#there's so many Dantes give him a last name so that I can separate him from the 11 million other dantes | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

ps-i-dont-even-know · 3 years ago

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Devil may cry parent headcanons

Dante

He probably is a fun dad but at the same time don't leave your kids with him, it would be a disaster

Will wake up to crying at 12 am and try to put the kid back to sleep, ends up with both of them watching tv instead

This man will do anything with your kid, they want to go to the park, sure he'll have to keep an eye on them. They want to see the movies, sure has to be below pg or he will never hear the end of it from the nightmares his kids have. Want to go to the zoo, sure he just needs to make sure they don't go into the exhibit.

He will play dress up and tea time with them. He will put on a dress and have them do his makeup just so he can go to tea time, and might start some beef with Mr teddy for stealing his cupcakes, but he will do it proudly.

He will try to do their hair in the morning for school, again he is not the best at it and will probably give them crooked pigtails, he's trying he really is.

Can't cook for shit, I'm sorry if you think he could cook please take a look at all the pizza box stored around his shop. Like he will take cooking lessons or watch cooking shows but dear god how do you set fire to milk.

He will always be there for his kid to vent even if he doesn't know how to respond he will sit and let them rant about stuff, also trying to cheer them up because he doesn't want to see them sad

If they brought their homework to him he would be confused he can barely pay his bills i don't think he knows how to do math, but drama he will rock that stuff his acting skills are on point even if it's cheesy

Will waste all his money on the kid, toys, clothes, video games, you name it he will buy it and give to the kid

Remember how I said not to leave your kid alone with Dante yeah, he may or may noteave his weapons/devilarms around for the kids to grab them, like halfway of Dante walking into the main room and he sees ebony in his kids mouth he tricksters all the way to them and quickly grab ebony before anything bad happens, but the kid will start crying and he has to find something for them to mess with or he'll get a headache

He accidently devil triggered in front of his kid now depending on which one he get two responses and he's expecting screaming for both, but if its regular dt like humanish looking one, "woah, dad grew scales and wings, are you a lizard king?" Now its his Sin Dt he would get "Oo, daddys a gaint dragon" for both case they will proceed to touch his scales? And will be all over him trying to climb him to the point he literally has to switch out of dt so they don't get hurt. Also he's a heat source for winter if the heating doesn't get paid for.

If his kid comes out as any of the lgbtq+ he would be supportive and loves them for who they are, I also see him being apart of it too.(I know a few people see him as asexual I do too, as well as bisexual)

Vergil

Look this guy probably has no clue what he's doing, even if we wish he could've taken care of Nero (at least I do) he didn't and now he has another kid to take care

Please help him hold the baby, he can't properly do it at all, he's just holding them by their chest and staring at them with confusion as the child cry, "why won't they stop screaming?"

He will get the hang of taking care of the kid, but please don't leave him alone with them for long he still has no clue what he's doing half the time

"Hey can I hang out with (insert name) at the mall?", "Do I know their mom?", "Uh, no", "Do I know their dad?", "No" Then that settles it, you can't go", "But-", "No buts, if I don't know their parents you can't go, and that's finale"

Can he cook, probably but he's been in hell for most of his life and doesn't know what he's doing half the time. Thank god for cooking shows and book he at least tries a learn how to cook, and doesn't burn anything unlike someone else

He will read the kids William Blake or other bed time stories before bed time, and will do activities where they try to make up poems he has to thank Nero for the idea

Speak of Nero, if Vergil has a mission he will leave his kids with him, he's not trusting Dante at all. Nero absolutely loves his step siblings even if their like a few years younger than him, they will either play with the other kids at the orphanages or play Nero which consist of Video games, sometimes sword fights if they beg long enough, or just talk about the stuff their dad and uncle does that are stupid and make fun of them for it.

Also that one dad to try and help with math homework but makes the kid cry because they don't understand the problem and he's yelling at them "What's 2 x 2?" Its traumatizing please someone tell him to cool it or his kid is going to have problems when it comes to yelling and math, also complains how he didn't learn it that way as a kid, I promise you he was homeschooled.

Now his kids can vent to him but he has no clue what to do nor have much good advice but he will give what he knows even if it's not the best.

This can go many ways, this man know his kid is getting bullied he will go down to the school with the Yamato and threaten someone's life, give his kid the sword for them to deal with it instead, or use some brain cells and deal with it like civil people and we hope he chooses the last one

Now he's a little careful with his devil trigger and doesn't want to scare his kids, but its by accident really and he expects screaming, just like Dante he gets two responses. Regular dt and I'm going off of 4 because I don't think he has one in dmc5, "Dad, why didn't you tell me/us your secretly a bug, don't worry well keep you away from shoes." If its Sin Dt, "Wow, your a dragon this whole time, does this mean I'm also a dragon, where do you keep your stashed gold?", I feel like for his regular dt they will sometimes smack him with a fyswatter and he has to turn out of his sin dt quickly because they want to mess with the fire coming out of him.

If his kids come out as lgbtq+ he will be supportive and a little confused because he has no clue what it is. They have to explain what it means and what their sexuality means, he'll still be supportive and loves his kids no matter what they are

Nero

Out of Vergil and Dante, he's probably the one who knows more about taking care of kids since he grew up with them in an orphanage and takes care of them

I feel he's like a mix between Dante and Vergil, Fun dad but will put his foot down on somethings

If its a girl you bet he will go out to a store at whatever time it is and buy then pad/tampon when their monthly comes no questions asked he just knows. If its a dude he will give the talk, not just protection but what not to do, like when a girl tells him to stop he needs to stop, no advancing on or anything like that (I feel like the no advancing will also go for the girl)

Doesn't do favoritism, he hates that stuff since he technically dealt with it as a kid, if one kid ask why he loves the other more than them he will shut that down quickly and tell them he loves them equally and will move moons for them to both be happy

Best cook hands down, and will let his kids help if they want to but keeps them away from sharp objects. He will also take them out to dinner if he doesn't want to cook

He's decent with homework, and goes about it in a fun learning experience for the both of them, if they get an answer right they get a point that they can trade for something special later kne, if they get it wrong they will go over it again, but still get a point because no favoritism. He also help make a volcano, but also put a little extra pizzazz to it, and might have caused the whole kitchen to be a different color now.

His kids can vent to him, he will understand and try to help give advice for some issues, also takes them out of the house to do something they want to do to cheer them up

He will encourage his kids to follow what they want to do, play a sport? He will show up to every game, even if that means giving Dante his mission he will. A club? He will make sure they have everything they need for that club and be on time for it, be it art, book, yearbook, student council, etc. They want to do boy scout/girl scout, he will make sure he gets them a vest and help put pins on as well. He will be the number one supportive dad

As soon as his kid comes to him crying about how some other kid is bullying them he will be mad, he'll reassuring his kid that they are amazing first, then go to the school, if they don't do anything he will go straight to the parent and make sure that their kid doesn't mess with his anymore.

Will watch anime with them, if they agree that is don't want your dad into your stuff. But like he's absolutely into it, he seems like the person to like Bleach (this was not intentional I complete forgot that the voice actor for Nero also did Ichigo) or Cowboy Bebop. Maybe sailor moon but you won't hear him say it

Look he's really new to the devil trigger business, the only thing close he had was that ghost creature, so keeping this thing in check and not popping up randomly is hard. His kids reaction are, "You hair is longer, are you like rapunzel, oh wait you have wings and a crown your an angel. Oh can I braid your hair please," of course he will let them braide his hair he can't say no to a pouting face, they also will poke his wings to see if their real.

He will definitely support his kid if their aprat of the lgbtq+, will buy them flags, merch, you name it. He want his kid to feel safe and loved

Lady and Trish

Look I can't separate these two, when I first saw them I thought they were girlfriends, and I can't let that go. But these two would definitely be the fun and protective mom

So considering Trish and Lady are both females they definitely have to adopt of course, now Lady may not know if its half demon or full, but Trish does and she probably would help the kid when they get older since she knows about the demon body considering she has one, if its human Lady knows the most about the stuff going on when they get older and has I already planned out.

Now Lady has to be the protective mom because the shit happen with her dad she definitely doesn't want anything bad to happen to their kid, and Trish is like you do you kid if you get hurt you learn from it "its the demon way of raising" she says. Though she still will watch over them and make sure they don't get themselves severely hurt

They will buy their kid anything, and take them out shopping. It's like a spin the wheel of pay to see if they will pay for the stuff or put it under Dante's name for shits and giggles

Lady has to like keep her weapons locked up somewhere safe, unlike Dante, she's more careful with her weapons

If their kid is mad or something Trish will take them to some deserted area with some random stuff she found that isn't in use and have their kid throw it in the air so she can blow it up with her lighting, you know to blow steam off

Trish or Lady tell their kid the stupidest thing Dante has done or said, if they visit Dante please note one will scream if Dante says something about a soul, "I should have been the one to fill your dark soul with Light" and get the voice crack right too, he will look so embarrassed

Now Trish might not know anything about homework she'll support the best she can but Lady knows most of the stuff and will help.

Trish will tell their king everything about Hell, who's in charge, what creatures are there, the history of it all. Its a great learning experience until you tell them that the female demons kill the male after finishing mating

If they are out in public and some guy is hitting on their kid and their tell him no, protective mom mode is on. Mostly Lady has to stop Trish from frying thr guy, but Lady will give the man a price of her mind saying if he tries to do this shit again with her kid he will be going home with a foot straight up his ass. So now no man tries to hit on her

Definitely let the kids go venting to them, they give the best cuddled, some good advice, and shopping if they say someone's bullying them they will see that the parent deals with their kid.

They knew their kid was apart of lgbtq+, of course their supportive of who they are, they are dating of course. They will take them to a pride march in June

Kyrie

Look, LOOK, she is an amazing mom, so caring but also will put her foot down on somethings

Besides Nero she is a good cook and baker, while she doesn't want kids in the kitchen while she's cooking will will have them help with baking sweet

Reads bedtime stories and tucks her kids in and kiss goodnight (ugh my heart hurts I love this)

She will play video games with her kids mostly on the wii, she still the champion on Mario Kart and Just Dance no one has taken their spot yet, even Nero tries

Packs lunch for her kids and puts a note in it telling them that she loves them and hope they have the best day

She does worry about them from time to time when they go over a friends house, only because of what happened to her brother and then Nero she doesn't want anything to happen to her kids

Tells them not to climb the tree in their backyard, what does one of them do, they climb it and accidently falls down. She goes to them saying "You know I told you not to do it, and you did it anyways, you need to be more careful and listen to me. I'm not doing this because I'm being uptight I'm doing this for your safety I want you to be able to do the things you want in the future"

I feel like she's the same way with friends like Vergil, if she doesn't know the parents then you can't go out or over their house

She is really a good listener and help with advice, so venting to her is a really great idea also will ask about your feelings and how your doing someday, like she knows your in a sad mood

She also good with homework, I feel like she wanted to become a teacher as well as study for it, but instead stuck with taking care of orphans, so she probably homeschools her kids too

She also makes the kids clothes time to time, they have little sweaters or shirts that are soft and comfortable

She is so supportive of her kids if they come out lgbtq+, she doesn't care as long as their happy thats all that matters.

Nico

Now I love Nico amazing and pretty girl but don't leave a child with her, just like Dante it will be a disaster, but she probably would try to be a better parent than her since he technically wa this weird freaky man who experimented on demons or was weird.

Let's start with teaching the kid every swear word she knows and tells them to go up to Nero call him one of those names, she will hear her name being screamed and find an angry Nero going over to her as she burst into fits of laughter

Will be extra pair of arms when getting a tool they need for fixing the van, when Nero does understand what a Dohicky is

I think Nico can cook, its decent not bad or good, she did nearly burn the van down from trying to cook turkey.

She will try and cut back on smoking or at least not doing it when the kid is around because its bad for them, Nero scoffs because she nags him when he tells her to stop, but not her kids

Now her kids could bring homework to her, like he's good in math, engineering, and probably biology, but she'll act as if she never even seen the stuff in her life, because she wants to get her learn it and not her just giving them the answer. But if their kid is in a science fair I bet she will help make something totally child friendly(its not really), it kind of gets her and her kid ban from doing anymore science fairs.

She will teach then everything she knows about Demon, mostly the biology of it, and when Nero brings a demon part for his breakers, she goes in explain how she turns them into those.

Will tease her kids if they talk about their crush, she's a huge teaser so saying something about someone they really like or anything its a mistake, she will embarrass them in front of their crush, but she means well

If they try to change the channel of the radio she swats their hand saying the driver picks the music and the passenger has to sit and listen.

If she's busy with something she will let Nero and Kyrie babysit her kids, she trust them and the kids love Nero and Kyrie.

Tries to teach her kids how to drive when their of age to learn, but Nero and Kyrie won't let her considering how she drives and that the instructor is more legal to do it.

No but she will tease her kid a bit if they come out lgbtq+ too, of course she supportive I kind of see her being apart of lgbtq+ as well

*Bonus because it seemed reasonable to just put this one here like this*

Nero, Dante, Vergil, Lady, Trish, Nico

They will teach their kid self defense, and how to use a weapon. While they rather their kids have a normal life instead of a demon hunter for many reasons, they at least want their kid to take care of themselves if they find themselves in a situation where their life is on the line

#devil may cry #devil may cry vergil #dante devil may cry #nero devil may cry #devil may cry headcanons #dmc kyrie #devil may cry nico #devil may cry lady #devil may cry trish #devil may cry headcanon

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etlunainmorte · 4 years ago

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Vergil X Reader: True Feelings

~ Hello, everyone! This is my present to Exy ( @impendingexodus ). A little Vergil X Reader to warm up your holidays!❤❤❤😍😍😍

I hope you like this! And Merry Christmas! ❤❤❤😍😍😍

***

He knew this feeling all too well. After all, he did experience something like this a long, long time ago.

However, this time around, Vergil felt it was even more difficult than ever before.

It was one of those days when he just couldn't control his temper. The simplest things would easily annoy him, and the deadliest words would just spill out of his mouth uncontrollably, regardless of who was present.

Maybe it's just old age or frustration getting the better of him, or maybe it's his brother's incompetence in many things that pulls the two of them down as Devil Hunters but, whatever the case, he just couldn't explain why he explodes like that at times. Yes, that's the word. He just explodes.

Sadly, the last time he did that was when (Y/N) was around.

Actually, the girl didn't do anything wrong. She didn't step out of the line. However, the way his brother lingered to her, the way he touched her, the way he looked at her, it just,... sets him off. Normally, Vergil could withstand his brother's suspicious behavior towards (Y/N) but, this time, he felt,... different.

After all, he knew this feeling all too well. He experienced something like this a long, long time ago.

However, this time around, Vergil felt it was even more difficult than ever before.

Needless to say, the moment Vergil let out those poisonous words that threatened to burn his throat like acid, he felt as if someone just poured hot water right on top of his head. He felt so hot all over, he could feel his anger coursing through each and every part of his body beginning from his veins to the tips of his fingers and toes. He felt so close to exploding, to triggering, and yet, the moment he saw the tears dangerously coming out of her (E/C) - colored eyes, he instantly felt his heart dropping to the darkest pit of his stomach. The moment she ran away, scared of what he has become right before her and Dante, Vergil felt this deathly coldness seeping through those same veins that brought the heat of wrath all over his body. And when she ran away from him in fear like that, he felt a precious part of his being leaving him forever.

Precious,...

Was (Y/N) that precious to him? He didn't know.

All he knew was whenever she's with him, he feels very calm. When she's around, he feels this warm sensation glowing deep within his core. All those negative thoughts that constantly plague his head, of darkness, and evil, and danger, would instantly leave his body, to be filled with warmth, and something very soft and tender that he couldn't quite explain. In a very short time, (Y/N) has become a very bright beacon for Vergil. The beacon that calms his mind, and gives him a feeling of reassurance that everything would be fine despite the chaotic state of his being.

In all honesty, Vergil wanted to surprise her. He wanted to give her a little something for Christmas. After all, she has done so much for him during the past few months, even when he was still not the man he is now. After acquiring those memories from V, he realized how much she has cared for him. How she took care of him when he's wounded. How she fed him when he's starving and how she clothed him when he felt cold. How she stayed with him despite all difficulties and how she remained by his side during all those trials. And even when she first met the real Vergil, she did her best to understand the situation. Despite her confusion, she did her best to learn about his kin and the truth, and darkness, behind his family name.

And even when she found out the things he has done in the past, she chose to remain by his side. She chose to believe in him.

She chose to always be there for him.

However, Vergil knew he's becoming such a burden towards her.

More so, he's becoming more and more volatile towards her when Dante's around.

Dropping the Yamato on the ground next to his feet, he collapsed and went down on his knees, his chest hurting as the image of her crying popped into his head.

Just earlier after his outburst, Dante tried to reason with him. His brother tried to calm him. As a matter of fact, Dante received a few slashes from him before his senses finally resurfaced. Through his hyper sensitive eyes, he noticed his brother helpless on the ground, refusing to fight, and still trying to reason with him.

And through his hazy mind, he saw her anguished face once again. Begging him to stop. Begging him to listen to her.

Right then and there, Vergil morphed back to his human form, drew the Yamato, and made a portal to this isolated place where no one dared to follow him.

It was the place where he separated his human self from his demonic self all those months ago.

And as he knelt there, regretting all the actions he has done, he thought of nothing but (Y/N).

Of how much he wanted to see her smiling again. Of how much he wanted to spend the rest of the day with her. Of how much he wanted to feel her frail body against him. Of how much he wanted to feel protected and loved.

Protected and loved,... by her.

But he has messed up. His jealousy,... has driven her away,...

Yes, jealousy, that's the word.

Jealousy has driven Vergil Sparda mad.

How would he get her back? How could he explain everything to her? Would she even believe him? Would she even listen to him?

"Vergil?"

There. Just now, he heard her soft and tender voice. Oh, how he missed that sweet, sweet voice of hers.

"Vergil, are you alright?"

And even his mind was playing tricks on him. How could she know where he was? Unless,...

The man scrambled to his feet, turned around, and saw none other than her, (Y/N) herself, in the flesh.

But,... how?

She gave him a little smile as she made small steps towards him, probably still wary of him and how he would possibly react.

This made Vergil wince. Has he really fallen low enough to make her frightened of him like that?

"I don't understand." Vergil began as he watched her get closer and closer towards him. "You didn't have to follow me here,... "

Her nose bridge wrinkled ever so slightly at what he just said.

Oh, how adorable she looked doing that,...

"But, I'm here for you." She said as she looked up at him, her eyes ever so gentle and her voice ever so soft.

"I don't even deserve you." Vergil answered. "Do I,... even deserve you?"

(Y/N) sighed as she shook her head. Fishing something from her pocket, she said, "I thought I would wait until midnight to give you this but," From her pocket, she produced a small gift he reckoned she wrapped herself and gingerly handed it to him. Placing her hands behind her back, she nodded at the little present in his hands. And with that adorable little smile of hers, she went on, " ... I guess there's no better time than tonight, right?"

A series of words came out as mere mumbles from Vergil's mouth as he looked at the gift then at her, then back at the gift once more, and this made her chuckle.

"Go on! Open it." She invited.

With a deep breath, Vergil placed his fingers on the little bow and carefully pulled it loose, letting the soft fabric wrapper fall flat on his palm.

What he saw confused him at first. It was nothing more than a small bundle of handmade bookmarks of all shapes and sizes.

How - ?

Then, he finally remembered. He finally remembered, and it actually made his eyes sting.

"Do you remember this?" (Y/N) began as she pointed at one particular bookmark that looked like a bird. "We both made this one to look like Griffon. I remember he was so annoyed by this, he actually tried to rip it apart!"

"(Y/N), I,... " You,… you kept these bookmarks,… all this time?

"Oh! And this one." She went on, now pointing at a gun shaped bookmark made from colorful pages of old magazines. "I remember there was a storm. We couldn't go out so we borrowed some of Nico's old Artisan magazines, and we were inspired to make our very own weapon. But, we're not Artisans, so, instead, we made this to pass the time! Do you remember, Vergil?"

"I - "

"And this one." She said, pointing at a Christmas tree shaped bookmark. "Do you remember this?"

Vergil closed his eyes, still trying to contain the emotions that were flooding out. He nodded, simply because he couldn't trust his voice.

"It was my idea." Vergil said, his voice hoarse and low. "I told you I'd buy as much books as I can with my own earnings as a Devil Hunter and spend the holidays reading them with you."

Vergil waited for her answer, and a few moments later, a smile creeped up on the corner of her lips. "Well, the books are ready, if you still want to come home with me."

"W - what do you mean? What is - ?"

"Umm, I mean, there's comedy, and tragedy, romance, poetry, of course, and those comics you saw at the local book shop once. The Far Side series. I got all your requests."

"I had no idea back then if I would live long enough to experience this day with you." Vergil added, his emotions betraying him.

"Hmm? You're here with me, right now."

"I knew I was at death's door, and I didn't want you to worry."

"But, you came back."

"And I was a terrible, terrible man." Vergil went on, trying to ignore the pain in his chest. The pain of bottling up all of his emotions.

The girl tilted her head to the side. "Why would you say that?"

"I,... hurt you! Despite everything you did for me, I still made you cry. I don't,... deserve someone as good as you!" Finally letting the painful truth go, Vergil sighed and gave her a pleading look. "I want you to have a happy life together with the man you love. I don't ever want you to experience pain, or suffering, or sadness. I want the best for you.

"(Y/N),... it's the best I could do for you for everything you've done for a,... shameful,... and tainted man,... such as myself."

There. The words were out, and honestly, Vergil felt so stupid for saying those.

And (Y/N)?

Well, the girl seemed to agree with him on that!

"W - what's so funny?" Vergil mumbled in embarrassment as he watched the girl control her mirth. "D - do I have s - something on my face?"

"Oh, you are a terrible, terrible liar, Vergil!" She spoke through her laughter.

Ah, it seems I have lost to her yet again,... "And what do you want me to say?! (Y/N), be with Dante because you deserve each other? Go out, spread the happy news, and,... multiply?!"

"Who told you I like Dante?!" The girl went on as if she's mocking Vergil's words.

Ah, so much for letting out those crushing and painful feelings,...

"Well, do you?!"

"Oh, dear, of course, I do! But, only as a friend." The girl informed him, then rolled her eyes. "And who said anything about," she stepped closer, dangerously closer, towards him and pressed an accusing finger against his forehead. Which looked very cute, considering the gap in their heights. " ... MULTIPLYING WITH YOUR BROTHER?!"

"Y - you mean, y - you're not in love with Dante?" And once again, Vergil felt he was back in middle - school, confessing to his very first crush.

Once again, Vergil heard her laughter. And her loveable snort. Oh, how he missed the sound and the sight,...

Then, without warning, Vergil felt something very soft and sweet, the taste of cherries, and,... chocolate? Against his lips. Then, the flowery scent of her hair assaulted his nostrils. Her smooth arms went around his neck, and he slightly felt her weight when she clung to him. He closed his eyes, wrapped his muscular arms around her shapely waist, held her oh so close to his chest, and finally,... finally! Moved his lips against hers.

Heaven. It felt as if he has died and gone straight to Heaven. He, a sinful man who has committed grave mistakes in the past, was being showered with love and affection by the loveliest Angel he has ever met.

With the rhythm of their lips and the soft moans of the girl he loved, Vergil felt that a great blessing has just entered his life.

Yes, he may have lied to her about him wanting her to be happy with someone else. Yes, he told her that he didn't deserve someone as good as her. But, deep inside, he wanted to be hers, and hers alone. He wanted to hold her like this for the rest of his life. He wanted to do more than read those books with her. He wanted the two of them to make their own stories, together. And,... more.

Vergil opened his eyes and saw her pouty lips as he broke the kiss that seemed to go on forever in their heads.

"I,... have a little surprise for you, as well." He revealed, his voice sounding as satisfied as it can be.

"Really? What is it?"

The corner of Vergil's lips curled up in a mischievous smirk, and this sent delicious shivers down (Y/N)'s spine.

"Oh, my love, you can keep guessing until we get back home." Vergil teased as he carried (Y/N) like a Princess.

"My love, stop being a tease and at least, give me a hint." The girl teased back with a mischievous smile of her own.

My love.

Those,... were the sweetest words he has ever heard in his entire, miserable life.

"You want a hint!" Vergil exclaimed theatrically, planting a chaste kiss on her forehead. "Let's say it's something you'll be mesmerized with for the rest of the evening,... "

***

@dmcsecretsanta

***

#vergil #dmc5 #dmcsecretsanta #dmcsecretsanta2020

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solynaceawrites · 4 years ago

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IDLE HANDS

Fandom: Devil May Cry Characters: Dante, fem!Reader Rating: Explicit A/N: This is my first foray in writing reader inserts in a long time, and it was fun to come back to this style! I want to give a huge thank you to @maybeishouldwait for encouraging me and helping me finish this one-shot, and I hope you enjoy reading it!

»»————-　⚜　————-««

You’re not quite sure how you’ve wound up here. Logically, of course, there’s a chain of events you can follow that starts with answering an advert in a newspaper to being at your physical location—the Devil May Cry, housed in a historic heritage building—but how that had led to your current predicament of having your boss’ hands fumbling with your skirt while your own try to untangle the layers of leather separating his skin from yours you couldn’t say. Not that you’re complaining; Dante Sparda is, perhaps, the most attractive man you’ve ever seen, and the greedy way he nips and tugs at your neck lets you know you’re in for a really good lay. If someone had ever told you that taking a job as a secretary-maid-bookkeeper for a handy-man shop would lead to this, you’d have laughed them off as reading too many raunchy paperbacks.

Or watching too many cheesy pornos.

Dante lifts his head, his piercing blue gaze like a physical touch on your face. There’s frustration within it, and his voice, but he’s grinning as he gripes, “Yer clothes are way too complicated, darlin’.”

You don’t think they are. Nothing you’re wearing is out of your usual limits: a simple button-down blouse, a black A-line skirt, tights, pumps with little kitten heels. Laughing softly, you reach to cover his hands with yours, guiding them to your hip, where a hidden zipper rests. “You just have to know where to look.”

“Uh-huh.” He tugs it down, and you shimmy the fabric over your thighs and kick it to the side. “Maybe I’ll make a new rule about ya workin’ here.”

“Oh?” Deciding to take mercy on him, you’re already halfway through the buttons of your shirt, and you pause to tilt your head, studying him curiously.

“No clothes.”

You roll your eyes with a smile. “I can’t work naked, Dante.”

“Sure you could.”

“If you want every potential customer who comes through to see my ass.”

He considers that, and you watch the gears churning behind his narrowed eyes and smother another chuckle, letting your shirt join the pile on the floor. “No underwear,” he counters, after a moment.

“Or,” you argue playfully, “you could learn to be patient. Besides, when you’re wearing something like that,” and you nod to the coat and chaps and spurs that you’ve spent twenty minutes fighting with, “you don’t get to say my clothes are complicated.”

“Fair enough,” he muses.

To your surprise and dismay, he steps back, but your protest dies when he shrugs the jacket from his shoulders. You watch with a dry mouth as he unfastens the holsters and drops them—Ebony and Ivory still sitting on the desk is probably the only reason he’s so callous about it—before doing the same with his vest. Each layer of clothing he peels away only sends your already heightened senses into overdrive; it feels scandalous, somehow, seeing the broad expanse of his chest with the dusting of silver hair, or the trim line of his waist, probably because you’ve never seen him in anything less than sans coat. Dante pauses to gauge your reaction as he unhooks the chaps from his belt, and you nod to let him know you’re still onboard with where this is going. The way he smiles then is bright and soft enough to soothe the worst part of your nerves, and you giggle when he hops from foot to foot while trying to take off his chaps, boots, and spurs in one go.

He straightens with a grin and his hands on his hips. “There,” he proclaims. “Better?”

“Much,” you agree. Then it’s a race to see who can get the rest of their clothes off first, and the only reason he wins, you think, is because he’s got less to worry about, particularly as he’s going commando, a fact that makes your mouth water. You do your best not to get distracted as you let your bra, panties, and tights add to the ever-growing pile of discarded clothing, but, Jesus Christ, his thighs are like tree trunks and the cock dangling between them is the largest you’ve ever seen. Is that even going to fit?

Dante moves closer, caging you between his bulk and the wall, and you let out a little gasp when his hands cup your chest. Then his mouth is on yours, and you part your lips for him as he kisses you greedily, drinking from your mouth like a man dying of thirst. Your fingers twist through his hair while his own squeeze your flesh, thumbs rolling over your nipples until they’re hard and you’re arching against him, craving more; he grunts when you give a particularly harsh tug to his locks before releasing your breasts to grab your waist. You lock your legs around his hips as he carries you to his desk, and you wince when he swipes his arm to clear a spot to set you down, sending a day old box of pizza and a magazine to the ground. “You sure about this?” he asks against your throat.

You swallow thickly, fighting through your nerves. Sleeping with your boss is probably not the best idea you’ve ever had, but there’s an air of reverence to Dante when it comes to you that makes you feel safe. “Yeah.”

“Good.” His mouth trails over your neck, pausing to lavish the skin of your collar until a mark blooms there, and the scratch of his stubble against your sensitive skin has you panting already. Dante gives each of your breasts a kiss before continuing down until he’s kneeling between your legs, and your thought of scolding him disappears with the first press of his lips to the top of your mound.

If there’s one talent you always suspected Dante had, it was oral. You’d never had a basis for this suspicion, other than the fact that he was always mouthing off to, well, everyone, but the moment he parts your folds with his thumbs to kiss your weeping sex, you know that you were right. He is relentless, alternating between tracing patterns over your clit with the tip of his tongue and moving lower to thrust it within you, and the groan he lets out as he tastes your body sends a blush from the roots of your hair to the tips of your toes.

Reaching for his hair, you hold on tight as he works. It's been five years since you've had a mouth between your legs, too fixated on your boss to even try dating, but this is an entirely different level. He practically drinks from your body, humming against you encouragingly as you start to grind against him. Dante fixates where you guide him, and in the last thought before he sends you over the edge, you wonder if you've ever came so fast.

You pant as he eases up, slowly licking along your labia as he gently releases his grip on your thighs. Sagging on the desk, you press the back of your hand on your forehead and try to gain control of your racing heart. "You ready now, babe?" he asks.

"Ready for what?"

He grins at you, the expression equal parts eager and predatory and making your toes curl. "For me to fuck ya, obviously."

You blink, then let out a laugh as you wrap your still trembling legs around his waist. "I'd be upset if you didn't."

Dante nods, bracing one hand next to your head as the other works between your bodies; from how his knuckles graze your folds, you assume that he's stroking himself, and butterflies set to swirling in your stomach. Part of it is that he's your boss, sure, but the rest is the pre-sex jitters you always get with a new partner: will they enjoy it, will you enjoy it, is there going to be awkwardness between the two of you after or will the relationship continue on as it was? You reach up to drape an arm over his broad shoulders and pull him closer, pressing your lips to his cheek.

He turns his face to find your lips, brushing against them as you feel him press against your opening. Your mouth opens in a gasp as the head pushes inside. He is thick and hard as a rock, and as he works to fill you up it just keeps going. Your limbs shake as Dante pumps his hips slowly, the arm around him tensing as you dig your fingers into his shoulder

His cock hits a spot inside of you that sends a shock of pleasure through your body. As you throw your head back, his mouth moves to your neck, grazing your pulse. But he doesn't stop, just teases you with teeth and tongue as he stretches your body.

"You okay?" he murmurs.

"Yeah, it's just . . ." Your voice melts into a moan as he thrusts his hips and smacks against the back of your thighs.

"Okay," Dante pants, his mouth moving lower as he waits for you to adjust.

You're half-convinced that you're going to come the second he moves. You've never felt so full in your life, and every inch of him rubs snugly against your walls in a way that has your head spinning, and he hasn't even really gotten started yet. "Holy fuck," you whisper, staring over his shoulder at the ceiling. What have I gotten myself into?

"Mm," he groans, in agreement you think. "Remind me, why didn't we do this sooner?"

"You weren't wearing chaps," you mumble.

Dante laughs as he kisses the inside curve of your breast. "I'm wearing them every day, then."

He plants his palms face down on the desk and starts to pump his hips in a quick, shallow rhythm. It keeps his cock deep inside you, and for the next several minutes, the only sound is his panting and your quick, needy cries. Your fingers trace his chest and his arms until you can feel the next orgasm building. Dante thrusts hard into you, grinding his hips, and the friction of his body against your clit has you groaning his name.

He curses when you put your hands over your head, weak from the pleasure. "Fuck, fuck, you look so hot like this," he gasps, and that gives you an idea.

Keeping one hand curled over the edge of the desk, you quickly snake the other down to brush your fingers over your clit. He pauses, his eyes narrowed as he watches you draw little circles over the bud, and you wonder if you've somehow made a mistake before he growls. Dante grabs your thighs, pressing them up towards your chest, and the first thrust of his hips at this new angle draws a cry from your throat. "That's it," he rumbles. "You gonna come for me, darlin'?"

"Yes . . ." you moan. "Watch me."

His brows draw together as you do your best to put on a little show: it's difficult with his cock driving in and out of your body to stay focused on him, but as you start to stroke your clit with one hand and tease a nipple with the other, you can tell it's working because Dante gives a low groan. "Shit, come for me, I can't hold on . . ."

You close your eyes; it's a pity to lose the sight of his pleasure-screwed expression, but now you can focus on the press of his body and your own playful touch. Because you can't see him, you jolt when he mouths at your breast, panting hotly against your skin. Then he seals his lips around your nipple, sucking it with quick, sharp tugs, and your voice locks in your throat as your orgasm crashes over you.

Dante hisses your name through the haze of bliss. Moments later you feel him come, thick gushes of seed filling you as your release rocks through your body. You swear you can feel every pulse, almost as if his cock is rippling inside you. Your head is spinning from the intensity, but he doesn't stop. You reach up to grab his hair, shoulder, something . . . and gasp when his skin feels like heated metal and his fingers on your thighs go momentarily sharp, digging into you like claws.

It only lasts for a second, and his skin is soft and smooth and covered with stubble when you brush your fingers over his cheek. His hips slowly still, his lips whispering along her shoulder, until the two of you are simply locked together with his body a comfortable cage around your own. The way he nuzzles you is soothing and, on the heels of such an intense orgasm, makes you more than a little sleepy. But the question of what just happened pricks at you.

"Dante?"

"Hm?"

"Did you . . . transform? Just now?"

He clears his throat, a noise you know means he's flustered. "Almost." You nudge him with your knee to prompt him, and he groans and presses his face to your neck. "Part of being half-devil. Sometimes, if I get too wound up, I'll, uh . . . trigger."

"Oh." You consider that. "Okay."

"Does it scare you?"

If you weren't riding a post-coital high, the words you say next would have never left your mouth. "No. It's pretty hot, actually."

"Oh yeah?" His mouth captures yours for a slow, sloppy kiss, and when he pulls away he slides his cock out of you, leaving you sensitive as you stretch on the desk. "You ready for round two yet?" Dante grins.

You make a show of thinking, leaving your arms above your head and rubbing your thighs together, and you don't miss how his eyes darken as his gaze zeroes in on your chest. "Do you think you can handle it?"

"Me?!" Dante shouts, and you laugh as he lifts you and swings you over his shoulder. He carries you easily up the steps, giving your backside a smack as he teases, "Let's see who outlasts who."

#dmc #devil may cry #dante sparda #dante/reader #dante x reader #dmc dante #smut #reader insert #writing #oneshot #idle hands

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thehellcatcroons · 4 years ago

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Thoughts on Chapter 25 of VoV *Contains Spoilers* Inserting a Read More Break. :)

*My last thought on here also contains spoilers for DMC5 if you have not finished it yet.*

1.) I feel like Dante always looked up to Vergil as the older twin and all he wanted was for his brother to spend time with him, but all Vergil wanted was time to himself every once and a while. Older siblings are always expected to share everything, and with them being twins I feel like this was amplified. Vergil wanted an identity that was separate from his brother, which is why he wants time to himself. Vergil always feels that Dante is “taking things away from him” as a child. He writes his name on his Blake book so that it can be his and ONLY his, and Dante still wants to borrow it. Dante wants to do everything Vergil does and have everything Vergil has because he wants to connect with his brother, and have things in common (besides being half demons) that they can bond over. This is why I think Dante wants to borrow the book so bad, he wants to have shared interests with his brother because he looks up to him. Vergil doesn’t see it this way though, he just sees Dante as the annoying little brother who can’t just let him have something to himself.

2.) This day gives us a whole new perspective into both of the brothers. It really does shape who they are for their entire lives. Vergil blamed Dante for pretty much his entire life. It’s his fault he couldn’t read that day, his fault mom yelled at them. Vergil stormed off because of Dante, he thinks his mom left him behind because of Dante. I feel like this fueled Vergil’s desire to be stronger. If he had been stronger than Dante, he could have kicked his ass and gone on to read his book. But no, because he couldn’t just chump Dante, they tussled long enough to get their mother’s attention and get in trouble. Combine this with the fact that young Vergil most likely gets physically attacked by demons, and you get his lust for power. He HAS to be stronger so that none of this can EVER happen to him or anyone he loves again.

I also have a theory that Vergil and Dante both resent Sparda for not being there that day, and in a way, both of them want to be stronger than their father was. They just went about it in different ways. I also think that Vergil really loved whoever Nero’s mother was. I think she was the first human that he felt love for since losing his family, and that fueled his desire for power even more. He didn’t want to be like his father and leave his loved ones for dead (or be killed and leave his loved ones to fend for themselves.) I think this is why Vergil leaves her before they even know she’s with child. I can see him believing he needs to cut all emotional ties in order to protect her while he’s on his quest for power. To me, he seems taken back when he realizes Nero is his son. It makes me think that he didn’t know that he had a child at all.

On the flip side- we see how this day affects Dante as well. Dante spends the next ten years of his life believing that both his mother and brother are dead. This would no doubt give him survivor’s guilt. Dante has a big heart, and all he wanted was to spend time with his brother. Dante probably felt cast aside a lot as a child when Vergil wasn’t in the mood to play, so Dante took to annoying his brother at every turn because he just wanted his attention. I think Dante grew up believing that his brother didn’t love him, so they only way they could spend time together was if they were fighting.

I think that Dante has the same mindset as Vergil when it comes to placing blame for that day, he blames himself. If he had just let Vergil be and read his book, they both would have been home when they were attacked. Eva would not have lost her life searching for Vergil, because he would have been right there with them. Even if Eva had still decided to sacrifice herself and hide the both of them, they still would have been together and escaped together. Their lives would have been vastly different because they would have had each other. If they had escaped together, they probably would have bonded through losing their mother and suffering the same trauma together. I think they would have put aside their differences in the name of vengeance, becoming a team and hunting demons together. But because it didn’t go down that way, we end up with this. Vergil blames Dante, Dante blames himself. Hunting demons is his way of atonement, I think. He can never go back and undo what happened that day, but he can try to rid the world of as many demons as he can, and find the demon that did this to his family. He doesn’t search for power, he doesn’t want that. He fights because it’s his only way of making things right, he fights because it’s all he’s ever known.

3.) After this chapter, Vergil telling Nero to keep the Blake book at the end of 5 is so much more impactful and moving to me. He drew the V on the front of the book as a kid because he was so adamant about that book being his and only his. It meant so much to him, and he passes it on to his son.

Sorry for the long ass ramble, but that one little chapter added a lot of new context to their story and their characters. It really pulled at my heart strings and it makes their story so much sadder than it already was. These are just my thoughts and feelings, by the way. I am in no way saying “this is how it is” or “this is what they author is saying about them.” I just really enjoy analyzing characters and wanted to put my thoughts out there.

I just love this series so much.

#Visions of V #Devil May Cry #Devil May Cry 5 #Vergil #Dante #Thoughts #Chapter 25 #UGH I HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS #Those sweet babies have suffered so much #someone please fucking give them a hug #head canon #My Writings

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mazzy-moon · 3 years ago

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A Lone Butterfly - Chapter 15

Title of Chapter: Gone

Word Count: 1.6k

Warnings/Tags: Mentions of sex trafficking/kidnapping/abuse , Mentions of rape, Mild violence

Pairing: Javier Peña (Narcos) x Isabel Cotrille (OFC)

Summary: Isabel and Javier's time together is cut short when the cartel finds their hiding place.

Notes: This chapter ends kind of abruptly. I will post chapter 16 as soon as possible. :)

Read it on ao3

I wake to a low hum of noise echoing in the distance. Once my eyes are open, though, it's gone. I dismiss it as being in my head and settle back down into the pillow.

Javier's leg is draped over me, and my back is tucked into his chest. I can tell he's in a deep sleep from the sound of his breaths. I slowly pry my way out of his grasp, desperate for water, untangling myself carefully so as not to wake him.

As I lift up off the bed, a slight soreness in the space between my thighs sends vivid images of what took place only a matter of hours ago. Heat rushes to my cheeks, but I ignore it, tiptoeing to my suitcase. I pull on a tank and some sweats before making my way to the kitchen.

The sound comes back then, a low rumbling. Barely there, but there's no mistaking it. I peer out the kitchen window, but can barely make out the line of the trees in the darkness. Standing in the unlit kitchen, I force myself to remain still. The rumbling continues, but I can't hear anything else.

Seconds later, a shattering of glass sounds from the back of the house. I call out for Javier, and he comes running out from the bedroom, barely clothed and with his gun in hand.

"Isabel," he exclaims, panicked.

Before I can warn him, a figure appears directly behind him and knocks him out with the butt of a gun. He's falls to the ground before he has a chance to utter another word. I call out for him, all while knowing there's no way he can hear me.

Stunned, I look up to face the attacker. I can't make out his features in the dark.

"Hey there, chiquita, it's been too long," the figure states, as if we know each other.

I dive for a knife from the counter adjacent to me. Despite my effort at speed, he grabs me before I have a chance to get to it. Without thinking I thrust my knee up between his legs. He doubles over in pain and I take my chance, running to Javier's limp body to pry the gun from his hand. I quickly turn and face the attacker, gun aimed and ready. He slowly places his own gun back into his belt and holds his hands up in surrender. I consider shooting him right then, but something stops me.

"Do you really know how to use that thing? You're nothing more than a girl."

Terrified and angry, I spit the words at him. "Last time I checked, the gun doesn't care who's behind it."

"Alright, alright. But listen to me- I think you'll find what I have to say very interesting."

"Doubtful."

He continues anyway. "I work for the Bogotá cartel. You know the one. You spent some time with us last year."

"What is it you want with me?" I ask, my voice low and trembling.

"Me? I don't want anything with you. I don't know why my boss is so obsessed with getting you back, it's only caused problems for us."

"Then why come here?"

"Dante made a promise to your father right before he killed him. He promised your father that his daughter would make him a lot of money as a sort of... repayment for killing his brother years ago. Dante doesn't like to break a promise."

I stare at him in horror.

"We would've taken you in Oregon, but couldn't risk getting caught with you at the border. So... we killed your friend instead. After that, we made sure Matías was caught. He was the only one you would remember seeing, and we knew you'd be forced to come back here to identify him. He wasn't exactly happy about that, but what choice did he have?"

"I won't let you take me."

"Oh, I think you will."

"Why are you so sure I won't just shoot you right here?" I raise my voice at him.

"You won't do that. Because if you try to, I'll put a bullet in your boyfriend's brain. I'm faster than you, chiquita. Of that you can be sure. Unless you come with me, he's dead."

All my plans of shooting the man in front of me disappear. I can't risk Javier's life. I won't. I could try and outrun him, but even if I could where would I go? We're in the middle of nowhere, and I didn't remember seeing even one house the way up here. There's no option left for me.

Slowly, I put the gun down.

"Smart girl."

The man grabs me, shoving me outside. Once we near the river bank, I realize what the noise I heard earlier was. A small boat sits on the water, waiting for us. There's another man already in the boat, and then another comes from around the side of the house. Once we're inside, one of them ties a blind fold over my eyes.

We travel on the water for forever. Once we stop, I'm guided into a vehicle. No one says anything. I think of Javier back at the cabin. Has he woken up yet? Will he be able to find me? I don't dare let myself hope. I think on the night before, the moments Javier and I shared. It seems like a dream now.

The vehicle comes to an abrupt stop and I'm pushed out. I hear a door open. They don't take the blind fold off of me until I'm inside. The place reminds me of the building with the cement room I was kept in before, but it's clearly more run down than that one was. We walk down a long hallway until we reach a wide set of doors. They open and I'm pushed through.

A huge table is the only thing taking up space in the room. Chairs are placed all around it. At the very end sits an older man, probably ten to fifteen years older than Javier. I know he's in charge from the way the other men are acting around him. This, I assume, is Dante. I push down my fear, trying to keep a brave face.

I'm shoved into a chair while Dante leers at me from across the table.

"Hello, Isabel. Nice to see you once again. Such a lovely face."

The tone of his voice make my skin crawl.

He waits for me to speak, carefully assessing me. I stare him down and give him the dirtiest look I can summon.

"What? You're shy? You were so feisty before, never kept quiet. That's why we kept having to drug you." He tilts his head, trying to figure me out, but I refuse to let him see how his words affect me.

"You won't get away with this," I say through my teeth. "Javier will find me."

Dante laughs, the lines around his eyes creasing. "No. He won't. No one knows where you are. We are very good at keeping our business secretive. Why do think Santiago's little task force still hasn't been able to track us down?"

Doubt starts to trickle in, but I can't lose hope. Even if Javier doesn't find me, I will find a way out. I have to.

Dante senses where my thoughts are headed. "And if you're thinking about escaping, Isabel, I would advise otherwise. You see, if you try anything, it won't be you who suffers. No, instead we will hurt Sasha."

The name conjures up a whisper of a memory from the far reaches of my mind. "Who's Sasha?"

"You don't remember? You two were so close at the beginning. She begged us to stop when we beat you. It got annoying after a while so we separated you from her."

I think of the crying girl I remember hearing all those months ago. Sasha. The name is slightly familiar to me now. If Dante was to be believed, this woman cared for me. I would have to figure out a way to escape without getting her hurt... or worse.

"I had such big plans for you at the beginning, Isabel. You were going to make me a lot of money. You see, in the past I was always a little repulsed at the thought of selling women for money, but that was before I found out just how profitable it could be."

"Why me?"

"There are many reasons you were the perfect target. For one, I knew I wouldn't have to worry about your father, since I had already taken care of him. And what better way to send a message to the DEA than to take the daughter of the man who killed my brother. It wasn't like you were difficult to get to. My men found you within a day and started tracking your movements until the perfect opportunity arose."

"But why continue to come after me? You've got more than enough girls to make you money." I needed an answer to the question. It didn't make sense why they would risk so much for me.

"It's true, we've more than compensated for your loss. But for whatever reason, I just couldn't let you go. You captivated me, and I admit, I became a little obsessed."

"I'm flattered," I say sarcastically.

"If anything you should be grateful. I've decided to keep you for myself. None of the other girls have that privilege,” he state as if I should feel honored. “Which reminds me, I want to apologize for what Matías did to you. I gave him strict orders to save you for the clients, but he couldn’t help himself.”

Suddenly, I feel sick. I was already aware of the fact that I had been raped, but the affirmation stings.

There is no way I'm letting this man get anywhere near me. I need to come up with a plan of some sort.

Just then, I hear the doors open and relief surges through me as I see Sanz walk into the room.

#javier pena #javier pena fic #javier pena fanfiction #javi #pedro pascal #pedro pascal fic #pedro pascal fanfiction #narcos #narcos fanfiction #a lone butterfly series #javier peña

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vampiresuns · 4 years ago

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Fine Arts and Equally Fine People

1,845 words. In which Cadenza and Dante decide to have a little competition to woo Amparo Cassano, but Dante’s attention is taken away by someone else. Anatole flexes his language abilities for someone, and Milenko runs after a certain Countess.

Cadenza and Dante belong to @arcanecadenza.

Dante and Cadenza looked at the poster announcing the play they came to see in Vesuvia’s Community Theatre. A painted poster depicting a scene with the characters of the Operetta, announcing “La Cassano'' as the main character above the name of the play.

“That’s her,” Dante said, Cadenza still silently looking at the poster, her eyes tracing the lines of Amparo’s smile.

“It is. Let’s get in.”

The siblings got inside, showing the tickets they had already purchased, in the standing Yard. Cadenza would’ve preferred to be sitting in one of the galleries, but they had been told by the cast of the play (and Amparo herself) that many of the acts and intermissions were interactive, so a Yard position might be more fun, if they desired to experience the play in full. Besides, the play had already been going for some time, so it wouldn’t be as packed as it was during the first weeks of it.

“Did you bring her anything?” Dante asked as they handed their coats in the coat check. “I wasn’t really sure of what the exact Vesuvian custom is, and then I thought everyone must bring her flowers, then I didn’t know who to ask and books were not very illustrative on the matter—”

“So?”

“So I brought her a self-refilling pen. Actors need to mark scripts all the time, don’t they?”

Cadenza hummed as she gave a coin to an usher in exchange for a program for the play. “I brought her tea. Asra said she always asked him to brew her some tea when she was over?”

Dante gave her a betrayed look.

“What? He’s a friend of hers.”

“That’s cheating.”

“I would’ve brought her tea anyway.”

“That’s still cheating.”

Cadenza decided to focus on the program, which explained the basic argument of the play, had a list of the dramatis personae and the name of whom they were played by, as well as other tidbits here and there. It was useful to take her away from her nerves. Cadenza didn’t exactly know what she was doing, even if she was confident enough in herself. It felt almost like a date without being a date (and with her brother there), not to mention gift-giving had never been her forte. She had been too busy to compose something for Amparo, but she had wanted to. Maybe she would be able to later.

She hoped she was. She had been beautiful and so sure of herself in her flowing dress; her lips were defined and always curving up slightly, her hands soft as they had brushed with Cadenza’s, telling her how she wished she could make it to the play, not just for herself but for the play’s sake.

“But I do hope I’m reason enough,” she had added, clearly flirting. Cadenza had told her she would be better company than her brother in a streak of competitiveness, making Amparo laugh.

Cadenza found herself playing with the corners of the program, dog earring them; she frowned at it and offered it to her brother.

Her brother didn’t respond.

“Dante? Dante. Dante.” She rolled her eyes, leaning her shoulder against her brother’s.

“Uh? Oh, I wasn’t looking.”

A blush began to bloom on Dante’s cheeks, Cadenza giving him a funny look as he began fidgeting, throwing one last glance in the general direction he had been looking, before taking the program out of Cadenza’s hands. Cadenza followed the direction of her brother’s gaze and finally saw him, recognition dawning on her. He was as blond as ever, animatedly talking to a man with dark, bronze brown curls, dressed in black.

She couldn’t help but to give a curious look to her brother. “I didn’t know you knew Anatole.”

“You know him too?”

“Dante, I’m pretty sure half of Vesuvia knows who he is, but yes, we have tea together sometimes. Well, I have tea, I’ve only ever seen him drink coffee. He’s a friend.” She paused, in the background the orchestra still played. “Where do you know him from?”

“The palace library,” the program was now completely forgotten in Dante’s hands. “I run into him from time to time, but we never visit the same sections. We talk sometimes, he’s, hm, very charming.”

The play began not very long after, the siblings dropping the subject altogether, even if Dante still seemed to steal looks towards the box Anatole was sitting in. The play was everything it promised to be and more: Amparo had been right, standing on the yard was never tedious, tiring. Something was always happening that took your attention away from standing on your feet — an actor would run through, someone would begin in an Aria in the middle of the crowd, leaving you to wonder when they got there.

Amparo herself was stunning. Her voice was clear and melodic, capable of softness and drama; when she danced, the stage moved with her, the lights dancing to her lead. She transformed on stage, and Cadenza felt herself be transformed with it.

The crowd clapped, the siblings joining the ovation, and eventually the theatre began being evacuated. The siblings did as Amparo had told them too: they went backstage, announcing themselves. One of the lyricists of the Opera volunteered to go let Amparo know, and as soon as she cleared them, the lyricist came back to guide them through the hecticness which was the backstage of Vesuvia’s community theatre, asking them their opinion on the play.

“We don’t really have private changing rooms but this is La Cassano, she’s too delightful not to let her get away with a little of this. Not that I need to tell you two, hm?” She said, cheeky.

Amparo emerged from beyond a curtain. “Zinovia, don’t torment my guests! Only I can do that.” As a hello she winked to the siblings, holding the curtain open for them to come in. “I’m so glad you too could make it! Please, make yourself comfortable.”

The changing room, which was really just a space separated by dividers and colourful curtains, was not very personalised. Zinovia had been right when she said this wasn’t Amparo’s own changing room and in fact had space for more people. It was still cozy, if a little messy, with puffs to sit as well as a patched up armchair.

Amparo sat in the chair of one of the vanities in the room, wearing a well loved, dark blue robe.

“I do have my own changing room in the other theatre, so I hope you’re not put off by people announcing themselves in and out. If you’d prefer more privacy, we could always grab drinks afterward, I think I know just the place.”

With the mention of drinks, Cadenza mentioned the tea, saying it was inside the pockets of her coat. Amparo, lightly touching her arm, told her not to worry, she could send someone to retrieve the coats. “It’s nothing, I promise.”

Before she could do anything, a voice came from beyond the robe. It was Anatole’s. “Are you decent and are you available, Lele?”

Amparo snorted. “I’m not decent, but I’m wearing clothes, if that’s what you’re wondering.” She opened the curtain with one swift motion. “And almost always available for you two. Cadenza, Dante, these are Anatole and Milenko — my cousins.”

“Oh, I do know both of you,” Anatole added with a smile.

“I don’t!” Milenko said cheerily. “Hi!”

While Milenko gave Amparo a quick kiss on her temple, congratulating her for the performance, Anatole gave Cadenza a friendly wave, but, to the latter’s amusement, focused on her brother. “Non sapevo che fosse tuo fratello, Cadenza. Dante, è un piacere, come sempre,” he took Dante’s hand to bring his knuckles to his lips. “I also didn’t know you two liked Opera, what a delightful coincidence. Amparo, Lenko, should we all go to get something to drink afterwards.”

Milenko had his head poking outside of the curtains, and was yelling a thank you back at someone. “I have to run.”

Anatole raised his eyebrows at him. Amparo gave him a quizzical, yet amused look “Because...?” She said.

“Apparently the Countess was discreetly watching the play with one of her sisters, and they’re leaving, so I have to go like, right now, I’m going, I’m gone.”

Amparo’s and Anatole’s attention was taken away from the Alighieri siblings, as they encouraged Milenko and wished him luck, telling him to run fast and to go already, watching him get through the backstage crowd as he turned to yell back at his cousins that Nadia was what beauty itself should look like. Amparo laughed, and Anatole rolled his eyes.

“So,” Cadenza began, sitting on the armchair and straightening the nonexisting wrinkles in her dress, “you talk sometimes.”

“We’ve only talked, Cadenza.”

“I win then?”

Dante paused. He looked at his sister, then at Anatole, who was talking about something he couldn’t make out with Amparo. “Okay, fine you win.”

“I did say she would find I’m better company.”

Dante didn’t have a chance to argue, because Amparo and Anatole had their attention back on them, asking them if they would like to go for drinks with them afterwards. Neither Cadenza nor Dante found a reason to complain.

Soon enough their coats were retrieved. Dante took out the self-refilling pen, but Amparo politely declined. “I do mark up my scripts all the time, but I am sure Anatole will find that a little more useful. He collects quills after all.”

“You do?”

“I do,” his smile was inviting, bright, his eyes curious, looking between Dante’s face and his hands.

“Take it then, it’s yours.”

With Dante’s attention otherwise occupied, Amparo took her chance to sit closer to Cadenza. She played with her own hair, taking it to the side so it fell over her shoulder.

“Thank you,” she said, leaning forward, resting her chin on her hand, her arm propped over her knee. “The tea smells fantastic. Did you enjoy the play?”

“Very much, your singing is stunning.”

Amparo smiled, her playful intensity folding over and away, a quiet kind coming in its replacement as her dark, green eyes scanned Cadenza’s face. “Thank you,” her tongue poked out between her lips when she said ‘thanks’. “I like it very much that you could come. Let me finish changing, and we’ll be on our way, is that alright?”

“Alright.”

“Alright,” Amparo repeated as she stood up, a smile reserved only for Cadenza on her face.

In the background, the sounds of the backstage crowd of technics, direction and actors blended with Dante’s impassioned conversation with Anatole about the principles of transmutation. Cadenza was sure she had heard Anatole say before that alchemy is nothing he is very versed at, yet he seemed to be holding the conversation just fine. Perhaps she’d ask the next time she saw him, perhaps she’d forget to. Right now, following Amparo as she got behind a divider to get dressed and talk about the play and the rest of their night with her seemed like a much better prospect.

#the arcana #the arcana oc #my writing #aelius anatole #amparo cassano #milenko #dante #cadenza #sabina's ocs #dantelius #camparo

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maddiicake · 4 years ago

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Why Both FMAB and FMA03 are good and should be treated as Independent Stories:

I will go on the record of saying that Appreciate and Love FMA as a whole and love both series for what they are. And while it may sound like a broken record saying things like this... there’s still hateful words against those who like one over the other. So, I’m here to make this post addressing that both FMA2003/03 and Brotherhood are great in their own way and should be respected as their own individual stories.

Also warning there will be obvious spoilers.

What I liked about the Original (FMA03/2003) Series:

I watched 03 before delving into Brotherhood, and even before reading the manga. Now, I know Brotherhood and Manga fans are the small minority of the fandom, while 03/2003 fans make up the majority. That being said, many of these people simply can't get used to 03 after watching Brotherhood.

However, for me, I was happy because: A) I got more FMA to watch, and B) The differences in 03/2003 simply made it even more fun to watch, so for it was no trouble getting used to this anime.

But if I were to be specific of what I liked, I’d say I liked the following about FMA03/2003:

Characterization of the Protagonists and all the 'good' guys: The show heavily focuses on the relationship and tragedy of Elric Brothers, and 03/2003 portrays it much better with such a deeper level. The relationship between both brothers is intimate, and it feels like a genuine sibling bond. I also enjoy the fact that the anime shows that even if Ed follows his ideals, he, like any human, can break away from them under severe pressure, which was beautifully shown in the 5th laboratory arc. As for other characters: Scar in this version is a total opposite of his Brotherhood counterpart. He is written realistically in the 2003/03 anime. His absolute hatred for the military is more legit, and he feels morally grey in this anime. Izumi Curtis for me was also portrayed better in this version. Meanwhile, other Characters like Roy, Winry and Alex felt the same to me throughout both versions--so, not much change there.

Worldbuilding: The 2003/03 anime does a fantastic job at portraying the widespread effects of war and politics, Alchemy, etc. and how it has affected the people of the FMA World. For example, in Episode 16, “That Which is Lost”, Ed meet, a guy who had lost his limb while working as a soldier and was reluctant to use an automail prostetic because he wanted to “retain his wound”. Now, this episode itself was more so filler and didn’t really matter to the main plot of the story in itself; however, I feel that it was added to series to portray the depth of the FMA World, and how everyone has different reactions to the events that happened in the 2003/03 anime. Also, many of the events and how they unfold in this anime seem to parallel the middle east, which just makes all this feel realistic and provides some occasional social commentary which is quite nice. I also like how the first few episodes take their time to slowly and, with great subtlety, develop their world.

Thematic Depth: FMA2003/03 is dark, grim and kind of realistic--more so compared to Brotherhood. While, both versions of the anime deal with some important and mature themes, FMA2003/03 takes it to the next level. The 2003/03 series focuses on the Law of Equivalent Exchange, and shows how putting blind trust in it is a terrible thing to do. The show also focuses on how obsession, a denial of reality, and the inability to move on can be a bad thing. Moreover, sometimes life just simply isn't fair, and we should accept it; however, always try to improve what we have. All in all, we have to understand the consequences of our actions. That life is uncertain, and sometimes we don't get everything, and even we pay a price for it. All of these themes mixed in with the meaningful dialogues and the dark tone, made me appreciate this anime. For example, in episode 48, when Roy and Ed talk for the last time, that’s the pivotal point that brings all these themes together.

A Good Start: The Show had a better start than Brotherhood, simply because 1). We have more time with Maes Hughes and Shou Tucker, and 2). The Liore arc. Despite BONES studio and it’s tendency to create anime too early *when the mangaka is barely halfway through their series), they made it work, and, with the material they had, the 2003/03 series was given enough time to bloom. The 2003/03 series was simply immersive and very emotional, especially during The Curtis Arc, as an example.

Soundtrack and The Art Direction: I feel like both are equally good. However, I will go on the record of saying that I don’t think “art style” is what makes a series, nor is it an important factor. It’s nothing more than glorified “eye candy” However, for the sake of argument (especially since the “art style” is the first thing that “03 Stans” mention) I’ll be adding it in here. Both the 2003/03 and Brotherhood series have some amazing and beautiful orchestral OSTs in their respective soundtracks; thus, it added to the immersion of their respective series. In FMA2003/03, the color palette is very unique, sometimes it feels dull but it just suits the dark tone of the series.

All in all, I am impressed by a lot of aspects of the 2003/03 anime series, but as much I love and respect it, there are lot of things this anime messed up and I will note that as well.

The antagonists were... Meh: While I really love and enjoy the direction and depth BONES Studio added to the Homunculi... some of the other antagonists could have been better (or just not added at all imo). For example, Frank Archer... he has no reason being there except for convenient plot device to the point it feels forced. Though, him becoming that weird cyborg always makes me laugh just because of how dumb of a character he became because of it. Speaking of which, him becoming a cyborg was just... weird. It was like the Studio staff were trying to make him “cool” by making him into some crossover of The Terminator and Two-Face from Batman, but it just failed. As for Zolf Kimblee... He is still sadistic and likes making things explode, much like his Brotherhood Counterpart. But... that was it. Other than that, he was just boring. Him and Archer were both just the staple 90s Kids Cartoon Villains; not much to them except “Muahahaha I’m evil”. Now Dante... I’d say that she’s a good villain to an extent. Her as a villain is very subjective within the fandom, depending on who you ask. While I believe that she could have been just as great a villain as Father, her character was rushed and her goals were a bit vague and unexplored. I like how, like with Father, she had ties Hohenheim; however, that backstory and those connections were introduced a little late. So, in the end, she just came across as more of the generic Vindictive Ex-Wife, and just a generic female villain. As for the Homunculi... I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I LOVED their portrayal in 2003/03. They were the “saving grace” of the entire team of the villains within the 2003/03 series. My favorite of the bunch were Lust and Greed--namely Lust, because of her ties with Scar. Envy came at a close second, but only seemed so because of a way to back up Dante as a villain, and the other Homunculi seemed a bit more underdeveloped as characters.

The Plot's quality drops after episode 35- Okay don't get me wrong. The first 35 episodes for me were 100/100. After that? a 60/100. Why? Because everything after that point feels contrived and feels forced. It's as tho, they are trying to do everything they can, even if it doesn't weave in, to make the brother's life miserable. Archer doesn't die and pops up, with his automail? Alphonse is there to be turned into a bomb, and become a philosophers stone. Okay, but why does this feel so forced? Also, can we talk about Nazi Shit? Now, I feel the brothers being separated is the perfect ending to this anime thematically and I have nothing against it, but A Nazi gate? Why? It was so sudden and pointless. It was never foreshadowed. They just showed it to make it as tragic as possible, because they didn't know of any other way to twist the plot, without convenient and totally forced plot devices. Also, How can Dante make Gluttony Mindless? Why is Juliet Douglass's Secret so obvious, when it can be fatal if leaked? Plot- Holes, Also, why are the Homunculli named the way they are? It just doesn't make sense. Also, FMA's Plot has an air of mystery to it, but it doesn't execute properly. I don't hate the end, I just felt disappointed, because the buildup towards it was terrible.

Now, I give a bit of grace concerning how the plot sort of dropped off and felt rushed halfway through, as well as the characters being underdeveloped and rushed. After all, Studio Bones was making up the majority of the material and took it in their own direction. Some factors to all of these cons in FMA2003/03 could be because of the Studio’s lack of a budget to flesh the characters and plot out more. Or, they had created so much additional material for this series that it became overwhelming.

As a writer, I can attest to the fact that “Character Overload” or “Element Overload” can either make or break a series, depending on how you handle it. That being said, there need to be a balance when it comes to these factors.

However, FMA2003/03 ended around 2004-05, So what we got is what we have.

Now, with that out of the way, let’s get on to the analysis of FMA: Brotherhood:

Characters: There isn’t a single character in this version of the series that I can choose as a “favorite”. Because, honestly? I lile them all. They’re all well developed and lovable in their own way, and have their own demension of depth to them. No, they’re not as deep as they aare in FMA2003/03, but from a writer’s perspective, that helps keep a balance with the overall plot of the stories. Now, some minor characters were just outrageous, but not to the level of boring (like 03!Kimblee and Archer), for example... Darius and Heinkel. There isn’t a vast difference in Brotherhood’s and 2003/03's cast of characters. However, if I had to note a difference, FMA2003/03′s characters were are more on the edge of realistic and Brotherhood’s were just... Loveable. However, that doesn’t mean that one counterpart of a character is better/worse than another. Both are quite memorable in their own way. Of course, in my opinion Brotherhood's villains are just better than 03's villains. Sure, the Homunculi aren’t given as much depth, but, they have redeeming qualities near the end of their time (i.e. Envy, and GreedLing). When Father was first introduced... his character made me think of how Dante started out, and I was worried that his character would end up just as rushed and he would just be the generic cliche Shounen villain. By the Promised Day Arc, however, I was surprised. Yeah, Father was still very shounen-y villain, but still a pretty darn good villain. I feel his backstory, and how he discarded all his human qualities which led to the creation of Homunculi was well put together, and I felt the concept how he created Alchemy in Amestris, while Hohenhime helped build Alkahestry in the east was well put together, and helped build the world of FMA (literally). To put it simply, his character was much more interesting than Dante, because it was fleshed out more. The Homunculi were awesome as well, Lust did her job, Pride and Wrath were simply awesome, GreeLing's development from an anti-villain to anti-hero was exceptionally well written and not the cliche anti-hero, which I can appreciate. Envy is the character you love to hate. And Gluttony and Sloth did their Part as Well. While I enjoyed 03′s portrayal of the homunculi, I felt like they only fleshed out some for that series (i.e. Lust) while others were just left to fall flat. With Brotherhood, all the Homunculi were evenly balanced out in their characters, not too much depth and not too little. Solf Kimblee was still the sadistic baster, but at least his entire personality was more explored this time, and I liked how they portrayed his psyche as an added affect to why he has his views.

Plot: Bortherhood’s plot was more fluid and weaved in seamlessly. As a lover of all things continuity... Brotherhood did it right, and every time I find an analysis of a teeny tiny subtle continuity detail (i.e. Ed’s gash on his forehead that lasts a few episodes), I get a writer-gasm! Sure, there were few plot devices and filler here and there. But the plot in gneeral wasn’t rushed or choppy, nor did it leave any holes in it. The way Brotherhood portrays it’s plot is to keep you as engaged as possible, adding some silly comic relief here and there to balance out the dramatic intensity every so often. Unlike 2003/03 where is was just one depressing and dark element after another, Brotherhood added in the comic relief points not and again to give it’s audience a break. And, that’s what I really appreciate, and think is a great story writing technique. All in all the Brotherhood series is literal binge-watch material

A Great Shounen: Many Shounen anime have their Arcs for the purpose of portraying the progress of a character, and keep introducing new villains; however, depsite this, there is rarely a sense of mystery, intrigue or a moving plot in a Battle Shounen Anime. What Brotherhood did was just that, except make it more digestible (and not super long like Naruto or One Piece), and added a great thematic exploration. For a shounen it was quite deep, the plot structure was more like seinen, and characters were awesome. In a way, we got everything we could in a Shounen anime that only lasted a little over 50 episodes: Depth, plot, characters in a shounen.

Thematic Exploration: Both FMA 2003/03′s and Brotherhood’s themes are the same, but Brotherhood makes it a bit more lighter. All the while, it also manages to raise questions on additional themes: revenge, truth, knowledge, sacrifice, worth of a human life, and many other things.

Soundtrack and Animation: Same as the analysis in the part of FMA 2003/03, and, once again... I will restate that I personally don’t believe that art style is what’s important to a series. It’s nothing more than glorified “eye candy”. However, for the sake of this analysis, I will be adding it in here. While Brotherhood’s art style and animation is more simplistic, it’s much easier to create those dynamic poses and expressions on an animation level. While FMA2003/03 did have it’s dynamic moments, it was mostly only during battle scenes or the really heavy moments in the series. Brotherhood maintains it’s art style through the series and keeps it a balance, so that some scenes aren’t too much animation but also not too little. And, both FMA2003/03′s and Brotherhood’s OST Soundtracks are beautiful orchestral pieces that really add additional effect to a scene that the respective series are trying to portray.

A sense of conclusion: A lot of Shounen Anime get prematurely cancelled, most Seinen end in a bittersweet manner. That’s why FMA2003/03′s ending with the fate of the Elric Bros was a bit more preferable for those who like a more realistic ending. But, I enjoy a story with a more conclusive ending that wraps all the plot points up together without leaving too many holes. Yeah, the “happy ending” of Brotherhood is cliche, but “happy endings” wouldn’t be “happy endings” if they weren’t. Not to mention, those types of endings are rare, because people really don’t want to write them, and, when they do, they’re rarely done well. Ed’s entire charcter arc wrapping up to where he swallows his pride as an Alchemist and gives up his Alchemy to bring his brother back is both wholesome and satisfying, because, through the show, it shows his progression and growth from beginning to end. And, having an arrogant character obsessed with Alchemy give it up and learn to humble himself because of it.. it’s really uplifting.

Now let's talk about the Cons within the Brotherhood series, they aren't a lot, but still, they did affect my experience quite a lot.

Overuse of Comic Relief: While the use is a nice balance to the already dark and dismal atmosphere of the series, it felt a bit overused. So much so that some emotional moments were inconvenienced by the use of that kind of humor. It was a bit much and created dissonance with the tone the scene was trying to portray. Now, it worked more in the Manga, because of the more visual gag of it, but, sometimes the visuals within the manga don’t translate as well to an animated one.

A Rushed First Half: While FMA 2003/03 began “In Media Res” with it’s first episode and then started a “flashback episodic arc” with the next handful of episodes.. Brotherhood just jumped right into it. While, yes, it was a better balance to not have the characters’ depth right at the beginning (slowly revealing it as the show goes on), the first half of Brotherhood was 0-100 through just the first few episodes. To the point it feels like the audience has to catch it’s bearings. But, once you get on the same page, it’s enjoyable from there.

So what’s the Point of this Ted Talk-esq FMA Post?

I’m sick and tired of seeing 03 Stans and MangaHood Stans fighting each other over just the smallest detail, especially when 03 Stans decided to bring leftist politics into it for no reason.

Personally, I just appreciate the fact that both series exist, ever since I've got in the franchise, it has become a part of my life, and still to this day is part of my life. Sure, I’m forever going to be part of this fandom.. but, I still see the beauty that peeks through the ruins and ashes of destruction now and then. I appreciate both series. Sure, I do prefer Brotherhood more, and get called a “Nazi” just because of it (ironic considering FMA: CoS was the movie sequel to 03... -__- ) , but 03 was excellent as well in it’s own way. It was very involving while FMAB was engaging. Both shows are something which you can learn something from and get attached to.

All in all, comparing both shows is okay, that's what I did here, but having a debate over which one is better isn’t just inherently bad... it’s TOXIC. Both series have their pros and cons, and they’re starkly different from each other. They’re two sides of the same coin. But, most importantly they are extremely important and impactful, so Pls don't have death battles over which one is better, don't say bad things about any fanbase, be respectful, and most importantly watch both and try to appreciate them. Because trust me liking both is a pretty darn good feeling.

#fullmetal alchemist #fmab #fma 03 #fma 2003 #full metal alchemist brotherhood #madiis musings

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louisminyard · 4 years ago

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heyy <3 from your blog I always get the feeling that I'd like the things that you read so I wanted to ask if you had any book recs? 👀 also if you know any maybe something not too long sjfh I'm still trying to go back into the habit of reading more books, but I really liked on earth we're briefly gorgeous when you recommended it!

hope you are having a great day 💞💞

HI HI okay so I don’t want to make this list TOO long so I separated it into three categories: books similar to on earth we’re briefly gorgeous, fun books that are fast reads (great for reading slumps) and my faves from the tumblr classics list!

books similar to on earth we’re briefly gorgeous

SO I’ve never actually found a book as similar as Vuong and his writing (and I’ve been searching!) but this is more of a list of books with a great narrative that makes you feel split into two!!!

Everything I Never Told You: One of my favorite books ever! So begins this exquisite novel about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee, and her parents are determined that she will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue. But when Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, tumbling them into chaos.

The Nickel Boys: When Elwood Curtis, a black boy growing up in 1960s Tallahassee, is unfairly sentenced to a juvenile reformatory called the Nickel Academy, he finds himself trapped in a grotesque chamber of horrors. Elwood’s only salvation is his friendship with fellow “delinquent” Turner, which deepens despite Turner’s conviction that Elwood is hopelessly naive, that the world is crooked, and that the only way to survive is to scheme and avoid trouble.

I’ll Give You the Sun - so different then everything else on this list but: The novel follows a set of twins, Jude and Noah. Although they were incredibly close at thirteen, three years later they are hardly speaking to each other. The early years are narrated by Noah as he struggles with an enormous secret that affects his past, present, and future. The later years are narrated by Jude as her life changes when she meets an arrogant and broken, yet beautiful boy.

Tell the Wolves I’m Home: It follows the life of June Elbus, a 14-year-old girl, whose gay uncle had died of AIDS in the 1980s, and the subsequent friendship she develops with his boyfriend.

Fun Books

So these are books that are just more fun and shorter! I love a good fast read tbh

None Shall Sleep - this one is a murder mystery so I wouldn’t recommend if you don’t like horror tbh but it’s really fast-paced and I REALLY loved this book: A psychological thriller about two teenagers teaming up with the FBI to track down juvenile serial killers.

Cemetery Boys: A trans boy determined to prove his gender to his traditional Latinx family summons a ghost who refuses to leave.

Boyfriend Material: Luc O'Donnell is tangentially--and reluctantly--famous. His rock star parents split when he was young, and the father he's never met spent the next twenty years cruising in and out of rehab. Now that his dad's making a comeback, Luc's back in the public eye, and one compromising photo is enough to ruin everything. To clean up his image, Luc has to find a nice, normal relationship...and Oliver Blackwood is as nice and normal as they come. He's a barrister, an ethical vegetarian, and he's never inspired a moment of scandal in his life. In other words: perfect boyfriend material. Unfortunately apart from being gay, single, and really, really in need of a date for a big event, Luc and Oliver have nothing in common. So they strike a deal to be publicity-friendly (fake) boyfriends until the dust has settled. Then they can go their separate ways and pretend it never happened.

Late to the Party: Seventeen is nothing like Codi Teller imagined. She’s never crashed a party, never stayed out too late. She’s never even been kissed. And it’s not just because she’s gay. It’s because she and her two best friends, Maritza and JaKory, spend more time in her basement watching Netflix than engaging with the outside world. So when Maritza and JaKory suggest crashing a party, Codi is highly skeptical. Those parties aren’t for kids like them. They’re for cool kids. Straight kids. But then Codi stumbles upon one of those cool kids, Ricky, kissing another boy in the dark, and an unexpected friendship is formed. In return for never talking about that kiss, Ricky takes Codi under his wing and draws her into a wild summer filled with late nights, new experiences, and one really cute girl named Lydia. The only problem? Codi never tells Maritza or JaKory about any of it.

Tumblr’s Faves

The Raven Cycle series: The Raven Cycle follows four private schoolboys, a psychic's daughter, and a Welsh legend sleeping under mountains in a sleepy Virginia town. (a fave!)

The Song of Achilles: Retelling of the Achilles mythology and first half of the Trojan War!

Six of Crows duology: Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . . Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first. (VERY SLOW WORLD BUILDING BUT ITS GREAT you just have to suffer the first half of the first book!!)

*Shades of Magic: Kell is one of the last Antari--magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons: Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black. Officially, he's an ambassador; unofficially, he's a smuggler. After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.

*Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe: fave!! Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship--the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

These are like my fave fave list so!! hopefully you haven’t read too many on this list djlsdkjfdsl if you have,, I'm sorry i’ll make you a new list!! but happy reading and lmk if you read any of them!!

#ENJOY!!!#hopefully my reading range grows after this year i have so many in my tbr list its BAD FKJDSSLKDJ but these are my go to recs!#books #asks #essercipertuttienonperse

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prolestariwrites · 4 years ago

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The Wish [1]

Fandom: Devil May Cry Characters: Dante, Vergil, Nero, V, Lady, Eva, Sparda, OC Rating: General Tags: Family, Humor, Fluff, Angst, Typical demon hunting violence

Summary: A demon gives Dante the chance to have his greatest desires made real. When he finds himself in a seemingly idyllic life, all seems well until it starts to unravel. Will he sacrifice himself to save the family he lost, or will he choose to give them up for the truth?

A/N: Hooray for a new story! This story takes place sometime between DMC4 and DMC5. Thank you to @solynacea for reading and lending her OC for this fic. If you’re read Promise Me Forever you might recognize Lir, but she is completely different in this fic, so I hope you like it! I’ll be publishing about every week since I’m mostly finished. Your comments are always appreciated, and you can check this out on AO3 and FFNet too!

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Chapter 1: Be Careful What You Wish For

“Nero!” Dante’s voice echoes down the hallway as he peers through the rush of demons, swinging Rebellion as best as he is able as he scans for him. “You good?”

“Need help already?” The kid sounds nearby, but down a ways, and Dante snorts at the smart-aleck response. He bites back a response, remembering what it was like to be nineteen and feel invincible, to have power and stamina and enjoy the rush of killing demons.

It’s different now that he is older, the moves as familiar as breathing, the enemies mundane as paint drying. Meeting Nero and getting to know the kid, training him, especially with his suspicions all but confirmed, has breathed new life into the legendary devil hunter: but it’s still just a regular Friday night, clearing out another warehouse that houses another cell of demons for another client that’s just going to bitch about the holes left in the walls.

Dante continues pushing forward, slicing off arms and heads as he goes. There has to be a queen mother up ahead; no way this many slipped through a portal, these babies were bred. Maybe getting to the big bad will be interesting, and then he and Nero can stop before going into Fortuna to get a drink or six. Maybe he’ll even let Dante crash on the couch, now that he and Kyrie have set up in a house in town and have the room.

The drone of Red Queen suddenly cuts off, the lack of white noise catching his attention. “Nero?” he calls again, but this time instead of a snarky comment two shots ring out in response, followed by the entire building shaking as a roar goes up from inside. “Nero!” Dante shouts, slicing as he doubles his speed, actually trying now so he can find the kid and find out why the hell he needed his gun in such close quarters. Either he forgot one of Dante’s rules for demon hunting (“don’t shoot a gun in a tight space, dumbass”) or he’s in trouble.

Turns out it’s trouble—well, sort of. They are on the third floor, having been going methodically through each level to clear it out, and when Dante skids to a stop in the central part where the elevators are, he finds them gone. Instead, there is a huge hole where the elevators used to be, the concrete and iron in a heap below them where it had collapsed.

He looks up to see Nero on the other side of the giant hole, wiping his brow with his forearm. “You okay, kid?” Dante calls over.

“Yeah,” Nero shouts with a bit of a laugh. “I got them corralled but I guess the weight was too much. Just managed to jump out of the way.”

Dante shakes his head. “Stay there and I’ll come get you.”

“Nah, I got this. There’s gotta be a set of fire stairs at the end.” Nero points Red Queen towards the dark hallway behind him. “Let’s make sure that was the last of them. I’ll meet you at the bottom.”

“Yeah.” Dante sighs as he watches Nero go, and then looks around at where the floor and elevators had broken from the supports and given way. No way the weight made this happen; you could probably park a semi in here and it would hold. The building is structurally sound, supposed to be anyway, and it would take more than a few dozen demons to knock a hole in it. No, something made the floor collapse, and his gaze goes upwards, wondering where the queen bee could be hiding.

Dante doubles back and finds his staircase, taking the steps two at a time upwards. The hallways are eerily empty after the deluge in the bottom floors, and he stalks carefully through, checking each office. The damn place has a thousand places to hide, so there is no telling where the big bad could be.

On the top floor, lucky number seven, he hits the jackpot. The second he steps out from the stairwell Ebony and Ivory are drawn as he picks his way through the nest that covers the walls and floor and even ceiling. The emergency lights give a weird glow to everything, but his demon eyes can see clearly in the dim light as he listens carefully for movement.

He finds the demon in the corner office, thinking it has good taste and laughing at his own joke. At first he doesn’t see the queen, but a shift in the air catches his eye and he fires both guns into the dark, smiling at the sound of bullets making their impact.

With a wail it emerges from the shadow, clutching its chest. “What did you do that for?” the demon yells.

“Eviction notice, numbnuts,” he says. “Time to head back to wherever the fuck you came from.”

“I can’t,” the demon argues. “I have my eggs to hatch, my babies to look after—”

“Babies?” Dante chuckles, scratching his head as he places his other hand on his hip. “Sorry, I think I killed all of ‘em.”

The demon snarls. But instead of threatening him, Dante is surprised when it asks, “What do you want?”

“What?” he blinks.

“What do you want? To leave me alone?”

Dante huffs. “Don’t work like that, sweetheart.”

The demon moves closer and he aims his guns again. It starts to unfold itself from its spot, and Dante’s eyebrows go up to see it’s probably almost seventeen feet tall, completely squished into the office. “My name is Veguaniel,” it says. “I am the demon of fortune.”

“Good for you.”

“How much do you want?” the demon asks. “How much are you being paid to kill me? I can double it. Triple it even.”

“Are you serious?” he groans. “I don’t do this for the money.”

The demon looks him up and down. “That’s obvious.”

“Watch it.” He points the guns at its head, and the demon shrinks back a bit.

“I want to pay you! I can make you rich beyond your wildest dreams! You’d never have to slaughter the innocents like me again!” Dante snorts as it tilts its head. “You can’t possibly like doing this.”

He cocks the hammer on each gun. “Not about liking it. About paying the bills.”

The demon gives an annoyed huff. “This is what I’m saying. I can make you rich. I can buy you whatever you want. There’s got to be something you’d rather be doing than this. Would you like a mansion? A yacht? How about a palace?”

Dante chuckles to himself, but admits it’s almost tempting. Suppose this demon has some fortune granting power? He tries to think of himself as some fancy millionaire and fails. To be honest, all he would really want is a nice house and a nicer bike. Maybe work on engines, build things? Meet a pretty girl with a sharp wit and killer smile and settle down, like Nero and Kyrie have.

“This is stupid,” he says. “Not gonna happen.”

“So why do you do it?” it asks. “There must be something a god of fortune can give you for one tiny, little favor.”

Dante growls under his breath, his patience out. “I’m a devil hunter because I’ve been hunted by demons my whole life,” he snaps. “Ever since you fuckers came down on my house when I was a kid, killed my family, and then made my life miserable. Getting paid is just a bonus.”

“Hmmm.” A tentacle slithers out and taps on the demon’s cheek, as if it is thinking. “Did that make you sad?”

“What?”

“Did losing your family and all that make you sad?”

“What the hell? Of course it did!” Dante snaps. “But I don’t see why—”

“So you wouldn’t be a demon hunter if they hadn’t died, is that it?” The demon’s voice trails off, and Dante frowns. “I can grant you a fortune that has nothing to do with money. Would you like your family back?”

He grits his teeth, anger starting to bubble. “Shut the hell up.”

The demon bares its teeth in a grotesque smile. “Done.”

The floor gives way, and Dante shouts as he falls, firing upwards. He gets a glance of the demon waving to him just moments before he lands headfirst on the concrete and the world goes black.

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The squeak of the shower turning on wakes him. Dante opens his eyes and immediately regrets it, pain piercing his temples like an ice pick to the brain. “Damn it,” he sighs, reaching up to rub his forehead.

The ceiling is white, not the faded yellow of his place, so he figures he must be at Nero’s. Damn, did the kid have to find him and save his ass? He’ll never live this down, and as he stretches his stiff limbs he sighs and closes his eyes again.

He remembers the warehouse and the demons, and Nero getting separated. Then he had found the head at the top of the building and it had… asked him about his family? Dante frowns, pressing the heel of his hand against his eyes. Demons are getting fucking weirder by the day.

He enjoys the few minutes of quiet until the shower turns off. Dante sighs, moving to roll over and sit up. Either Nero or Kyrie are in there, so he figures he’ll go downstairs and give them privacy, but when he sits up he notices two things. First, he’s in just his boxers, which is weird because that means Nero undressed him. Also, he doesn’t own boxers, preferring to let his junk ride free, knowing the ladies liked how it looked in tight denim.

Second, their bedroom is way different than it was. He’s been there a few times but he helped Nero paint the house and their bedroom was definitely green. Dante remembers this because Nero had bitched about the color to him because he couldn’t to Kyrie. But the bedroom is now a soft shade of blue, and he wonders if the kid finally confessed that the color sage reminded him of puke.

The door to the bathroom opens and a woman walks out wrapped in a towel. He blinks when it’s immediately obvious it is not Kyrie: this one is shorter, slimmer, her platinum hair almost white like his and falling in a trendy bob style at her shoulders. The woman takes no notice of him, moving to a set of drawers and opening the top one.

“Uh, excuse me?” Dante says.

The woman looks over her shoulder. “Yeah?”

“Who are you?” he asks.

She rolls her eyes. “Har har, very funny.” She goes back to pulling out clothes and says, “I know I said I’d never work on a Saturday, but Jenny’s kid is sick and I didn’t have the heart to make her come in. But I promise it’s only a half shift, and I’ll be home by two.”

That doesn’t answer his question at all, but before he can point that out she drops the towel. Dante spins quickly, his heart pounding as he yanks the sheet up over his lap, hissing, “What are you doing?”

“I told you, I’m covering for Jenny. It’ll be easy enough for a Saturday. It’s a nice day out, nobody goes to the library when it’s sunny.” Dante peeks over to see her thankfully wearing a bra and panties, which he stares at for a moment before remembering he shouldn’t be staring. He looks down at his own lack of clothes and frowns, wondering if it’s her house he slept in. Does that mean they had sex? Maybe he and Nero made it to the bar after all and he got lucky?

Not bad, he thinks as he looks back to where she is shimmying on a pair of jeans. She’s cute enough at least, gorgeous even, although he wishes he could remember her name. “Hey, uh—”

“Don’t forget to be ready by five,” she says, rolling on deodorant. Then she glances over at him and frowns. “You okay?”

“No. Yes. Sorry, five?”

Dante frowns and she laughs. “Yes. Reservations are at five-thirty and you know if we’re a minute late your brother will start complaining.”

That gets his attention, and Dante feels the blood drain from his face. “My… brother?”

“Yes. It’s your parents’ anniversary. Remember?” Dressed now, she runs a brush through her hair as she sighs. “Please tell me you didn’t forget. This has been planned for weeks.”

Dante jumps up and stalks towards her, pulling the brush from her hand and grabbing her elbow to turn her. She only comes up to about his shoulders, and his expression goes menacing as he glares down at her surprised one. “What do you know about my parents?”

“Dante, what in the world? What is wrong with you?” The concern in her voice tempers him a bit, and she pulls her arm away to press a palm to his cheek. She examines his eyes closely as she asks, “Are you feeling okay? Did you hit your head or something? You look strange.”

“I…” I fell, he wants to say, but she brushes his jaw gently. “Why don’t you take it easy today? You’ll have the whole house to yourself. Get some coffee and just relax, and when I get home we’ll see how you feel, okay?”

Did losing your family and all that make you sad? Where did that come from? “What about my parents?” he asks again harshly.

She takes a steady breath. “It’s the thirteenth. Their fiftieth wedding anniversary. We’re all going out to dinner to celebrate.” Then she rubs his arm gently, and it’s then that he notices the band on her ring finger. His eyes go wide, and startled, he looks at his own left hand, where a matching gold band sits on his fourth finger.

His blood is pounding in his ears so loudly he barely hears her goodbye. “Just stay home and relax,” she says, and when she reaches up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek it pulls Dante back to the present.

He watches her walk through the room and grab her purse just as she reaches the door. Then he is left blinking as the door shuts, the sound of his raging heartbeat still thundering in his ears.

#dmc #devil may cry #dmc dante #dante sparda #dmc vergil #dmc nero #dmc fanfiction #fanfiction #the wish

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skvaderarts · 3 years ago

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Hiraeth Chapter 50: Interconnection

Masterlist can be found Here!

Chapter Fifty: Interconnection

Note: *Laughs in copious amounts of foreshadowing.* Oh, how I have waited for this day. I have so patently placed the cards in their places, and now I can finally flip them over and show their faces. You have no idea how excited I am! And at chapter 50, no less! Absolutely perfect!

(-~-)

A larger crowd had begun to form around the station as local law enforcement showed up to help mitigate the damage and secure the perimeter. The power had been knocked out for several city blocks, taking security cameras and traffic lights out of commission. It would no doubt prove detrimental to the investigative efforts of all the local authorities, many of whom could be overheard discussing the possibility of a terrorist attack as they tried to disperse the growing number of worried onlookers. They needed clearance to evacuate the injured civilians and start structural and criminal investigations.

Several eyewitnesses spoke of a figure in a white coat causing the train to derail by some unknown method. No one present was sure how it had happened, but they did know what had happened, and they were eager to find a method of keeping it from happening again. Everything had happened so suddenly with no apparent explanation or motive, and no one knew what would happen next. But a small group of the survivors did have something insightful to add to the conversation, giving their own ground zero testimony to one of the news outlets that had shown up to cover the attack.

“There was this group of like three or four people who helped get us out of the train and they were trying to keep that person in the white coat away from us. I think it might have been a guy? Can’t say, they were wearing a mask or something. I didn’t get a good look at them. But anyway, we’re all very thankful that they were able to help us. We hope they are okay and that they didn’t get trapped inside during the cave-in.” One younger man had said as the paramedics had been in the process of tending a minor injury that he had sustained during the attack.

“I don’t know what to even say. Were so lucky that they were there to get us out of that situation. There were demons in that terminal. I don’t know how many there were, but there was at least one. What’s happening in this place? Every few years or so something like this happens!” One of the interviewed survivors had said, shaking her head in confusion and horrified sorrow. “I was in Redgrave City when that thing started coming out of the ground. Down in the crowd trying to figure out what was going on when these spiky things came out and started to come after everyone. My family barely escaped with our lives. I swear I recognized at least two of them. They came out of that thing and it seemed like they were trying to do something to help stop it. I wish we knew who they were so that we could thank them. I get the feeling that we all might owe that small group of people more than we realize. I mean, what are the odds that they would be there to save us all both times?”

“Looks like they’re talking about you lot on the news,” Magnolia said as she reached over to turn the volume down on the TV. None of them had even noticed that she had owned it before, having not spent a lot of time in her attic greenhouse up until then. She then turned to the rest of the group, gesturing towards the young man who sat just across from them on the other side of the room. “Tell them what you told me. Speak truthfully. Believe me, they will know if you don’t”

Shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Whatever he was here to say clearly didn’t agree with him. “No problem. Wouldn’t make much sense for me to come here and seek you out just to lie to you, especially with what’s at stake. But first, I want to be upfront with you. We’ve met before. About two months ago. That’s why I’m here in the first place. It took me forever to track you down, but I finally did. I just wish it hadn’t taken so long.”

Dante and Vergil looked at one another for a moment, both of them unsure as to how they could have met this individual before. Perhaps he had met V or Nero? He certainly didn’t seem familiar to them. “Okay wait, slow down. Let’s start from the beginning.”

“What’s your name?” Vergil asked, not quite fed up with this individual, but not in the mood to really entertain conversation with him, either. It was probably best that he got to the point sooner rather than later. And on that note, who was this individual? Were they a relative of Magnolia’s? It was unlikely considering the severe lack of blood male descendants of the Ludwig family, but it wasn’t entirely impossible. Marriage was always a possibility. Or perhaps he was a cousin?

“My name is Brenowin. Brenowin Linquist. But you can just call me “Bren.” Less of a mouthful.” He attempted to make himself more comfortable for a moment as he sat down on the built-in ledge next to a few of the botanist’s plants, shrugging to himself. “Before you stab me, I’d like you to know that I didn’t come here to get revenge or anything like that. I can tell that you still don’t remember me. I’m… the guy you spared back in the woods that night who told you where your son was. I’m glad you were able to get him back-”

He stopped, jumping back in fright as Vergil manifested and drew Yamato, springing towards him in a bid to end his life, Dante grabbing him in an effort to keep him from utterly destroying the younger man, and barely succeeded, earning him surprised looks from everyone in the immediate vicinity and an irritated glare from Magnolia. She shook her head and pointed for Vergil to sit down again, annoyed. “Do you honestly think he would be here if I thought he was dangerous? Have some faith, Vergil. I understand your anger and I have nothing but sympathy, but he didn’t have to come here and put himself in this situation. At least hear him out before out you try and murder him, especially while you are in my house.”

Vergil paused for a moment, clearly displeased, but willing to do as she’d asked him. It made sense after all. He couldn’t deny that. He backed up, breathing deeply before exhaling and sitting down. He waved his hand to indicate that their guest could continue speaking, but he would be listening to him intently and with malice. That much was clear. “Continue.”

A relieved sigh escaped the younger man’s lips as he nodded, unsure as to what he could really say that he hadn’t already to atone for his past mistakes and remedy his misgivings. “Do you remember the night that the conduit went critical? Well, you’re in the clear there. It’s not unstable anymore. But that’s the least of our problems.”

“Our problems?” Vergil said, folding his arms around his chest. He truly wanted nothing more than to stab something to death right now. What was going on this time? “I don’t recall us agreeing to work as a collective.”

Bren shrugged, nodding in agreement. He couldn’t really disagree with that. And to be fair, he wasn’t attacking him this time, at least. That was an improvement from the last time. He would have a very hard time trusting someone who had done what he had done, but maybe if he was more forthcoming, they would be able to work things out.

“Yes, “our” as in “we’re all equally dead if this situation doesn’t work itself out. Every last one of us.” He stood up slowly, gesturing in a pleading manner. “Belial has something big planned, and he needs your son for it. I overheard one of his messengers say as much when he returned. He left during the attack from what I understand, and after the devil prince decided that he wanted the cult dead, he had been systematically killing us all. I’m just an initiate who joined a little while ago, so I guess I’m a low priority, but everyone else either fled or left, and so I guess I’m the only one left. I managed to get him to trust me enough for him to think I’m doing his bidding, but after what he did to your son, I could never. Like I said before, I didn’t sign up for this. I was just in a dark place in my life and didn’t want to be alone. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I still want to make it right. At this point, that’s the least I can do. The cult caused so much suffering… I don’t want to be a part of that. It’s how I lost everything in the first place.”

“What did you lose that would drive you to such extremes?”

Everyone in the room looked over at V as he spoke, honestly forgetting that he was there. After they had returned from the train station with Vergil, everyone had gone their separate ways in order to allow Magnolia to treat Flora's injuries. They hadn’t been grave by their standards, but for a human? She needed quite a few stitches and now she was on bed rest. The botanist ensured them that she would make a full recovery, but that was yet to be seen. All any of them could do for now was hope that she was alright, and that weighed heavily on V for reasons he couldn’t pinpoint. Perhaps he just didn’t like putting others in harm's way for his sake.

“Look… all I’ve got left in this world is my younger step-sister. My mom died when I was a kid, and a few years back her mom and my dad got together. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I just really want her to be safe. If he just wanted me dead, I would walk over there right now and let him kill me. And even though that would break her heart, she’d be alive and I would have done something worthwhile with my life, ya know?” He looked down at the floor for a long moment, clearly cut deeply by his own words. Anyone present could tell that there was a truth to that statement that he didn’t want to recognize but he did. “But the truth is, he wouldn’t stop there. You're not the only person he’s after. He had other motives for wanting her, and I won’t pretend that I know them, but they can’t be good. And if he gets your son and manages to do whatever it is that he’s been talking about with Belial, this entire region will be the first to go. After that, probably the whole world.”

Dante nodded to himself, taking that in for a moment. “So how does your sister play into this, and what’s Belial’s plan?”

Bren shrugged. “I couldn’t tell you. I guess they think she’d be good for whatever it is that they have planned. But Belial needs your son to enact his master plan. Specifically, he wants to bring him to the Underworld for something. I didn’t overhear any details, but I think that’s bad enough. And apparently, now that he’s back, he has a way to accomplish that. You need to keep him safe. I can’t stress that enough. This guy has more things up his sleeve than you might think. He’s very dangerous.”

“Okay then. That makes sense. So, where’s your sister? Does she even know that she might be in danger?” Nero asked with a concerned look. He didn’t like the implications of her brother’s actions entrapping her in this situation. It hit a little too close to him for him personally. “And what do you mean they’re back? Who’s back?”

“Magnolia kindly agreed to have her brought here from a few towns over. She should be arriving any moment now. She was going to boarding school, and she just graduated a few months ago. It’s been a rough year for her after our parents died in the Redgrave City attack. That’s what derailed me and sent me down the path that led to me joining the cult. They were recruiting people in the area after everything that happened, and I thought that maybe they would help me find some way to protect her. They said as much. But now I know that they were probably just planning to hurt her from the very start. I should have known better. But at least now I can fix mistakes.”

Vergil felt his blood run cold for a moment at that revelation. So his actions had inadvertently led to this situation in more ways than one… He supposed that that was probably only fair, but for V to be caught up in this once again…

“I… Your parents' deaths were unfortunate and needless. You have my sympathies.”

Dante allowed his eyes to travel towards his older twin for a moment, noticing the grief in that statement. He believed Vergil. It seemed now that the ghosts of his past truly had come back to haunt him. It had probably never occurred to him that he would be the very monster to someone else that those demons had been to them so many years ago.

“Thanks. I appreciate that. But either way, I have some insight into what Belial has planned, and I really hope that it turns out to be helpful to you guys. I’m no fighter. Heck, I’d never hurt a fly. But I’d like to think I’m not that stupid.” He looked at Vergil more sincerely at that moment, seemingly uncomfortable with whatever he was about to say but still willing to say it. Perhaps that was something that the Darkslayer should try more often himself. The irony wasn’t beyond him. “Thanks for helping keep us safe. You sparing me was the moment I realized that I had really gone down the wrong path. We were supposed to be about unity and peace. You don’t get that by kidnapping and probably murdering innocent people.”

He was wise for his age. Vergil couldn’t deny that. But he also knew that he should probably tell him the truth in regards to what had happened to his parents. But he would wait until his sister arrived and they had privacy. It was best that he not broadcast his failures to the entire room, even if everyone there besides him did know what had happened already. He didn’t have the fortitude to confess his wrongdoings in such a manner. It was like being put on trial, even though a part of him realized that that was probably something that he wholeheartedly deserved.

V glanced between his father and Bren, a young man who was still to him at least a stranger. He could feel the tension rolling off of his father in waves, the enormity of his past actions weighing heavy on him at that moment. He had been confronted with his not-so-distant past in a very literal way, and it had utterly blindsided him. The fact that he had wronged this individual so greatly without his knowledge and he was standing there willing to help them was utterly uncomfortable to the Darkslayer, and there was a part of V that was admittedly glad for that. It wasn’t just because he needed to truly see how his actions affect others, but because it showed something arguably more important: his father was capable of feeling remorse for the actions he’d committed against a perfect stranger. Deep down, he was much more human than V liked to imagine Vergil would ever admit. There was something comforting to be found in that.

Brenowen looked mournful for a moment before looking over at V, obviously not wanting to have to say what he needed to say. “As for who has returned, I believe that the two of you have already met. The night that the cult took you? You met a man named Agreus…”

His breathing paused for a moment as he swore that he felt his heart stop beating. How could he forget? In fact, he could still feel that knife just by thinking about it. But he had thrown him through that conduit. Surely he hadn’t survived that. But then again, that explained the limp. He had stabbed him in the leg, after all. They were going to need to get Sirrus to translate that book for them as soon as humanly possible. And then they were going to ship it off to the Ludwig estate. This couldn’t be good.

Just a moment later, there was a knock at the door. Magnolia stood up, stretching as she sat down the cup of tea she’d been drinking. “Come in, dear. Though you should probably still be in bed.”

In stepped Flora, slightly pale and tired looking, but otherwise more or less okay. They all gave her a reassuring look, the young magician weaving them off playfully as she came into the room. “Don’t worry about me, everyone. I’ll be just fine. I’m a big girl. I can take a couple of cuts and bruises. Honestly, I think I’ve had worse cramps. That demon’s a total pushover.”

Lucia tried to pretend that she didn’t find that comment funny, but she did. She allowed herself a small giggle, looking over at the twins' surprised faces as they looked several different kinds of confused and embarrassed. Nero simply nodded, having heard similar things from Kyrie in the past. He had nothing in his heart but sympathy and compassion for her alleged suffering. V simply closed his eyes and chuckled soundlessly to himself, shaking his head. Flora was truly something else. He was glad that she was still with them.

But before she could make it very far, there was a distant sound, one that caught all of their collective attention. A second knock became apparent, only this time from the front door downstairs. Flora groaned and headed down the stairs ahead of them, cursing herself for marching up all of those stairs only to have to go back down them. What had she done to dissolve such treatment? Bren sprang up, eager to head to the door. “That’s probably my sister! You said they would be dropping her off soon.”

Magnolia nodded. “That I did. And I’m not expecting anyone else.”

The group then migrated down the stairs to the living room, admittedly wondering to themselves what this young woman looked like. She was his step-sister, after all. That meant that she could look completely different from Brenowin. His shoulder-length black hair and dark blue eyes were admittedly striking, but there was no blood between them to speak of. It was possible but unlikely.

Approaching the door, Magnolia unlocked it from the inside and stepped out of the way to allow their new guest to enter the room while the rest of them made themselves comfortable on the couch. V was still making his way down the stairs behind Nero as she did so, taking a mental note of the fact that Nero Vergil and Dante had already reached the couch, Bren staying closer to the kitchen. It seemed that he still expected Vergil to try and kill him. To be fair, he himself wasn’t sure that the possibility was 100% off the table just yet. Just about 95%. But before he could continue that though, Magnolia opened the front door and greeted the person who had knocked on it. And V had stopped dead in his tracks in the middle of the entryway. It was perhaps the only time that any of them could ever say that they'd ever genuinely seen V look shocked.

Before them stood a pretty young woman with sandy brown hair, hazel eyes, and freckles, her two luggage bags placed on the ground at her feet. She was in the process of picking them up, but had stopped to shoot a warm smile at her host, allowing V a momentary glance at her face. And judging by the sudden uptake in V’s heart rate, genuinely couldn’t believe his eyes. There was just no way that she could be…

“Morgan?!” He said out loud at a volume that surprised both himself and everyone else in the room. He hadn’t actually meant to speak that aloud, but he simply hadn’t been able to stop himself. It was just too shocking for him to believe.

She looked up from her bags, utterly surprised to hear what was clearly a familiar voice calling her name, but one that she was sure he hadn’t heard in a number of years. The second she made eye contact with him, she dropped all of her belongings on the front steps, wide eyes elation spreading across her face. She teared up as she looked at him, trembling not from the frigid cold outside but from the joy that she felt brimming up inside of her. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing, either. “V?!”

He nodded slowly. Without warning she leaped forward, throwing her arms around him in a tight embrace. And at that moment he realized just how much he’d missed her when he didn’t even feel repulsed by her unexpected touch. In fact, he welcomed it, frozen in place from shock, but barely holding back the fact that for reasons he couldn't explain, he felt just as strongly about seeing her again as he had the day she’d left and he’d realized that he would probably never see her again.

Morgan leaned back for a moment, taking in the sight of him as she wiped her face, panting from excitement. Her eyebrows then furrowed slightly, a light chuckle expanding her diaphragm and allowing a soft chuckle to escape her tightly clenched lips. “When did you get these tattoos, V?! Gotta say, they're pretty wicked, man!”

Shaking his head slightly he gave in and returned the favor, grabbing her into a soft but firm hug, much to the surprise of everyone else in the room. Nero was the only other person who could recall ever being hugged by V. “It’s a bit of a long story.”

(-~-)

I know that this is gonna make some of you very happy! I remember several of you telling me how much you liked her and how much you hoped to see her make a second appearance, so it was an obvious choice. After all, why add someone new when you already have Morgan? Anyway, I’ll see you in the comments and the next chapter is going up on Friday! Hope to hear from you all again soon! Have a nice Wednesday!

#Hiraeth #V #Vitale #My Post Devil May Cry 5 AU #My OC's #Post DMC5 #Devil May Cry 5 #Devil May Cry V #Devil May Cry #Devil May Cry AU #AU #Vergil #Dante #Nero #Lucia #My Post Devil May Cry 5 AU OC's #DMC

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gmfgravitymayfall · 4 years ago

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For Dipper, I wanted to mix more of Vergil into the design, rather than just making him older and built like he can hold himself in a fight like I did with Mabel. I also tried to put a little bit of Ford into him. Especially with the coat. Thinking about it, I’ll probably experiment with graying his hair a bit. A little Mr. Fantastic strip on the sides, maybe?

I kinda wanted to flip a specific dichotomy between Dante and Vergil with Mabel and Dipper that I noticed, especially in DMC 5. Dante is really scruffy and unkempt, but when Vergil comes back he’s very well groomed and put together. Now Mabel is still very casual with the way she dresses, but I wanted to give the feeling that she takes care of herself and Dipper doesn’t. So he looks like he hasn’t shaved in a few days and he hasn’t slept even longer.

Also, Dipper with his hair slicked back (Much like Vergil) to show off his birthmark.

Mabel and Dipper are the offspring of the human witch Eva and the Demon Knight Sparda.

When Dipper was seven, Sparda’s former blood brother Bill Cypher attacked their home in an act of revenge after Sparda single-handedly fought off Cypher’s armies to protect humanity. Cypher managed to imprison Sparda in the underworld and murder Eva.

In order to protect them, Sparda decided to separate Dipper and Mabel so they can grow up without Cypher breathing down their necks. He has Eva’s uncles Stanley and Stanford take the kids and wipe their memories of their parents or what happened when Cypher attacked.

Ford takes Dipper and moves him to the small Oregon town of Gravity Falls. An supernatural hot spot where the veil between the human world and Limbo is especially weak.

Ford had taken to studying the supernatural and demonic, and even built a lab under his house to research and catalog his findings.

Dipper spent most of his childhood acting as Ford’s assistant. Though Ford never let him participate in research that would be to dangerous for him, at least until he was older.

While Ford rarely ever left his house, Dipper would occasionally go into town and eventually became friends with, and developed a crush on, Wendy. But only referring to himself by his real name, Mason. (And if I hadn’t gone on the Gravity Falls wiki to get references, I would never have known what Dipper’s real name is, and I would have just named him Alex)

In addition to doing research, Ford also gave Dipper access to his fairly large library of fiction books. He developed a taste for fantasy, pulp adventures, and poetry. Ford even gave Dipper his favorite book: a collection of William Blake poems. Something Dipper would keep well into his adult life.

Dipper had been suffering from nightmares of Limbo for most of his time with Ford. During an experiment to see if he is subconsciously accessing Limbo, he summons the Yamato for the first time.

Dipper and Ford immediately begin training to use the Yamato and Dipper’s other abilities. He even began slaying demons that have been possessing citizens of Gravity Falls.

Because Ford explained the dangers of letting the demons know of his existence, Dipper learns to eliminate the demons quickly, quietly, and very efficiently.

While the demons never learn that Dipper is Sparda’s son, they realize someone is killing them and suspect Ford because of the experiments and research he’s been doing for years. Dipper does kill all of the demons, but is unable to save Ford.

Ford, assuming something like this could happen eventually, left Dipper a video message that tells him the full details of Eva and Sparda’s death, the existence of Mabel, the threat of Bill Cypher, and the location of his childhood home, believing traveling there would fully restore is memory.

After getting his memories back, Dipper decided that he and Mabel are the only ones who could destroy Cypher. But they couldn’t do so on their own.

Ford had multiple unclaimed patents that Dipper could sell to finance his war against the demons. By the time he managed to track Mabel down, Dipper had gained a small fortune both from Ford’s creations and his own.

Dipper established the Order, again, only referring to himself as Mason, to launch domestic and cyber terrorist acts against Cypher’s control over humanity.

After the Order is up and running, Dipper’s information network discovers Cypher has been operating out of Gravity Falls for a few weeks, and found out Wendy’s family had been targeted by Cypher because of her psychic abilities. Dipper helps get her out of the situation and brings her into the Order.

After he and Mabel defeated Cypher, Dipper admitted his ultimate plan was for the two of them to rule humanity in Cypher’s place, believing that humans were too weak to protect themselves. Mabel disagreed with this, and the two fought with Mabel winning.

Dipper’s wounds were so server he had to retreat using Yamato to cut open a gate way to recover. He found his way to Fortuna City, collapsing in an alleyway behind an apartment building.

He is found by a young nursing student, Camilla Noceda, and after Dipper refuses to be taken to the hospital, Camilla takes him up to her apartment to nurse him back to health.

While Dipper physically recovers in a day or two, he sticks around for about a week more, trying to figure out what to do next. At one point, Dipper and Camilla sleep together a single time. Dipper leaves while she’s asleep, unaware she’s pregnant.

Dipper spends several years furthering his studies of various demon lore, looking for a way to increase his power to achieve his goals.

He comes in contact with the maniacal scholar, Arkham. Dipper and Arkham agree to work together to open a hell portal using the two pieces of the Perfect amulet that he and his sister inherited from their parents.

Mabel and Arkham's daughter, Candy, come to stop their plans and Dipper and Mabel have a rematch. Dipper, having grown much stronger since their last duel, defeats Mabel and takes her half of the Perfect Amulet.

Dipper and Arkham double-cross each other, and with Mabel's help, Dipper defeats him. But the Pines Twins fight once more, this time with Mabel as the victor, and Dipper falls into the Hell Portal.

While in the Underworld, Dipper is confronted by the disembodied spirit of Cypher. With nothing else better to do, convinced he's now strong enough to do so alone, and wanted to take out his aggression on something, Dipper draws his sword and charges the Demon King.

Unfortunately, Cypher utterly wrecks Dipper's shit and spends many, many years torturing Dipper and warping his mind. Eventually transforming him into his personal dark knight, Nelo Angelo.

When Cypher tricks Mabel into coming to Mellet Island, Dipper, as Nelo Angelo, fight his sister multiple times. However seeing Mabel's half of the Perfect Amulet breaks through Cypher's reprogramming, and give her the opportunity to defeat him once again.

While Dipper was not directly involved with the Emperor's Coven incident, his influence could be felt in two specific ways.

First, the coven was using the Yamato to both give their witches the ability to transform into Nelo Angelo like monsters, and to open a portal to the underworld.

The other was his own daughter, Luz, whose right arm was transformed into the Devil Bringer when Dipper's demonic blood awakened within her. Luz also heard Dipper's voice in her head, desiring more power, when she first wields the Yamato herself.

Some years later, Dipper somehow escaped the Underworld after being freed from Cypher's control. But whatever he went through left him extremely weak.

Dipper finds where Luz lives and rips off her Devil Bringer arm in order to retrieve the Yamato. Dipper uses the Yamato to split himself in two, creating the human Wirt and the Demon Urizen.

After Mabel successes in defeating Urizen, Wirt merges with him and Dipper is restored to full strength.

Dipper and Mabel fight to a stalemate, but their duel is stopped by Luz. After Luz defeats Dipper, he agrees to help Mabel destroy the demonic Qliphoth tree so the Pine twins can continue their duel uninterrupted.

Dipper promises Luz that he will return, both to get to know her and for a rematch. And leaves her the book of William Blake poems Wirt would regularly read from.

#Gravity May Fall #Dipper Pines #Devil May Cry #Vergil #Mabel Pines #Stanford Pines #wendy corduroy #Bill Cypher #luz noceda #The Owl House #Wirt #Over the Garden Wall #Urizen #eva dmc #dmc sparda #Camilla Noceda

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orthodoxydaily · 4 years ago

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Saints&Reading: Sun., Nov. 1st, 2020

Commemorated on October 19_Julian calendar

The Holy Prophet Joel ( -800 B.C.)

The Holy Prophet Joel lived 800 years before the Birth of Christ. He made prediction about the desolation of Jerusalem. He likewise prophesied, that upon all flesh would be poured out the Holy Spirit through the Saviour of the world (Joel 2: 28-32). Here is his book

THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JOEL

Joel is the second of the twelve prophets in the Book of the Twelve in Hebrew Scripture. The Book of the Twelve Prophets was originally on one parchment roll because of the brevity of the text, and together formed one Book of the 24 Books of Hebrew Scripture. These twelve prophets were sometimes named the minor prophets, not because they are of lesser importance, but because their writings are brief. The Twelve include Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The Book of the Twelve follows the writings of the four Major Prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. All together the 16 prophets are called the Latter Prophets, as they began writing after the Division of the United Kingdom of Israel. The Prophets follow the Torah, the five Books of the Law of Moses beginning with Genesis, and preceded the Writings beginning with Psalms and the Wisdom Literature in Hebrew Scripture. The Latter Prophets follow Psalms and the Wisdom books in the Greek Septuagint, as well as our Christian Old Testament of the Bible. Joel - יוֹאֵל - was a prophet in the Southern Kingdom of Judah during the period of the Divided Kingdom (930-722 BC). The Book of Joel is apocalyptic in nature, referring to the "Day of the Lord." Chapters 1-2 refer to a plague of locusts which ravaged Judah at the time. Chapter 2 speaks of God's mercy (2:13-14), and the end reveals a future time of Divine intervention. Chapter 3 relates the Day of Judgement and the salvation of God's children. Cited in literary works such as Dante's Divine Comedy, the "Valley of Jehoshaphat" (3:2 and 3:12) is a symbolic name for the place of the Last Judgement. Jehoshaphat means "Yahweh judges" and may be the Kidron Valley. The most noted passage is Chapter 2:28-32, which is quoted by Peter the Apostle in Acts of the Apostles 2:17-21. Luke the writer sees the Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit, as the fulfillment of the first part of this passage. The following Scripture is from the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible, now in the public domain. King James I commissioned a group of Biblical scholars in 1604 to establish an authoritative translation of the Bible from the ancient languages and other translations at the time, and the work was completed in 1611. The original King James Bible included the Apocrypha but in a separate section. A literary masterpiece of the English language, the original King James Bible is still in use today.

THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JOEL

CHAPTER 1Locusts Invade the Land

1 The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. 2 Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? 3 Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. 4 That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten. 5 Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth. 6 For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion. 7 He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white. 8 Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth. 9 The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests, the LORD's ministers, mourn. 10 The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. 11 Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished. 12 The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.

Call to Penance

13 Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God. 14 Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD,

15 Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.

16 Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God? 17 The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered. 18 How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate. 19 O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. 20 The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

CHAPTER 2The Day of the Lord

1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; 2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. 3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. 4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. 5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. 6 Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. 7 They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: 8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. 9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. 10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: 11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?

12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God? 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: 16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. 17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?

Blessings for God's People

18 Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people. 19 Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen: 20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things. 21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things. 22 Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength. 23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. 24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. 25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. 26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. 27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.

28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. 30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. 32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

CHAPTER 3Judgement Upon the Nations

1 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. 3 And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink. 4 Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompence me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head; 5 Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things: 6 The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border. 7 Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head: 8 And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for the LORD hath spoken it. 9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: 10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. 11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD. 12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. 13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. 14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. 16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

Salvation for God's Elect

17 So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more. 18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim. 19 Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. 20 But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. 21 For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.

John 21:1-14

1After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons ofZebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We are going with you also." They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any food?" They answered Him, "No." 6 And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. 9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught." 11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. 12 Jesus said to them, "Come and eat breakfast." Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, "Who are You?"-knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish. 14 This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead.

Galatians 2:16-20

16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. 17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

#orthodoxy #orthodxchristianity ancientfaith #originofchristianity #holyscripture #gospel #spirituality #wisdom

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angelthefirst1 · 5 years ago

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Infinity and the world before. ♾️

Season 10 episode 8 had many Coda call backs just as I thought it would, but it also made me think of season 5 episode 9 ‘What happened and what’s going on’, season 5 episode 10 'Them’ and season 5.11 ‘The Distance’ which brought this infinity symbol to mind.

We are circling back around to the events of season 5 and they are about to collide in the middle but they are inverted just as if we are traveling along the infinity symbol.

The title of this episode even suggests it’s a repeat of “The world before” or past events and it’s no coincidence that Alpha’s belt has this symbol on it. The Whisperers story line is where the circling back began in a really obvious way.

I’ve done posts in the past about how season 5 was a half way mark in story, meaning 10 would be a major fulfillment.

Above is a very rough outline of the show so far…

Obviously Rick and Beth are equal opposites, he left the hospital and was reunited with his family very soon after, but Beth did not get that reunion after the hospital and its because her path is inverted so she will get the reunion at the end of her infinity loop (Possibly late season 10 sometime or early 11) but not straight after the hospital like Rick did (season 1)

We have a few other similarities along the way such as:

The Farm/Alexandria with the theme of coming across a safe place with good people and eventually becoming a part of that group (the Farm fell due to a herd but Alexandria didn’t because of its walls (Equal but opposite)

The Governor and Negan. Both wanted what Rick and his group had and tried to take it by force, Rick’s group fought back in both instances.The prison fell and the Governor died while Negan lived and Alexandria survived. (Equal but opposite)

Negan also seems to have eventually learnt that Rick’s way was right and they could all live together while the Governor couldn’t see it.

Grady and the Whisperers.

Both have a female in charge, both think their way of life is right, that they are doing the right thing. They also both can’t be seen to look weak in front of their people.

But they both prey on people’s weaknesses, trick and use people giving them no choice but to serve. The Grady cops had a home (Grady Hospital) while the Whisperers don’t but both these groups wear masks.

The Grady cops wear a uniform that is associated with upholding the law and what is right but in reality they kidnap and hold people against their will.

While the Whisperers wear the masks of the dead when they are very much alive (pretending to be something they are not).

With Grady, Beth was taken against her will but wanted to escape, she had her family come to trade for her where as Lydia was taken against her will and had her mother come to trade for her but eventually she chose to go back voluntarily. So all these groups are inverted or equal opposites of each other and that’s why so much of the Whisperers story so full of Beth symbolism because its repeating themes we saw around the time of Season 5 and Grady.

Let’s go through a few of the most notable things from this episode (10.08) that call back to past events from Beth’s time.

Firstly when Alpha is talking to Dante she mentioned that he had done well at the barn and that now he needed to infiltrate our group, she tells him to find some strangers and lead them to the gates of Alexandria.

This whole dialogue made me think of Aaron first coming across our group in 5.10 he had also found some strangers (at a barn) and not long after led them to the gates of Alexandria.

In 5.10 Aaron a good guy from a community is going out and looking for good people who had no home to bring them back with him.

Rick and group were very suspicious of him and it took a lot of convincing before they believed him. In 10.08 Dante is the bad guy going out looking for people so he can trick Alexandria into letting him in and trusting him.

It took almost no convincing for them to let him in.

Both Rick’s group and Dante had to do the video interview on arrival at Alexandria also.

After arriving at Alexandria we see Dante graffiti “Silence the Whisperers” all over Alexandria, we then we see him turn off the water filtration system making it look like it’s still working but it’s now providing the whole community with tainted water. No one is suspicious of the water because it looks to be working as normal and all the levers are pointing up as they should be.

Funny… there is a sign on the filtration system from Eugene (sorry i don’t have a photo of it) but it basically says: This is a very complicated filtration device and to see him if something is wrong and not attempt to fix it without him. Eugene is the water quality assurance man.

Back in season 5 we see Aaron, just before he meets our group leaving untainted drinking water for them, but the group doesn’t want to drink it as they are suspicious someone has done something to it and it might make them sick. Again Eugene provides the role of water quality assurance man as he decides to grab a bottle and drink it, he even says he is “providing water quality assurance” to the group by being the one to test it.

Just before this in 5.09 we see the ‘Wolves not far’ graffiti

So it’s an inverted play on the themes running through 5.09, 5.10 and 5.11

In Season 5 the order was:

1. Wolves Graffiti

2. Leave untainted water

3. Meet group in Barn

4. Bring them back to Alexandria.

Season 10 it’s:

1. Barn

2. Meet strangers bring them to Alexandria

3. Silence the Whisperers Graffiti

4. Make the water tainted.

So Dante is inverted Aaron in some scenes.

Now Aaron wasn’t around yet to see the Wolves not far graffiti but that story led to him finding our group.

Lets look at Arron meeting with Mary

Aaron during this episode is still playing the role of looking for good people to a degree, in that he is meeting with Mary the Whisperer and trying to convince her to trust him, give them information, and that they can help each other.

This particular scene reminded me of the meeting point of Coda just before the exchange.

A little exciting extra i found when re watching Coda 5.08 was this scene below with Father Gabriel.

Another piece of fulfillment I just had to show you all, here he has found a bible and inside is the name MARY! Now it’s only in episode 10.08 that Gamma tells us her name and it just happens to be Mary wow! I will be interested to see what future interactions these two have.

In the Kitchen with Carol and Arron and Daryl

Once Arron gets back from talking with Mary and finds out about what Dante did we see him upset and angry and he says “how could I have not known, he’s been here 4 months”

At one point Daryl says “We gotta keep our heads straight, try to figure out WHAT’S GOING ON” (What happened and what’s going on or 5.09) springs straight to mind here and the main points they talk about in this kitchen scene seem to be mostly reminiscent of that past episode but also what may have happened to Beth that we the audience didn’t see.

Aaron tells Carol and Daryl where Mary says the herd is and Carol suggests they get a group, leave straight after the funeral to look for it.

Daryl also says “Lydia’s still gone we gotta figure out what that even means”

So this order of events is:

1. Funeral

2. Find the herd

3. Missing girl

Most of this scene I think alludes to the missing parts of Beth’s story where a possible herd separated her “body” from Daryl and the group after they leave Grady. When they come back after the herd has left, her body is gone.

Part of me thinks that in season 5 some of the group then go looking for this herd to try and see if Beth had turned and joined it, and that’s why her body is missing, it would also explain why the group was split up in 5.09

If this the case the timeline of events back in season 5 would be.

1 Missing Girl

2. Find the herd

3. Funeral (for Tyrese and never find Beth or in this episode Lydia)

The funeral mentioned is obviously Siddiq’s but could also be a reminder of the lack of Beth’s funeral and the time frame close to Tyrese’s funeral, They visually look extremely similar.

Speculation here yes, but as they are repeating the story from the time frame of Beth’s missing body I am not surprised to hear some discussion that would line up with what happened to her.

So finding the herd and the missing girl is the main point talked about just before coughs *Tyrese’s* I mean Siddiq’s funeral.

The next scene is also fascinating as it is Luke, Judith and Michonne in a car/horse and cart Luke and Judith stand out for reasons relating to Beth, Luke (the music) and Judith (the new sheriff who is also writing the equivalent of a journal) are sitting in the car on the way to ocean side. Once again I see this as a missing link scene possibly a call back to Beth being left in a vehicle when the herd comes through.

They stop at the library and Luke is extremely lucky not once but twice in that he finds a very rare piece of music that he loves and as he is attacked by 2 walkers and a stranger saves him.

The fact that Mr music has a close call, is extremely lucky and doesn’t die in this… the episode that is lining up with Coda stands out to me in a major way because in this same episode we have Dante get killed, who I have talked about previously having many similarities to Beth in the last few episodes.

Such as being an outsider coming into a new community (Dante tricked his way into Alexandria while Beth was forced into Grady)

Both were the medical assistant’s, both used medicine to kill another person (With Beth she was tricked into it and falsely blamed by Dr Edwards while Dante did it deliberately and falsely blamed Siddiq)

Both think about (and in Dante’s case succeed in) killing the doctor.

So I feel like they have shown a repeat of events with two different characters, the medical assistant dies (Beth to the general audience) but the lucky music man doesn’t (we know that the music box kept playing)

This was just a different way of showing the two sides. I also think it shows that if Beth had actually succeeded in killing Dr Edwards she would definitely have died, for real.

So Dante has also played an inverted Beth.

Virgil saving Luck could also point to a stranger saving Beth after her being shot but that remains to be seen.

I don’t have too much to say about the stuff at Ocean side and Virgil except that I think they are showing some inverted themes to Beth. In this scene we see Luke trying to protect Virgil for saving his life Virgil says “I’m just trying to get home to my family” so possibly similar to what happened to Beth.

Next we see the good father Kill Dante, again as I mentioned above if Beth had of succeeded in killing Dr Edwards I believe this would have been her fate too. Locked up with someone coming in and talking it upon themselves to seek justice.

We also see the Good Father coming full circle in terms of what he was like in Coda where he was unwilling to even use a weapon to kill walkers and Carl tries to get him too but at that point he was a coward, he no longer is a coward though and says to Dante “I haven’t always been brave” just before he pulls out his knife and stabs him to death. Talk about change!

The next scene is the group going out to find Alpha’s herd, they cross the boarder and enter into her land, I mentioned earlier how the Whisperers are a repeated inversion of the Grady cops, well it’s now that we are back in their territory that we see very in your face Coda inversions. Like this scene with Carol and Daryl

Carol is about to step on a trap and Daryl comes running to stop her, yes it’s a complete callback to Beth’s trap in Alone where she did step in it and hurt her ankle. But Beth’s trap was pointing to Grady and the fact that she would fall into their trap. Beth’s animal trap scene has a walker with a police badge and gun.

So this scene with Daryl and Carol is inverted Coda, the trap represents Grady. Carol is only and completely focused on Killing their leader but this time Daryl runs forwards and stops her from “killing Dawn” falling in the trap he then says to her “You could have lost a foot“ (another reminder of Beth’s trap pointing to Grady) "Can we stop this shit please? You want her dead so bad you don’t even care what happens to you” exactly what happened in that hallway at Grady with Beth. I’m positive his reaction here to Carol is absolutely because of what happened with Beth in that hallway and he sure as hell will try to stop it this time!

Carol goes on to say “that’s not true”

There is talk of Carol being like a ghost (just like Beth really)

Daryl then hugs Carol and says about Alpha “she’s not worth it” and “she’s a dead woman anyway” this is a inverted way of repeating Daryl shooting Dawn.

I also think they are showing us the difference if Daryl had of stopped Beth before she tried to stab Dawn.

He then talks about them having a future and to not let her take that too.

To wrap up the scene Daryl disarms the trap and Carol walks away and kills a lone walker which made me again think of a complete inversion of this scene where Beth does set off the trap, and Daryl has to kill the walker, as opposed to Daryl disarming the trap and Carol Killing the walker.

So next the next scene with Daryl and Carol’s group we see them reach the Valley where Alpha’s herd is supposed to be.

Remember this is just after the Grady trap scene.

Daryl is out front and keen to get to the herd.

Once he sees there is no herd, he gets really upset, curses and him and Aaron argue.

Aaron thinks the trap Daryl came across was set recently by the Whisperers and is a sign the Whisperers are protecting the area and that Gamma isn’t lying about the location of the herd, but that Alpha has moved it since.

Daryl thinks the trap was laid by a hunter a decade ago. So we have references to the same trap being set from around a decade ago (Beth would have been at Grady around 8-9 years ago) and then recently. Hmm 🤔 Interesting…

Daryl now focuses all his attention on finding Lydia (the missing girl) which to me is the same as season 5 looking for Beth and the herd.

As this scene comes to an end Aaron says to Carol “I know everything is upside down at the minute but I’m not wrong about this”

This line made me laugh because I feel exactly the same as Aaron… Everything IS upside down at the minute (story wise) and I’m not wrong about it 😂.

The group then starts looking for Lydia. (The Missing Girl)

Carol (the Ghost) had walked away from the trap in the previous scene unharmed, (AKA Beth didn’t die but her body is missing)

Its not long before this happens:

We see Carol chase after Alpha ,which in turn leads to the group getting trapped in the cave with the herd of walkers.

So Carol is Ghost Beth and we are seeing the after math of Grady.

Grady 2.0

This hiatus is going to be very long… Just like this post.

#team defiance #team delusional #team beth lives #bethyl #beth greene #beth is alive

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zenithlux · 5 years ago

Text

Cadence Update: CH 6

Catch up on the story here!

I don’t wanna look back and wonder If good enough could’ve been better Every day’s a day that’s borrowed So, why am I waiting for tomorrow

Waiting for Tomorrow - Mandisa

Omi Sushi was the type of restaurant that Vergil would never go to. Not because it wasn’t interesting, but because his rambunctious family would likely be kicked out before they had a chance to order.

It was a simple, but elegant place next to a mall that Nico announced as “heaven for all the rich folk”. Vergil, who had never been to a mall before, didn’t get what made it so special. He did, however, have a very small moment of panic when he realized just how many people were there. There were more cars in the restaurant's parking lot than people in the entirety of Haven. Then Nico had pointed to a massive building which she’d called “a parking garage”, and Vergil didn’t want to think about how many people were up there.

He had very briefly considered turning around, but Nico was gone before he got the chance, careening out of the parking lot with a loud cry of “Good luck, V-man!” which was followed by dozens of angry car horns and more than a few curse words.

His grip tightened on Yamato for a short moment, before he shook his head, let it fall against his hip, and went inside.

He stopped in the lobby, quietly impressed at how sophisticated the whole thing was. The building was longer than he expected, with booths along the walls and a long, black marbled bar down the center. The chef at the grill was cooking a massive mix of vegetables, noodles, and at least three different meats with a flare that Vergil would normally expect from his brother. Except this man was composed, and Dante most certainly would not be. The few at the bar stared in silent awe, and Vergil was relieved that Roxy was not among them. The windows were covered in elaborate blinds that depicted Japanese style artwork; a cherry blossom tree to the left, and a blue and red swirl of koi-fish to the right. Paper lanterns hung from the ceiling, providing a nice, white glow that would be just bright enough for humans, and contrasted well with the dark blue paint on the walls.

“Table for one, sir?” The hostess said as she reached for a menu.

“I’m meeting someone.”

“Name?”

“Roxanna.”

The woman skimmed a list, before giving a curt nod and leading him to the back of the restaurant. It was quiet and mostly empty - not surprisingly given the time- and the few people he did pass by were more content with whispering to each other than any kind of loud conversation. Even his over-sensitive hearing could deal with that, and it only got quieter the further back they went. Eventually, all he heard was the gentle sounds of a fountain on the other side of the restaurant. He wondered if Roxy had chosen this spot on purpose, or if the hostess had gone out of her way to separate everyone as much as possible. Maybe that was just the way they did things. This place did seem rather expensive, which then posed the question of how much she was spending. What was the etiquette with something like this? Should he offer to pay even though she already did? Should he order light and...

His steps and thoughts froze when his eyes fell on her. She was sitting in a booth along the back wall, eyes locked on the book in her hands. It was a novel of some kind; a large hardback titled, “Warbreaker” with its sleeve-jacket sitting neatly on the side. She hadn’t gotten very far, but the sheer intensity of her gaze told him she was long lost in the story. That aside, she looked more comfortable today than he’s seen her before. No signs of obvious pain. Her posture was mostly flawless, though she could sit up a bit straighter. Her hair was tied back in a pony-tail, and a bit longer than he remembered. And she looked comfortable; black leggings with shoes he’d heard Kyrie refer to as “flats” once or twice. A light blue shirt with sleeves that were rolled up to just under her elbows and a white and blue plaid scarf that hung like an oversized necklace. The word “normal” came to mind, especially compared to Vergil’s own not-at-all casual vest and full-length jacket combo he wore every day.

Again, he pondered the consequences of leaving before she saw him. She would certainly be disappointed, and likely wouldn’t have come here if he hadn’t agreed to it. But, the more he thought about it, the more he realized he would be walking away from a second and undoubtedly last chance. Dante had mentioned it. Nico had warned him about it. Deep down, Vergil knew they were both right.

You want to be a part of this world, right? Dante had said. Here’s your chance. A friend.

Vergil did not yet know what he was meant to do in this new world of his. He didn’t know how to fix the nonexistent relationship with his son, or how to find meaning in something he’d never truly been a part of. But he did know one thing: the answers to such questions would never fall right at his feet. Not unless he reached for the few that did.

“Sir?”

He nodded to the hostess as Roxy’s eyes shifted away from her book. “Thank you,” He said and slid into the bench across from her before he had another chance to second guess himself. “I hope I did not keep you waiting,” He said, relying on the remnants of confidence that he’d once exuded without hesitation. It was surprisingly easy, given the circumstances, though Vergil knew he was tugging on the pieces of V that were still hovering somewhere in the back of his mind.

Roxy’s eyes widened seconds before her smile. “Not at all,” She said as she gently replaced the book’s dust jacket before tucking it away in the bag by her side. “I had to argue with the new guy at the bookstore for a while, so I just got here myself.” She shook her head with a very brief scowl. “Long story, not really worth it.” Her smile returned as the waitress appeared with two cups of water and an extra menu. “All the books are making their way to the train station as we speak.”

“All the books?”

“Yep,” She said. “My tri-monthly book haul. I suppose this one was more of a bi-yearly trip, but that’s neither here nor there.” She sipped from her water with all the grace one might expect of a dignified woman of her age, but her gaze never wavered.

He’d be lying if he said her confidence wasn’t appealing.

“You have other plans then, I’m assuming?”

She nodded. “Gotta pick up some art supplies while I’m here. Starting to run out of all the important things.” Vergil heard a quiet, affirmative chirp from her bag.

“A hobby of yours?”

When the waitress came back, it was Roxy who waved her away with a gentle smile and a quiet ‘few more minutes please.’ The woman simply nodded and walked away. “A job, actually,” She said. “Though it started as a hobby way back when I was just big enough to hold a paintbrush.” Her eyes glittered, and Vergil found that his pulse had finally settled to a much quieter and expected pace. Of course, he hadn’t realized it was beating so quickly in the first place, but that wasn’t important. “I can’t leave the house as often as I want,” Roxy said as she tapped gently on the menu. “So I like to stay productive.” Her head tilted. “What about you?”

Vergil paused, contemplating. He should have foreseen this. Back and forth questions were normal. Expected. Human. But there was still a small part of him that hesitated. A piece that wasn’t sure how much information to share and what to keep to himself. But, after a quick reminder of his own conviction, he said, “I prefer to read when given the time. Though with all the jobs my brother asks me to work, I rarely get that luxury.” He didn’t mean to sound so bitter and was surprised when Roxy nodded.

“Now that, I understand,” She said. “I spend so much time on commissions nowadays that I can’t recall the last time I’ve painted something for myself.” She shrugged. “Can’t complain, though.”

“You could.”

She laughed. He’d heard it before, but this was the first time he’d realized that it was actually pleasing. A quiet, controlled laugh that didn’t grate at his ears like Nico or threaten to deafen him like Dante’s. Hers was acceptable. He wouldn’t mind hearing it again. “You’re not wrong,” She said. “But I try to stay as positive as life lets me.” Vergil hummed, but even he wasn’t certain if it was in agreement or simple acknowledgment. Roxy’s smile never faltered. “Are you hungry? Feel free to order whatever you’d like.”

“You still have to go to the art store, yes?”

She blinked. “Well, the train won’t be here for like six hours so… No rush.”

“You won’t need it,” He said as he glanced at the menu. “Unless that’s what you’d prefer.”

He could feel her staring at him, but he kept his eyes planted firmly on the words in front of him. Though he seemed to have forgotten how to read, for his eyes only saw strange squiggles while he waited for her response. And, after two quiet chirps that were akin to Nico’s encouragement, Roxy said, “I don’t have everything pre-ordered there, so it’ll take a little while to find it all if you’re up for that.” Vergil’s eyes flickered to hers, waiting as she stared out of the window in thought. “I can still cancel the ticket.” His heart skipped a beat when she looked back with an excited grin. “And I would love the company.”

Vergil nodded as the words on the menu finally made sense. “Eat first,” He said. “Wouldn’t want you falling unconscious. My international escort fee isn’t cheap.”

He swore Aki started laughing at that comment- or however one described an owl hooting an excessive amount of times- and Vergil could almost imagine Griffon snickering in approval. Roxy’s face flushed a bright shade of red as she failed to hide it behind another sip of water. “Not today,” She said. “Thank whomever for small favors, I suppose.”

Vergil smirked, but it was gone the moment the waitress returned. Humoring a single human was more than enough for one day.

--------------------------

The rest of their time at the restaurant was more relaxing and informative than Vergil expected. It was nice, he decided, to converse with someone that knew as little about him as he did them. The questions were superficial, but he didn’t mind, and she was quite eager to share her own responses. By the time their meal was over, he knew her favorite color (blue - good choice), how many people were in her family (only child, hadn’t seen her mother in a while), and her favorite food (fruit; bananas and watermelons preferred). She’d talked about her favorite books, many new titles he’d never heard of but was now interested in reading based on her enthusiasm alone. He talked about his favorite poetry and was glad that she didn’t judge his lack of present-day literature knowledge. He’d even gotten her to talk about music and was content to listen to the numerous different genres, artists, and the passion she had for each one of them.

Needless to say, when she asked if he was certain he wanted to accompany her, Vergil agreed. After a quiet moment of consideration, of course. And a quick glance at his phone to confirm that Nico hadn’t run anyone over. I wouldn’t want anyone thinking he was genuinely interested in the opportunity to spend more time with someone outside of his family.

What a foolish notion that would be.

Liviana’s was a hobby store that was close enough to the restaurant that they could enter from the outside of the mall rather than cutting through the crowd. Vergil wasn’t certain who was more relieved when Roxy told him that, as he didn’t miss the way she drifted away from crowds as they walked. Even inside the store, where there were dozens upon dozens of massive aisles on multiple floors. And as she guided them through the emptiest ones. It became very clear that she had been here many, many times before.

Vergil was content to walk behind her. Not because he was worried about anything, but more because it gave him a chance to observe. At first, he’d glanced around the store, checking for every door, every strange alcove in the ceiling, all the stairs; everything a casual devil hunter might need in a crisis.

But then his eyes had drifted back toward her. She walked with pride, exchanging hellos with whoever offered them, but not going out of the way to greet anyone herself. Her back was straight with no signs of spasms, but he’d catch her reaching for it from time to time, before quickly pulling her hand away. A reflexive movement, he assumed, but that was a given. She’d clearly dealt with it many times before, but he would never have guessed that if he hadn’t seen her injury for himself. And that alone brought up many questions that demanded answers, but he held them back, uncertain if that would dampen the relatively peaceful few hours they’d had so far.

“Vergil?”

He stopped short of crashing right into her, oblivious to the fact she had stopped at all. “Yes?”

“Is something on your mind?”

Had his thoughts truly been that obvious? He supposed he had been more relaxed around her than with others. Dante always admonished him for being “so cold all the time”. Vergil had even overheard Nero venting to Kyrie how frustrating it was that Vergil didn’t act like… anything (he still didn’t know what his son had meant by that). But even Vergil knew he was always tense around them. Too many things to hide. Too many things that could go wrong. Words that conveyed the wrong meaning. Reactions that could be taken the wrong way.

It was a mistake to let that part of him go, so he pulled it back together before he spoke again. “Nothing for you to worry about,” He said simply as his gaze rose to the wall behind her. “Canvases?”

“Yep,” She said, though her voice was quieter than before. Vergil felt a twinge of something at the sound but didn’t address it. “Some clients want hand-painted works, and those are always the more lucrative jobs.”

“Hand-painted?” Vergil echoed. “As opposed to?”

If she were anyone else, Vergil was certain he would have gotten a strange look. Something like Dante’s far too common “you really don’t know anything” stare before he’d sarcastically go through whatever it was Vergil had missed over the last two decades. But Roxy said nothing of the sort and moved on as if it was a completely normal question. “Digital artwork is way more popular,” she said. “Arguably easier for me too, but that depends on the request.” She pulled a small notepad from her bag, whispering a quiet, “go back to sleep, Aki, we’re almost done” as she did so.

“Which do you prefer?”

“Honestly?” She said as she stood up on her toes in an attempt to reach the largest canvas on top. Vergil reached over her head and plucked it down with ease. She laughed as she took it and started piling the smaller ones on top. “I like them both, but hand-painted ones are always more unique, and I have a lot more freedom to try new things.” After her seventh canvas, she tapped a button with her elbow. An employee practically materialized out of thin air, and they shared a quick conversation before the woman took the canvases and a page from Roxy’s notebook away. “She’ll take care of all the paints and more expensive things I need,” Roxy said. “But I don’t trust many people with my paintbrushes.”

Then, Vergil’s phone rang. For a long moment, he considered not answering it. But, knowing how few people actually had his number and cared to call, he thought better of it. “Yes?” He said looking away.

“V-man!”

He pulled the phone away slightly as Nico’s voice echoed far too loudly in his ear. “What’s wrong?”

“We’ve got trouble!”

Vergil frowned. “What kind of trouble?”

“Lots of demons, and way too many portals for Nero to handle. Dante’s off dealing with what he can but…” She took a long and somewhat shaky breath. “I’m by the train station, if you can meet me here.”

“I’m on my way.” Vergil hung up without waiting for a response. “I apologize, but my help is needed.”

“Demons?” Roxy said.

“Yes.”

“Let me tag along.”

Vergil stared at her, but she didn’t flinch. Aki’s head popped out of the bag from the corner of Vergil’s eye, tilting to the side with a questioning chirp. “I can fight,” She said.

“Last time you hit three demons and passed out.”

“I went hunting yesterday,” She said. “So I’m good this time. Promise.”

“So you do absorb the demonic essence?”

She closed her eyes for a brief moment. When they opened again, Vergil swore he saw a flash of light blue that faded the second she blinked. “Yes,” She said. “It heals my body, and strengthens the demons that rely on me.”

That caught his interest. “More than one?”

“Two,” She said. “Aki included.” She grinned mischievously. “If you want to see the other one, then you’ll have to take me with you.”

Vergil scowled, but he could feel his lips twitching in an approving smirk. “Fine,” He said. “But you’ll have to keep up, and don’t get in my way.”

“Easy,” She said. “Just be sure to duck once and a while or I won’t get to kill anything.”

#Cadence #DMC #fan fiction #vergil #dante #nico #vergilxoc #vergilxRoxy #next chapter is where things really get fun :D

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shelleysbysshe · 6 years ago

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Questions from a new Romantic era fanatic: Why does everyone hate polidori and who the hell is keats?

Hello, dear anon, and welcome to the World of Romanticism! There is no turning back now. This post will be super long, so if you wanted short answers, I beg you to forgive me for that, but I wanted to write something consistent and detailed, with many links for further reading in case you (or anyone else) are interested. Just click on “keep reading” (if you’re on the web. I’m not sure if there is this option on the mobile app).

Well, people hate John Polidori because he was an asshole in Geneva. To give you a few examples of his ridiculous behaviours: during a sailing trip, he hit Byron’s knee with an oar — Byron turned his face away in pain. Polidori, instead of apologising, remarked that he was glad to see that Byron was capable of demonstrating emotions. Byron got so pissed he said that if Mary wasn’t on board, he would have thrown Polidori overboard. The situation, according to Thomas Moore, went like this: “Be so kind, Polidori, another time, to take more care, for you hurt me very much.” — “I am glad of it,” answered the other; “I am glad to see you can suffer pain.” In a calm suppressed tone, Lord Byron replied, “Let me advise you, Polidori, when you, another time, hurt any one, not to express your satisfaction. People don’t like to be told that those who give them pain are glad of it; and they cannot always command their anger. It was with some difficulty that I refrained from throwing you into the water; and, but for Mrs. Shelley’s presence, I should probably have done some such rash thing.“He also purposefully picked on Shelley. On Moore’s words, “Polidori had become jealous of the growing intimacy of his noble patron with Shelley”, and even wanted to duel him after he lost a sailing match. However, Shelley was a known pacifist. Byron, on the other hand, offered himself to duel Polidori, claiming that “though Shelley has some scruples about duelling, I have none and shall be at all times ready to take his place.” Anyway, here’s what the physician wrote about Shelley when they first met: “bashful, shy, consumptive; twenty-six; separated from his wife; keeps the two daughters of Godwin, who practise his theories;”There was also that one time when Polidori asked Byron “what is there you can do that I cannot?”. Byron’s answer was priceless: “I can swim across that river—I can snuff out that candle with a pistol-shot at the distance of twenty paces—and I have written a poem of which 14,000 copies were sold in one day.”

Judging by what I’ve read so far, I’d say the guy was such a pain in the ass, that Byron didn’t even trust him. On a letter to Hobhouse (June 23rd, 1816), he wrote: “that child and childish Dr. Pollydolly contrived to find it [a bottle of potash] broken, or to break it (…)”

Apparently he was a decent person only when he was around Mary, probably because he had a crush on her.

Anyway, Byron was no saint — I adore him (more than I should, probably), but I do know he was a complex person. However, Polidori was the worst, and Byron didn’t deserve that.

Polidori’s journal from 1816 is available online for free. If you wish to read it, you can find it here.Another useful link: Life of Lord Byron, Vol. 3 by Thomas Moore. Also, fun fact: his sister, Frances Polidori, married Gabriele Rossetti. Therefore, John Polidori was Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s and Christina Rossetti’s uncle (although he died before they were born).

And now to who the hell is John Keats Well, here we go…Born in 1795, John Keats was a working-class man — someone whose life was quite frustrating, and surrounded by death (he died at 25, but still outlived his parents, his grandma and his brother). He wanted to be a poet, and to be among the great English poets when he died. Therefore, he began writing around 1814 (if I am not mistaken), and his poems were filled with beautiful lines about nature, beauty, imagination and words about his muse, a young woman named Fanny Brawne.Most of his contemporaries, however, didn’t like his work — it is said that his poems sold barely 200 copies back in the day. Byron, for example, despised Keats as a poet — he used to criticize his poems, and once he even said Keats’ works were a sort of “mental masturbation”. He mentions Keats in Don Juan (Canto XI, stanza LX. He kinda mocks the myth surrounding his death*), as well as in his letters.Shelley, on the other hand, loved Keats, and wrote a massive elegy on his death, Adonaïs, which probably helped keeping Keats’ legacy alive. When Shelley drowned, his body was identified because he had a book of poems by Keats in his pocket. Ironically, Keats didn’t like Shelley that much.Unfortunately, Keats fate was not a fair one: he contracted tuberculosis, probably from his brother, who died of consumption in 1818. The symptoms got worse around 1820, so it was decided that he should retire to a warmer climate in order to survive. In November of the same year, he arrived in Italy. However, because Keats was medically trained, and had already seen people dying of tuberculosis, so he knew he was going to die soon. He knew exactly what was going on, and that moving to Rome wouldn’t work. He knew was doomed.The poor man died in Italy, of tuberculosis, at the age of 25, in 1821, believing he was a failure. He was the youngest of the English Romantics, and also the first one to die.Even though his life was quite bitter, he always did his best to see beauty in every thing that surrounded him — quoting his Endymion “a thing of beauty is a joy forever”; and quoting Keats himself (from a letter): “"If I should die,” said I to myself, “I have left no immortal work behind me - nothing to make my friends proud of my memory - but I have loved the principle of beauty in all things, and if I had had time I would have made myself remembered.“”.From the state his lungs were after his death (described by his friend Severn on a letter to Fanny: “the lungs were completely gone. The Doctors could not conceive by what means he had lived these two months.”), one can only imagine how much he agonized and suffered during his last days.He was buried at the protestant cemetery in Rome (same place as Shelley). On his tombstone, one can read “This grave contains all that was Mortal of a Young English Poet Who on his Death Bed, in the Bitterness of his Heart at the Malicious Power of his Enemies Desired these Words to be engraven on his Tomb Stone: Here lies One Whose Name was writ in Water. ”After his death, Fanny Brawne suffered a lot for about 8 years of her life.John Keats became quite successful a few years later, during the Victorian era, and his poems deeply influenced the pre-raphaelites, and even Tennyson. Nowadays, he is considered to be one of the greatest English poets, as he so ardently desired to be during his lifetime.If you wish to read his poems, I recommend Ode to a Nightingale, On Death, Ode on a Grecian Urn, When I Have Fears, La Belle Dame Sans Merci, Bright Star, Isabella or The Pot of Basil, and This Living Hand. You can read more about John Keats’ life here and here. You can read Keats’ letters here

*The Myth surrounding Keats’ death was that he died because of the stress generated by the harsh comments his poems received. Obviously, that was not the case…

And that’s it.

Thank you very much for asking! I hope you enjoyed my answers! If you, or anyone else has any other question about the romantics, you can ask me here.

#this was the longest ask i've ever answered #lord byron #percy shelley #john keats #john polidori #romanticism #a few typos here and there #I'm sorry? please ignore them

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