's way to defy and triumph over the suffering he's endured.

♧ Secondly, Mordecai and Rocky's ability to bond is bolstered by their shared appreciation of literature (alongside mutually high intellect).

It's blatant that Rocky is rather incredibly bright and well-read, evident by his rambles of poetry which're in such abundance that I needn't pin-point a specific example. As for Mordecai, his artistic taste is far more downplayed, but is shown to us a few times- namely in the Interludes "Critique" and "Warfare." It stands to reason that this time-killing hobby still persists within Mordecai.

Therefore

• Unlike the majority of people, who're mildly annoyed or bemused by Rocky's sporadic bursts of prose, Mordecai is rather fond of the behavior. When Rocky begins on a poetic tangent, Mordecai simply lets him go on while his lips form a barely-visible and content smile. This liking of the poetry is something he'd nevertheless deny if Rocky knowingly accuses Mordecai of it, the ostensive professional dismissingly telling Rocky that he was simply being courteous by letting him spew his incoherent drivel.

• In spending private time together, Rocky likes having Mordecai read to him. It combines his enjoyment of the finer side of language with his desire to listen to Mordecai's soothing voice for a nice, uninterrupted bit of time.

♧ Thirdly, the additional pleasantries of this shared respect and fondness.

• In the same way he looks up to Mitzi for her authority and elegance, Rocky admires Mordecai for his refinement and assertiveness, finding something about such resilience as highly alluring. Resultant of this, all Mordecai has to do to make Rocky get a little bit flusted is to imbue his commanding and weighted professional voice with a twinge of flirtation. It's something Mordecai revels in, with a smirk forming on his face whenever Rocky shows little symptoms of being flushed.

• Rocky flirts with Mordecai in an over-the-top and dramatic way, spouting vibrant and fancy poetic lines one after the other to form a convoluted and eccentric yet nonetheless endearing and heartfelt message. Mordecai finds such acts cute, though puts up his deflective wall of aloofness and dismisses Rocky's poetry of love... in a more playful way than he'd usually tell someone off.

• Rocky is pretty clingy in his affection for Mordecai, and attacks him with hugs somewhat often. This is met with defense from Mordecai similar to what we see in the "Hugsperiment" Interlude...

...though he eventually lets down his guard if Rocky pesters him long enough. That doesn't mean he'll reciprocate the embrace or drop the irritated act- unless the hug's being done in private, as otherwise Mordecai couldn't stomach subjecting himself to such 'humiliation' before others, despite Rocky's persistence.

-• On that note: Despite seeming to have the culminative intelligence of a small puppy, Rocky's smart enough to understand Mordecai's sense of personal space, and does take care to not overstep and end up being genuinely intrusive.

♧ Miscellaneous Notes On Their Bond:

• Mordecai is incredibly protective of Rocky.

-• Mordecai reflexively will tidy up Rocky's appearence; fixing up his tie, patting down some divergent strands of fur, flicking off any specks and blemishes on his shirt. Mordecai claims to do so out of being unable to stand a person near him being untidy, but the main motive for this tick is his desire to keep Rocky away from the filthy and unkempt dirtiness that permeated his youth.

-• Mordecai'd be the first to give basic first aid for any little boo-boo Rocky gets, treating the lightest bruises and the tiniest cuts with unflinching seriousness. It's to Rocky's minor amusement and attraction, as seeing Mordecai so absolutely focused on his wellbeing kindles a warm feeling that one gets when one knows that someone truly cares for them.

• Mordecai has bought Rocky poetry collection books on more than one occassion; most often as birthday gifts.

• Mordecai's the superior cook, and sometimes whips together breakfast for himself and Rocky. However, Mordecai's more of a waffle guy, and won't budge from Rocky's occassional plea to just make pancakes- getting a small, benign kick over this bit of leverage.

In Conclusion...

Although it seems like these two cats shouldn't get along in the slightest, they ultimately share deep love- despite both of their eccentric styles making their respective affirmations of said love come out in more indirect and roundabout ways than a typical couple. Their bond and mutual respect is a source of warmth that helps soothe both of their hearts, with this tender flame being one that, ultimately, shall never be snuffed out.

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I offer… my attempt at replicating the Lackadaisy style :)

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Back to our regularly scheduled fun doodles! While I figure out how to draw angst for Mordecai too :D

You will be getting happy Rocky soon, as an apology for making you cry :)) I need to remind you guys how happiness is fleeting.