I gotta ask bc its been killing me trying to draw this idiot: how do you draw Johnny's naturally pouty look without making him look sad all the time? Bc I can't get his dumb adorable face right and I love how you draw him sm
i think the secret is his Hot Boy Bummer eyes and his tiny blond (angy) eyebrows. i don't tend to draw his eyebrows very far from the lids of his eyes which i think adds that intensity to his expressions
but sometimes he gets to raise his eyebrows and look super goofy
G/t Dialogue Prompt 19: “You’re not a monster. Don’t listen to them”
Set in a Human!Warren, Minigiant!Doomguy AU since they just specified Warren and not AD,DC. Heavy inspiration taken from @gullivertravelstowonderland ‘s A Monster of Divinity *Put ao3 link here*
Contains: Self-deprecation, angst/comfort, Doomguy still goes by John.
Wordcount: 1.6k
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Warren was going down to the surface with John. Since there were pockets where humanity was setting back up in the aftermath of the Hell Invasion, they were able to find goods that couldn’t be scavenged in some of the trading centers. As a matter of fact, Warren was going down there with John in the first place in order for the large man to help him move the chairs he had been commissioned to fix to their owners, who had promised him a good amount of cloth in return. John needed a new shirt, and the cloth should be able to cover it.
“Ready to go, big guy?” He smirked up at John, who was fiddling with his arm blade.
He nodded and adjusted his cargo. His twenty foot tall stature made transporting cargo - like multiple chairs - much easier for Warren.
“Fantastic. Fire up the portal, Vey.” Warren patted the console as the machinery whirred to life. The glowing blue circle appeared in the frame and Warren stepped through it first.
The outside world was still mostly barren, charred and wrecked from the demons that infested the world, but the wild life was beginning to creep back into its natural place. Warren couldn’t stop his smile at the dandelions cropping up in the ruined base of an old building. He took a deep breath of the air and stepped away from the portal.
John stepped through, eyes on the ground to ensure he didn’t accidentally kick Warren. It was always awe inspiring to see John from on the ground. His huge, muscular, twenty foot frame that made the very ground tremble with his steps just made Warren’s heart flutter about in his chest.
‘Want to walk?’
Warren shook his head at John’s signing and lifted his arms up. “Carry me?”
The giant man rolled his eyes and stooped down to pick Warren up. The smaller man was swept up into John’s arms and settled into the crook of his elbow. Warren sighed happily and he leaned into John’s armored chest.
He was carried like this in a similar manner when they had first met. Warren had fallen two stories and nearly been eaten by demons. John had carried him to safety. It had been horrifying at first, but eventually Warren figured out that John was nobody to fear, and had even managed to kindle feelings for the enormous man that had been returned.
The short walk was over soon enough and Warren was set back on his own feet. The trade center was just up ahead, through a ring of buildings. Warren softly grunted as he brushed his shirt off and looked up at John. “Ready?”
John didn’t respond with anything other than a quick, jerky nod.
Warren gestured for him to follow and sauntered through the wide alleyway. John followed, eyeing the walls warily. His shoulders nearly brushed against them, but he was out from between them soon enough.
People scrambled out of their way as they made it into the heart of the trading center. Gasps and various exclamations went up as the Doom Slayer came into view, and he had to just watch where he was walking to make sure nobody got underfoot. Warren normally kept the gawking people at bay.
“Excuse us, just trying to do some trade, make some purchases. Thank you, excuse us, excuse us.” Warren was a few steps ahead, drawing the attention to himself to try and make the crowd part. It was an easy feat for Warren, considering a giant was right behind him. “Oh! I see them! C’mon, John.” He sauntered on ahead.
The person with the large stock of fabric was a short, balding man. He paled as Warren bounced up to the counter and started chatting with him.
“Well, these are the chairs that you wanted fixed, and I think that you still - yep - there is that bolt of cloth that I asked you to hold for me!”
“Er, yes. I held li- like you asked until you could get those back to me.”
John carefully untied his cargo from where it was slung across his back. He could feel the eyes boring into him as he knelt down and set the set of four chairs down beside Warren. Even though he had just saved humanity from the demonic horde, there were still whispers about him. Whispers and rumors about horrific things he must have down or might do. That he was a cannibal, a demon himself, a monster.
The man was trembling as he measured the cloth for Warren, who remained oblivious to the man’s unsettled demeanor. Warren was good with people, while he always had them cowering. It was just a fact of life.
“Thank you so much.” Warren smiled as he filled his bag with the fabric. “You have a nice day. Enjoy your chairs, sir.”
“Y-yes. You too.”
Warren gently patted John’s calf as he walked past. “C’mon. We still have some things to look for.”
He stood and followed Warren as the small man flitted about from stall to shop. People quickly ran out of their way as they wandered around. Children were ushered indoors by parents with enormous, terrified eyes, vendors talked quickly to get Warren to leave, and eventually security came.
Warren had been inside a shop, and John was listening in on the conversation inside when the security team arrived. He could spot them entering the trading center with their plasma rifles and lightweight civilian issued armor, and his jaw clenched. He needed to keep his cool. He wasn't doing anything wrong, just shopping with his boyfriend.
You weren't doing anything wrong when the UAC labeled you a monster. You hadn't done anything wrong when the Night Sentinels started rumors that you ate people.
"Thank you, sir." Warren was wrapping it up in the shop. "You've been very generous."
"Please just leave."
Warren came out, shaking his head. "Some people. We're nearly done, I just gotta see if I can find some double A batteries. You haven't been able to spot any, have you?"
John shook his head, and quickly glanced up when he heard the hum of a loaded plasma rifle ready to fire.
Two security guards had their rifles aimed up at him and one stood just behind them. "You need to leave." He said. John noticed the tremble in his legs and his jaw clenched harder.
"What? Why? We're not doing anything. We're just trading, like everyone else." Warren adjusted the bundle in his arms. "I've not stolen anything."
The person glanced at Warren. "It's not you that needs to leave. It's the - the Slayer that has to go."
"He isn't bothering anyone!" Warren put his free hand on his hip. "He has just as much right to be here as the rest of you do."
"Sir, he's causing a panic. People have been calling into the guard station for forty minutes, freaking out about a giant mons- a - a giant."
Warren stomped towards them. "I cannot believe you people! He's not done a single thing wrong and you freak out about his size! He saved the fucking world and everyone still acts like he's going to bite their head off!"
The rifles shifted aim to Warren and John's heart began to pound like crazy. He could take plasma rifles at point blank. Not Warren.
"S-stand back!"
Warren was fuming and about to continue to verbally tear into the guards, but John quickly picked him up and tucked Warren up against his stomach. He did not need Warren starting something, again.
John turned on his heel and left. Warren squirmed against the hand he kept over his face, pushing at his large hand. "C'mon John. I was just giving them what for. They don't deserve to treat you like this."
He lifted the hand over Warren's upper body and activated the portal recall. He jogged the half mile to the portal site to get out of there as quickly as possible.
Emotions always came on extremely strong for the huge man. When he was in battle, his rage was all consuming. When he had discovered he was in love with Warren, he had not let the small man alone. So, when the fear that Warren was going to be hurt had washed over him, it had sent him reeling.
In the Fortress Warren was so carefully set down and then John fell to his hands and knees.
“John? John!” Warren rushed over and helped pull his helmet off. “Breathe. It’s okay. I’m okay.”
He never would have been in danger if not for me. I’m a danger to him.
Self-loathing replaced the heart pounding fear after a few moments. He had nearly been the reason Warren was to be hurt. People were afraid of him. People still saw him as a monster.
Maybe they were right.
“John, look at me.” Warren gently tugged at his jaw to force him to look down. “You’re not a monster. Don’t listen to them.”
Warren had that fierce look in his eye, it nearly convinced John to believe him.
“Hey, don’t look away. I know that look.” Warren stretched up to plant a kiss on his jaw. “What happened today was not your fault. People are stupid. You’re no more monster than I am. You would never hurt someone who didn’t deserve it. You are not a monster. Calm down.”
John softly pulled back so he could put his hands into view. ‘Sorry.’
“You don’t have to apologize.” Warren walked right up to him and put his hand softly on John’s thigh. “Are you going to be okay?”
He nodded, feeling the emotions begin to ebb.
“I’m going to get started on your new shirt, okay? Get the armor off, try to get something to eat. I’ll be in my room. If you need me or you start thinking bad about yourself again, come find me.”
John nodded slowly. Warren gave him a smile that just made him want to melt.
I have a really good idea for a DAD but now that I've looked into the community more I'm not sure what to do... I put a lot of thought into it and how it fits in with the lore but I don't want to get pulled into all the discourse :( Thanks for making this blog and letting me see what I could've been getting roped into.
Honestly, if making this DAD is going to make you happy and you think it’s a good idea, just go for it. DAD lore is interesting and this character is yours, not the community’s, and if making them sparks joy, it’s worth doing.
Yooo I remember when Sun and Moon was first released and Guzma had to be my FAVORITE evil team leader design dksdjkds He still is my favorite team villains ksjdks
(when i say not enough screen time and wasted potential I mean in the game not the anime, I felt like they could've done a lot more with Team Skull vs Aether Foundation
