#i think he lost a hunting dog that way🤔 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

synchronmurmurs · 5 years ago

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So on my commute to work this morning, I wrote out the bulk of Punchy’s lil’ story arc!! I left some minor tidbits out, just as a surprise for if I ever do decide I want to write all of this out, but for the most part, this is pretty much how it’ll go. 😌 It’s not necessarily the final draft, I still might make a few changes here and there, but I think I’m pretty happy with it for now? 🤔

Anyways, I’ll slap it under the cut for those who’re interested!!

So the main gist of Punchy's narrative is that she works for one of Red Grave's oldest (but now also smallest) crime family, founded and still currently headed by one, Gilbert Howle. He is an extremely traditional old man, ruthless back when he was younger and was still establishing his empire, but has since mellowed with age. Unlike the three other crime families that do business in Red Grave's underbelly, Gilbert stays away from taking on demon hunting jobs, despite the promise of easy money that related work offers - all things demonic are an extremely valuable and highly sought after commodity - Gilbert prefers the older methods, sticking to racketeering, loan sharking, fraud, monopoly of business, a little bit of drug trafficking. The most that Gilbert dabbles in is the selling of Devil Arms and harvested devil parts they happen across (shipments get 'lost' sometimes). It's… respectable, all things considered, that he chooses the old methods, but as a result, profits are nowhere near as high as they could be, and members are jumping ship for greener pastures at a rather worrying rate. Loyalty is also apparently a thing of the past too, but they say starving dogs are seldom loyal. This is a rather heated point of contention within Howle's family, but being such a longstanding and influential figure in the business, who has any right to force his hand?

The other families however, have their eyes set on a long term goal, based on information stolen from Fortuna. The Ascension ceremony is something they're especially keen on, figuring they can utilise such knowledge to fuse humans with demons…. To make them fight. For money. The Coliseum is an underground fight club, originally organised by the four original families way back when, as a joint effort for that sweet, sweet revenue. Bidders place their bets on fighters, and let them duke it out, usually to their deaths. Live demons are eventually thrown into the mix, but as that proves too dangerous for the showrunners and those watching, as soon as their scientists (those who accepted the bribe at any rate) work out all the kinks of Ascension, hybrids will be the sole asset of the new Coliseum. Gilbert, of course, doesn't agree - it isn't about the money, it's an ethical issue. The years have made him soft. But without his vote, it isn't unanimous, and thus it cannot proceed. The four families bridle with an unseen tension.

Punchy was pretty low on the hierarchy when she initially joined, delegated to the most basic of basic grunt work: deliveries, extra muscle for negotiations, Punchy was nothing more than someone who ran the lowest of errands. She was a nobody amongst a sea of other nobodies (at least within the scope of the criminal underworld). She didn't really mind it tbh - money is money. But the night she was escorting some of the higher ups (Gilbert inclusive) on a delivery of a particularly old Devil Arm, is the same night that the Qliphoth sprung from beneath the city. Roots tore fissures in the ground and the fires of hell itself licked at the old bar they'd all met up in for negotiations. People fled the building in droves, but Punchy made her way upstairs, sifting through the private rooms and clearing the way for people to escape until she found the one that Gilbert, his direct underlings, and their clients were holed up in. Punchy made two valuable allies that night: Gilbert, who was moved by her dedication and proceeded to keep her directly at his side, and the reawakened Grendel, the Devil Arm that was to be sold, feeling more of a connection to her than to his already long life of solitude behind glass. Initially, it was the very notion that Punchy was chosen by a Devil Arm that had Gilbert keep her close - knowing of the mounting unrest between the four families, Punchy's presence alone would serve as a deterrence to violence - but over time, they both grew accustomed to one another's presence, and now their bond is a little more genuine, not at all unlike that of a father and daughter. Many of the other higher-ups within the family aren't too pleased by this of course, and rather passive aggressively refer to her as Howle's Bitch, a rather crude take on her role as Gilbert's bodyguard. Or glorified watchdog, if you will. She is referred to as this, and similar names, by other figures in the industry. She's somewhat infamous as a result, but because of Grendel, she and Howle are pretty much untouchable.

Eventually though, the bodies of two lower members are found dead within the proximity of Devil May Cry. Camera footage reveals this to be the work of Dante, and, tasked with getting answers as to why a party that had agreed to be totally neutral in the face of Red Grave's more sinister workings was killing gang members, Punchy pays the office a visit. Cue the rough introduction I wrote for this moment a few months ago.

In the end, it's discovered that the murders were a set up, arranged by a Mystery Party to incite a feud with DMC in the hopes that the Howle's would be abolished in the crossfire. The plan falls through and nobody takes responsibility for it. Tensions rise evermore.

This is where Punchy's rivalry with Vergil begins - his smug air in the face of his brother's innocence being the spark that ignites the flame. Not to mention that Gilbert and Dante actually go quite a way back as old friends. Cue several months of them deliberately sabotaging each other's work. It's very casual and almost… fun? The two have a clear dislike of one another, but it's never intentionally sinister. On Punchy's part because she is aware she can't technically start shit with them, and on Vergil's part because lbr, he could easily dispose of her, but he never does. She actually becomes something of a regular at DMC for this very reason, and though the results are usually rather troublesome - blackouts caused by Punchy that span entire city blocks, major property damage, and… general pranks - Dante keeps allowing it to happen if only because 1) Vergil now happily takes on menial jobs he wouldn't have before just so he can get on Punchy's nerves and 2) Dante's never seen Vergil this 'enthusiastic' about something before, and believes it's 'good' for him.

Suddenly though, Punchy stops coming around. Gilbert was found dead, and the new head of the family, now in full agreement with the new Coliseum, is sending Punchy on all sorts of demon hunting jobs, and having her bring them back alive. What for, she doesn't know, and while she's aware of something strange surrounding the circumstances of Gilbert's death - she knows for sure that something's up - she isn't being left any time to dig deeper into any of the things she wants to, and the constant jobs are taking their toll.

She does end up finding out, perhaps thanks to a few breadcrumbs that Vergil left for her to follow, and she maaaaybe kills the new head of the Howle family out of spite in what is her first reckless move since she was given her new role in the family. She has to go into hiding after that and camps out at DMC until she can figure out what she wants to do. Eventually, she decides to, in memory of Gilbert and his long standing legacy, bring the entire coliseum down, freeing everybody who was being held there, hybrid or not. And boy does she, the place is a wreck by the end of it, all equipment is destroyed, documents are burned, and she goes through the extra lengths of maiming several of the scientists involved, threatening them with violence if they ever try this fucking bullshit again.

Of course, all of this paints a huge fukken target on the back of her head, and Punchy, along with all the human/demon hybrids she freed, have to flee Red Grave. In Gilbert's will, he left several properties in her name, which she passes on to the DMC boys, effectively and maaaaybe even forcefully giving them the role of monitoring demonic activity within the city, and it's unsavoury crimelords, to ensure Gilbert's legacy remains untarnished and this shit can't happen again. On the plus side, this means DMC now also has a very steady stream of revenue. Dante jokingly calls Punchy Vergil's sugar mama. Dante has never seen Vergil so fucking pissed at him before dhdjks

Having arranged (read: bribed) a ferry to transport for herself and everybody she freed from the Coliseum, Punchy and Vergil meet one last time at the docks. Punchy laments that she and Vergil make a good team, maybe looks as though she wants to say something else, but waves it off, and offers her hand to shake. Vergil stares down at the scar that Yamato left on the inside of her palm when they first met, his expression softens, and he shakes her hand. She then hops onto the ferry and leaves the city along with everybody she's saved, feeling a sense of responsibility for them. For their own security, the twins were never told of where they're planning to go now.

Cue Dante remarking that his brother looks a little lonely nyoho.

Several months later, Vergil finally finds out where she's now hiding out, thanks to an address that Dante casually slips him one day, and he goes to find her. Turns out everybody is holed up in Fortuna - everybody's sorta chipping in to help rebuild the ruined parts, and like. Yo Punchy is loaded lmfao, so as long as they don't make too much noise, so to speak, Nero says they're welcome to stay. And I mean, Nero is who Punchy was working with to arrange all of this to begin with djdksk.

She isn't presently in when Vergil turns up at a newly refurbished apartment block on the edge of the city. And drawn by his presence, a couple of Assaults attack. Before Vergil can fight them off, Punchy literally leaps in, saying that as usual, he's starting up shit on her turf, but we all know she's happy to see him. They fight off the horde together and yo that shit feels gooooddddd, it's been a while since they've felt this in sync (hehehe) with someone. It's all very comfy and familiar, since they've fought against each other so often, they know the ins and outs of the other's style like it's their own. And maybe when they're all dealt with, Punchy wordlessly turns on him, throws a few punches for old time's sake, pins him to the floor and they smooch right there in the middle of the street because I'm a slut for that HAHAHAHAH.

#Punchy #hhhggoooogh I did it #one(1) story arc for one(1) stupid amgery girl #😌#my love for yakuzies is showing...#i just... really really wanna write a for realsy crime drama 😭😭

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