.out from thee shapeless mass.

Even before I really started paying attention to Cicero and loving the character as much as I do, that one line instantly clicked as a double-entendre after having read his journals. The first and most obvious meaning to "I'm not what I used to be," was his age. Cicero is canonically in his 30s-40s by the time we see him in Skyrim, and on a surface level he's talking about how run-down he physically feels. But the second meaning is what's most intriguing. He takes the phrase "I'm not what I used to be" literally, in that the line represents how much he'd changed from his former self throughout the course of worshipping the Night Mother, being alone with her for at least 10 years, and finally arriving in Skyrim and seeing Astrid trying to take a personal hold over the whole Dark Brotherhood.

i'm finally done with this piece and honestly i can say i'm proud of it :']

alt version + closeups under the cut!!