#and i just feel like seeing griffons and getting to hold one would be like. peak life for her

[tethrras]

on another note i am thinking about hilda and alistair living in weisshaupt for a few years after inquisition and her meeting the griffons and just losing her mind.

[sapphim]

Monstrous Wardens Masterpost

A great big collection of text from the Dragon Age games and novels about darkspawn, Grey Wardens, and the Calling, to fuel everyone's monstrous wardens headcanons.

This has actually been sitting in my drafts for like half a year now bc I thought I really should scrounge around for more quotes from Last Flight, Awakening, and Legacy. That... didn't happen, and there's really no sense in holding off longer. If I ever do get around to it, I'll pull more quotes to add. But I consider this complete as is. enjoy~

—

The Song

The Old Gods will call to you, From their ancient prisons they will sing. Dragons with wicked eyes and wicked hearts, On blacken'd wings does deceit take flight, The First of My children, lost to night.

—Canticle of Silence 3:6, Dissonant Verse

     “The Old Gods beckon, as they always have.” The Architect turned and paced to the other side of the cell. The shadows cast on the walls by the glowstone danced ominously. “That is what you hear. To my people, it is a call that we cannot ignore. It whispers to our blood and compels us to seek the Old Gods out. We search and search for their prisons, and when we find one, we touch the face of perfection and thus desecrate it forever.”

—Dragon Age: The Calling, chapter 6

     So close. We nearly reached him. Made it down to what looked like a dwarven thaig where the song was actually audible, real and thrumming through the air, not just in our heads. It rattled through the lyrium pillars and shook the earth beneath our feet to its dreadful tempo.

—[DAI] Note: Ancient Warden Logbook

     There were creatures in that land. Dark things that lurked in the corners. Cole couldn’t see them, and didn’t want to. He worried that they could see him, however. […]      And worse, there was the music. He didn’t know what it was, but it seemed to come from far, far off. It called to him, but not in a pleasant way— it had an urgency that sped his heart and made his blood burn. The dark creatures, the lurkers, they listened to it. He didn’t know how he knew that, but he could feel them out there, craning their necks, raising taloned hands toward that call.

—Dragon Age: Asunder, chapter 9

     As the griffon began to climb through the clouds that followed the Blight, Isseya heard a faint, strange melody seep into her mind. She had no sense of it as actual sound; rather, it seemed to come from within, almost as if she were humming the tune to herself.      She could never have imagined such a song, though. It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever heard. Aching and ethereal, it seemed to pull her toward a memory of nostalgic bliss that she had somehow lost—but that she would do anything to recover. Anything at all. […]      “What was it?” the elf asked, shaken. […]      “The Archdemon.” […]      For the rest of their ride back to Antiva City, Isseya sat small and quiet on Blacktalon’s back, unable to reconcile the horrors of the darkspawn with the sweetness of their song.

—Dragon Age: Last Flight, chapter 3

The Chorus

     The faint sounds of movement ahead got more frequent, and along with them, they began to hear a strange humming. It was deep and alien, a reverberating sound that they felt in their chests and that made their skin crawl. […]      The deep humming was coming from [the creature. It] was moaning softly, almost chanting, and this moan built upon the sounds of many others behind it in the shadows. They hummed in unison, a hushed and deadly whisper the creatures spoke as one. […]      All of them walked as calmly as the first, shambling toward them while moaning and hissing softly. The sound was loud now, reverberating around them like a physical force. […]      They watched the darkspawn advance, their weapons held at the ready. Even with their prey cornered, the creatures did not accelerate. Their hum became louder, reached a hungry, fever pitch.

—Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne, chapter 14

     Were they digging? He had the impression that the masses of them were all engaged in some sort of industry, all united in moving great portions of the rock out of the cavern and expanding it even further. Yet there were no sounds of tools crashing against stone, no hammering sounds or grunts of exertion. All he could hear was a rhythmic groan, a keening pitch that it seemed each of the darkspawn contributed to. The sound of it made his skin crawl, and he realized that the chorus in the distance responded to it. Like a cat that arched its back to meet a brushing hand it became ecstatic; it surged and almost overwhelmed his senses.

—Dragon Age: The Calling, chapter 6

The Senses

     They were more than simply skilled at fighting darkspawn; they knew them intimately. They sensed their presence, sometimes even gleaned their intent.

—Dragon Age: The Calling, chapter 4

     He could feel the darkspawn out there now. Genevieve was right. It just took some time to become acclimated. They were at the edge of his consciousness, lurking in the shadows far out of sight. It was that same feeling when someone was standing behind you, and you didn’t hear them or sense them in any way; you just knew.

—Dragon Age: The Calling, chapter 5

     Bregan closed his eyes and carefully reached out with his senses. There were darkspawn all around him. Not in the same room, perhaps, but nearby. He could feel them tickling at the edge of his mind. As always, the sensation came with a feeling of foulness, as if a poison had seeped under his skin.

—Dragon Age: The Calling, chapter 2

     “There is a taint that is within the darkspawn […] A darkness that pervades us, compels us, drives us to rail against the light. It is in our blood and corrupts the very world around us.” The creature gestured toward Bregan with a withered, taloned hand. “It is also within your blood. It is what makes you what you are, what you sense in us and we in you.”

—Dragon Age: The Calling, chapter 2

Anders: Hmm. Hawke: What's wrong? Anders: I think [the Grey Wardens are] nearby. Anders: Or it could be darkspawn.

—Dragon Age II

     The hunter had a sensitivity to the taint that went far beyond any tracking ability he might have learned during his time with the Ash Warriors. He was always the first to sense the approach of darkspawn, and he could discern between the various breeds by their scent alone. Some of the Grey Wardens even used to claim that Kell could do the same with them, sense who was who from afar just as if they were darkspawn. If so, the hunter never commented on it.

—Dragon Age: The Calling, chapter 11

     She felt Bregan out there, felt him just the same as she felt the darkspawn. Every now and again she would turn a corner in the tunnels and would feel her brother’s presence on the edge of her senses, almost as if his scent had been carried to her somehow on an invisible wind.

—Dragon Age: The Calling, chapter 15

The Dreams

Alistair: Oh… and then there were the nightmares. Duncan said it was part of how we sense the darkspawn. We tap into their… well, I don't know what you'd call it. Their “group mind.” Alistair: And when we sleep, it's even worse. You learn to block it out after a while, but at first it's hard. It's supposed to be worse for those who Join during a Blight. How is it for you? Warden: Nightmares… yes, I know what you mean. Alistair: Some people never have much trouble, but that's rare. Others have trouble sleeping their entire life. They're just more sensitive, I suppose. Alistair: Everyone ends up the same, though. Once you reach a certain age, the real nightmares come. That's how a Grey Warden knows his time has come.

—Dragon Age: Origins

     The dream, when it came, was similar to the hundreds of dreams Fiona had suffered since she’d become a Grey Warden. Before, however, it had always felt as if she was looking on the dream from afar, hazy and easy to forget. Now it was crystal clear.      Fiona stood on a battlefield littered with dead men. All of them were soldiers in heavy armor, knights wearing the griffon standard of the order. Each had been brutally slaughtered. The smell of blood and decay hung thick and cloying in the air, the buzzing sound of flies nipping at her senses.      Overhead, the sky filled with an endless, roiling black cloud. It looked like ink spreading slowly in water, a great stain that blotted out the horizon. She had been told about this. The first sign of the Blight, said the Grey Wardens, is found in the clouds. When the mighty dragon rises, its corruption touches the world and spreads.      She was alone on that field of corpses. All alone. The wind picked up, a sickly breeze that carried with it the stench of carrion. A gloom fell upon her, and she stumbled as she watched something rise from out of the field of bodies nearby. It was enormous. A great, black thing that was as cold and terrible as anything she could have imagined.      Fear pulsed through her. Her heart raced, and she looked away. She didn’t want to see it. She threw her hands up in front of her eyes not to see it. Yet still she felt it coming. Her foot caught between two corpses and made her fall back on top of them. Dead flesh pressed against her and still she covered her eyes. Still she felt the darkness surging ever closer to her.      It was coming. And it was coming for her.

—Dragon Age: The Calling, chapter 14

The Calling

Hawke: You don't look well, Bethany. Are you injured? Bethany: Injured? I have the darkspawn taint forever in my veins, barely held in check by the Wardens' rituals. Bethany: I will never be well again.

—Dragon Age II

     At first, it was just a whisper. A creak in the door hinge I could put off oiling. But soon, all I could hear was the music. It was there when I swung my staff and wiped the sweat from my brow. It lingered in Lyam's laughter and stalked my dreams. I can't explain the sound—the song—but I knew. It's a poison that grows in the mind, then consumes the body.

—[DAI: The Descent] Codex Entry: Warden Ailsa's Diary

     It scratches at my thoughts, the music almost a voice, at once unearthly and beautiful. I found myself humming it aloud a few days past. Where once it intruded, it now feels a natural part of my mind's course. It coils around memories I hold dear—training with Ser Keller, riding in the moonlight, my mother's face the last time I saw her—and inserts itself into them, so that I could almost swear that music, that sense of a presence watching and calling, had always been a part of what I remember.

—[DAI] Codex Entry: Regarding the Calling

     She had seen enough of the corruption to last a lifetime, and somewhere off in the far distance was that strange sound, the beautiful whispering.      She didn’t want to listen to it, but couldn’t help herself. She closed her eyes and tried to pick out what the whisper was saying. Was it a song? Was it a name? It almost seemed that it was calling out to her, stroking her soul ever so softly. . . .

—Dragon Age: The Calling, chapter 14

     The humming sound, however, was stronger even than before. It was no longer something muted and distant; it was everywhere. It was behind the walls and under the floor; it filled the shadows and caressed his skin. There was a terrible beauty to it now, an awful yearning that pulsated within the sound, a tugging that pulled at the edge of his consciousness and yet frightened and nauseated him at the same time.      The humming had eclipsed any sense he had of the darkspawn. Any attempt he made to reach out with his mind to sense where the creatures were found only a wall of beautiful sound instead. Like a weed, it had insinuated itself into his consciousness, blocking out anything useful.

—Dragon Age: The Calling, chapter 6

     The far-off chorus had become a powerful symphony, a great swell of beautiful music that no longer pounded to get inside his head but instead tickled at the edges of his thoughts. It was far easier to ignore, but now he found it distracting. He found himself losing his train of thought whenever he listened.

—Dragon Age: The Calling, chapter 10

     The taint fogged her thoughts a little more with each passing morning. Her diary, once a detailed chronicle of every day’s thoughts, went neglected for weeks, sometimes months. She was losing her mind.      She wasn’t the only one, of course. It had gotten harder to tell the reality of the Blight from the horrors of her dreams. Sometimes she wasn’t sure which one she walked through, or which one she fought in. The elf had learned to recognize the confusion that sometimes passed over other senior Wardens’ faces. They, too, heard the Archdemon’s song echoing through their heads, a trifle louder every night. They, too, fought to block it out and to hide the signs from their comrades…

—Dragon Age: Last Flight, chapter 21

     My body is breaking down. The fingernails were the first to go. I started to itch all over, and when I scratched, they peeled back. Clumps of hair fell away. Then clumps of flesh.      I hear a song in my head. It's deafening. The most beautiful thing I've ever heard. But I don't hear it with my ears. It's in my brain. A blissful sound. This must be the call for which the darkspawn yearn, what causes them to dig so feverishly.      I'd still rather die. Suppose that's something.

—[DAI] Codex Entry: To Be Corrupted

     His skin itched terribly underneath those bandages, but he resisted the urge to peel them off. The pain throughout his body was dull but insistent, as if his body protested against this unfamiliar movement. The sluggishness made him wary. There was a thickness to his blood, a deliberateness to his heartbeat that made him feel like something alien was crawling inside of him and sapping his strength.      […His arms] were half covered in dark blotches. At first, he wondered if that was some kind of injury, or perhaps a bloodstain. But then he noticed the texture of the skin within those discolored areas: rough and withered, just as darkspawn flesh was. […]      Every part of his skin that wasn’t covered by the greyed cloth bandages was corrupted. It was like a network of black mold working its way across his entire body, and everywhere it touched he could feel a hot buzzing underneath the flesh. It was difficult to look at.

—Dragon Age: The Calling, chapter 6

     The Architect stared into Utha’s eyes and nothing happened at first. Then black veins began to appear along her hand where the darkspawn touched her. They became darker and darker, the veins branching until her entire hand was criss-crossed with them. […]      Her flesh withered and curled, the air filling with the foul stench of decay. […]      The stain on her skin spread, crawling up her neck and covering her face. Her coppery hair began to grey, and then it became white. Her long braid twisted and curled behind her, like a match that was burning itself into a cinder. Her eyes shot open, blood red, and she opened her mouth in a soundless scream... and what wisps remained of her hair simply fell out.      And then it was done.

—Dragon Age: The Calling, chapter 16

Bonus entry that made me go "hey what the fuck"

     What I remember most is its tongue flapping against a row of spiky teeth. I'd heard emissaries possessed the ability to speak, but the words were unnatural. They twisted and lurched as they left the creature's mouth, accompanied with a spray of saliva.      "Have you ever experienced living flesh ground between your teeth?" it asked Mila before biting through her throat.

—[DAI: The Descent] Codex Entry: Darkspawn Emissary

[what-eats-owls]

It matters how you do it

I finished Dragon Age: The Veilguard and had some big feelings about it. Spoilers for basically everything under the cut, and frankly, it won't make sense unless you've finished the game anyway.

First of all: I had a blast with this game. I didn't find Act 1 slow, I did find Act 2 a bit of a whack-a-mole, and then Act 3 kicks you in the kidney (complementary) while insisting it's for your own good.

I've seen some recurring complaints: that it lacks depth/edge/darkness, that it abandons previous lore, that the previous choices don't matter. I don't entirely disagree. To me, it felt like a massive Dragon Age 4 game that pivoted to a different, tighter game after complaints about bloat in Inquisition. The key is that when editing down, there's such a thing as trying to trim the fat and taking a chunk of the roast with it.

I enjoy the concept of Lucanis's character, and the voice actor sold the hell out of him, but the storyline felt like being taken to a museum and allowed to see one (1) beautiful unfinished sculpture. Why did Spite, specifically, work? We know the spirit of Justice became Vengeance by abomination, we knew Solas was Wisdom before he became Pride, so what was Spite before, and why wasn't that tied to Lucanis's own personal arc? (Doubly so if you romance him!)

Similarly, Harding was a delight, and her greenhouse was such a lovely little haven. I would have loved to see more explanation of the connection between plants and the titans, and how Harding's own personal struggles with rage connected to that of the titans. She has every reason to be angry and scared, and the game tells us she pushed that away—but we don't actually see her toxic positivity manifest to that degree, until she abruptly has an angry clone.

On the flip side, I loved the other five character quests, and I felt they had solid, poignant arcs that delivered. I also adored their interactions with the codex—if anything, I wanted to see more of that type of interaction on the screen. You have to fill in a lot of the character work for Rook yourself; Rook has all these interesting potential backgrounds, but I think starting the game playing through those, a la Origins, would have gone miles towards establishing more personal stakes up front and made for a stronger start.

So that's all my nitpicking. But let's talk about the bigger theme: It matters how you do it.

In the first Fade conversation with Solas, he gets so mad when Rook refuses to let him DARVO them about the consequences of his botched ritual. This makes way more sense when you understand he's literally imprisoned by his own regrets, and he needs Rook to have that same kind of regret in order to take his place. His entire arc is about rationalizing binary choices and shitty actions that hurt others in the name of a hypothetical greater good that he wants.

Solas can't engineer every binary choice Rook's forced into, but he uses Varric to maximize Rook's regret. He is trying to quite literally mold Rook into him, and the game is great at presenting this both as a coldblooded manipulation and a broken plea for validation—if you let it. You don't have to give Solas a moment of consideration; you don't have to take time to view his memories, or kill his demons, or listen to those scraps of Mythal still holding onto the good in him. You don't have to do any of it.

But you can. And in the end, it matters.

It matters because for every companion, you can encourage them to either be more nurturing/compassionate or destructive/closed off versions of themselves, and that is frequently tied to continuing or breaking from a cycle. (The exception is either Neve or, presumably, Lucanis, who are forced into the Hardened version depending on which city you save.) These aren't presented as morally opposing choices, just who you want them to be. You can see how the Grey Wardens fucked up bad with griffons and decide they have a better place. You can help Emmrich face his fear by finding deeper meaning in life instead of indefinitely postponing death. You can help them do things differently.

So when you get to the final choice in the game, you may have two options: physically force Solas into saving the Veil, or trick him into it. The kind of binary choice Solas has molded you into making by pelting you with cruelty and manipulation.

Or, if you've taken the time, you can get him to understand he's wrong. You bring out the people who saw the best in him and speak to what he's had to endure, even as you're showing him there's another way. You reach him not as Pride, but as Wisdom. And he goes willingly.

Ultimately, I think DA2 and Inquisition grappled with big questions of oppression and violence, faith and authority. It makes sense for those games to delve into harder, uglier subject matter, and ask you to make binary calls.

But my read of Veilguard is that, at its core, it's about how those decisions are meant to trap you in regret at best, and numb you to rationalizing cruelty at worst. It's why the companion who loses their home city becomes colder, more isolated, in response—more like Solas.

That's why it offers you a third way at the very end, but only if you've worked for it. A better way is possible, yet it has to be more than words. You have to understand where the pain comes from, what maintains and is being maintained by the current cycle. Then, and only then, can you break it.

I can't wait to play it again.

P.S. Utterly obsessed with the Trevisan fish merchant.

[dalishious]

Veilguard Companion First Impressions

So, I’ve finally recruited all the companions for the Veilguard! And as such, I thought I’d share my initial thoughts on them each.

Please keep in mind that as the title says, these are just my first impressions. I am nowhere near finishing the game yet. My thoughts very well may change after getting to know the characters more as the story progresses. Also, please do not take any opinions you do not share as a personal attack against you.

Bellara

Bellara might be my #1 favourite.

I’ve seen some people just say Bellara is “a Merrill rip-off” but I don’t think that’s fair at all. If all it took was a few similarities to say a character is a rip-off of another character, than I can think of so many boring white cishet male characters who would be guilty of that. But heaven forbid we get more than one elven woman who is passionate about her people’s culture and history!

Frankly, I think Bellara is a breath of fresh air in terms of Dalish characters specifically. Finally, a Dalish elf who isn’t punished for being proudly Dalish by the narrative.

I also really appreciate that so much of her can be easily understood by her backstory, too. Like, her feelings of never being good enough is reflective of the very realistic grief she is experiencing.

Lucanis

If Bellara isn’t my #1 favourite, then Lucanis is. They really both dominate that spot neck in neck. I can’t decide if I want to put him in a jar and shake it to see what happens, or wrap him up tight in a quilt and give him some good coffee.

I’m just a sucker for Lucanis’s character archetype, is the thing. I love taking him out simply because he’s so much fun to have around. And in terms of companion arcs, his is the one I am most intrigued to see where it goes.

Taash

(While I haven’t personally gotten to Taash’s non-binary plot yet, I am aware Taash switches to they/them pronouns, so that’s what I’ll be using.)

The moment I met Taash felt my heart skip a beat. The only thing hotter than their appearance is their voice. I know BioWare probably left Taash out of a lot of the advertising because they wanted to keep Taash’s gender stuff a surprise, but oh my god, because of this I was taken by quite the surprise. And so far Taash seems to be the type to keep a hard outer shell to protect a much softer side, and that is yet another character archetype I really love.

Davrin

My initial gripe about Davrin’s writing being so exclusively about Assan rather than Davrin himself is slowly peeling away, I hope. While I still think its bullshit that you can welcome Assan into the Veilgaurd but not Davrin, at least I’ve finally gotten a few bits of dialogue to get to know more about him finally. I just want to keep this momentum! Because Davrin as a concept has so much potential, in my opinion, and what little bits I have gotten from him have captivated me. But I can’t tell yet if it’s intentionally part of his character that maybe he’s just a closed off person who takes a while to trust others, (a little like Taash?) Or if the writer just cared more about griffons than the actual guy. I’m really, really holding out hope for the former.

Emmrich

Emmrich is so much more charming than I expected, and I found him instantly endearing the moment we met him. I also really like that we’re finally hearing some different stances and insight on death and necromancy than we ever had before from a companion! It makes him feel so fresh and completely new!

Harding

I’ll be real with you: I was not anticipating caring about Harding so much. She was who I was originally least interested in, when the companion line-up was announced. But the direction they’re taking her in has me questioning so much about bigger lore questions.

Unfortunately, I still don’t see much in her except being a vessel for those bigger lore questions, though. Like, Harding as a person has me mildly curious at best.

Neve

I’m really sorry Neve fans, but I just find her really boring so far, in comparison to everyone else. She doesn’t have a lot going on, and what she does have going on, doesn’t really captivate me much. Maybe I was just hoping she’d have stronger stances on things than she does? I don’t know.

It could be that I just really fucked up with Neve, and it won’t be until another playthrough that I’ll get to experience more that will change my mind. Because I will admit I am very good at picking choices she disapproves of, with my first Rook.

[icycoldninja]

Could you please write Dante and/or V with a reader who is a people pleaser with really bad abandonment issues but doesn't really say anything, instead they just curl up in a ball under the covers then cry themselves to sleep and avoid everybody for like a week-

I'm just sad and they are everything to me :/

Hope you're doing absolutely lovely today!!

Yes, I can! I'm sorry to hear about your mood, tho. Hope this makes you feel better.

Dante + V x People pleaser!Reader with abandonment issues headcannons

¤ Dante ¤

-Dante hates how you drop everything to make everyone happy.

-He knows why you do it, and understands that you're afraid to disappoint others for fear of getting abandoned, but this is going too far.

-He decided to sit you down one day and give you a talk, not caring whether or not he started to sound like Vergil or not.

-He repeatedly tells you that you shouldn't care what other people think of you. Being abandoned is no fun, he knows, but those people are just going to use you for being so nice to them. Besides, even if they do all leave, he won't.

-Smothers you in cuddles and tight hugs whenever he can to remind you that he loves you.

-When he traps you in his hold, he will NOT let go for any reason, so watch out.

● V ●

-V cannot understand why you try so hard to make people who don't care about you happy.

-He tries to convince you (calmly) to open your eyes and see the truth. There's no need to try and please everyone--you can't, anyway.

-Your sacrifices are largely in vain, and while he would love to tell you this, V knows that doing so might upset you.

-With some spywork from Griffon, V gathers information behind your behavior, eventually realizing that you have some serious abandonment issues, which is why you act this way.

-So, at night, when you think he's asleep, he will curl himself around him and just bask in your presence, reminding you that you're never going to be alone as long as he lives.

-Sometimes he has his familiars join him, which is nice, but can be kind of annoying, especially when Shadow decides your face is a good resting place for its tail.

[lukedanger]

Owlcatober - Day 15 - Flying

The fledging of a mythic angel for @owlcatober.

[Ao3 Link]

====

The canyons south of Drezen were wide and generous, and offered some protection from the howling winds of the Worldwound. It was for this reason that Ulbrig had preferred to fly through them, and to race down as Arueshalae became more confident and was ready for good-natured sport.

Now, however, those two had something different to do.

"Come on, warchief!" Ulbrig teased, having already partially-shifted into his griffon form so that he had his own brown-feathered wings sticking out from his back, "It's time to fledge!"

"I'm still not sure about this," Elaina admitted as she looked at the river at the bottom of the canyon. It was sufficiently deep to catch her, and Nenio (who was taking notes) had provided her with a day-long Featherfall spell just for this purpose, and she was wearing a double-padded bascinet to protect her head, and Arueshalae was there to catch her. But still!

Her nervousness was obvious, though, particularly as the golden-white feathers of her two new body parts fluttered. Transforming into an angel was going to come with such wings - she had intellectually known it for some time - but finally manifesting them as the mythic power transformed her was something else.

"You said that the wings react like you always had them," Arueshalae offered, holding her now non-demonic hand out. "You can fly."

“When I am not thinking about them,” she pointed out. “And I am very much thinking about how I am about to jump off a cliff.” As if to emphasize the point, she was consciously driving her wings to flap to try and reassure herself. One flap at a time - keep a steady but high pace to support her weight. She will need to do so even harder once she puts on her plate harness and other wargear. The Hand could fly - and would fly again - but now she needed to.

"Come on," Arueshalae tugged her hand again, "You can do it. I know you can. Don't you want to fly through the night? With me?"

"Of course I do!" she answered back, "but-"

A large burly hand suddenly pressed against her shoulder, and she went over the edge. While no doubt there was a comedic scene of everyone staring at whoever had pushed her, right now Elaina had bigger problems. Namely, plummeting off the cliffside. Ten feet per second was still a fast pace!

Falling was not a new sensation, from being knocked in the back by the quintain during training, planar travel through rifts, or even Deskari cutting open Kenabres. This should have been an old hat for her.

Of course, back then she did not have two feathery capes behind her, slowing her down further as they reflexively expanded to create drag. She could feel the wind pushing past her - and the ground coming for her. Flailing her arms, she tried to orient herself - like a bird, face towards her destination. Flap the wings - flap, flap, flap!

She slowed down, and finally began to level off, until finally she managed to pull herself upright, a steady pace of her wings keeping her aloft as she looked around. Arueshalae and Ulbrig had both jumped after her, but were far enough back there had been a clear delay. The shifter was laughing, while Arueshalae's expression was contorted - from fear, to laughter, to anger, then back again.

"Ulbrig!" Elaina nearly snarled, "What was that for?!"

"Sometimes you just need a push!" he chuckled. "See warchief? You just have to trust your instincts. Can't train for everything."

Elaina suddenly lost altitude - catching herself and trying to focus again as she almost fell.

"Well, maybe some," he offered, looking at Arueshalae, then back. "Why don't I give you two lovebirds some time to figure it out? See you at the other end!"

Before either of them could retort, Ulbrig turned into his full griffon form and dove down the canyon.

Arueshalae held out a hand, beaming they were both flying. "Don't listen to him, you'll get it. If you do need training though, there's plenty of angels and archons in Drezen now."

"Maybe," Elaina admitted as she took it, "but maybe I think I'd prefer an azata."

Arueshalae blushed.

[frizzle-mcshizzle]

[crawling towards you, I am translucent pale and my lips are cracked. You feel pity. It’s as though I’ve crawled through the desert just to find you. I reach out]

Dex Dizznee… I need headcanons… [coUGh]… please

this literally the funniest ask ive ever gotten this was amazing to wake up to

you also have amazing timing i have been brain rotting about Stinex (or as im calling it now Copper Mares) for the past two days so hes very much on my mind rn

he's self taught ambidextrous, and intentionally uses it as a pun with his name

he has curly hair and a ton of freckles

while his dad has five older siblings he only has three cousins that are around his age on that side and his family doesn't have a good relationship with his uncle so he doesn't see two of them at all

he has been helping Kesler in Slurps and burps since he was 8, and when he was a baby the first thing that made him laugh was the burping doors

the Dizzee's and Ruewens have weekly movie nights where they will all (including the adults and bodyguards) take turns choosing the movie

he has a collection of human technology that his mom got him that he consistently uses to make better weapons or things that can help around the house

his entire family has panic-switches and he has a master panic switch ring that will let him now whos in trouble where they are located with the projectable screen

he ends up telling Rex he will be talantless after talking to his parents about it, instead of that putting strain on their relationship it made Rex and Dex closer as he did everything he could to make things that would give talentless some kind of ability

he made Livvy a light projection tool so she doesn't have to hold Candles while doing her job

Dex and Stina were friends when they where very little but when the Heks realized that distancing themselves from the Dizznee's would increase their social status they quickly cut them off

when he was growing up he only saw Edaline and Grady during their quarterly exiler refills at slurps and burps, Juline invited them over for dinner more than once but they couldn't handle being around children for that long so they never came.

after he was hit by the melder he couldn't go home for two weeks he was constantly having full body spasms and had constant migraines, the triplets where so worried about him that they took turns visiting and being unnaturally quiet so they could see him

he's terrified of fire but tries not to show it, but when she's around it he can't help but stare at it like it's going to jump out and attack him. hes afraid of Marella after she maifested but doesn't want to be because he know she's wont hurt him. but when he sees her control fire all he can think about is getting burned by brant

when they where kiddnapped he wasn't constantly sedated like Sophie was and remembers much more than she does, he remembers her screams and them forcing sedatives down her throat, he rarely talks about it because no one asks and if he mentions it in front of his parents they get these galzed over looks on their faces and Juline's hands start to ice over, so he stops because hes already put then through enough

he has nightmares that make him wake up screaming, sometimes Lovise will the only one to hear him because he stops before the rest of his family wakes up. she will sit with him and teach him calming techniques that Goblins soliders use, other times his parents would wake up and sit with him for minutes yo hours, sometimes in silence sometimes he would cry, it happens at least once a week, sometimes more.

he has a stuffed griffon Ewlin got him while he was recovering called called feathersworth, he keeps it under his pillow whenever he's sleeping and

sometimes he will stay up into the odd hours of the morning just to avoid going to sleep because he doesn't want to have nightmares, Lovise will have to physically pull him to his bedroom because hes been awake for more than 24 hours and is still fighting sleep

he missed his mom and dad more than anything while he was with the black swan desperately wanting to talk to them. when he found out that Juline was squall it took him forever to forgive her, it put a lot of strain on their relationship and while Juline did her best to make it up to him it, it was just something he had to forgive her for because nothing can make up for that.

he is one of the only people that Tinker will have actual conversations with, and he knows almost as much about her as wraith does, he likes working with her more than lady Iskra because she actually lets him use his unorthodox methods of making things instead of forcing him to make things the traditional way

his extended family has get togethers once a year, not all of Kesler's siblings attend every year but he knows his grandparents very well and spends a lot of time with them

less a headcannon but i think he should lose his arm, his names means righthanded and i think it would be funny if he just didn't have a right hand anymore also because angst

is that enough headcannons, are you alive now, this made me want to write dex's pov when he was kidnapped so...

[aquarius-cookie-jar]

Chat, I'll be honest, I do not like Milk Cookie. Mainly because I don't agree with the fandom's portrayal/interpretation of his character (plus, he did some stuff in Ovenbreak that made me sigh), but I do like some aspects of his character. He has potential.

I have some general headcanons + minor mlp au lore stuff, but I'll leave it down here:

(Disclaimer: My headcanons may be different from some people. I'll be upfront and say I don't like ChocoMilk, and talk about it in my general headcanons part, so I suggest if it makes you uncomfortable/angry/you don't agree with what I say, feel free to click away, there's no need for malice over headcanon differences /gen).

🦄My Little Cookies AU🍪

He's a griffon who's part snow leopard and snow owl.

I'm on the fence about his color palette right now, mainly because there's a lot of white. I tried breaking it up with different shades, but idk if that just made things more cluttered or cohesive.

I haven't made Yam yet, but I do think he'd either be a bull or a ram. Idk yet.

I wanted to include his original dough color, but I didn't think it would work, so I made his coat resemble the animals he's based off of.

I couldn't bring myself to give him his original eyes. I'm sorry, they always creeped me out. 😔😔

✨General-ish..? Headcanons✨

Ok chat. I don't ship ChocoMilk. I'm sorry. I just headcanon that Milk was a young kid who was saved by a teen Dark Choco. If you don't agree, that's fine. But this isn't the reason why I don't ship them.

Personally, I think it doesn't work mainly because of how attached Milk is to that specific image of Dark Choco. He sees him as the perfect savior. He goes looking for Dark Choco after he disappears, yet it's unclear if he's aware of how much Dark Choco has changed and is willing to accept who he is, or if he's not and still thinks he's the same person as back then.

Idk, I'm just not a big fan of Fan/Idol dynamics.

I understand the appeal would be that Milk would still love him no matter how he changed, but I just don't like how (as of kingdom idk if it's the same in Ovenbreak) he doesn't acknowledge how Dark Choco changed. Does he know about Dark Choco attacking his father? If so, why does he still hold that image of Dark Choco being all amazing? If he doesn't, why not? He's from the same kingdom, is he not? Word must have gotten to him. But does he deny that info?

Idk, like I said, i just personally don't like idol/fan ship dynamics, so maybe I wouldn't get it. I would love a discussion as to how you think they work.

Anyway, back on topic, I headcanon that milk was a young cub who was saved by an older Choco from a deadly beast, which then manifested into him having this borderline unhealthy obsession (not in a yandere way, but in an unhealthy trying to cope with trauma, but in a negative kind of way). He wants to be just like his idol. A warrior straight from the fantasy books. And when trouble arises in the kingdom, he's willing to search the lands for him. Search for the savior he built up in his head.

I'd like to think he doesn't want to confront the truth about what happened with the king, so he either changes the topic of discussion or just drops the conversation entirely. Purple Yam once confronted him about his brash behavior and Milk just snapped, angry and upset about how he spoke about the prince that way. Yam never saw him so red before, it somewhat intimidated the ube cookie as he never saw Milk that upset, ever.

Truth of the matter, Milk suffers from trauma and anxiety. Behind that smile he's actually afraid. He's afraid he'll never be strong enough to protect his loved ones. Never be strong enough like that one cookie who saved him from death. He searches for the lost prince in hopes of reassurance, or perhaps as a form of coping mechanism. To hide behind his strength. After all, so long as the prince is still standing, there's still hope in the battle. Right...? He struggles with finding strength in himself, and sometimes wonders what his purpose will be once he finds the lost prince and brings him home.

He does eventually find a small spark of hope when he and Yam join forces with the Guild Alliance, and thinks of staying once he finishes his mission to find the prince.

I'm so sorry that the majority of my headcanons were about shipping, I just had a lot to talk about. Feel free to disagree with me. I don't mind, just be respectful.

[grim40]

{Next Gen}~ Monster?- Part 1

Ben sighed as he sat down in his seat. It was morning, and school hadn't started yet. He could hear the kids outside in the playground but didn't bother to turn around and look. He felt lonely. His only friend, Bitter Bite, was scheduled for Tuesday class and could only see him until Thursday. Even if class hadn't started yet, he wished he could go home now. 

As fillies, foals, and other creatures started filling the classroom, he sat up straight. Ever since the School of Friendship had been inaugurated, many families had come to live on Ponyville. Yaks, griffons, hippogriffs, even some zebras, had now filled the homes of the town. And with it, the school with many children. Mom had been adamant he could stay at home and learn from his father, but giving school a chance, they had enrolled him in Missus Cheerilees school. They told him school would be fun with activities, a playground, and he could make friends. He had done all those things, except the last one. 

Ben listened to Cheerilee's lecture, the four seasons, their types of weather, how each creature is affected by them. All of a sudden he felt something hit his temple. A small piece of balled up paper landed on his desk. He heard quiet giggles behind him by his right side. He knew it were those kids again. Ever since school began, they had been pestering him all the time. Never too harsh, but just things like this. Little balls of paper, a playground ball "accidentaly" going his way, things he thought were normal. At least that's what his mom told him. He took a small glance, and there she was. Agatha, the supposed leader of the group. She raised her arms in a shug motion, motioning as a silly mistake and giggling. He gave a small but weary smile, trying not to think too much about it. He couldn't concentrate on the lecture anymore, so he just stared ahead and hoped lunch would start soon. 

~

Lunch break had started, and Ben unpacked his small lunch box Dad had packed for him. A couple of apple slices, some oat meal biscuits and a box of apple juice. As he snacked away his lunch, he stared at the playground where the kids ran around, played in the swing-sets and jump ropes. He looked away, again feeling lonely. He wasn't really sure why the other kids didn't like him. From day one, he struggled to make a friend. He wasn't mean, he hadn't done anything weird that he was aware of. When pair projects came up in class, the kids would ignore him. He would otherwise be paired with another foal or filly, they were decent to him throughout the class time, but after it was done he was back to being alone. His ears drooped down, and he laid in the grass for a bit.

He could entertain himself. His father had teached him a magic spell recently, to invoke his own chaos magic. He told Ben that when Draconquui were still around, everyone had their own different magic. Channeling it was a difficult task, so they would need to start young and practice with it. Ben concentrated on the pads of his paws, a spark, then a flare of magic started to form. It was already fairly easy for him, he had practiced so many times. The hard part, was keeping the magic stable. But it was coming along well. 

WACK

"Hahahaha sorry, we did not totally see you the- AHHHH!" Agatha screached.

"AHH-" Ben, literally, had been knocked out of his concentration. The magic he had been so carefully holding, burst. 

The kids backed up screaming. The magic had blown some of them back and had temporarily blinded those nearest. Ben breathed rapidly while he held his head. He hadn't meant for that to happen, so he quickly stood up and approached the kids.

"I-I'm so sorry! I just got scared, are you alright?" As he extended a paw towards Agatha, she swatted it away.

"Get back you weirdo! You were trying to eat us! I knew you were evil! That's why no one wants to hang out with you, you monster!"

Ben looked shocked. "I-, I wasn't..."

Hearing the commotion and kids coming to her telling her what happened, Miss Cheerilee came running to their aid. 

"What happened?! Are you guys alright?!"

"Miss he tried to hurt us! We didn't do anything! He just tried to eat and blow us all up Miss! Please get rid of the monster!" Children surrounded Cheerilee, and while she tried to hear everyone out, she saw Ben stiff as a statue. 

She made her way over to where Ben was standing.  "What happened Ben? Did you use magic during school hours? Do you know how dangerous that is?"

"Miss I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt anybody. I just got scared and-"

"You just tried to hurt us, don't lie you weirdo!" Agatha screamed in his face, pointing one of her fingers at him. "Yeah, Agatha just walked over to him and he turned around with a magic ball and shoot it straight towards us!" "Were scared, please take him away!"

The children again started rambling on, not allowing Cheerilee or Ben get a word in. Ben wasn't confrontational, so he just stayed quiet. 

"Nu-uh, that's not what happened!"

Ben recognized the voice. It was Bitter Bites twin sister.

"Sugary Bite what are you doing here? You're not supposed to be in school." Cheerilee addressed Sugary. 

"I saw what happened, they are lying! I came here with mommy for Bitter Bite's homework because he forgot it. They threw a ball at Ben, I saw it!" 

"I didn't throw it!" Agatha exclaimed.

"I didn't say it was you!" Sugary retorted back. 

With that Agatha closed her beak and stayed quiet. 

"All right all right, we will talk about this after school. Please Sugary go back to your mom. Kids it's time to go inside, c'mon."

Kids started to head insde the school, and as Ben started to walk Cheerilee stopped him. 

"We will talk about what happened when your dad comes over, alright? And please, no magic use today, okay?"

She didn't sound angry, though her soothing voice masked a tinge of worry. Ben just shook his head slowly up and down, agreeing. 

As he sat in his desk, the whispering children went quiet. Cheerilee began her lecture, but this time Ben didn't bother to pay attention. 

~

The school bell rang, and kids gathered outside to meet their parents to go home, with the exception of two. They were still seated in their desks, no words exchanged. Ben felt panicked, like a knot in his stomach had formed and it was just gurgling around. What would his dad say if he knew he was doing magic in school? Would be be mad? He would probably be grounded for ever and be banned from doing magic again. Ben didn't bother looking in Agatha's direction, though he felt eyes on the back of his head. 

"Hello Mrs. Helen, hello Mr Discord, would you please come inside? There was an incident today regarding Agatha and Ben during lunch time."

"Did something happen to Agatha?!"

"What happened to my boy?! Is he okay?!"

At the mention of an incident, both parents asked Cheerilee in a panic. 

"No they aren't hurt, just if you please could come in."

Discord and Helen, Agatha's mother, came in. Agatha quickly ran towards her mother and began pleading with her.

"I didn't do it mom! It was an accident!"

Discord approached Ben who was still sitting and his desk and picking him up to his eye level.

"Are you alright? Did anyone hurt you?"

Ben shook his head at his dad's question, but still didn't speak. 

"Miss Cheerilee, you were looking for us?" Pinkie Pie came in the door, along with Sugary Bite and Bitter Bite. 

"Thank you all for coming. I know its a hassle to be here after school but I know that you guys want to know what happened today. From what I was told, Ben was caught doing magic during school hours without supervision of an adult or unicorn teacher."

"Is that true?" Discord let Ben down gently, and Ben looking down, saying a small audible yes.

"As we have discussed previously during the days prior of school, magic practice is forbidden during school hours without supervision, correct Discord?"

"Ah-, y-yes I know."

"I know you might be teaching Ben magic, but also teaching him the where and when he should be practicing it is a lesson every teacher has to put in place. Right?"

"R-right. I'm very sorry for the incident, whatever it was. I did fail Benny in teaching him to refrain from using magic here at school."

At this, Ben felt guilty, like he was at fault his dad was being scolded for his mistake.

"Although, I was told something else before the incident happened. And, I know Sugary Bite was a witness to all this."

"But how is my daughter related to this?"

"Go on Sugary." Cheerilee told her.

"I saw Ben by the bushes of the playground, but I also saw Agatha and her friends playing ball. But then I saw them throw the ball at Ben. Then his magic went BOOM!"

"Sugary is certain Agatha was the one who threw the ball."

"Did you Agatha?" Helen asked her daughter.

Agatha stayed quiet, and her eyes averting her mother's gaze.

"She is lying. Ben just wanted to hurt us for playing, and when I went to go say sorry he tried to hurt me." Agatha still averting her gaze.

"No you weren't, you were laughing with every pony." Sugary added.

"He also annoys me during class. He just stares at us without saying anything."

"Well you must have done something to him." 

"I do not!"

Sugary and Agatha bickered back and forth, while Ben just looked at them.

"Did she do anything else to you today?" Discord whipered to Ben. 

Then, Ben remembered, the piece of paper that tapped his head. It was Agatha who threw the piece of paper, and the ball. 

"She-" Everyone went quiet when they heard him talk. "She threw a piece of paper at me today. During class."

"HAH! What did I tell you, you DID do something!" Sugary mocked Agatha. "Sugary c'mere." Pinkie said while grabbing and dragging her towards her by her tail.

"Well Agatha, did you?" Cheerilee asked, sternly this time.

Agatha stayed quiet, swallowing saliva and lowering her head. 

"He's a monster."

"Agatha!" Helen yelled angrily at her daughter. 

"He doesn't belong here. He scares all of us!"

"All right all right, quiet down. *Sigh* Discord, Ben, you guys can leave for today. I'll talk with Miss Helen about Agatha's detention."

"Thank you Miss Cheerilee, c'mon kiddo. Let's go home." Discord picked Ben up and carried him on his back. 

"You can also leave Pinkie, and before I forget. Here is your homework Bitter."

"..." "He says thank you!" Sugary answered for her brother, while Bitter only nodded. 

Pinkie, Discord, and along with the kids, they left the school. 

~

Pinkie and the kids had parted ways, not before telling Ben they would see him later that week at school.  Ben only held tightly to his dad's neck, holding onto him like a koala. 

"You okay there kiddo, you are holding on a little roughly?"

There was a pause, and then heard a sniffle. 

"Benny, what's wrong?" As he grabbed his son and turned him around, Ben had tears running down his cheeks. Discord stopped walking and just held Ben in the air.

"Dad, am I a monster?" As he said it, Ben started to bawl. More tears came, and his sobbing got louder. 

His heart broke when he heard it. He only hugged his son, rubbing his hair. Discord carried on walking holding him in his arms. 

-

First time I post my Next Gen story here.

To give out context on characters-

-Ben (Benjamin Shy), son of Discord and Flutter Shy

-Sugary Bite and Bitter Bite, Pinkie's and Sky Star's kids

-Agatha, new character of mine, daughter of Helen

I'll later post their refs here~

[huntsvillegossip]

Hello, hello my little lovelies,

So much to catch up on these days! Everyone all at once seemed to have some type of news to share with me. 

You all know being on the ice is meant to keep us all cool and level-headed, right? There were so many punches thrown at the ice skating event, not just once, not even twice, but three whole times. Eagan Connolly punched Huntsville Daily’s very own Samuel Ahn over what was reportedly, and unsurprisingly, something to do with that missing brother of hers again. If she keeps that attitude up no one is going to be willing to assist her. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, sweetheart. 

Seeming to take a cue from her is that wildchild from the Westfall family, Esther Westfall, who is just as short tempered as ever. They were seen punching one Eldon Harcourt, though he seemed to take it decently well, and didn’t engage into a full brawl. The same can’t be said for Joey Albright who fully attacked Louis Ryan and had to be pulled off him. Not exactly the behavior you’d expect from everyone’s favorite heartthrob but it seems love makes fools of us all. Let’s just hope that Hope Macgillivray is worth it. 

However, not everyone at the ice skating party was quick to come to blows. It seems that there are at least some of you who would rather make love than war. Jackson Miller was spotted getting cozy with Lavender Parsons, ending in what was apparently quite the steamy kiss, if my sources are to be believed. Now I know that some readers may be scandalized by this news, but I for one think it is wonderful that after everything she went through with her mother’s disappearance last year, Miss Parsons seems to be coming into her own as a young woman. All I can say is, be careful out there, men of Huntsville! There’s a new heartbreaker on the rise.

Here’s a toast to one town event being mostly a success with no serious incidents. Hopefully this is the start of a new and lighter year for all of us. 

Love,

Auntie G

That older ranger guy is like, always at the bar. Smells like a bar too. Really harshes the vibe, you know? - Day Drinker

I've been seeing Amber Ryan and Noah Kasprak head off to his place a lot lately. I wonder how her siblings feel about her sleeping around with her co-worker. Seems pretty irresponsible to me considering the family's history. - Anon (25F)

So I was minding my business, when I heard Marisol de la Luna was holding some guy’s tarantula? Is that a new euphemism the kids are using or what? Here’s hoping history doesn’t repeat itself or she’ll end up like her mom did senior year. - Think of the Children

Geez, never a dull day with the Romeros. Heard another one of Hawk’s kids came popping out of the woods. Sora Griffon? At this rate, he’s gonna have a whole flock of ‘em. Hope his new hubby is ready to play Brady Bunch. - Town Bird Watcher

Nico Garcia has been going around saying he’s going to be a dad? I wonder who he knocked up. Could be half the town from the way he’s been getting around. I heard that within the past couple months he’s been hooking up with Val Moreno, Kirby, Nadine Briggs, Jessie Sinclair, Wren Romero, Cole Cerulli, Jovi DiCamillo, and Tatum Hampton, to name just a few! - Anon (33M)

[polarisbibliotheque]

80, Dante if you're still accepting these!!

Thanks for sending this request, dear!! It ended up as such a heartwarming one, I hope you enjoy it 🖤🖤

Spotify Wrapped Special: 80, Dante - Africa, by Toto

Pairing: Dante x Reader

Summary: Dante was late for Kyrie's birthday party, making Nero very disappointed at him. Luckily, you knew very well how to summon the Crimson Slayer.

Author's notes: Seriously. Dante is the KING of grand entrances. He needed one, with Faust and fireworks and everything. Also, Nero and Vergil took over for a while on this one "^^

About the Song: Africa is a song by TOTO, with catchy keyboards and a such a good vibes feeling, no one can remain silent when it's on. Super 80's, great song. It got even more famous as a meme from Jon Pumper when you can't get Toto out of your head. Click the link, it's worth it ;)

80, Dante - Africa, by Toto

“Can’t believe this. Even Vergil is here and that ol’ excuse of an uncle is workin’?!”

To say Nero was fuming was an understatement – not that he was all sweets and roses around Vergil, but at least he didn’t berate his father so openly in front of him like that. Only when he was mad.

And Vergil just started at his son with frozen eyes. No one really knew how to read him, but after all the time living with the twins, you got used to that look.

It was the look of a thousand different thoughts going around Vergil’s mind at the same moment – you could almost see Urizen, V, Griffon, Nightmare and Shadow all fighting amidst a thundering storm and Vergil just there, holding the Yamato, completely clueless and having no idea what to do.

That was a good description of what was going inside his head at the moment.

“Hey, kid. Take it easy on Dante. The man has no idea how to deal with… This.”

Vergil stared back at you, still wearing the same expression, and you could almost hear him asking if he seemed to know how to deal with that as well. You held back a laugh.

“C’mon, it’s just a friggin’ birthday! What’s so difficult about it?!” Nero opened his arms, completely ignoring one of the kids of the orphanage running after another with their faces dirty from sweets and Nico running after them right after, screaming for them to give the bowl of candy back.

You just gave the young Sparda grandkid a knowing look.

Nero sighed, resting one of his hands on his hip and using the other to massage his neck. It wasn’t going to work to calm him down, but at least it was something.

“I know, I know… But it’s Kyrie’s party. The kids really wanted to do somethin’ for her and she’s definitely gonna expect the whole crew to show up… The whole family, ya know?”

A little far away, Kyrie was singing some Britney Spears on the karaoke alongside Trish and Lady. The trio was having so much fun you couldn’t help but smile. Lady didn’t let herself have that much fun often and Trish… Well, she wasn’t really used to it. She was created to kill, after all. It was good watching everyone having fun and Kyrie leading the vocals while the kids danced, applauded and just set everything in utter chaos around them.

It really seemed like a family gathering.

“Hmmm. That is exactly what we don’t know how to deal with.” Vergil pointed out coldly, remaining with his arms crossed, casually sipping his iced tea Kyrie prepared specially for him. To say she had conquered the Dark Slayer’s heart wasn’t enough. “Family. Ours… Burned before we could learn anything else.”

Nero furrowed his eyebrows, carrying a hint of sadness in his aquamarine eyes. He rarely thought how all that grand legend of the children of Sparda had actually affected Dante and Vergil… He never thought his own father would know nothing of family, even more than Nero. He had always thought he was an unwanted child, not the child of a man who had lost so much and never knew he existed.

“Hmmm… I can think of a way to summon him. But you gotta help me, kiddo.” You looked back at Nero with fun in your eyes, making both Sparda’s kin watch you suspiciously.

“Well, ok…? What is it?” Of course, Nero was careful when the word ‘summon’ floated around, but there’s nothing he wouldn’t do to make Kyrie happy.

“Actually…” You mumbled while typing something on your cellphone. “I’ll also need you to help me, Verge.”

Vergil just raised one of his eyebrows, but in that department, he and Nero were very similar – there was nothing he wouldn’t do to make his son content.

As you finished typing, you kept your cellphone in your pocket, immediately feeling it vibrate with an incoming message after only a few seconds. You opened a huge smile, staring back at them.

“Can I count on you? Unconditionally?”

“Yeah.” Nero’s answer was deadpan; he didn’t even need time to think.

“Yes.” Vergil nodded slightly, ready to keep his word.

“Then follow me.”

They were ready to make a blood offering from the kinship of Sparda to summon Dante’s heart and make him fly over or just materialize in a pool of blood in the back of the party. Vergil held the Yamato with certainty, Nero held his head high.

Until you stopped by the karaoke and asked the girls for a song.

“Nero and  Vergil are singing with me.”

“WHAT?!” Of course, Nico and Patty suddenly appeared, holding the rogue kids and bowls of candies, eating the sweets themselves and scolding the kids for trying to steal it.

Vergil and Nero had only shock in their eyes as you handed them the microphones.

“You guys said you’d help unconditionally.” You had to remind them as they hesitated.

“Now that is something I would pay to see.” Trish had a devilish smile painted on her rosy lips, causing a laugh on Lady.

“Oh, the kids love when you sing, Nero…!” Kyrie had dreamy eyes and there was nothing the young Sparda could do against that.

Of course, the kids loved when he singed because he was a complete clown alongside Nico every time they had a karaoke party. But that seemed to make Kyrie happy.

“Yeah, I promised I’d do it. C’mon.” Nero grabbed the mic, making his father resign to their fate.

“I hope you know what you are doing…” Vergil muttered between his teeth as you started singing the first lines of the song.

Nero soon joined you, knowing it all by heart. After some notes, he was already feeling the music and, to be honest, it wasn’t much of a chore having to sing Africa with you. He couldn’t understand how that would help to make Dante materialize in the party, but even if you were just doing that for them to have fun, he wouldn’t complain – at least, he was having fun.

Vergil, in the other hand, took some time to ease into the song. It had been some time he didn’t listen to it, but he knew why you had chosen it… Dante seemed to adore that tune. His twin would sing that riff over and over at the Devil May Cry – almost driving Vergil crazy a couple of times. But, after so many years in Hell just hearing screams of pain and torture alongside laughs of pure sadistic pleasure, he could get used to his brother’s voice singing a beautiful song.

And when said riff came up, Vergil took the mic to his lips and sang alongside you.

Nero widened his eyes, smiling with surprise upon hearing his father’s voice singing. It was actually the first time the crew heard Vergil sing – and he wasn’t half bad, just like Dante; even if both would argue otherwise.

You and Nero danced around with the musical break, making Vergil giggle a bit with your antics.

“The wild dogs cry out in the night, as they grow restless longing for some solitary company…” And he didn’t even notice how you both let him sing alone for a while, noting how dark and beautiful Vergil’s voice was when he wanted to. Nero couldn’t stop his mind from thinking how it would have sounded if his father had sung him to sleep when he was just a kid.

“I know that I must do what’s right!” Soon, Nero joined Vergil and both were singing while looking at each other, barely noticing you allowed them to sing without you for a moment as well. That was a rare moment, but it was an opportunity you couldn’t let them lose. “As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti! I seek to cure what’s deep inside, frightened of this thing that I’ve become…”

Vergil stopped singing for a while as you joined the riff once more, dueting with Nero in an arrangement of different tones of voices. The Dark Slayer could finally see why his twin loved that song so much – some lyrics felt like watching his own reflection in the running waters of a quiet river.

As the solo hit, Nero took the task of playing his famous air guitar, making the kids scream around as if he was a rockstar. With you on air keyboards, Vergil stared you both for a while before starting, almost unmoving, to play his own air drums.

“Yeah! That’s how you do it, ol’ man!” Nero laughed while playing as if he had a real guitar in his hands. You couldn’t stop yourself from laughing at how much Vergil seemed to blush, get weird, freeze and continue air playing – all at the same time.

Taking a deep breath, you took your mic back to your lips. It was the moment of truth. Dante wouldn’t fail you – you had unweavering faith in your Crimson Slayer.

“Hurry boy, she’s waiting there for you!”

You could swear your voice could be heard in Heaven and Hell alike. With the stomps of the drums, though, the entrance door opened abruptly: Dante entered in strides, wearing Faust, having a ton of firework-like things exploding all around him in the shape of hearts. So many hearts.

Needless to say, all the attention turned to the Crimson Slayer, as he pointed back at you.

“It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you!” He sang with all the might of his demonic and human lungs.

Chaos ensued. The kids went crazy with the fireworks. Nico and Nero broke down laughing. Lady and Trish rolled their eyes – even if they had fun smiles on their lips. Kyrie’s heart seemed to bloom inside her chest. Patty was torn between complaining how cheesy Dante was and clapping – she ended up clapping while complaining and laughing at his antics. Vergil, once again, had that look of “every part of my personality is fighting inside me with thousands of thoughts and reactions, so my reaction is exactly none” – although he was happy to see his brother, as always when Dante arrived.

“There’s nothin’ that a hundred man or more could ever do!” Strutting as if he was in a catwalk, Dante approached you, with his convinced smile plastered on his lips.

“I bless the rains down in Africa!” As you sang together, he finally approached and spun you around, putting you on the ground only to grab his brother and nephew to keep on singing on the karaoke.

It was all lost, though. As Dante arrived, the party seemed to have finally begun – even if it already was fun. Vergil gave in and continued singing calmly next to his brother – who sang as if he was auditioning for The Voice.

“Gonna take some time to do the things we never had!” As the last line arrived, Dante embraced all of you to sing together in a hug – and even if Vergil seemed unwilling and Nero was a little uncomfortable at first, you all sang happily, with all your hearts… As a family would.

“Hey there, lil’ angel! Sorry it took me some time, got caught up on a job.” Dante finally addressed Kyrie as the song ended. She just clapped and cheered. “Happy birthday, Kyrie.”

“Oh, Dante! You didn’t have to…!” It was the first thing she said as he took an embellished hairpin out of his pocket and handed it to her. It was delicate and truly fit for an angel – you were all impressed he hadn’t broke it on the way there.

“It’s just a lil’ somethin’, couldn’t let your birthday go blank, could I?” He winked at her, already holding your hand so you could talk. “And kid, sorry I couldn’t make it earlier.”

“Hey, you’re here, right? That’s what matters!” Nero smiled back at his uncle, stepping by Kyrie to help her put the hairpin on.

As you approached the table with the apple punch Kyrie prepared earlier, Dante took you in your arms, kissing your forehead as you giggled.

“Ya know, that ‘Nero and Verge are singing Toto on the karaoke with me, be here soon or you’re gonna miss the party of a lifetime, cowboy’ message you sent me earlier was very effective, babe.” Dante had fun in his voice, giggling alongside you as his sky-blue eyes searched yours and you were safe and sound in his arms. You could hear Kyrie and Nico singing in the distance.

“Oh, I had to do something to bring you here. With the entrance of a lifetime too!” With that, he laughed out loud, one of your hands pointing towards Faust. “Guess some devil arms are useful for lots of things.”

“Huh, how do you think I got here? Cavaliere had a lot of work too!” With that, he winked at you, leaving another kiss on your forehead. “I’m glad you sent me the message, babe. I wouldn’t want to miss this for anything.”

“Hmmm, by the way, did you get paid this time…?”

“Yeah.” Dante shrugged, moving you alongside him, starting to dance unconsciously. “The lady wanted to give me money for my troubles, but I said the fancy hairpin she was wearin’ would do. Couldn’t let Kyrie go without a birthday gift, right?”

A bright smile colored your lips as your heart bloomed in gold. You didn’t know what you expected, really. If you didn’t know him better, you’d say he took the job because he forgot his family obligations, for not being used to it – but you were talking about Dante. You had no doubt he took it only to buy something nice to Kyrie; trading his money for something he was positive she would like.

“You’re wonderful, did you know that, cowboy?” You took Faust off his head, leaning in for a kiss. “A true heart of gold.”

Dante embraced you as you kissed him. It was going to take some time to do the things he never had the opportunity to do – but luckily, time was something Dante would always have for his family.

[quincyhorst]

FFI Euro B Coaches - François Deschamps (Rose Griffon 🦅)

Similarly to Gretchen's father, he's currently the coach of Saint Paris, a widely renowed french team. During the Alius menace, France held a more relaxed approach to the situation unlike its neighbours; only huge change being perhaps an increase of training hours in soccer than other sports.

However, when it was time for the Euro League to happen, the french association deemed to use a high level figure as to help lead the rose griffons into victory. And after many discussions and evaluations, François was choosen. Given nothing interesting was happen on the high leagues currently (I mean, the ones attacking buildings and kidnapping people were not adults, the man accepted the job, even if the thought of him training younger players puzzled him. It would be an interesting challenge (And in a way, it could help him out on his personal life).

However, he himself NEVER expected that the type of kids he'd have to train all looked like they came from a soap opera. Seriously.

Probably the biggest thing holding Rose Griffon back as a team was the huge difference between coach and players. They were on a similar wave when it came to soccer, sure, but François had it very hard when dealing with them in other ways. Seriously, why did they need to sleep so much!? Why did they need so many beauty products and clothes!? WHY WERE THERE SO MANY PAPARAZZIS FOLLOWING THEM!?

Not everything was hellish at least; because if not otherwise RG would have never made it into Liocott on the first place. First off, François managed to either just get used to or even befriend the more "normal" players of his team, such as Ladji and the other field defenders. The main keeper was a special case even, given his closeness to the chaotic duo of Pierre and Julien helped as the perfect middleman for them. Another advantage François had was by communicating with the actual coaches these players once player for, as a way to see how each dealt with them. Once things were set, he and RG managed to pull of a decent performance in the FFI. But of course, there were some things about his players that he never could get used properly.

In the end, after RG's road ended, he felt quite satisfied with what he and his team had done at least. This experience although a failure did made him change his views upon many things and it gave him memorable lessons for the future. He still preferred to work with professional older players, sure, but he saw a bright future on many of the RG members; some even outside of soccer. The players themselves also felt quite happy with François despite all, even if some contacts were lost as they grew.

A last point that I want to say is that he's a married man, even having a daughter named Suzette. However while she and her mother have been following both François and RG everywhere, the coach has made it clear he won't allow her nearby his team in any way. No hard feelings, he's just afraid of his players being like Pepe Le Pew with her, specially with the fact that she's just eleven years old. Fran's wife is always around to look over her, although it can be hard to deal with a curious child...

[yams-here]

(Small epilogue for this because I had an idea but I' too lazy to draw it)

It was over.

It was all that Ruby could think.

It was the only thing making her feel slightly better after... Well, a LOT.

Beacon has fallen. Her friends are hurt. JNPR is but a broken team now. So many broken teams without their teamates to complete them anymore.

She sees that despite their tragedies, team RWBY came out remarkably lucky compared to everyone else.

She could at least take the small victory of not taking out one, but two people that had been, in the least, a pebble on her boots for a while.

Roman Torchwick is gone. He really is gone. Swallowed whole by a remarkably huge Griffon.

Maybe it got attracted to the despair Roman felt when Neo floated away.

That was one thought of many. Someone died and it was her fault. She was doing her best to rationalize it.

At least that someone was Roman Torchwick, and he wouldn't bother her again.

That's what she thought.

Until,

"Hello little Red."

She turned around quickly, to the voice that was oh so familiar, if now more raspy, pushed out of his lungs with an effort that wasn't there before, but with the same attitude as always.

Annoying.

But right now, it just felt like she was seeing a ghost.

A very ragged, dirty, mangled, and bowler hatless ghost.

It took her a second to realize that, logically, roman shouldn't be here, right in front of her.

"WHA- YOU- HOW??"

"So surprised to see me! You really have such little faith in your first arch nemesis?" He brings his hand to his chest, in mock offense.

He approches, limping. Now actually needing his cane.

He escaped the Griffon (which is quite impressive, she'll give him that.) But not unscathed. She doesn't even ready her weapon. If he tried using Melodic Cudgel as a gun right now he'd probably fall over.

"Now, little Red, as you can see, your little stunt did quite a number on me." He gets even closer. "But I'm not here to seek revenge."

"Wait- Huh?"

He hums, mockingly. "That's right Red, it's water under the bridge. I have a proposal you won't be able to resist."

The fact that he still kept up his showsmanship shenanigans even when he's in the brink of collapsing annoyed her, but she couldn't lie about being interested in what he had to say. She crosses her arms and gestures for him to keep going.

"You see, working for Cinder has been an annoyance at best and an actual health hazard at worst. I hate her and her minions- I don't hate them that much actually, but I couldn't care less for their plans."

Now THAT, got her attention "....Which are?"

"Ah, now that's the catch, isn't it red? I want something in exchange for that info. I'll even sweeten the deal, if that's what you need."

"....What could a guy like you want so much that he would just sell out his-" Friends didn't feel right. "...coworkers this easely?"

"I want her back."

Oh.

"That's right red. You may not have seen her face when she floated away- far where I can't reach her- but I did. And I want to know where she is. I want my best friend. My-" he pauses. He bites his lip. She swears she sees him tremble a little. "I want my partner in crime back."

Oh.

Ruby... definitely didn't expect that, but in hindsight, she feels a little stupid for not assuming they had a closer relationship than "coworkers".

But still... Roman? Loving Neo (seriously, NEO.) So much that he was willing to sell out everything just to have her back was... unexpected. If a tad sweet.

"So, will you take it?" He extends his hand, which he is clearly having a hard time holding up.

"...It's a deal, Torchwick." She shakes his hand, if only to put the man out of his misery. She was getting awkward.

"Good! Good. Then what are we waiting for? We have much to do." He walks ahead of her, as if he already had a plan for after she accepted his deal. He probably did.

She stares at the back of his head, thinking.

"...So is it really water under the bridge?"

"Hm?"

"Yknow...me being the reason Neo floated away in the first place?"

And what she doesn't expect, is for him to laugh.

A loud, mocking cackle, if a bit painful sounding from his internal injuries. She assumes some of his ribs didn't come out of his battles whole.

"Hard feelings? Oh, little red..."

Then he turns around.

Where once there was white in his eyes, there was a deep, dark color instead. His irises, small and focused, a deadly shade of green staring right at her, and his eye that was always covered, looked at her with an aim.

She knew he was looking at somewhere that would hurt.

"I'm fucking pissed about it."

Despite besting him in combat multiple times, she gulps.

"But a liar, cheater, stealer and survivor such as myself understands the concept of self defense."

And he starts walking foward again.

Foward to where Neo is.

Whatever state she is in.

And despite herself, she follows.

the one where roman didn't die because canon isn't there I Do Not See

[aetherblooms]

slides in. i have QUESTIONS for yvette and lukas. definitely not engineered so you can talk about your favorite things (feel free to skip some if you want ofc): 1. Write a basic lowdown of your OC. What's their deal? / 4. Do they have a family or people they view as family? / 8. Biggest strength and weakness? / 12. What's something they could talk about for hours at length? / 24. Which canon character do/would they get along with the best?

YIPPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (answers under the read more)

1. Write a basic lowdown of your OC. What's their deal?

Yvette: (they/them) A secondborn sylvari elementalist/mesmer with a formidable reputation as one of two commanders of the Pact. A taciturn, well-spoken individual possessed of boundless arcane knowledge and skill, even compared to their peers in the Durmund Priory, a fact which easily earned them the rank of Archon within their order. They are known for possessing a sharp tongue, a bone-dry wit, and audacious streak a mile wide. Despite a prickly and stoic exterior they care deeply for their friends and allies, and will often encourage them to not take risks and to take proper care of themselves, despite rarely following their own advice.

Lukas: (he/him) A Sylvari guardian/necromancer, the twin brother of Yvette, and the second commander of the Pact. Although feared for both an imposing demeanor and terrifying prowess on the battlefield, he remains unwaveringly honorable and righteous. Despite his storied accomplishments within the Pact, the Vigil, and as the slayer of Zhaitan, he remains a remarkably modest man, often shirking the various luxuries his station can afford; however, he is more than capable of conducting himself with dignity and aplomb should he be required to attend any political summits or galas on behalf of the Pact.

ill add a full lore page somewhere. eventually.

4. Do they have a family or people they view as family? 

The twins don't have a lot of people they really consider as family. They have each other of course, and Trahearne and Aurene as well, but unless you count a wyvern, a griffon, and an ever-growing army of stray cats as family... its just the four of of them against the world, really.

(trahearne voice) a family can be me, my husband, his combat trained wyvern mount and our 2ton elder dragon daughter meanwhile yvette is 3rd wheeling sooo hard. gods help them.

12. What's something they could talk about for hours at length?

Lukas: He’s a Bird Facts Guy. He loves all animals and could tell you all sorts of things, but. Birds. actual footage of Lukas. Owls and corvids are his favorites!! (: ironically he tames a wyvern as his mount of choice rather than a griffon.

Yvette: alchemy! they will happily debate the medicinal applications of obscure herbs for hours on end! (: complete with demonstrations of various potions and salves.

24. Which canon character do/would they get along with the best?

[SHAKIGN AT THE SPEED OF SOUND]

The both of them get along with Trahearne the best. Im normal about him. I promise.

Yvette: They’re best friends and confidantes! They’re both good hearted people and constantly curious, always seeking the truth of things. While Yvette is fiery and reckless to a fault, Trahearne serves as the voice of Reason for their antics.

yvette  🤝  trahearne chronically ill scholarly-minded workaholics with trauma involving torture.

(spiderman pointing meme) “theyre jsut like me fr”

Lukas: They’re married, btw. If you care. While Trahearne holds the world upon his shoulders-- what with his responsibilities to the Pact and his title as Firstborn-- Trahearne finds respite in Lukas’s company and allows himself to relax, a reminder that he need not carry such a burden alone.

lukas: (laying face down on the floor) my dearest love has gone to war (the grocery store) and i fear i will never see him again (he’ll be home in half an hour)

[ramblingandwritings]

V fluff alphabet

A = Activities (What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?)

V is a sucker for museums, graveyards, and art galleries. If you can take him to see Blake's art in person, he'll be tempted to marry you then and there. He's never been so happy in his life

B = Beauty (What do they admire about their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them?)

Your patience with him. He's having to adjust to being his own person while still being half of someone else and adapt to being in a relationship on top of it all. He knows he's not exactly easy to be around some days

Plus dealing with Griffon is it's own thing. Even he struggles with handling him from time to time

C = Cuddling (how do they like to cuddle?)

Face to face or half spoon. Falling asleep together, you're likely to wake up tangled in the blankets, fully pressed against each other. He really doesn't mind, it's warm and cozy

D = Dreams (How do they picture their future with their s/o?)

He wouldn't mind getting out of demon hunting and helping Morrison with background work or maybe opening a bookstore

No matter what he ends up doing, he'd like to have a home together. He's not picky about choosing a house, he just doesn't want to spend another night in Nico's van

E= Equal (Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?)

It's a partnership through and through. Most decisions are made together unless they're just petty choices, then it defaults to whoever is more interested in it

F = Family (do they want one? If they do, when?)

He can't see kids being in the picture. Putting up with Dante, Nico and Nero is enough as it is and they're grown

G = Gifts (how do they feel about gift giving? What are their habits when it comes to this?)

He understands the importance of a good gift and he'll never get you a bad one. He pays close attention to the stuff you like and chooses carefully

When it comes to receiving gifts, he loves chokers, jewelry and books of course. The things he cherishes the most are things that belong to you that you give to him

H = Holding Hands (when/how do they like to hold hands?)

He doesn't always want to hold hands, but he'll never reject you if you reach for him. He understands the need for human touch too well

If you're in a crowded space then he'll grab your hand just to make sure you don't get separated

I = Inspiration (Did their s/o change them or the other way around?)

You've helped him solidify himself as a unique person fully separated from Vergil. His identity is a confusing mess to navigate, but atleast he doesn't have to go it alone

J = Jealousy (Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?)

Occasionally, but he knows you aren't responsible for his feelings. He'll just let the issue go unless someone is deliberately hitting on you and then he'll passive aggressively respond to them. If push really comes to shove then it's time for Griffon and Shadow to come out

K = Kiss (Are they a good kisser?)

His kisses are slow and sweet, he's in no rush, neither are you. He might leave you with a few marks on your neck depending on how he's feeling at the moment

L = Love Confession (How would they confess to their s/o?)

He says it in the back of Nico's van while everyone is out. He knows it's not the most romantic place or circumstance, but there was a worry pressing in the back of his mind that he could lose you at any moment. Maybe it was just anxiety or the horrifying knowledge that he's always in danger and so are you. Either way, he couldn't ignore it. He quietly urged you to sit next to him, so he could say what he needed

M = Marriage (Do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would the marriage be like?)

He's all on board with marriage once he makes sure he won't disintegrate into nothing, he doesn't want to get married and die soon after. Seems rude to marry someone and then widow them immediately

The proposal is fully private, V only wants to hear your answer and no one else's comments on it. He'll tolerate the questions from the others later

N = Nicknames (What do they call their s/o?)

Beloved, love and angel

O = On Cloud Nine (What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?)

He sneaks glances at you when he thinks no one is looking, Nero immediately recognizes the looks he gives you but says nothing. Griffon isn't as kind and will ruin the moment damn near everytime he sees it happening

He goes out of his way to be a gentleman, opening doors, pulling chairs and offering his hand if you need to step off of something

P = PDA (Are they upfront about their relationship? Are they rather shy when others are watching?)

He's fine with light touches and hand holding, maybe a light kiss or two. Truthfully, even without all of that, it's obvious you're in a relationship just from how close he stands

Q = Quirk (Some random ability they have that’s beneficial in a relationship.)

His affinity for magic comes in handy frequently

R = Romance (How romantic are they? Cliché or rather creative?)

He's an absolute hopeless romantic. He's planned a number of picnics for the two of you, if that says anything

S = Secrets (how open are they with you?)

He doesn't exactly see the point in hiding himself after it came out that he's the human side of Vergil. He's honest about what he's feeling and what he wants, he expects the same from you

T = Time (how long did it take you to get together?)

Not long. After you went out on about four dates, he was comfortable committing to a relationship

U = Understanding (How good do they know their partner?)

V is incredibly capable of manipulation which requires a certain knowledge of how people work. He's got a pretty good handle on how you tick because of that alone

V = Value (How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life?)

You're his number one priority and Nero 100% encourages it. Quite frankly, so does Dante, but that's because he doesn't want to deal with Vergil 2.0: Heartbroken Boogaloo if anything happens to you or the relationship

W = Wild Card (A random Fluff Headcanon.)

He kisses the back of your hand every night before sleeping. It's a habit of his, something that reassures both of you that neither of you are going anywhere

X = XOXO (Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?)

V basks in all the attention you can give him and returns it gladly

Z = Zeal  (Are they willing to go to great lengths for the relationship? If so, what kind of?)

While not as destructive as Vergil, he's still willing to go to extreme lengths to keep you unharmed, including black magic

[dandansposts]

trans did vergil wrt nero below cut baybey!!!!!!!

tl;dr vergil knows he has a kid but hasnt seen that kid since he was a newborn by dmc5. v feels like theyre more entitled to being nero's parent than anyone else in the system for reasons

let us get some basics out of the way. vergil is trans, he's asexual, and he has DID according to me. i also think he's autistic. also according to me, eva was a witch and while she did teach both her sons how to use magic as a sort of companion activity to sparda training them in combat, vergil was the one who really took to it; dante for the most part didn't have the attention span for the kind of book learning needed to learn the ins and outs of magic. he can do some basics, has taught himself some things as he's aged, but doesn't really consider himself to be a witch. (witch being a gender neutral term here)

vergil, on the other hand, hyperfixated on it even after eva died, though from there it would have become more v's thing than anyone else's. v considers themself as well as the system as a whole to be a witch, but there's some discrepancies between alters based on opinions on eva and degree of attachment to her memory. (v's a total mama's boy (gender neutral) and i wont be argued w about it. source of strife btwn them and vergil. delicious)

i'm going off my headcanons so i will be including nelo angelo in this, as well as altered pronouns from canon, so

pronoun list:

v: they/them

vergil: he/him

griffon: he/him

shadow: she/her

nightmare: it/its

nelo angelo: he/him

nero: he/they

dante: he/him

vergil system collective pronouns: they/he

yeah im an enby nero truther as well and what of it.

basic summary of events leading up to nero's conception is this:

vergil is in his late teens. he is attempting to transition via magic though this is entirely homebrewed, entirely a spell of his/v's own making, and entirely untested

this backfires horrifically, almost killing them in the process. the ramifications of this leave them physically weak and as we all know this is unacceptable.

prior to this the plan to raise the temen ni gru is already in the works but this just spurs them on. weak, recovering slowly bc as previously stated they nearly killed themself, they head to fortuna looking for information; if you're gonna find anything on ancient demon towers and hell gates its gonna be in the dusty church basement libraries of thee sparda cult id think.

i have 2 branching theories here but the end result is pretty much the same and results in them getting pregnant and carrying baby nero to term. theory one is Unpleasant and i'm going to leave it at that but theory 2 is a sex for information type dealie. makes more sense to me for vergil to view sex as a largely transactional thing and not really have a problem with using it to get info. given that he kinda, y'know, is an orphan and i imagine hasnt had any sex ed, i'm really operating under the assumption that he doesnt really know where babies come from? or at the very least isnt fully aware that this is a risk.

demon baby proceeds to wreak havoc upon an already very weak vergil; abortion attempts are made but are unfruitful. information quest continues despite this.

to make a long story short v is the alter who's most present at nero's birth; they're the one who first lays eyes on this baby, they're the one who holds him, who cleans him, who has a horrible little panic attack wherever the fuck this happens bc what in the fuck tbh. i imagine here, vulnerable and tired and extremely weak, they see Baby and theyre like oh.... youre small and defenseless and yet you have caused me so many problems.... my baby now

power quest takes precedent, nero is abandoned in fortuna days after being born. v later claims to have been against this but at the time would have agreed that power comes first; how else are you going to protect yourself or your baby when you're a heavily traumatized half demon teen dad

raising the temen ni gru becomes a pretty much suicidal endevour from here. it's stupid and dangerous and will probably end with them dying awful and bloody but they've just experienced true weakness; it's power and therefore safety and stability or death. canon pretty much happens from here.

now. i have done a lot of world building on witches in my dmc headcanons and am SO willing to talk about it but the necessary information here is the ability to practice witchcraft is generally inherited mother to daughter (strictly in the biological sense) as it was a gift bestowed upon human priestesses by demons prior to sparda cutting the human and demon worlds off from each other. eva's family goes waaaaaay the fuck back as the original priestesses of sparda's family line. vergil and dante both inherit this ability but crucially so does nero, despite the fact that according to me he is for all intents and purposes amab. chalk this up to either nero being intersex or vergils fuckshit genetics messing with things. either way, nero inherits this ability. or if you are taking my ideas and running with it, which by all means please do, and you decide he's a trans man, that literally works lkke i dont care all that you need to know here is nero inherits the ability to preform witchcraft from vergil.

a very good friend of mine has allowed me to bounce ideas off him and has given me many ideas so should i talk about neros witchcraft at any point, a lot of the credit for the ideas goes to him.

and if he is reading this and would like me to credit him for his baller ideas he should dm me on discord but ANYWAY.

i am now going to breakdown how each alter relates to nero. i feel its worth it to note that no matter what happened in fortuna to create nero, the whole pregnancy was probably pretty traumatic and dysphoria enducing.

as i'm sure most DID havers and systems can tell you, interpersonal relationships when you are like this can get wildly complicated. you're balancing differing opinions and outlooks and gut reactions and it can be really difficult! so it follows, to me at least, that vergil & co have a very complicated relationship w/ their kid post DMC5 and just. super complicated feelings about nero In General.

vergil

now, vergil has extremely limited experience with people and a very narrow, very warped view of what family means. he also has a massively warped moral compass and tends to put self preservation above all else. this is really obvious when he doesnt have the other alters holding him back; he would have killed both dante and nero if they weren't so durable just because they got in his way. that said, it's not like he doesn't care about them. dante's his twin brother, the one thing he wants more than anything is for dante to join him and i imagine it's similar with nero.

(unfortunately nero's a little too much like his uncle to join vergil's crazy power quests but y'know.)

he absolutely would not have been a good dad to a small child but with nero grown up and not dependent upon him for anyrhing, i can see vergil really being the one who tells nero about their family, about where they come from, and just all of the history there, which like... nero's an ophan, i can see that being very important to him.

i also think the whole arm thing like... in vergils mind, thats a mercy. he didn't try to kill him, just ripped off his arm bc he Needed the yamato for self preservation reasons. like, you get in his way, vergil will kill you. he didnt kill nero, to him that is almost positively a mercy and i imagine he has significant difficulty understanding why nero might hold that against him- vergil's been torn apart and remade and just destroyed more times than he probably remembers, like... this isn't anything to him.

as for interactions with infant nero, i can see vergil having a similar Oh... My Baby initial reaction as v, but this is Vergil- he needs to be strong, and if he can't protect himself, how's he supposed to protect a baby? i think he's fully aware that the temen ni gru quest is almost certainly a suicide mission, but in his mind, he has no choice.

in summary, i think he tries. i think he is a terrible father but i think every decision he's ever made has just been him Trying in his own fucked up way. whether or not he ever has much of a relationship with nero is entirely up to nero.

v

v is really interesting to me wrt nero. i see them as viewing themself as being somehow more entitled to being nero's parent than anyone else. on top of that, v is manipulative, they're cagey, they're the first alter who actually talks to adult nero, they're the kind of person who'll tell you only what you need to know to the point where it's basically a lie of omission.

this is all self defense, but it's still something that makes them wildly unpleasant to be arnd. couple that with feeling like nero Belongs to them, they actively sabotage other alters attempts to get to know their kid (until confronted about it). the non-humans are just "familiars", vergil and nelo angelo are "dangerous", etc. they honestly probably dont even really tell nero that they're All Vergil, Technically. this is probably something nero finds out from either dante (thinking nero already knew) or griffon (just telling him bc vergil doesnt think it's relevant information and v is actively keeping that from him)

that all said, v cares very deeply about nero and about what he thinks of them. they love him Dearly, would do anything for him, and genuinely just want what's best for him, though their idea of what's best for him doesn't always match up with reality.

they'd delight in sharing their witchcraft with him, in sharing the history of that, sharing everything they know, just... Teaching him like eva did them.

as with vergil they are just doing their fucking best. they just kind of happen to be an asshole. they also just happen to be emotionally unavailable. these things make interpersonal relationships difficult. i imaginr they also make connecting with your long lost son extremely difficult as well.

griffon

as v's kinda direct protector, griffon's heavily entwined with their bullshit but that does Not mean he puts up with it. post dmc5 and post hell, griffon? he is not pulling punches. nero wants Truth, in all its gory details? he should talk to griffon.

out of all of them, griffon's the most... mentally sound, shall we say. he's generally levelheaded, he's very silly, and is the most openly affectionate aside from shadow.

he very much considers nero to be Their son, rather than His son; nero's as much his as he is any other alters, they're all nero's dad, full stop.

how he shows affection, however, is by relentlessly bullying and he Definitely takes it too far and nero Definitely does not always understand that he's joking.

what v won't admit and what griffon has given up trying to tell them is that he was just about as present during nero's birth as They were, they are Very closely tied as alters, but . well. u try telling that to a wildly unstable witch.

shadow and nightmare

to be honest, i don't have a whole hell of a lot to say about them. they love nero, they both consider him the system's kid, etc, but they don't tend to front unless there's some.kind of imminent danger be that psychological or physical.

That Said, shadow can be VERY snuggly if you catch her fronting outside Danger Time. she's extremely sweet and loving to anyone she likes, and she Likes nero, that's her BABY.

angelo

and finally we come to the one that is entirely headcanoned. i'm gonna keep this relatively brief bc im running out of steam anf patience to keep.typung this but angelo's intial gut reaction to nero is about the same as it is to dante, which is just . sheer, gut wrenching terror followed by the worlds most aggressive fight response. consequently i Do think he's gutted nero once or twice.

as he begins to recover, begins to get out of the mundus brainwashing and starts to really just. be a person, if nero is willing to let him in he is the most fatherly. he's gentle but firm, he's patient, he's the kind of person who will do little things for you just because he wants you to be happy. i also don't see him pulling a v; he's very honest, very humble, and *very* willing to apologize and admit to wrongdoing- for fuckssake, he gutted his son, who he really does want a relationship with. gotta start somewhere, u know.

i can talk more about system interpersonal relations but as a tldr v Does Not Like Angelo Whatsoever; angelo represents the single worst time in their life, and he's also just everything v isnt.

anyway. thank you all for reading if youve gotten this far. if you wanna hear about anything else i may have mentioned in passing i am ABSOLUTELY willing to babble about my dmc headcanons.