#and that the next week goes well!
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This is also a bit of a culture query, cos these are all in my house so I genuinely cook with these all (except chicken salt, that's been in my cupboard for ages)
But I'm not from the USA and most people here are, so I wonder if that's similar! Maybe your cupboard is identical to mine. Maybe we use the same stuff but call it something else. Maybe USA has a different relationship with pre mix spices and you use none of it. Maybe you've never heard of pre mix spices. I dunno. That's why I'm asking!
I use plain herbs and spices as well. Especially when making a complex meal I'll do it myself. But I use pre mixes other times, so I'm voting. Voting for a pre mix doesn't mean you don't also use paprika! If you genuinely have no pre mixes in the kitchen tho, then hell yeah, tell me!
Also, I know I haven't listed everything in the world. One, that's impossible. Two, this is a bit of a culture thing so I just checked my kitchen and used those. This selection is representative of me only
(you don't have to be from the USA to vote, obvs, we just all know that's how the results will end up. Please tell me about your spice mixes in other countries!!)
Morrison spice blend: Pepper, tumeric, ginger, cardamom, parsley, salt
Chinese five spice: Star anise, cinnamon, clove, fennel, Sichuan pepper
Chicken salt: Salt, chicken stock, garlic, paprika, pepper, onion, celery
Gluhwein gewurz: Orange peel, cinnamon, lemon peel, star anise, hibiscus, clove
Chimichurri: parsley, garlic, oregano, vinegar, chilli, salt, pepper
Za'atar: thyme, cumin, coriander, sesame seeds, sumac, salt, chilli
Garam masala: coriander, cumin, cardamom, cloves, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg
#food mention#poll#polls#spices#cooking#my gut instinct says I'm going to be told about some seasonal pumpkin spice blend for the next week#but we don't have that here so I'm not preempting and it's not going on the poll#that a regional thing! that's not in Australia! I'm standing my ground#and hey maybe I'll be wrong#if you're interested i use zaatar more than anything else#it's gentle#goes well in breakfast food when I'm cooking lazy
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Hi! Hope your week is doing okay. So, your header had me in a thought: in your opinion where and how did both Ironwood and Ozpin both similarly went wrong, and how and when did they diverge enough that Ozpin and Oscar manage to accomplished their objective alive at the end, mostly, while Ironwood sinks to the bottom of a new lake, alone and defeated, in your opinion? And why? In your OCIN AU will James and Chae-Yeong both be leaving for and then leaving Atlas at the same time? Do you have anyone in mind in Oscar's place as a member addition, not as Oz incarnation of course, as a tagalong? Who's taking Qrow's place as the spy field agent? Where's Ren in the AU? Why did you make Winter's hair formerly black? How did you think Ozpin in canon should have told the truth about Salem, and when? Would he have come up with a better answer to Ruby's question on dealing with Salem if he wasn't in the middle of a mental breakdown, and the others in a building panic attack, or Qrow punching him?
Ironwood vs Ozpin
I think the main thing that contributed to both Ironwood and Ozpin's mistakes were both of them have trouble trusting people. Neither of them really felt able to be able to share things with others-- be it Ozpin holding back important information from both Remnant and the others in his inner circle, or Ironwood holding back any kind of vulnerability for fear of looking weak
So then the key difference is that Ozpin is able to start trusting more, and start opening himself up more through the help of Oscar and being called to task by people close to him (others in RRAYNBBOW), but Ironwood never has that. Ironwood is so deeply steeped in Atlas' culture of repression, that him opening up is much harder than it is for Ozpin to. And that tendency towards repression, and maintaining images, and all that other corely Atlesian stuff is ultimately what dooms Ironwood. If he had opened up, and he had a close support system, and he was willing to admit that he made mistakes, he could have been saved, and he could have been the hero he believed himself to be. But he was tragically doomed by the narrative and his own commitment to Atlas
Age Swap AU Questions
The question about James and Chae-Yeong is a little spoilery, but I will say that both of their arcs in volume 4 will be based on Atlas, and they will both be leaving Atlas so the team can reunite in volume 5
Ren is currently teaching at Beacon along with the others from Team JNPR, and I have him teaching Stealth & Security. Originally there was going to be a reference to that in chapter 1 of volume 2, but I just couldn't manage to work it in naturally
And Winter has black hair in this bcs I personally subscribe to the belief that in canon she dyes her hair white to fit with the Schnee family image. Winter has black eyebrows, unlike her siblings and mom, and we know that Jacques' hair was originally black. While the Schnee family tree is different in this, I did decide to let Winter keep the naturally dark hair
I saved the question about who will eventually be a tagalong to the main group like Oscar and who will be fulfilling a Qrow-like role for last in this section, mainly to talk about a bigger thing. And that's that especially as the story goes on, a lot of the parallels between characters get less cut and dry. To some degree, I already wanted to kind of have that be present. Like, Ozpin is like Ruby narratively, but he's also like Oscar. So there will be characters fulfilling some of the same narrative roles that others do in canon, but it won't necessarily be a simple "this character fulfills this singular role from canon" for everyone. Especially in the Mistral arc, a lot of the plans I have diverge from what things are like in canon, with there being the same end place but a different way of getting there. I think I mentioned it before, but since volume 4's arcs are so heavily tied to each of the characters and their specific journeys (beyond the RNJR plotline), there's a lot of differences in the v4 plots for the age swap. That means that there are some pretty sharp differences in some character roles that get filled
I will say off of that, though, that there will be new characters joining the larger group in volume 4, with a couple of them sticking into 5 and onwards. For a spy/field agent-like role, I'll say that Team RWBY in this universe has some parallels with Team STRQ in the main one
Ozpin's Secrets
tbh I think that, at the very least for the people who got clued into how Salem exists, there are Maidens, there are magic relics that she is trying to get, the basics of "hey I'm in an immortal divorce battle with my ex wife" should have been part of the pitch. Like, I don't think he needs to get into the nitty gritty details or anything, but at least a tl;dr of what Jinn showed RWBY and co would have been good so everyone involved has a better understanding of what's going on. You're already dumping a bunch of ridiculous and terrifying information on people about the end of the world and how magic is real, might as well throw in how you and Salem are tied together
I do think whether he should have mentioned that Salem can't be killed (by him) would have also been important information to throw in, but how to do that's a little trickier. If you think you can win against something, even if it'll be difficult, it's easier to fight and commit. But if you believe that your enemy is unbeatable, that can destroy morale. I think Ozpin talking about that with his inner circle could have helped better prepare them for Salem, and maybe led to some other ideas flowing about how to handle things, but that's still something where I get why he'd be hesitant to talk about it
However, I do think that regardless of anything else in the situation where Ruby asks what Ozpin's plan is to defeat Salem, it would have been the same response no matter what. It seems very clear to me that Ozpin has no idea how to defeat Salem. He knows that he needs to keep the relics and Maidens away from her. He knows that he needs to keep her in check. But he doesn't have any actual plans for how to beat her. So no matter how much time he would have had to think about it, no matter how RWBY and co would have reacted, it always would have been the same answer. Ozpin just has no idea how to beat Salem
#asks#angstandhappiness#thanks for the ask!#hope your week has been going well too#and that the next week goes well!#rwby age swap
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bun ny bunny bu nny bunny ? @wolfertinger666
#salem#original character - salem#wolfertinger666#Hi Ryeders This Is The Dawing I Said I Would Post#dropping that act AA i'm really proud of this actually#i usually will just fill bucket or default pen to colour#but this time i used a TEXTURED MARKER B) and did it manually it was awesome !!#i've wanted to draw salem art for a while now!!!#his art is rlly inspiring to me!! i've drawn more straight up furry things rather than ke/mono/mimi things because of him :]#and experimenting more with style too :D#and also he's kinda relatable :) as a fellow fat black trans man with no top surgery who came from a heavily religious background and is..#..now living with his mom that is transphobic to the point that it is almost life-threatening#it's really great to see him here despite everything ya'know?#so i can go on too :)#Well Anyways Ryeders Thank You For Reading#I Will See You Next Time I Post Something#Which May Be Soon. Like A Week Or Two Maybe#All In MsPaint Sourry..#Okay Bye Ryeders I Love You !!#bad art tw#<- art tag goes at the end this time because NO!!! This is NOT bad#so sourry if u don't like being tagged in rando fanart
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something something blood-soaked hands cradling your face something something
anyway here's the post btw
#what if post dp3 logan struggles to emotionally accept that wade Will Actually For Real Survive Anything#and one time they are fighting some random baddies#and they somehow get in a few shots straight to wade's cranium and he drops like a bag of slutty slutty potatoes#and logan goes full berserker trying to get to him#like he just massacres everyone in his way and wade still isnt getting up ohnoohnoohnonotagainohno#(healing factor or no a few direct shots to the brain stem/t box take a bit to recover from)#(no more than five minutes but it's an eternity to logan)#and his heart sinks to the very core of the earth as he kneels down next to wade's body#and his hands are shaking and soaked in blood and he can't seem to sheathe his claws in his dazed adrenalined state#he tries to peel back wade's mask and fear is just *pounding* through his system because in that moment#all he can see are the xmen dead in massive pools of blood#and that feeling of unreality is rushing over him like thiscantbehappeningthiscantbehappeningnotagainohgodnotagain#wade's still and unresponsive and there is so Much BLOOD (hard to tell how much is Wade's and how much is just on his hands)#and logan doesn't even realize he's crying until suddenly wade's eyes light up like a computer restarting#and he's smiling and gasping and joking immediately#“well howdy there hot stuff what did I miss?”#and then he clocks that logan is Not Okay#“... well gee willikers golly goddamn peanut 'twas only a flesh wound! no need to go all waterworks over lil ol me”#“you know it would take a helluva lot more than that to make me shuffle off this here mortal coil!”#“see all better I'm hunky dory peachy keen right as fucking rain”#“I mean cmon I can't have been out for more than five minutes so let's just go back to you being exasperated with my bullshit antics okay??#“...okay sugarboobs? snookums? babycakes?.... Logan?”#and they just sit there on the floor holding each other for a while#wade babbling and logan crying about everything he's lost and wondering distantly how he has come to care so much#about this blithering jokester in like barely a week#that the thought of losing him brought him crashing back to the worst memory of his extremely rough life#anyway that's enough tag mini fic lolol I'm having feelings about my own drawing I guess 😵#poolverine#deadpool and wolverine#poolverine art
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something about gregory and janine is just so fun? the way they're both absolute nerds? that their more overbearing traits are where they overlap and even enjoy each other? how greg is a realist and janine is a dreamer and they're both learning to be people outside of how they were raised, to see the world as bigger than just themselves? and for better or worse, platonic or romantic, the new lives they are building include each other? girl c'mon
#abbott elementary#their relationship specifically is something new that i just...haven't seen before#especially in a black relationship??? like when do characters get that kinda coverage??? that DEPTH#their dynamic is so fun and cute and somehow still allows them to be individuals#i KNOW most of the energy in their room goes to making sure their bond is finely tuned#i love them and i want them to kiss more but i also just want them to be around each other#that it is so easy together....that janine somehow reads his cues so well and he does his best to bolster her up#gonna think about them for the next WEEK at least#Teddie
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i am wide awake thinking about that post canon jb au again when I should be sleeping …!!! such is the nature of the jbrainrot…
#the whole setting is jb hanging out in the rock post war#and tyrion became lord of the westerlands / the rock is his but he’s off doing stuff in kingslanding and jaime is just filling in for him#atm . but after tyrion comes back his original plan WAS he’ll get married to brienne right away and they can move back to tarth or be#travelling hedge knights together or whatever brienne wants to do he’s down for it. but the important thing is that he wants to stay with#her .. so he’s using the time they have together currently to court her bc she deserves that at least !!#so jaime goes off trying to court and woo brienne but she just thinks they’re hanging out bc they got relatively close in the war#so jaime being touchy feely isn’t anything new. jaime making innuendos and being kinda flirty isn’t anything new either#but this time he means it LOL he’s like I want to kiss you SO badly and brienne will be like lol silly jaime (:#I was also thinking they’d help rebuild lannisport just bc it’s a time for healing now and it would be good for the people to get to know#jaime and the lannisters in general bc of how they would just used to sit high above the rock looking down on everyone#but now jaime is like. actively helping and being known and being with the people rather than just being that absent distant lord#also he’s thinking he might as well try and foster some relationship with the commoners to his house bc it’s for tyrion anyway#so he’s off doing that and brienne is tagging along bc she does not want to go home yet#she wants to stay with him and she’s helping out as an excuse to stay a little longer but she doesn’t exactly want to leave him#but how do you tell someone that and ignore the big glaring part that she’s actually in love with him and the fact that they both survived#the war is getting her hopeful???? u want her to admit that?? like a normal person??? no..!!#so she’s just staying and helping out bc a) it’s the sensible thing to do b) so she can bask on the sun that is Jaime Lannister#for like a few more days. weeks. maybe a month bc the weather is soooo bad in the stormlands rn 🙄😳#anyway jb hanging out! and everything is going well and good but jaime is now getting popular w the people and he’s also looking quite#rugged and handsome post war now that he’s thirty flirty and thriving and he also has a new scar across his lip that makes his#smirks even more ! rogueish … ! and he looks quite nice with the greying hair 👀 so now there’s gossips around him#not to mention he’s single too and I think if you were one of the heroes who helped win the war they’ll forget the kingslaying#man with no honor business so lo and behold brienne eavesdrops a group of ladies bc she’s a chismosa at heart and they’re talking about a#potential marriage for a lord lannister (!!!) and there’s going to be a big tourney held in Kingslanding for it (!!!)#and brienne remembers jaime mentioning the ought to go to Kingslanding in the next few weeks (!!!) and now she’s remembering jaime IS a#lord though not theee lord of the westerlands STILL a lord from one of the seven houses and he’s single and very eligible for marriage rn#and now she’s realising everything is returning back the way it was before the war where society rules matters and she has her own role as#now the evenstar bc rip selwyn and jaime has his own role too and the court is a whole different battlefield#one that she isn’t equipped in and even though she had found some new confidence in herself bc killing a bunch of ice invisible zombies#with your own magic sword will do that for you she doesn’t think (and she’s being objective not negative) she stands a chance in THAT
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klapollo week day 7: aa4 sequel
#klapolloweek2023#klapollo#apollo justice#klavier gavin#ace attorney#apollo justice ace attorney#i don’t have a very fleshed out vision for a sequel tbh#well okay i do actually but that’s a different idea than what’s going on in this drawing#but basically i believe with my whole heart klavier quits prosecuting after aa4 because. obviously.#and then idk SOMETHING happens and apollo is arrested or something and klavier shows up at the waa and he’s like heyyyy i need to be a#defense attorney for the next week for apollo please hire me#and tbh i don’t know what apollo was even arrested for but okay hear me out. he is absolutely guilty. i think maybe he beat the shit out of#someone. like i just really think he did it. because i like seeing him commit crimes#maybe it’s related to my day 2 drawing where he had a gun that’d be fun.#anyways yeah i don’t know how the trial goes either btw that’s none of my business tbh
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Time for a new toy!
Cat toy won by a pretty good margin, so tomorrow there will be a little novelty cat toy in the garden!
So that means...
("Nothing" option will still attract a cat)
#UTDR#UTMV#Neko Sansume#I only remembered it was saturday like a few hours ago lol#But luckily!! I had the winning cat pre-prepared :D#So he'll be ready to go out in the morning#I was gonna start reducing the options to lead up to a lil event but#I drew out the designs for 2 more cats last week so#I think I have enough to do at least 1 or 2 more weeks before I event it up#And hopefully in the next week or two I'll have more time to draw little special bonus cats to keep things interesting ^^#I have lots of little silly ideas so!! I hope it goes well :D#I might need to ask you guys' opinions on how you want certain stuff but we'll get to that later
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So basically… Dan is being too tsundere to admit he wants to help Conrad out properly, will proceed to provide for this kid and pretend it’s a burden. Got it.
#I love him I love him#y’all don’t get it#he gives him an alleyway#waits for Conrad to go ‘can I have a blanket or smth please’#goes ‘you’re gonna get it dirty :/ you might as WELL sleep in here for the night’#proceeds to give conrad a guest room#and insist he’s jUST temporarily using it#and that he’s still paying rent#(does not inforce rent)#(he makes excuse)#‘well on the first month I’ll let it slide because you’re young’ ‘#‘You can pay me for this week in next weeks payment’#‘I took it from your pay check!’#‘for the split we have going!’#he’s insufferable I love him#dimension 20#mentopolis#d20 mentopolis#dan fucks
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“I guess we can’t go home yet.”
#our skyy2#vice versa#puentalay#jimmysea#jimmy jitaraphol#sea tawinan#gmmtv#thai bl#bl drama#this story was very tangled lol but it was nice#kinda reminded me a bit of the petekao story in season 1#oh well#MSP next week#lets see how that goes lol
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Wait I forget do you do commissions?
not right now, though I'm hoping to start taking them some time next month :)
#i've got a couple things id love to save up for#but i'm waiting on some life stuff before im able to take commissions#hopefully within the next 2 weeks or so if all goes well#fallenasks
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turns out i turned the assignment i was stressing over into something a lot more complicated in my head & its actually really simple
#somehow mistook my far too ambitious plans as the actual assignment#:(#this is really good though bc i thought id be at this all day but if all goes well i could be done in like 2 hours#:)))#which is good bc i have 2 tests tomorrow and an assignment#none of which were put on the online platform we use#which means that i forgot#and another test i have to redo at some point#but i dont know when#aaaghhh why is there so much work always#oh and i need to work on my final project too#the current step is due by the end of next week & its a lot of work#i have to find a bunch of relevant sources#and then paste or type all relevant parts of them in a document#and also provide a defence as to why the sources i picked are trustworthy#and i have to do this for a bunch of them#i have to defend them all individually too#if it was just a text on how i judged the trustworthyness that would be fine#but this is a lot#and im also trying to prepare for the exams already#mine#im so so sick of school#i want some free time to watch a film#!!#its been at least 2 weeks since i had the time#ugh#are they trying to drive us all to burn out or something??
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Jitterbug
#whenever my meds kick in it feels like im gonna piss myself. not literally but its really really feels like it#and now whenever that happens my mind goes back to pancho (grandmas dog) at a xmas party years ago#bc he peed when we arrived bc he was so excited to see ppl and my cousin had to clean it up :o)#well for better or for worse i know that feeling now when im pumped on 20mg of adderall#im still getting used to this whole diagnosis thing cause ive gone untreated and undiagnosed for the longest time. so theres probably a lot#i still dont know and have to learn to get myself to be.. functional on my own? self managing????#i even set up reminders on my phone for work periods meals and stuff. but the problem is actually getting myself to stick to that to a T#because the minute i slack off or something gets in the way it throws it all off until i can be bothered to get back on track. it sucks#at least ive built up other habits like writing notes and setting alarms ahead of time.. but i feel like i could do better#its always hard to change something if youve been doing it wrong for the longest time. especially behaviour and thinking patterns. sigh#in other news my glasses bailed on me so i have to get a new pair sometime. i just realized i never draw my sona with glasses but thats#mostly bc i forget. id love to get some browline glasses like my old pair but im picky and its hard to find one id like for the next 5 year#i also finally managed to collect all the fish in my animal crossing file!!! pulled out a char last week and boom now i have a poster :o)#THAT was a moment where i almost peed myself for real. id love to get all the bugs but i cant stay up late on the switch :o(#yapping#my art#myart#doodles#personal#diary
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looks at my packed schedule for the next two weeks* hmm. yeah I think its safe to let you all know I may be on a wee hiatus, if I dont post anything for a while this is why haha
#nonsense#man I just got over the illness I got#only to look at how much shit I have to do the next couple weeks-#oops#where did the free time go#next 2al update isnt really a small update either so#....#its over 20 panels so far and im barely half way done#not even halfway done#baha#and it requires some more complicated poses sooo#and!!!!!#but!!!!!!#keychains should be coming in this week!!!!!#so if all goes well#my free time is going to be going towards packaging and shipping them baha#so do look forward to that
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Tomorrow is the day I should be completely out of credit card & medical debt 🥹
#if not this week then next week#but it looks like this week#the car should be paid off in the next few months as well#last year fucked me up financially#like so bad#over 13k of unexpected expenses in 3 months#it’s hard pulling that out of your ass while the cost of bills goes up#we were already in debt before that due to other stuff and living somewhere we couldn’t afford#I’ve paid off roughly 25-30k between credit card and medical#personal#text
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Nemesis (Vergil x Reader) - Chapter 1, Prologue
Nemesis
Pairing: Vergil x Reader
Summary: The Abyss opening is a rare occurrence. In his youth, Vergil wanted to harness its power, but never thought he would meet his greatest adversary along the way. Years later, the Abyss is once again open and that might call for some rather unlikely alliances.
Age restriction: 18+ - there's a lot of blood, violence, cursing and all those things people want to forbid younger audiences of seeing. Also, cosmic horror is a thing here. Procceed with caution.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Vergil has a LOT of internal turmoil, and both main characters struggle with self-worth, self-hatred, abandonment issues, etc. The reader also gets seriously injured and humiliated in this chapter, so, again, proceed with caution. It gets dark and it might be too much for some people.
Author's notes: And so, it begins! I HOPE I'll be able to update this one weekly, but I don't know if my creativity will be that nice to me xD This is something that has been brewing for a while, based on my initial hatred for Vergil. Expect the slow burn of the century, they'll be hopeless and so friggin' proud in this one :)
Also I'm so proud of this header :')
Chapter 1 - Prologue
The city was swarming with demons.
Vergil had rarely seen anything like it – chaos took over, the streets stained with blood, the sky red with fire. He marched with resolve towards his objective, ignoring the demons terrifying humans.
There was nothing he could do. He wasn’t there to be a savior – only the strong survived and Vergil had no time to spare. He searched for power, and, if he took too long, his opportunity would be lost until another Abyss was open – and that could take years.
Vergil could feel the tingle in his hands, the stench from the demons in the Abyss. The closer he got, the fouler the smell of blood and rotten flesh. He inherited that enhanced sense from his father – and Vergil constantly questioned how Sparda could have lived in Hell for so long with that horrid reek engulfing him. It had to be something he discovered only after locking Hell behind himself.
All of his senses indicated the source of all mayhem was inside the building he had just entered – if it had been a church of sorts, a castle, some headquarters… Vergil wouldn’t know. Everything was destroyed beyond recognition, and he walked upon the rests of what was once inhabited by the humans who used to live in that city.
The Abyss was close. Soon to be near the reach of his fingertips: a source of power not even the most notorious demons had access to. Something ancient, beyond creation itself – source of salvation to some, source of damnation to others.
If Vergil was about to condemn his soul, it didn’t really matter. He had already been damned; since the day he was reborn on that fateful night his home was torn apart.
Another strange smell assaulted his senses, though. Vergil couldn’t quite tell what it was – no demon; that, he was certain. It was a scent of something that certainly did not belong to all that destruction…
And it came from behind a door within his reach – only a few steps away from the entrance of the courtyard: the place where the Abyss had manifested after centuries asleep.
Along with his human heart, came human curiosity. That inherent human feeling, always distracting Vergil from his path and quest for power. That incessant itch in the farthest corner of his soul that couldn’t be ignored – and that made him divert his steps towards that door.
As his hands were about to touch the sturdy wood that resisted the chaos, Vergil’s steps came to a halt when he felt another presence behind him.
“Not a step further, demon.”
And that presence was human.
Slowly turning back, hands already gripping the Yamato and ready for battle, Vergil found a set of eyes filled with fire and resolve. They had something inside them that bothered his spirit, for he did not know logically what it was – his heart, though, seemed to identify something he couldn’t quite put into words.
As you pointed your sword towards him, Vergil furrowed his brows.
“Step aside, human.”
“I will not let the likes of you roam this place.” You tilted your head upwards, revealing in the faint light of that godforsaken place the wounds and bruises that covered your face and neck. Vergil slightly narrowed his eyes; you must have been battling since all of that started. You were probably the last line of resistance of whatever humans lasted in that pitiful city. “Leave before I have to make you leave.”
Vergil’s eyes narrowed even further – not because of analyzing more, but because of your words. How dare someone like you even entertain the possibility of making someone like him leave…?
His hands took their battle stance on the Yamato. You lowered your sword, reading his posture and correcting yours to get ready to fight him.
From all the demons you fought that day, he was the most… Different. They all looked like creatures from the darkest pits of Hell, blood thirsty, power hungry – either ready to kill and fulfill their bloodlust or trying to harness some of the power of the Abyss. But that one in a blue coat who stood before you… He looked human. Painfully human, even. If it wasn’t for the way he carried himself in that battlefield – the way he held his sword, the way his steps seemed so calm among the mayhem, the way his eyes carried only ice and rage – you would’ve deemed him human.
But you didn’t have to be a demon expert to know that blue coated young man was nothing but a demon like all the others you had fought earlier – or, maybe, unlike the others.
Nevertheless, in your experience, once a demon, always a demon.
“I do not have time for this.” Vergil hissed between his teeth, tilting his head upwards in hubris, leaving the Yamato sheathed. He turned his attention back to the wooden door – you were almost as good as dead; it would be extremely unwise to engage in battle with him.
But something Vergil still had to learn about humans was that the heart doesn’t always follow the wisest of decisions – sometimes, it acts by itself; and whether that is a good or a bad thing, it’s debatable upon the situation.
He heard as your steps lunged quickly towards him, giving Vergil only a few seconds to dash from your vicious attack, making you almost hit the door with your great silver sword. He kept looking at you with annoyance – not only because you attacked, but also because that fire in your eyes seemed to glisten even more than before.
“Leave.” You tried one more time – but Vergil was prouder than that.
He wouldn’t let himself be ordered around by a human.
“You chose your fate.” He growled between his teeth, attacking with the still sheathed Yamato.
It wasn’t his intention to kill you – with just a few blows from the sheath, you’d be on the floor, begging for your life or passed out. Vergil wouldn’t kill, but he would teach you a lesson: no human could think they could defeat him. He was much too powerful for such a weak, pitiful creature.
But you parried him – once, twice, three times. Your eyes still carried that fire, burning with rage and that something else. You didn’t fall, so he attacked again. And again. And you kept on resisting, refusing to give in.
You promised no demon would go beyond that point – only over your dead body. And you would keep that promise.
Vergil growled in disbelief, vexed by your resistance. He didn’t have time for this. Why weren’t you falling? Where were you getting your strength from? He was the son of Sparda. A meek, fragile, battle wounded human just like you should have fallen from the first blow of Yamato.
But your movements were as skillful as his. You held your sword with as much grace and strength as Vergil yielded his demonic heritage. With another blow, you parried masterfully in the right timing, both of you stepping back from each other to recover your stances.
You had your head slightly upwards; and you held his gaze. Vergil hardened his jaw, mimicking your demeanor – or was it you who were mimicking his? He couldn’t know; and you couldn’t either. The blood inside yours and his veins burned with the rage to be dealing with someone else as proud – and as arrogant – as the other.
It was the first time for Vergil, such a human thing to feel, but oh… Your eyes were crushing his pride. Your resistance mocked his power. And he couldn’t let that happen.
Charging towards you, Vergil didn’t hold back. You stood your ground, fighting him as best as you could – your body, though, begged for some rest. Even with the pain, you defended and counter-attacked with the might Vergil would expect of someone in a better shape… Of someone as powerful as him.
You, in the other hand, did not expect a demon so versed in martial arts. You thought he was going to use only his strength, like all demons did, but he had skill. As you parried another blow of his – the sheath of the Yamato threatening to break your stance, unbothered by your silver blade – your eyes met his and, there, you saw not only ice, but the sparkle of a fire that could only be human.
His eyes burned with the same fire yours did – the flame that kept telling him you wouldn’t give up: the human stubbornness.
Although you read it as arrogance.
Bothered by your eyes, Vergil pushed you back, with enough strength to make you stumble on your hurt feet and plant one of your hands on the ground so you wouldn’t fall. You let your head low for a while, taking a few deep breaths to control your spinning head. Vergil furrowed his brows as he noticed the smell of blood came from a wound in your flank – making the fact you were there, fighting him, even more absurd.
“Hmpf.” Even with that realization, he couldn’t recognize the strength in you. That would mean a mere human, battered and hurt even, could put up a decent fight with him. That you both were in the same level of power. Vergil would never accept that. “You’re not worthy as my opponent.”
You shot your head upwards, eyes stark in his blue silhouette as that demon turned his back at you in a nonchalant manner, going back to his business. He didn’t even want to kill you. That was mortifying. With those words, sharp as a sword, he cut through your heart and your pride: you weren’t even worthy of dying in a fight.
With the blood boiling in your veins, you used your silver sword to help you up. As he heard your movement, Vergil stopped; turning around slowly only to find you cleaning the blood running down your lips – those eyes setting his soul on fire.
“I am not done yet.” You spat the blood on the ground, almost hitting his boots. Vergil didn’t give you the joy of seeing how much his temper was affected by your attitude – even though his hardened jaw betrayed him. Lifting his head slightly to try to remain above his opponent, Vergil slowly walked towards you; and you mirrored his demeanor, even if you weren’t doing it in a conscious manner. “Demon.”
This time, Vergil didn’t allow you to attack first – he would set the pace of the fight; almost like leading a deathly waltz. You were his partner and you would follow his lead to your demise; as he always did with every opponent.
As soon as his domineering footwork tried to set the pace, yours refused to dance according to his lead. He tried his best to tame you – but that fire kept glistening in your eyes, and your footwork followed your own beat.
You tried to break his and make sure you were the one setting the pace, but that man in a blue coat had too much will to let himself be lead across the battlefield. His steps worked on his own – and he had the audacity to try to dominate you; the same way you were trying to do with him.
Your tiredness and his annoyance, though, made Vergil knock you down again – but still, you got up. And again. And one third time.
As you took your sword from the ground, barely able to stand up and wield the silver weapon with bruised hands, Vergil had a hard time hiding his shock – cloaked by the annoyance under his furrowed brows.
How were you doing that? You had no demonic blood like his to mend your broken body and burn in flames of survival. How could you get up, over and over and over again…?
“C’mon, demon.” You muttered one more time, raising your head as you could.
“Enough.” Vergil growled between his teeth, charging at you with a speed a human would never be able to counter.
You fell once more. With the sword away from your hands, you had to crawl on the floor to try to grab it again, as Vergil finally unsheathed the Yamato and walked towards you as a death omen. The blade glistened in the last cold rays of the day, as you ignored the blood dripping from your mouth and reached out for your silver sword. The demon approached, unrelenting, and if you couldn’t get back to your weapon, those would be your last breaths.
“Y/n! No! NO!”
The voice of a child made you and Vergil freeze where you were – eyes shooting up to the door he almost opened out of sheer human curiosity.
“Stay back!” You immediately screamed, pointing at three children looking at you both in horror. “Lock the door! Take the other children! Get out of here!”
“Y/n, no! We…!”
“GO! GET OUT! I’LL HOLD HIM BACK!” Your eyes were stinging with tears, knowing full well they wouldn’t have a chance against the demons – but you could at least give them a chance to run and save themselves.
Vergil’s fingers froze on the grip of the Yamato, his glaciers’ eyes stuck in that scene. His heart couldn’t let him move, couldn’t let him breathe. As you struggled more and screamed the last words that made the children finally close the doors and run – with a bunch of steps that could only be of a group of at least fifteen children – he watched as your bloodied fingers held the hilt of your sword once more, tears falling from your eyes as you struggled to get up.
You cannot kill your own mother.
Those words echoed through Vergil’s mind as he watched your struggle to protect the ones weaker than you. All that fight, all that will, all that power… It came from that. You weren’t just keeping people safe by forbidding demons to walk towards the Abyss – and forbidding anything to come out of it – you were there to help those kids find a safe path through the city to a safe haven. You came back to that hopeless building because of them.
Eva had died saving Dante from the hell their home became on that fateful day. She plunged in the fire for her child, she did it out of love and protection. Vergil had heard Eva tried to save him as well, throwing herself in the danger to keep him safe – but he couldn’t accept that. He couldn’t live with the knowledge that he had his mother killed, he didn’t want to believe that; and so Vergil decided to remain with the belief that she had abandoned him for Dante, even if his stupid human heart screamed otherwise.
As you tried to get up from the ground once more, Vergil saw his mother – crawling on the floor, blood dripping from her lips, tears staining her face while she muttered his name, doing her best to keep her children safe. He couldn’t kill her; Vergil couldn’t kill you.
He was brought back to reality as the floor rumbled violently. Snapping his head towards the courtyard, Vergil knew quite well what was happening: all the fighting had taken too long.
“We are done.” His words were muttered between his teeth as Vergil used the sheath of the Yamato the keep your hand pressed on the floor.
With a last glare from his silvery eyes, he left in a hurry before you let your head fall between a deep sigh.
The children were gone, they were safe. Your job was done.
**
There were many circles and places in Hell, accounted for throughout history in all sorts of arcane writings.
There was, however, one place unaccounted for – with little information, whispered around as a legend of a nightmare: the Abyss.
Some believed it was real, some said it was nothing but a tale to scare children at night. Vergil had read enough to believe in its existence – as well as to know it could take centuries for another gate to be opened once more. No one knew when they manifested or where, but one thing was certain: there was power to be harnessed on that place.
The kind of power was another mystery. The Codex Daemonica had no information on it or what kinds of demons it harbored – if it was inhabited by demons at all. Some believed Sparda had locked Mundus in shackles in that deepest part of Hell, while other said it was the home of something… More ancient.
Vergil approached the courtyard with his hand on the hilt of the Yamato, ready to unsheathe it. There was a fissure on the ground, in the middle of the dilapidated stone garden. There was no sound to be heard: no leaves, no wind, no walking. Only silence.
His steps were calm but firm, approaching with care but never leaving their regal pace behind. The closer he got, the warier his heart became. Something wasn’t right – but, at the same time his soul told him to leave, something inside him told him to walk towards the edge and peak inside.
Vergil had already decided he would be the first one to venture in the Abyss in search for power and, upon coming back, telling his findings in his arcane journal. If his father had trapped Mundus inside it, he saw no reason why he, the son of Sparda, wouldn’t be able to enter it and survive. In order to protect himself, to make sure nothing would happen to him again, Vergil needed that power – and he would go to the farthest depths of Hell and back to make sure no one would be able to threaten him anymore.
Stopping at the edge of the Abyss, Vergil looked down, trying to see something – he had already had many experiences with Hell and knew how some places looked like.
But all he found was darkness.
A darkness that came from the deep – that had no end and, still, seemed to go as far as the depths of his own soul. It was an all-consuming darkness, one that would pull Vergil willingly to its clutches – one he couldn’t understand.
He held the hilt of the Yamato with more strength, the sweat almost making it glide down. His heart pounded inside his chest and Vergil could hear the blood flowing through his head. The darkness consumed his eyes, searching for the deepest part of his soul… The part he smothered, hiding even from himself. The part covered in bruises, blood and self-hatred; the part Vergil couldn’t bear to see: his own mirror, naked and vulnerable, staring right back at him.
He had to get out of there.
Vergil’s heart rate increased and he had no air in his lungs. He didn’t want to look; he didn’t want to see. All those things, all those feelings, all those wounds… Himself. He didn’t want to see himself. He had broken all the mirrors, buried all the broken shards left from his heart, asphyxiated the light from his soul… But there, right in the back, covered in darkness, one mirror was left. One fragile heart made of glass. One ray of light cradled by his bony, bruised, pale white hands.
He had to go. He didn’t want to meet Vergil. He couldn’t look him into his eyes. Not those pitiful, helpless, bruised eyes begging for help… Begging for love. He had to go.
“Vergil…? Vergil…!”
Inside the Abyss, a familiar voice echoed, snatching Vergil away from that last mirror alone in the depths of himself. In that deep darkness, his eyes couldn’t see nothing more than the void, but a voice called him down in the depths.
“Are you there Vergil…? My son…!”
It was Eva.
Vergil hadn’t heard the voice of his mother since the day he discovered the extent of his demonic blood. Many times, he heard her voice inside his head – knowing it was all but a memory; the ghost of his mother coming back to try to comfort him in his desolation, at least a little bit.
But that voice in the Abyss… It wasn’t in his head. It wasn’t a memory. It was there… It was in there.
“Can you hear me…? Vergil…? I… I am scared.”
“I am coming to get you, mother.” Vergil’s voice was no higher than a murmur, but it was filled with resolve.
Ready to take another step and finally venture into the Abyss, another earthquake took the city. He lost his footing, tumbling backwards and falling far away from his mother’s voice as the courtyard came down and the Abyss slowly closed.
“Vergil…! Don’t leave me here alone…! Please…! My son…!”
“Mother… No!” Vergil did his best to run towards the very place his heart and soul screamed at him to stay away, ready to plunge into its depths not knowing what would happen next.
As Vergil finally reached the center of the courtyard, his hands and knees found only the stony floor as everything stood silently still.
The Abyss was closed.
**
Your empty eyes stared at the crumbling pieces of the city as its last pieces came down in destruction.
They promised. They should have waited for you. That was the deal: you went back for the children and your friends would wait for you all to come back – if you weren’t with the children, they should have waited fifteen minutes.
It had been ten minutes. You were on time. You were on time. There was no reason for leaving you behind.
They were the last way out of the city, the very last ride. The last hope of survival.
And they left you there, in the middle of those crumbling flames, filled with blood and death. You had dragged your feet until the meeting point, you wandered around, screaming their names in hopes they were just hiding to keep themselves safe. You searched; you did your best. You did your best.
No one was there. No one appeared. You were left behind. You were alone.
“Oh, child… Hush…” A snake-like voice dragged itself from the shadows, followed by cadenced steps. It was sweet, mesmerizing… Too comforting for all that desolation. “I know, I know… Your heart is broken. You don’t have to cry.”
“I am not crying, demon.” Your voice was hardened like stone, resonating between your teeth. Even if you wanted to cry, your pride wouldn’t let your tears fall for that kind of betrayal. Not for those people. They didn’t deserve your tears.
“Oh, but your heart, I can feel it…” The she-devil approached you, her hands resting seductively on your shoulders. You would have wiped them off, but you didn’t have the will to do so. “It is… Dead. Completely dead inside that little chest of yours. There’s no reason to lie to yourself… They forgot you, child. That is worse than being left behind, isn’t it? Your already hurt heart is in pieces, I can feel it.”
All your life, you learnt demons lied to get what they wanted. They listened closely to the winged words people let out of their mouths without thinking and later used those to their advantage. That demon, though… She wasn’t lying.
Your heart had already been hurt numerous times before, but that… That was the last blow to kill you. If you were left behind, people at least had thought of you – but they didn’t even remember you existed. You were forgotten, that’s how important you were. You meant nothing, you were worth nothing. Left to die because no one remembered you were dying.
Indeed, it was as if your heart had been torn out of your chest… And there was nothing. Not even tears.
You closed your eyes, taking a deep breath. Your chances of survival were close to none. You had been sentenced to death by those who couldn’t remember all they had to do was wait only five more minutes for you to come back.
“I know… There is no reason to fight anymore, no reason to remain in this pain…” That voice was now close to your ears, so sweet, so dangerous. “I can give you rest child…” It whispered in your ears, always so seducing. “Just give me your soul… Your blood. And I can make it all go away.”
“Hmpf.” You opened your eyes again, slowly turning to look into the blood red eyes of the voluptuous demon who stood behind you. Beautiful, but something in it made you wary. “You can have my blood, demon. But only over my dead body.”
“Hmmm. So be it.” The she-devil rolled her eyes, immediately nonchalant with your attitude. “You are as good as dead anyway. I could’ve made it painless, pitiful creature.”
Her words allowed a band of lurking demons nearby to approach and you finally noticed you weren’t being attacked before because she had claimed you as her prey. You were too weak even to fight her alone, but a whole bunch of demons… Your death was certain.
Taking a deep breath, you held your silver sword with pride. If it was for you to die that way, at least you would make it worthy of a hero. You wouldn’t fall easy and you would take as many demons as you could with you.
*
As he left the city, Vergil felt a commotion. With lost steps, still disoriented by the voice of his mother, he was naturally brought to the place – as if the demon inside himself wanted blood from the fight happening nearby.
He had never had an experience as the one with the Abyss. He was very aware of demons with psychic powers, able to instill confusion and hallucination in their victims… What he experienced with the Abyss was different.
Was his mother trapped in there? All this time, all alone, in the deepest, most dangerous part of Hell? Years and years in suffering, instead of spreading her beautiful wings as the angel she should’ve become upon giving her life to save Dante…?
Furrowing his eyebrows, Vergil let out an audible huff. He didn’t know what was worse: to believe his mother died trying to save him or that she had been trapped for endless years in the suffering and desolation of Hell.
It was definitely easier to believe she forgot him, saved only Dante and died, watching her beloved younger child from Heaven. Feeling anger was easier than mourning. It was easier than guilt.
Being forgotten was easier than being loved to death.
“Oh, child. Give up already!”
“I can keep going… Demon.”
Vergil immediately paid attention to what was happening in the distance – there he found that stupid little headstrong human who delayed him enough so he lost his chance to enter the Abyss to harness its power… And even to save his mother. He narrowed his eyes, ready to burn all his anger in you.
Until you were hit by a demon and fell on the floor, barely able to get up. They were all laughing, humiliating you. They kicked your sword away from your hands, making you crawl towards it, spitting blood, as they screamed and laughed, telling you to give up.
But, as you did with him, something made you get up and keep on fighting.
Vergil watched in awe as you finally pulled yourself again to your feet and looked at your foes, barely able to hold your silver sword.
It was pride.
The demons attacked you once more and, this time, your eyes couldn’t keep open. You put on your last defense, your last stand. You tried, but you were only human. There was nothing left inside of you and you could only do so much – you could keep your pride, but your physical strength had come to an end. You let go of your sword and allowed yourself the be engulfed by darkness.
Vergil’s hand stopped your bloody body from hitting the floor as the other yielded the Yamato.
“What a shameful thing…” He muttered, lifting his head above the eyes of the demons who stared at him. “Resorting to humiliating a half-dead weak human to feel powerful.” With those words, his hand gently left you on the floor, his feet walking in front of you to take a fighting stance. He couldn’t let you die – not like that. You deserved a better death. You deserved to die by his hands in a fair fight, not humiliated like that. “It’s time to teach you what real power looks like.”
The demons were decimated by the blade of the Yamato – in all that fight, Vergil didn’t touch your body a single time, not even accidentally. If those creatures wanted your blood, they would have to go through him, the son of Sparda. Your death was his, you were his nemesis. No one would touch you.
It took a human to kill a monster. Maybe, one day, his death would be yours as well.
**
A dark, cloaked figure of a tall man walked with resolute steps under the rain, cradling a frail body in his arms, keeping it from the water and wearing the dark veil of the deep night as protection.
Vergil carried you all the way to the next city – avoiding the looks of those concerned with and helping those who were able to flee and seek shelter nearby. He stayed in the shadows, keeping away from the big groups of volunteers who received injured and lost people – providing food, shelter, warmth and care.
You needed that. You were as good as dead in his arms. Vergil could hear as your breath was barely none, as your heart rate fought to keep you alive. Even in the brink of death, it was as if your body struggled for its own survival.
The hospital wasn’t big, although it was one of the biggest buildings in town. Seeming like an old mansion turned into a public building, Vergil crossed the entrance garden with his strong steps, not hearing much nearby. Most of the staff was probably working on receiving the refugees from your derelict city.
Going up the very few stone steps, he stopped by the door, finally protected from the rain. It was a great wooden door, heavy, adorned with iron, with a single candle keeping some kind of warmth and light in the darkness of that desolate night.
Vergil left you on the floor, ringing the bell on the wall. A woman peeked through the window, immediately initiating a fuss inside – it wouldn’t take long for them to pick you up and start your treatment.
His job was done. You would be alright.
As he was about to leave, Vergil noticed how your lips were already painted with a tinge of purple, your skin too cold for your own sake. Taking off his midnight blue scarf, he wrapped it around your body – it should be enough to keep you alive until the hospital staff took you in.
When the door opened, that strange man wasn’t there anymore. Gone like a shadow, the only one left was that poor person – beaten up, bloodied, bruised… Cozily wrapped around a deep blue scarf.
Respect was implied when one had found their greatest enemy.
**
To be continued...
#devil may cry#dmc#devil may cry fanfiction#dmc fanfic#devil may cry imagine#dmc imagine#vergil sparda#vergil x reader#vergil x you#long fic#dmc vergil x reader#well well here we are#my first attempt at a long fic :3#these two are the proudest little things I've ever written in my life#I'M LOVING IT#also yes I thought of that dmc3 scene that Vergil goes 'WHY isn't it working?!' when writing his part xD#so much to unpack about these two <3#hope to see you next week!
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