#I actually really like how the Dantes panels turned out

[sourwolf-sterek32]

Alpha’s First Daughter

Summary: You had been on your own for years after escaping the Whisperers. Until you run into a hunter in the woods who's searching for his brother.

OR

The Walking Dead rewrite from Season 9 to Season 11 with you, Y/N, as Daryl Dixon's eventual love interest.

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3.7k

Warnings: language, blood,

Chapter 16-

By the time the sun started to rise, you could see the thick smoke in the distance from the fire in the woods.

Some of the fire had already been put out, but it was still burning. Some people were throwing buckets of water at the fire, others using some kind of makeshift water backpacks and hoses, but most of them were fighting off a herd of walkers that had been drawn into the fire.

"Half work on the fire. The others help with the herd." You heard Siddiq shout above the roar of the flames and growls of the walkers.

Nobody really said anything in response to that. You all just split off into groups and you pulled out your sword and ran towards the herd. The blade of your sword sliced through the heads of the dead, one after the other.

It felt like forever since you were last outside and killing the dead. It was surprisingly nice to do it again, despite the dangerous situation and fire everywhere.

Yanking your sword out one of the walkers, you spun around and took in just how many there actually were before Eugene's voice filled the air.

"Everyone, stay clear of that tree!"

You quickly looked in the direction of his voice to find him pointing towards one of the larger trees that was on fire and making a creaking sound. Yep, best move away from that death-trap waiting to happen.

"Get back!" Daryl's familiar voice shouted.

Jumping back and out the way, you watched as Daryl lined up the tree and threw an axe at the base of it. The axe flew through the air and imbedded into the tree trunk, sending it falling onto the row of walkers, trapping them easily.

You glanced back at Daryl about to ask if he had any more of those axes anywhere before you spotted a walker sneaking up behind him.

"Dixon, duck!" You yelled, pulling out your hunting knife from your belt.

In an instant, Daryl ducked out the way trusting you without having to look as you threw the knife, the blade piercing through the walker’s eye socket.

"What are you doing here?" Daryl suddenly questioned, shocked with your presence as he yanked the knife out the walker and made his way over to you.

"To help. You're welcome." You responded causing him to roll his eyes as he handed you the knife.

"Thanks." He said sincerely and you nodded before turning around and taking out the other walkers.

It took a little while, but eventually the herd was taken care of, and the fire was extinguished.

You helped Siddiq and the new doctor Dante with people that needed help, some injured and others with major smoke inhalation.

"Eugene, let's go." Michonne's voice shouted as you walked back over to the group by the satellite once you had finished helping the doctors take the injured back to vehicles and horse carts.

You heard Eugene say something about needing a couple of minutes as you wandered over to them, but you were more focused on your surroundings. You were in the Whisperers territory, and you didn't want to stay here for any longer than necessary.

"We should excavate and transport this satellite to our vehicles. I believe there may be invaluable technological implications for our communities if I'm able to retrieve any of the useful bits from inside." Eugene explained as you watched him pull one of the panels off the satellite.

"Yumiko, Luke, Magna, everybody, come on. We're helping with the satellite. Five minutes and out." Michonne ordered as she glanced around the area before she spotted you standing off to the side anxiously. "We won't be any longer than five minutes, then we're gone."

You nodded, looking out at the woods just waiting for the Whisperers to show up.

"Y/N, have you seen Carol and Daryl?" Aaron questioned walking over to you.

Daryl was just here a second ago, where did he go?

"Not sure, maybe he's helping take the injured back to Oceanside?" You suggested, looking over at him, but Aaron just shrugged his shoulders.

You helped the others carry parts of the satellite back to the horse carts and as Michonne said, five minutes later you were all heading back to Oceanside. However, Carol and Daryl were nowhere to be seen.

Oceanside was a nice community. It was better than you had imagined after all the times Daryl had talked about it back when the two of you were living in the woods. It was beautiful and full of badass women which just made it 1000 times better.

"Y/N, you're here!" Judith's voice suddenly shouted.

You stopped where you were walking and turned to find the young girl with her brother and Dog following behind her.

"Of course, I heard they needed some help." You replied with a gentle smile just as Dog ran up to you, jumping up with his paws on your stomach causing you to chuckle as you patted him. "Good boy."

"I wanted to help too, but Mum wouldn't let me." Judith said in an annoyed tone.

"She's just trying to keep you safe. Don't worry, in a few years you will be out there kicking ass and helping everyone just like your mother does."

That seemed to make Judith a little less annoyed about the situation as she nodded.

"One day I can be like you." She suddenly said and it took your brain a moment to process her words.

Be like you? Why the hell would Judith want to be like you when there were so many other and better women role models she could choose from? Including her own mother.

"Why do you want to be like me? I'm nothing special, kiddo." You replied, but Judith quickly shook her head before RJ started talking.

"Judith has told me a lot of stories about you. I want to be like you too when I grow up." The little boy said with the biggest smile which just melted your heart.

"What stories have you been telling your brother?" You asked curiously, looking back at Judith who almost seem guilty.

"How you fought beside the King and his soldiers against the walkers so he could get his Kingdom. How you saved Uncle Daryl's life when you first met him... How you saved Jesus when the Whisperers first showed up and nearly killed him... umm, how you sacrificed yourself to the Whisperers to try and keep Hilltop safe. How you saved Jesus, Kelly and Connie in the barn from Alpha and tried to save everyone else-"

"I couldn't save the others in that barn... I couldn't even save my own sister. You don't want to be like me."

"But you tried. You nearly died doing it." Judith explained motioning towards the scar on your forehead. "But you didn't give up and that's how I want to be when I'm older. I want to try and never give up, just like you. And just like my dad."

You smiled softly, unsure of how to actually reply to that. Judith liked you for whatever reason that you still couldn't understand, but most of the others at Alexandria didn't like you. You were Alpha's daughter, you weren’t an Alexandrian, but that didn't seem to bother Judith at all.

"How did you know about all those stories anyway?" You asked curiously, but Judith just shrugged her shoulders.

"People like to talk and I like to eavesdrop, just don't tell my mother."

"Your secret is safe with me." You replied before you spotted Daryl and Carol walking out from the woods. "I gotta go. See you guys later."

"Bye." Judith and RJ both shouted as you jogged across the community, Dog right by your side until you reached the two of them.

"Hey, I've been looking everywhere for you." You said, stopping in front of Daryl as you looked him up and down for any injuries, but he seemed to be okay. "Where did you guys go?"

Daryl glanced over at Carol with a questioning look which set alarm bells off in your head. Why would Daryl need her permission to answer your question? It wasn’t a difficult question either.

"I wanted to go to the canyon and see if Alpha's horde was back or not." Carol admitted causing your head to snap in her direction.

"You did what?"

"The horde wasn't there though, and Daryl only came with me because he didn't want me to go alone." She quickly said in defence.

She risked going further into Alpha's territory for what? To ease her mind about the horde? If they had been spotted, you were all fucked.

"I can't believe it." You said, shaking your head as a soft chuckle that was borderline hysterical left your lips. "You are a fucking idiot."

"Y/N-" Daryl tried to say, but you cut him off.

"Were you spotted?"

Carol didn't say anything for a moment before she nodded, and you threw your hands up in frustration.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" You shouted, taking a step towards her before Daryl quickly grabbed your shoulder, but you shoved his hand away. "If word gets back to Alpha that you were in her territory-"

"Alpha was the one that saw me, she already knows." Carol informed and your stomach dropped.

She knew. Alpha knew.

Your skin turned pale as you took a staggering step back. All the fight and anger in your body vanishing instantly. Your chest pulled tight as you struggled to get air into your lungs, and you knew you were on the brink of a panic attack.

No, this couldn't be happening. Carol had to be lying. She had to be lying because your mother would retaliate if she knew anyone crossed into her land. She wouldn't let it go unpunished, she would declare war and you had already lost Lydia. You had already lost your baby sister to the hands of your mother. You had lost Henry and everyone else in that fucking barn because you couldn't save them. You weren’t strong enough to save them and your mother butchered them all because of you. That was going to happen again, it was all going to happen again.

Suddenly, Daryl was in front of you.

His hands were on your shoulders, and you knew he was trying to talk, his lips were moving, but you couldn't hear anything over the blood rushing in your ears.

Images of Henry's head getting cut off flashed before you.

The way his body toppled to the ground, still twitching as his head rolled onto the floor in front of you. Your sisters ear-piercing screams filling the barn before your mother slaughtered the others.

Everything was replaying through your mind as you squeezed your eyes shut, trying to stop it.

You weren’t even sure when, but you were now on the ground. Daryl was holding you into his chest as you hyperventilated, silent tears falling down your face.

"Hey, hey. Just listen to my voice, okay? I got ya, sweetheart. It's okay, breathe. Just breathe." Daryl whispered into your ear.

"Daryl, I'm sorry-" Carol began to say before he cut her off.

"Don't." He warned, his tone deadly serious. "Just get outta here. I got her."

You were vaguely aware of Carol walking away and after a few minutes your breathing began to even out as you rubbed your eyes with shaky hands.

"Shit." You sighed, realising that you just had a full on break down in the middle of Oceanside.

Great, that was just fucking perfect. As if these people didn't think you were bad enough as it was.

"Hey, it's okay. Nobody is watching." Daryl whispered like he could read your mind.

You glanced around the community, and he was right, nobody was giving the two of you a second look except for Connie. She was standing off to the side talking with her sister, but she kept glancing over at you with a worried look.

You caught Connie's eye for a moment from across the community as she signed 'are you okay?' and you nodded, but it was clear she didn't believe you.

"I'm sorry." Daryl whispered, bringing your attention back to your boyfriend who was still holding you.

"It's okay, I think... I think I'm going to head back to Alexandria."

You were already standing up and getting out Daryl’s arms before he had the chance to say anything. You rubbed your face with your hands, trying to get rid of any evidence of what just happened.

"Y/N, wait.” Daryl quickly said, grabbing your shoulder gently. “Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." You replied, although the roughness in your voice gave away your lie.

"Ya ain't fine. That was a panic attack and-"

"I said I'm fine." You said, raising your voice a little too loudly, but you didn't care.

Daryl opened his mouth to argue, but you didn't give him the chance before you turned around and walked off.

-

The following day, Alpha retaliated for crossing into her territory.

Waves after waves of walkers descended upon Alexandria. No matter how many you killed, they just kept coming.

Over 44 hours later, they were still coming. Until, a lone Whisperer showed up at the gate and announced that Alpha wanted to meet.

Michonne wasn't sure what to do, so she called a community meeting which was why you were all crammed inside a large building, but it didn't seem so large with everyone inside.

"Is this your mother?" Michonne asked, breaking the looming silence in the room. "Why does she want to talk to us?"

You looked over at her from where you were sitting at one of the tables, noticing everyone else in the room also now looking at you.

"You crossed into her land. Again. What did you think was going to happen?" You asked, looking around at everyone. "You have to answer for that." You added.

"We don't have to do anything. We could just not go." Aaron responded from where he was sitting at the front of the room with the rest of the council.

"That's a bad idea." Someone else commented.

"We're already under attack." Dante pointed out.

"Yeah!" The whole room practically shouted, but you shook your head.

"I don't even know if this is her. If Alpha wanted you dead, she'd send the horde. All of it, not just a few waves at a time."

"Maybe she's trying to wear us down first." Carol suggested, looking around at the group, but making a point to not look at you as you glared at her.

If this really was Alpha, this was Carol's fault. If she didn't get spotted by Alpha, this wouldn't be happening right now.

"Or, as I relayed to you all at the beginning of this meeting, there's plausible reason to believe that the satellite and fire-"Eugene began to say before Margo cut him off.

"I don't want to hear about the damn satellite anymore, Eugene! My friends died trying to save yours and ended up with their heads on spikes." She said before standing up from her chair. "The Highwaymen want justice!"

"Yeah!" Most of the people in the room shouted.

Margo grinned, looking at Michonne. "So, all I want to hear from you is that you're gonna take a dozen of us to meet these freaks at the border and that we're gonna take that lead bitch's head off!"

"We cut it off!" Gage shouted, joining in. "And then we put their heads on spikes!"

That seemed to work everyone up as they all began shouting over the top of each other about different ways to kill the Whisperers. You kept your head down, but you could feel Daryl watching you from across the room.

In the end, Michonne and the council decided to send a group to meet with Alpha. A group that did not include you.

You were furious that they wouldn't let you go because they thought you were too much of a risk, but they decided to let Carol go instead of you. That pissed you off even more and to make things worse, Daryl agreed.

So, while the group went to meet with Alpha, you were stuck in Alexandria, helping fight of the waves of walkers that still kept coming.

To your relief, the group returned the following day all unharmed.

Apparently, Carol had tried to shoot Alpha, risking all their lives in the process. You weren’t sure whether to be pissed at her for that, because she could have gotten Daryl hurt, but at the same time, you knew you would have tried to kill Alpha too if you were there.

But what did annoy you was that the following few days after, Carol had been locking herself away from everyone. She'd mostly stay in her room and Daryl would bring her food and water every few hours.

You didn't want to be the jealous girlfriend, but Carol was taking up so much of Daryl’s time. You were starting to feel like he had forgotten about you, which was ridiculous, but you couldn't help it. Daryl slept next to you at night, not Carol. Daryl kissed you, not Carol. So why were you jealous that he was trying to help his friend? It didn't make any sense, but you couldn't help the feeling.

The following morning, you woke up earlier than you would have liked, but you couldn't fall back to sleep no matter how hard you tried. Daryl laid beside you on the fold out couch that the two of you shared in the basement of Michonne's house. Dog and Ace were curled up on the mat beside the bed, fast asleep.

Carefully, you crawled out of bed, untangling yourself from Daryl's arms and the blankets before you changed into your jeans and tank top. You tied your flannel around your waist, unsure what the temperature was outside and not wanting to come back inside and risk waking Daryl if you wanted to put it on.

Ace and Dog both woke up, hearing your belt click as you clipped it on, double checking your hunting knife was strapped to it, along with your handgun on your hip which only had a couple of bullets left in the magazine. But you were saving them for an emergency.

You glanced back at Daryl, making sure he was asleep as you grabbed your sword, throwing it over your back before you walked out the room.

Ace followed without you having to say a word while Dog chose to remain by Daryl as you walked out the house.

Alexandria was quiet this early in the morning. The sun slowly rising above the walls of the community as you wandered down the street aimlessly, unsure of what to do while Ace walked beside you.

As the minutes ticked by, the residents of Alexandria began to awaken, but whenever they saw you walk past, they'd give you dirty looks. It wasn't like you weren’t used to it, they had been doing it for months now, but you just couldn't deal with it this morning.

So, you took Ace and the two of you sat on the grass between all the blankets hanging on clothes lines, blocking you from the Alexandrians that hated you.

This little spot had become your safe haven. You and Ace came here whenever you wanted to get away from everything and everyone, it was nice and quiet. Well, except for when Negan shows up, then it's never quiet. But it was sometimes nice to have the company.

Ace laid down beside you, resting her head in your lap as you sat there gently patting her.

"You looking for a job, kid?" Negan's voice suddenly asked.

You lifted your head to find him walking over to you with a smile.

"Just trying to clear my head."

"It's the third time this week I've found you here. You keep it up, you're gonna find socks with your name on them." Negan joked, trying to brighten your mood.

You appreciated his efforts, but you weren’t in the mood for jokes either. First with Carol taking up all of Daryl's attention, and all the side eyes from the Alexandrians or more specifically Margo and that Gage kid, you were sick of it.

"I'm just so sick of everything. Of everyone." You admitted, shaking your head.

Negan's expression softened as he walked over to you.

"These people who hate you. The ones giving you the side eye and trying to start shit, just ignore them-"

"I'm not just gonna smile and take it." You responded, looking down at Ace in your lap as you continued to pat her.

"I didn't say that. But, I also didn't say run and hide."

"You think I'm hiding?" You asked, looking up at him.

Negan shrugged his shoulders. "Well, you sure as shit don't come here just for my company or advice. I mean, look at me. When I'm not stuck in a cell, I'm working under supervision."

"Don't sell yourself short, Negan." You replied, causing him to look at you in surprise. "But, I'm kinda desperate, so what advice do you have for me that doesn't result in getting locked up in a cell?"

Negan chuckled, shaking his head before he knelt down beside you.

"Look, all those people, they're trying to get a reaction out of you. They wanna see you upset. Don't give that to them. Screw them."

You opened your mouth to reply, but didn't get the chance before Daryl suddenly barged his way through the hanging blankets.

"Let's go." He ordered, his voice dangerously low as he looked down at you and Negan sitting together angrily.

You shook your head, "I'm good."

"Now." He ordered more sternly, but that didn't do anything except piss you off even more.

You stood up, resting your hands on your hips as you glared at him.

"No. You're not the boss of me."

Daryl's expression hardened, but before he could say anything, Negan quickly stood up too.

"She is just trying to fit in." Negan tried to explain.

Daryl glanced over at Negan, his posture turning more tense as he stood up taller and took a step towards him.

"Well, that ain't ever gonna happen if she hangs out with you, now, is it?" Daryl growled.

He stared at Negan for a moment before he turned around, grabbing your arm and walking off.

Ace quickly followed as Daryl pulled you away from Negan before you yanked your arm free from his grasp and stormed off down the street.

"Y/N, wait." Daryl called out, jogging after you.

"We were just talking." You said, stopping in your tracks and turning to face him.

"He ain't your friend."

"He gets me." You said, but Daryl shook his head.

"Ya know all the shit he's done. I've told ya why he's in that damn cell. He doesn't get you. He's a murderer, Y/N." Daryl explained, but now it was you who was shaking your head.

"Yeah? Well, guess what? So are we!" You snapped, before turning around and walking off.

"Just stay away from him!" Daryl yelled, but you ignored him and kept walking.

-

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MASTERLIST pinned to profile 

Commissions open! Link in bio & DM for enquiries ❤️

#daryl dixon #daryl dixon fanfic #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl dixon x reader #twd #The Walking Dead #the walking dead fanfic #Norman Reedus

[mac-lilly]

BTTMW2 Recap - Day 2:

I'm sorry for all the spelling and grammatical mistakes; I typed this on my tablet so auto-correct keeps "correcting" my words.

JATP ending:

So, in the M&G Kenny made us pinky swear that we won't disclose anything JATP-related we talked about. Nothing has changed, though: The show remains cancelled (no season 2; no movie)

Neither during the M&G nor the panel they talked about a tour.

Kenny is still very angry at Netflix because of it

But he's working on new projects and is very excited about them

During the panel, a fan asked about the ending and Kenny refused to give an official answer. Instead he let Madi, Owen, and Jeremy talk about how they imagined the end:

Madi: No ending

Jeremy: Every Phantom gets the ending that they needed as individuals, not as a band. Maybe one coming back to life while others cross over

Owen (joke answer): Alex and Willie move up and become the main ship. The show gets renamed and focuses on them building a family

Owen (real answer): They move on and meet Julie's mom

JATP in general:

They were asked about with whom (character-wise) they'd like to be friends with: Jeremy with Reggie, Kenny with Willie and Alex.

Favorite quotes/moments:

Madi: Wake up

Owen: When he was breaking character by smiling when they left the HGC and Reggie/Jeremy imitates Caleb

Jeremy: "I think they can't see us." "I wish I couldn't see you."

Sacha: I got the music

(Charlie's answer was just ... 🤣 He wasn't very serios about it)

Same when he was asked about his favorite dynamic in the show: The trio Dante, Fuego, and Alex

Owen is so grateful for the project as it was his first time acting as an adult and Kenny, Jeremy, and Charlie helped him a lot

They want to be friends forever. Their friendship is very important for them.

Even though the Orpheum Tour (All the billboards around the globe with "save JATP") didn't get us what we wanted, it left an impact. According to Kenny, many people in the film industry were impressed. And the cast is so grateful about it.

JATP cast fun facts and my unrelated rambling/experience:

Kenny likes Charlie so much because he reminds him of a character he used to play in a musical that set him free and inspired him to become evolve from an actor to a director

Charlie's tattoo "Raison d'être" that he has on his wrist is written in Kenny's handwriting as he inspired it and there's an entire story behind it why this statement is so important to Kenny ... it included raisin bread

Kenny is so inspiring as a person. When he talks about his passion he's just so encouraging. There was so much energy in the room

Charlie liked the wolf on my shirt which is weird cause it was actually a fox.

Mission accomplished: I spoke German to Owen

I wore my "Ghosted" shirt for the Sunset Curve Trio. Jeremy approved. (Btw, I love how this photo turned out.)

Got the "Stand Tall" pose photo. Was great. But I was to short to reach Owen's hand. 🤣

Can't say it enough: They are just incredibly nice and down-to-earth people. All of them -- not just the JATP cast. They really wanted to make you feel comfortable around them.

The autographs for Charlie, Owen, Jeremy, Madi, and Mitchell took so long caused because they really talked to their fans and wanted to know so many things. (Unfortunately, that's also why some people didn't get autographs because they were running out of time.)

Also big shout-out to all the fans who were there. Just as nice as the cast

DreamIt on the other hand: Well, most of the staff tried to be helpful. But the lack of information in English was just not funny. (French people really living up to their reputation, I'm afraid.)

I'm on the selfie 🤣:

I will rant about DreamIt in detail later.

So that's most of the stuff I remember from day 2. Maybe I add some other stuff later as I don't remember much from the closing ceremony. But I recorded it. So can check (and even share it if sb is interested)

#julie and the phantoms #jatp #bttmw2

[harenodrawsthings]

For context, Yesterday I was playing video games with my friend and I was telling her about my unexpected sequel dream to this , and she was like, “You know, given Dantes is like our dream guardian, I wonder if this means you won’t be able to summon him in Summer 3.” And I’m just “Oh GOSH, and then watch this clown Caster come around to the NA server and I get np5 by throwing 30 quartz into the pool.”  

I had fun sketching this; I enjoy making silly things! My unnamed mastersona never really had any lore before, but I guess now she does, with getting the occasional dream visit from a peculiar, unknown Caster asdfghjkl

I recalled they were a massive Dantes fan, so for the first part is @xviicprc ‘s mastersona, Cyra, which belongs to them. 

#Hareno's art #fgo #fate grand order #edmond dantes #fgo dantes #caster of limbo #mastersona #gudasona #sketch #fanart #I actually really like how the Dantes panels turned out #I should use my mitsu-bishi pencil more #I'm in this creativity spurt rn I can't stop drawing #though I'll be super busy the upcoming weekends so I guess I'm getting it in now #ashiya douman

[avatar-news]

It's now April 2nd so I can confirm that yes, this was an April Fools joke! 😂

Original below:

Avatar Studios announces their first two animated movies: The Legend of Wei (2029) and The Legend of Wing (2030)

We knew there would be something at the Avatar panel at this year’s Nunya City Comic-Con but no one expected anything this huge: Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko have announced what Avatar Studios’ first releases are going to be and when they’re coming: two animated films: Avatar Studios’ The Legend of Wei and Avatar Studios’ The Legend of Wing, coming to theaters in 2029 and 2030 respectively. They will have a 30-day theatrical exclusivity window and then stream on Paramount+.

Here’s the official description from the official press release from Paramount that came out just after the announcement (emphasis mine):

The wait is over. From Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko’s Avatar Studios comes a breathtaking new era of animation: The Legend of Wei, a 2D-3D hybrid animated film hitting theaters in 2029, followed by a direct sequel, The Legend of Wing, in 2030.

In The Legend of Wei, set five years after The Legend of Korra, Avatar Korra takes a vacation and the spirit of Raava temporarily leaves her body and fuses with both Wei Beifong and Wing Beifong, the twin metalbending brothers of the youngest generation of Toph Beifong’s famous family, with each getting two of the four elements. However, a twist of fate separates the pair, and, without his brother by his side for the first time in his life, Wei Beifong must grapple with being half of a whole and half of an Avatar.

“We know how much fans have wanted twin earth Avatars for years,” Bryan Konietzko said at Nunya City Comic-Con, “we knew we had to find a way to make it happen.”

“I think we cracked a really special story with this,” Michael Dante DiMartino was quoted saying, “we think you’re going to love it.”

Now that the official announcement is out, I can also exclusively reveal some more plot details from my source at Paramount:

Wei gets waterbending and earthbending while Wing gets firebending and airbending.

Vaatu was reborn inside Raava, and when she split to fuse with the twins, it was actually the Raava part that went in Wei and the Vaatu part that went in Wing. That’s why Wing mysteriously leaves (but no one knows about Vaatu, that’s why it’s a mystery until the end of the movie).

Vaatu became savvy of the modern world in the, what, ~9 years he’s watched the world through Korra’s eyes, and his evil plan is similarly on the ball: he knows that money and corporations make this modern new world turn and Wing seduces Asami, who breaks up with Korra and starts using Future Industries’ power and wealth for the dark Vaatu Avatar Wing’s plans. Wing and Asami are a power couple like the Four Nations have never seen.

Korra, heartbroken, falls into the arms of Wei, and they fall in love.

The main dynamic of the movie is the Wei and Korra couple vs the Wing and Asami couple.

Korra still has her waterbending, so she teaches Wei (and he obviously already knows earthbending). There’s lots of cute couple-in-love splashing from what I’ve heard. Zuko and Zaheer are Wing’s firebending and airbending teachers respectively.

All of this is happening while Toph and the rest of the Beifong clan are trying to organize Lin and Pema’s wedding, which is where most of the comic relief for the movie comes in. I don’t know the details on how Tenzin and Pema broke up and Lin and Pema got together, it most likely happened in the five-year gap.

Honestly, this is EXACTLY what we’ve been waiting for. Everyone knows Wing and Wei are some of the fandom’s favorite characters, including placing first and first (tied) in the recent CBS News poll run during their Avatar Week (disclaimer: CBS is owned by Paramount, Avatar Studios’ parent company), so it’s amazing that Bryke and Avatar Studios are listening to the fans.

And the fact that the movies are coming so soon? Cherry on top.

From what I understand, after these two movies are out, there will be multiple spinoff animated series for each of the rest of the Beifongs, coming to Paramount+ starting in 2031 and so on.

But for now, get hype for The Legend of Wei coming 2029 and The Legend of Wing coming 2030!

#april fools day

[ruiyuki]

"Vanitas": The Name and Legacy

Vanitas declares early on that his motive for using the Book of Vanitas to save vampires of the Red Moon is to take "revenge against the Vampire of the Blue Moon". But some of his actions, reactions and expressions seem to contradict a conventional interpretation of "revenge". Seeing how MochiJun is a master of conveying things through facial expressions, nondescript panels, and double meanings, here's my stab at trying to figure out a bit of Vanitas' complexity and his (??hidden??) motives.

⚠️⚠️⚠️ MANGA SPOILERS, obv ⚠️⚠️⚠️

Also this analysis is really long. ‼Continuation in reblogs.‼

For the sake of minimizing confusion I'm going to refer to our!Vanitas as "Vani", Vampire of the Blue Moon (VotBM) as "Luna", and the name "Vanitas"/"Vanitas of the Blue Moon" as a title in this analysis.

0. "Revenge" against the VotBM

Now, what kicked me into this train of thought initially was watching the scene where Vani announces his revenge plot to all during the Bal Masque. Ofc Bones is doing quite a good job with the anime (I can honestly forgive them for leaving out some scenes knowing budget constraints and that this was probably produced during COVID; it's just more reason to get viewers to read the manga) but there are still some subtle nuances that MochiJun puts in her work that don't get translated into the adaptation. So I revisited Memoire 7 and something just didn't sit right upon looking at that scene retrospectively – which I'll get to that in a bit – but first let me recap what is my interpretation of Vani's proclamation:

The origin story we were told at the start of the series illustrates that vampires are typically born under the Red Moon, except for the one born under the Blue Moon. VotBM, given the moniker "Vanitas of the Blue Moon" by others at the time, is said to have created the Book of Vanitas capable of manipulating the World Formulas in order to curse all the RM vampires that casted them out of vampire society. Cursing the RM vampires = turning them into curse-bearers inflicted with malnomen.

Vani's "revenge" against the VotBM is to use their name "Vanitas" and the Book to cure all RM vampires of their curses and malnomen. In that sense, Vani saving the vampires is directly opposing the vow to curse all RM vampires as told in the VotBM origin story.

Vani's revenge claim seems pretty straight forward. There is nothing of the sort as to claiming he will turn the vampires into humans, or rewrite their existence into something they are not, etc. It is literally just "I will heal you from your sickness out of spite towards the thing that wants you to suffer". His feral revenge proclamation on top of the chandelier lines up with his feral "I will save you no matter what, using whatever method I choose" at the end of Memoire 1 as Noé points out:

So here's the thing that felt a little out of place upon my rereading of Memoire 7:

This panel. Idk about you but as a long time reader of Pandora Hearts, imo one thing that makes MochiJun such a talented artist and great storyteller of plot twists and angst is how she depicts emotions in facial expressions – it is very subtle with a certain finesse. With the above panel, Vani's expression doesn't necessarily look like "anger" or "vengeance" to me. Rather (and it took me a while to place it actually, flipping back and forth between newer and older chapters) his expression looks... melancholic? Melancholy with sense of conviction.

It's noteworthy that MochiJun has made an intentional choice to emphasize Vani gripping his closed fist and his distant stare here, so it has to be important. So, what could Vani be thinking of in this moment? And why?

I. Vani's hidden expressions and feelings towards Luna

To (attempt to) figure out what might be going through Vani's mind in this moment, let's take a look at some moments we've seen Vani making different expressions and when he's thinking back to the VotBM – or really, his time with Luna. Vani claims he hates vampires, but there are obvious exceptions (Jeanne, Noé). What's interesting though is that, despite claiming to hate the VotBM, I don't think he hates Luna. He may hate the being that Luna is but I don't think he hates Luna as a person.

We can see the difference between his hatred and active desire to kill Moreau, as well as his completely blank, no-remorse kinda expression toward the Chasseur's cross in the Catacombes arc vs the above panel after his revenge proclamation:

Also contrast the above chandelier expression to Vani's empty look of distain in Dante's flashback when they first meet:

I would say none of these Vani expressions look very similar to the chandelier one — the empty or blank stares are missing a sense of resolve and the teeth-gritting smirk lacks any bit of sadness felt in the scene. Now, when do we ever see Vani make another expression of what I would call melancholy?

Ughghgh these panels break my heart every time bc there is such a sense of sadness, it's distant but palpable and it is t r a g i c... but I digress.

We have no way of knowing what Vani is thinking in these panels but I have a few ideas:

Vani thinks back to something Luna said about how one should use the Book of Vanitas when Noé says using the Book's power to cure curse-bearers is "overwhelmingly right". What Luna said? Who knows, but it may be along the same lines of "despite its power" and "doing the right thing".

Vani realizes the reason Misha wants Noé to drink his blood is bc Misha doesn't remember what happened That Day. He repeats "... I see." twice as if he's reaffirming to himself that he's the only one left that remembers what happened. If Misha did remember, there would be another person to share the memory but Misha doesn't and Vani is alone in the world in that sense.

If we are to assume that this is what's going through Vani's mind in these moments, then we have to ask why? Vani thinking back to his time with Misha and Luna elicits this sadness (possibly likely?) bc Vani did truly enjoy his time with them and didn't actually hate Luna. In his own flashbacks of Luna teaching he and Misha about malnomen (first being Malnomen Prèdateur in the Catacombes arc, second of Chloé's Malnomen Millie) and the flashback of "love" during the Gevaudan Arc, we see that Vani may be grumpy or indifferent while being with Luna, but he is still attentively listening and comfortable enough around them for them to hug him:

Ofc, we can't forget that Vani, in his fever and poison-induced delirium, even mumbles to himself ".. didn't actually hate... I didn't... Lou..—" while recovering in the cabin with Jeanne. Given that just before this he asks "Is that what you really want? Truly?" in response to Jeanne saying "This time for sure, I'll kill the beast", perhaps we can even posit that Vani didn't actually hate Luna and didn't actually want to kill them? (I have another theory on what could have happened on That Day but let's get through this one first *wheeze*).

So let's summarize:

Vani claims he will cure RM vampires of their malnomen as revenge toward the VotBM, who is said to have created the Book of Vanitas to curse RM vampires that made them an outcast.

Curing RM vampires of malnomen = revenge since it is directly opposing using the Book to inflict curses

But Vani shows a look of sadness mixed with conviction that contradicts what would be thought of when claiming "revenge", which could possibly be him thinking back to his time with Luna, whom he did not actually hate and possibly did not want to kill but had to anyway.

So here's my theory: the reason why Vani has assumed the name "Vanitas" and is on a quest to cure RM vampires of their malnomen with the Book of Vanitas is to "rewrite" the reputation behind the name Vanitas of the Blue Moon.

... And I will continue explaining this in the reblogs ⤵️⤵️⤵️ bc holy fuck this meta is so long I have reached the image limit per post asjfklgs

#vanitas no carte #the case study of vanitas #vnc meta #vnc theory #vnc manga #vnc spoilers #vanitas of the blue moon #pls read the continuation before rb #long post #like i mean REALLY long post #w h e e z e

[whothehellisdante]

I NEED TO CAPS LOCK AND FEELS DUMP OVER THE FINAL CHAPTER ON THIS BLOG TOO REGARDLESS OF HAVING ALREADY DONE SO ON MY RP BLOG BUT I’M ADDING A FEW OBSERVATIONS I FORGOT ABOUT INITIALLY and really I’m just languishing from the onslaught of emotions. I had a good idea of what to expect, and yet it came at me like I wasn’t expecting it at all. I mean...

LITTLE VERGIL AND V HAVING THAT HEART-TO-HEART THEY NEEDED SO BADLY AAUGHGUAGHGUHGHGH

FIRST OF ALL THAT PANEL OF V HOLDING LITTLE VERGIL AS IF PROTECTING HIM FROM THE NIGHTMARES THAT CONSTANTLY CHASE HIM??? AND BEING SO COMPASSIONATE AND REASSURING AND TALKING ABOUT HOW AS HE WAS RUNNING AWAY FROM THEM HE WAS ACTUALLY LOOKING BACK HIS ENTIRE LIFE, AND THAT INSTEAD HE SHOULD HAVE FACED THEM FROM THE BEGINNING. AND ONLY HIS HUMANITY WOULD HAVE LEARNED THAT LESSON WHICH IS WHY V IS THE ONE WHO CAN SAY IT WITH SO MUCH CONFIDENCE.

THE BOOK IS HIS HEART. HIS MEMORIES, HIS HAPPINESS, THE THINGS THAT HE ENJOYED WHICH HE BURIED FOR MOST OF HIS LIFE WHICH WAS WHY V HAD IT FROM THE MOMENT VERGIL CARVED HIM OUT. BECAUSE ALONG WITH ALL HIS NIGHTMARES AND TRAUMA AND HIS PERCEIVED WEAKNESSES, HE LUMPED HIS HAPPINESS AND HIS CHILDHOOD AND THE THINGS HE LOVED ALONG WITH THEM. HE THOUGHT THAT HUMANITY MADE HIM WEAK. WHICH IS WHY V CARRIES IT AROUND BECAUSE IT’S LITERALLY VERGIL’S HUMANITY TAKING CARE OF HIS OWN HEART. NOT TO MENTION WHAT IT MEANS FOR VERGIL TO LEAVE THAT BOOK (HIS HEART, MEMORIES, EVERYTHING HE LOVES) TO HIS SON, HOW ALL OF IT TIES TOGETHER... A PHYSICAL GODDAMN METAPHOR AND SYMBOL WHICH I LEGIT DID NOT EVEN CONSIDER UNTIL THIS FINAL CHAPTER EXPLAINED IT TO ME I’M CRYING SCOOB.

AND THEN V JUST ENCOURAGING LITTLE VERGIL TO GO FIGHT AND BEAT HIS LITTLE BROTHER IN A JOKING/POSITIVE SORT OF WAY????? AND THEN ASKING HIM IF HE HATES FIGHTING WITH DANTE?????

AND THE BABY JUST. ADMITS IT: “I like it.” I SCREAMED INTO MY OWN ASS !!!!!!!!!

LISTEN. IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT EGO OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. HE LIKES IT. HE LEGIT ENJOYS IT. IT’S HIS FUN. AND THAT WAS ALWAYS SORT OF OBVIOUS, BUT FOR HIM TO COME RIGHT OUT AND SAY THAT HE LIKES TO FIGHT WITH HIS BROTHER JUST JAEUGAKJFEUGLWOAFNKDJGKEFJGH.

OH AND VERGIL ACTUALLY DOUBTING THAT DANTE WOULD STILL WANT TO BE HIS TWIN ?!?!?! OF COURSE HE DOES YOU IDIOT, WHY DO YOU THINK HE’S FIGHTING THIS HARD FOR YOU?

AND THEN and then and then inevitably, V kinda disintegrating alongside Vergil so the two can finally become one again and the real Vergil is reborn on the surface where Urizen used to be……

And then, the second-to-final panel. Suddenly, Griffon’s in the sky and V’s all in white and he’s turned to the reader (or Griffon perhaps I can’t say, the framing is ambiguous) with a finger on his lips as if THIS IS ALL A SECRET? OR THAT NOTHING SHOULD BE SAID TO DISTURB VERGIL? THAT MAYBE HE’S TELLING US TO BE CALM, NOT WORRY ABOUT HIM BECAUSE HE’S ALWAYS BEEN THERE AND HE ALWAYS WILL BE?? I DON’T UNDERSTAND IT BUT ALL THE SAME IT FUCKS ME UP BECAUSE IT’S THE LAST OF V YOU’LL EVER GET TO SEE AND HE’S BEING HIS USUAL CLEVER MYSTERIOUS BASTARD SELF AND I’M CRYING LIKE A REAL MOTHERFUCKER BABES. DON’T FUCKING TOUCH ME I MISS HIM SO MUCH I LOVE HIM I LOVE VERGIL THIS MANGA WAS SO WELL DONE AND THE ART WAS OGATA’S BEST THE ENTIRE CHAPTER AND I’m sick, I’m sick with feeling, it was excellent. Easily my second or even top-fave manga. I can’t believe how amazing the writing’s been the entire time. And now it’s all over and there is nothing else and god, GOD. I’m sad.

#Ooze speaks #DMC #Visions of V #Visions of V spoilers #copying this right from my RP blog #I just can't BELIEVE the brilliant writing that went into this manga from start to finish #truly does total justice to the franchise's lore #anyway I'll just be over here CRYING FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR #ALL I CAN REALLY SAY IS GOOD FUCKING JOB GUYS........

[bemused-writer]

Vanitas no Carte Mémoire 49 Analysis

It took me a great deal longer to get to this than it normally does. Life has been busy! But what a chapter; there were a lot of unforeseen things that happened in this one.

The previous chapter explored Misha and Vanitas's time with Dr. Moreau and their eventual in the form of Vanitas of the Blue Moon. This chapter continues that thread and we get some idea of what their time with VotBM was actually like. Needless to say, it's a bit different from what I anticipated.

VotBM's personality is a lot more easy-going in a lot of ways than I thought it would be. Before now, all the flashbacks portrayed her as a somber person, but, of course, we were only seeing her somber introduction at Dr. Moreau's lab. There are certain impressions I had of her that haven't changed, though, and that's that she is powerful and knowledgeable.

Right here we can see she has a pretty good understanding of the chasseurs and how they operate, but we notably still don't know why she was there to begin with. Later in this chapter, Vanitas directly asks her why she has saved them, which is essentially asking why she was there, and she doesn't answer. We never get an answer and I find that a bit suspicious. Why not say something even if it's just "they were bad people and I wanted to stop them?" But she doesn't, which implies that isn't why she did what she did.

We finally get to see VotBM's facial features as well. I think I've seen some people compare her looks to Faustina's, but I'm not sure I can see that very well just yet. It certainly would be interesting if they turned out to have a connection, though! What I can say is that VotBM's eye has many spirals in it, which is similar to Ruthven's. If this is a mark of a vampire's power (and a vampire's eyes do seem to have a lot to do with their power) then I think it's safe to say VotBM is very powerful indeed. She also has some crystalline decorations underneath her eyes and I can't say if that's actually part of her skin or just makeup. If it is part of her skin, perhaps it's another mark of being born under a blue moon? Or perhaps of her power?

Regarding her eyes, I will also note we only ever see the one; her other eye is conveniently covered by her hair. Is it because it's missing or is there some other reason? Vanitas, when he tried to hurt her, went right for her eye, which is how she identified he'd had chasseur training. Could she have had a run in with some chasseurs that went badly at some point in her life?

Another impression I had of VotBM was that she was a loner outside of Vanitas and Misha, but that is quickly disproven as well. She says "Those around me call me Vanitas" and she acquires lodging through a human contact. Therefore, VotBM must speak with people a fair amount, and by the sounds of it she speaks most with humans who dabble in the occult. When you think about it, it makes sense. Other vampires would be too frightened or suspicious of her to want anything to do with her, while devout humans would likely see her as a devil. But humans that are also outsiders with their beliefs? Perfect companionship for one such as herself. I wonder where this puts dhampirs. Would she interact with them or would they be more likely to share most vampire's views on her? We've never heard Dante talk about her nor any of the other dhampirs, so I guess we can't say just yet.

Getting back to VotBM's name, it's interesting that she says she doesn't have a name she likes yet. Names have a lot of meaning for vampires. I wonder if she's being honest when she says she simply hasn't found one she likes or if there's another reason for not choosing one. Maybe a name, even one that isn't a true name, can have power and she doesn't want to risk it?

So, we learn a little bit about VotBM, but we also learn some things of Vanitas. Oddly, while these are supposed to be Misha's memories, I feel like we're learning a lot more about everyone else. I suppose he is trying to show Noé that VotBM was killed by Vanitas and that is why he should help him, but still.

I think we're starting to get to the root of some of Vanitas's issues with women at long last. So, he never met his mother, but he's constantly told he looks like her. He assumes his father must have hated him for taking his mother away, which implies his father did something to give that impression, though we aren't told what. And then there's the small matter of Vanitas doing all the feminine chores of the household. This one is a lot more indirect, but we can infer it from a later scene with Misha and VotBM:

So, VotBM is a bad cook. It's portrayed humorously, but what we really learn is that Vanitas is a great cook. And a great tidier. It also looks like he continues to do the baking for their trio judging by the second panel and it looks like quite elaborate baking as well. It also continues to be proven that VotBM honestly has no idea what to feed children whatsoever judging by the alcohol. At least she only gave it to Vanitas...

What I'm getting at, though, is that in order for Vanitas to be this good at cooking and cleaning, he'd have to have done a lot of it already. It's possible his father was a meticulous person and taught him. Perhaps it's something they enjoyed doing together. Or, alternatively, without a wife he gave all the traditionally feminine tasks to his son and expected him to take care of things. I kind of think it's the latter considering Vanitas's issues with women. He was constantly compared to his mother visually when he was young (and indeed both VotBM and Misha exclaim she must have been beautiful, implying Vanitas himself is beautiful like a woman), was likely expected to maintain the home, and his father may have resented him for not being his wife. We also have Vanitas trying to be a doctor in the present, which was his father's profession. Indeed, Vanitas has gone out of his way (in some regards; his hair is an anomaly here) to behave in a "masculine" fashion: he tries to take charge of his relationships with women, makes digs at other people (i.e. Astolfo) for looking feminine, and is trying to pursue a career he associates with men's work. Talk about a lot self-image problems all rolled up into one person!

And here's the thing. I think Vanitas might genuinely enjoy cooking and cleaning to some degree (he certainly dislikes messiness at least), which might make things all the worse for him since I think he's trying to assert is masculinity and he probably doesn't see that as masculine. It's hard to say; we still haven't heard much from Vanitas himself on a lot of different matters.

Another revelation about Vanitas this chapter is just how kind he is, as much as he does his very best to hide it both in the past and the present.

VotBM points out that with his chasseur skills, Vanitas could have easily escaped from Dr. Moreau and his lackeys. So why did he stay? And the reason was very simply so that no one else would be hurt to get to him. Someone--a stranger--had been killed so that Moreau could kidnap Vanitas. If he escaped, how many otherw would be hurt to get him back?

Earlier in this arc we saw that Vanitas allowed himself to be tortured to protect Misha. I found this surprising because, while it's in character, it's also an extreme action to take. But now we discover that Vanitas didn't just do that because he kind of knew Misha; he cares so much about others' lives he subjected himself to Moreau well before he met Misha.

Vanitas has a lot of things to work out in the present, but there's no denying there's a genuinely good and kind person underneath all his hangups, and that person is coming to the forefront more and more as the series goes on. Even though things started out remarkably poorly with Jeanne, there's no denying he is trying to help her in his own way, and he's been softer towards Noé lately as well. Vanitas does care about people; he just wishes he didn't.

Around this point, Noé begins to surface from Misha's memories or at least they begin to fast forward. Still, there are a few important points that are made before the chapter ends. One of those revelations is that Moreau's experiment on Vanitas and Misha nearly worked: they were very nearly rewritten into being vampires. But it didn't quite work and they're now hovering between the two races. I wonder if this is a problem dhampirs have and, if not, why not? All of this has raised a lot of questions about dhampirs for me. Regardless, VotBM solves the problem by making them her kin. I don't quite understand how marking them prevents them from being rewritten. I mean, I think it was a temporary fix because if they use her power they wind up rewritten anyway, so I guess it's more like stuffing a shirt into a leaking pipe. It slows things down, but you still have a problem.

Misha accepts VotBM's offer readily, but Vanitas flat out refuses, saying he wants to "stay human until the very end" and if that isn't ominous foreshadowing I don't know what is. What does being rewritten mean now that he's been marked by VotBM? Will he simply die or will he lose his humanity instead? But despite Vanitas's refusal, we know he is marked by VotBM. Did he change his mind or was it forced on him? The flashback doesn't say. But it does show us this:

That first image is a little unclear. I'm positive the text panel was placed in just such a fashion to obscure important information, but basically we see that Vanitas was marked by VotBM. There's blood all over him, which also implies there was either a struggle to prevent this from happening or, I guess, he was coughing up blood and dying. Misha was bleeding quite a bit as he was being rewritten, too. Hard to say. But the second panel shows that Vanitas really did kill VotBM. Unless she can come back from the dead, she seems pretty definitively dead, turned to dust and everything, and it's heavily implied he killed her for marking him.

And yet, that still feels nearly too straightforward. I don't actually have an alternate theory at this time, but I have to wonder if that's all it was or if there was more to it. It's decidedly strange for him not to just tell Misha; certainly Noé's life would be easier right about now if he had.

And speaking of Noé and Misha, we have jumped back to the present! And Vanitas has arrived!

I had wondered how Vanitas would react when he found Misha and Noé, whether he would be furious, shocked, appalled, etc. It seems, for now, that he's settled on "dour acceptance." He definitely doesn't look shocked, so he had some idea of what Misha was going to pull. And while he doesn't look happy he doesn't look overtly furious either. Very curious how things are going to continue in the next chapter, which to my understanding will be in March. Ahh, let's do our best to wait patiently! I really want to know what happens. XD

#vanitas no carte #vnc spoilers #vnc meta #Bemused's post #long post

[sailordiavolo]

I'm curious, how do you think nero would react to meeting Alice, if she is his mom?

(very long post)

well, i may have to take a few liberties in answering this, so i shall establish some assumptions. 1) we assume alice is his mom (obvi) 2) we assume she is alive 3) we assume that she left him in fortuna as a way to protect him and 4) we assume that alice became a devil hunter. oh and 5) they meet post-canon, aka after the events of dmc5.

also, conclusions i draw from this will be somewhat based on how i would react, if put in these circumstances, i.e. if i were in nero’s shoes. i don’t know if that might make it strange or not, because sometimes i think i have abnormal reactions to emotional things happening.

another thing i would like to point out, is that as someone who hasn’t actually read the manga, my understanding of alice comes from second-hand accounts, and information i could glean from the wiki, and of a few panels i’ve seen. that being said, let’s get into this, shall we?

before covering nero’s reaction, i’ll touch on how i think alice might be as a person, or at least her feelings towards being a mother, and possibly towards nero himself. i’ll also talk about nero’s thoughts towards what he thinks his mother might be like, prior to finding out.

alice

from what little i know about alice, she was a little girl who was used by arkham as a tool to lure out the sons of sparda. (i think if lady/mary hadn’t turned against him, that role would’ve went to her tbh). i think it’s safe to say she was groomed by arkham, who probably also put her up to seducing dante (and vergil too). it just gets worse the more you think about it, really. i think she was forced to (or made to feel like she needed to) grow up prematurely. the powers she has were probably given to her via some weird demonic ritual, (assuming she’s human). what i’m getting at here, is that she definitely has a lot of trauma from all this, all of which would affect how she’d react to having a baby.

i won’t go so far as to diagnose her, but some things i thought she might struggle with include intense self-hatred and very low self esteem, very quickly going from feelings of independence to codependency, intense trust issues especially with authority figures, nightmares or night terrors, vivid daydreaming as a coping mechanism, being prone to delusion, going from feeling emotionless to having too much emotions, and not wanting to be perceived versus wanting to be the centre of attention.

that’s a lot actually, but basically i imagine alice as an adult to be someone who has a lot of trauma to sift through and unpack, and not really knowing how to handle it most of the time, especially since she’s doing it all on her own. barely keeping it together, but powering through it simply because she has just enough reasons to keep living.

alice as a mother

i don’t think there’s any question that alice, had she been nero’s mother, would’ve loved him dearly. in fact, i think he would remain a strong reason for her to keep going. however, she keeps herself away from him. this is because she wants him to have something better, something safer than what she can give him. she doesn’t know how to be a mother really, especially given how young she was when she had him.

i think alice would actually feel unworthy of being in nero’s life, feeling guilty for abandoning him, despite these reasons. she has considered many times going to see him, especially when she’s older and a little more stable, but she can’t bring herself to do it. and then she mulls over all the things she struggles to do for herself, and uses that as a reason to justify in her mind why she shouldn’t be seeing him. it continues like that for a long time.

nero

nero, on the other hand, has always longed for a mother. i don’t think this is any secret. when he was being bullied or was suffering as a child, he would fantasise about his mother, and how she would come to whisk him away. although it never happened, nero probably has a set image that he hopes his mother would be like. this may have been more specific when he was a child, but by the time he’s a more well-rounded adult with foster children of his own, he gains more perspective. i think the most important thing to him is that he had a mother who had loved him. a mother who would’ve taken him home, had she the resources. the idea of his mother discarding him really wounds him deep down, and i still don’t think he’s over it, even up to dmc5. that’s why the deadweight comment hit him so hard.

meeting each other

the first thing nero is going to be is overwhelmed, feeling all-too many emotions at once. if he ever met her, it would take him a long time to process it all completely. and it would be somewhat odd and awkward, too. alice doesn’t strike me as the most socially eloquent person. that and, alice doesn’t really come off as a mother. she certainly doesn’t dress like one. she doesn’t even seem that much older than nero, or so nero thinks. he just expected her to be older than that.

the first thing alice would feel the need to do is apologise. of course, she feels very emotionally raw & vulnerable in this situation, but she feels like she owes nero that much.

nero would start crying actually. like a baby. they both might. it would be very emotional for both of them and anyone else present. he would definitely warm up to alice a lot quicker than he did vergil.

nero of course, has so many questions for alice, who is at a point where she’s ready to answer them, i’d think. nero would ask all sorts of questions, like how she’s been living, etc. but he’d really wanna know about how she met vergil and how the hell that happened. alice sits with nero and tells him her story, maybe the first time she’s ever told it aloud to anyone in full. she asks about nero as well, sitting and catching up on all the years lost between them. being a foster father, nero is able to empathise with alice more as he listens.

i think they would bond very quickly after that. alice had been terrified that nero would spurn her, but he didn’t. alice has difficulty expressing emotions normally, and probably has her own way of expressing affection. but after meeting nero, she tries hard to make time to visit him.

if she were to become a devil hunter based in fortuna or something, i think she’d be very proud of nero, and nero would be totally amazed by alice’s strange powers.

also, i think nero wouldn’t know whether to call her mom or not. alice doesn’t know which she prefers either, but if nero does decide to call her mom, it secretly makes her happy.

#extremely long post #sorry about the length i needed to lay all that groundwork down if i was going to understand what they’d do #convoluted thought process moment #lmk if u think that’s accurate or not !! #if not i’m totally open to hear more thoughts #bc i really had to reach into my brain for this one #not that it was too difficult #i just had to transform my thoughts about alice from nebulous cloud into solid concepts #dmc alice #devil may cry #dmc nero

[just-my-fandom]

One After Another (Cisco Ramon x Allen! Reader)

Chapter 4

Summary; Reader learns because of her early labor, her powers won’t be coming back like Nora said they would. Cisco now really debates on keeping his powers. Reader finds out about Barry disappearing In crisis years from now.

Chapter is short compared to the others.

Tag list; @Intoomanyfandom-s @thebloodrobin @hecatemacbeth7 @badasspolygenderfriend @writeroutoftime

Story list; Chapter 1 , Chapter 2 , Chapter 3 ,

. . .

“I don’t understand. Explain again to me what the difference between this day and every other day in America?”

You look up from where you bounced Dante on your lap, eyes watching as Sherloque threw his hands in the air and faced Cisco with confusion,

“It’s a holiday when we all get together and celebrate and eat a ton of food,” Cisco tries to explain, “Like, a gross amount,”

“Hey guys!” Caitlin greets, and you smile, lifting Dante’s hand to wave so he giggled, sticking his fist into his mouth, “What’s going on?”

“This man is trying- and failing- to explain the meaning of this holiday,” Sherloque scoffs, “Please, explain,”

“It’s very simple, Sherloque,” You sigh, standing up to curl an arm under Dante and prop him on your upper hip, “We all get together to spend the day with our loved ones and family,”

“Simple to you,” Sherloque points, “I have no family,”

“Didnt you have seven marriages?” Cisco questions,

“Did,” Sherloque states, “Five wives, seven marriages- no family. This holiday is a cruel holiday,”

You frown as Sherloque moves to walk out of the cortex, Dante babbling and reaching out, Cisco allowing Dante to grab a small fistful of his hair,

You look up when the alarm begins to blare, Dante flinching against the loud noise and hiccuping so you tucking him under your chin, moving to the control panel beside Caitlin to see where the pin pointed location, “What’s going on?”

“I’m seeing a large electrical surge at the downtown power station,”

“Barry, Nora,” Iris calls to the mics, “You’re up,”

You bite your lip and look down, pressing a kiss to the side of Dante’s head as you step back,

“Y/N,” Cisco squints his eyes after Barry and Nora had completed the task- resulting in Barry dying and Nora having to revive him- your eyes flicking up from where you stared at the floor, “You alright?”

You lick your lips and turn in your chair to rock Dante to sleep, shaking your head, slightly, “I don’t think my powers are going to come back,”

Caitlin furrows her brows, stepping up next to Cisco, “You haven’t allowed your body to fully heal from child birth, Y/N,”

“It’s been two weeks,” You exhale, and shrug enough to not disturb Dante, “Nora said my powers came back right after I gave birth,” A pause, “I don’t think the labor itself is what caused it- I just have this feeling that, my speed is completely gone,”

“Would you, like for me to run tests?” Caitlin asks, and you look down, Cisco extending his hands so you could stand up, passing Dante to him silently,

. . .

“I don’t see any dark matter traces in your cells,” Caitlin leans against her desk with a frown, glancing over to where you sat on the bed and sucked in a deep breath, “Nora was wrong. I don’t think your powers will come back,”

“It’s the time change,” Barry sighs, looking over to future Dante, “For all we know, you in the later future could end up not having speed,”

“Not necessarily,” Caitlin corrects, “Those powers came from Y/Ns bloodstream to Dante’s, so, yes Y/N lost hers completely, but Dante still inherited them,”

“So it’s settled,” You mumble, Cisco frowning when you push off the bed and clap your hands, quietly, “I’m powerless. For good,”

“I’m sorry, Y/N,” Caitlin frowns, too, and you press your lips together,

“So many things are changing,” Nora exhales, arms crossed, “Because of us,”

“No, don’t blame yourself,” Barry pleas,

“How can we not?” Dante asks, brows pinched, “Because we arrived- Cicada came early, mom went into labor early because Cicada attacked, mom lost her powers because she went into labor, it’s a domino effect!”

“And dad disappears in Crisis earlier than originated,” Nora continues, Barrys face falling as he looks to you, where your brows furrowed in firm confusion,

“You what?”

“Oh, schrap!” Nora winces, “Sorry! I-I’m gonna go,”

“No, Barry,” You hold up a hand, “What is she talking about,”

Cisco sighs, eyes shutting as his hand runs up baby Dante’s back, “When Barry disappears in Crisis, he never comes back even twenty five years later,”

“You knew?” You point, shaking your head, “This is too much. Give me my son, I’m going home,” You pull Dante away from Cisco so the infant whined, Cisco reaching out to touch your arm,

“Let me take you,”

“I’m a big girl. I can handle myself,” You shoot, Cisco releasing your arm to let you step back, barely catching the gleam in your eyes before he is forced to watch you walk out of the lab.

“Give her time,” Barry murmurs, Cisco running a hand over his face, “It’s a lot,”

. . .

“Hey,”

You look up from the crib and glance over your shoulder, Cisco’s eyes on the sleeping infant as he leans against the door, “Can we talk?”

You slowly pull your hand away from where Dante had a grip, leaning back to turn and leave the nursery, “There’s nothing to talk about,”

“I didn’t tell you for a reason,” Cisco explains, calmly, your eyebrows raising,

“To “protect me”?” You question, “I appreciate that, but I’m apart of the team too, whether I’m at home with a kid or not. I deserve to know shit like that,”

You cross your arms, sucking in a deep breath, “How long have you all known?”

Cisco frowns, watching your eyes flick to the floor, “Right before you had Dante,”

“So two whole weeks,” You state, “Cisco, why the hell didn’t you tell me? Everyone else on the team knew!”

“You were still pregnant with Dante,” Cisco reminds, “Barry feared the stress would cause you to go into labor early. He just wanted what was best for you,”

“Barry may know what is best for me, but you know what is right,” You correct, eyes back on Cisco, “Am I wrong?”

A moments pause, “No,”

“I deserve to know these kind of things, Cisco,” You look up as Cisco moves up to you, his hands at your arms before they lower to your waist, “I’m still apart of the team, and Barry’s my brother,”

“I know,” Cisco murmurs, eyes flicking between yours, “I’m sorry,”

Cisco watches as you shake your head, your hands sliding up to wipe your cheeks under your eyes, “When my father was killed, I didn’t think Barry nor I could handle it,” You exhale, sniffling against your hands, “Our moms death didn’t effect us that much because we were young, we didn’t understand it,”

You lick your lips, eyes burning from tears, “But I can’t lose Barry. He’s the only one I have left of my family, sure I have Joe, and Iris and Wally, but-,” You raise your head, hiccuping as Cisco moves forward, arm sliding around your shoulder to pull you against him,

“C’mere,” Cisco murmurs, his free hand pressing to the back of your head. Your arms tighten at his torso, sniffling against the fabric of his button up, “We’re not going to let it happen. We changed the future before, we can do it again,”

You nod, blinking in an attempt to rid your tears, “You know my life was somewhat normal before I had my speed,” A slight laugh escapes your lips, making Cisco smile, “But now that I don’t have them anymore, I’ve realized my life will never go back normal,”

“Honey, your life will never be normal being married to me,” Cisco leans back, and you snort, shoving a hand to his chest so he stumbled back,

“I’m serious!” He teases, hands at your arms so he didn’t fall. You press a finger to your lips, shushing the man,

“Don’t forget your speedster son is still asleep,” You order, Cisco’s eyebrows raising in rememberance, “Now,” You murmur, “I have some pumpkin pie I have to make for tomorrow,”

. . .

“So it wasn’t as much the taste as it was the crunch,”

“Wait,” Caitlin puts down the bowl she had, eyeing Iris on the couch, “Are you actually saying—,”

“Yes, that was the year I found out why Grandma Esthers yams tasted so good,” Iris nods, glass in one hand, “Because she never cleaned her favorite skillet,”

“That’s,” Nora pauses, “Disgusting,”

The group laughs, Barry looking up and over to Cisco, “Hey, where’s Y/N and the baby?”

“Mm,” Cisco swallows his sip of wine, glancing down at his watch, “She forgot the whipped cream for the pie. But she should be here in-,”

“Your favorite Allen is here!” Your call causes Cisco to nod, hand holding the glass pointing towards Barry’s front door,

“Now,”

You turn the corner with a wide grin, Cisco moving around the couch to take the pie and bag of whipped cream, while you shift Dante’s babbling figure in your arm, older Dante shutting the door behind you,

“Alright, who’s ready to cut the turkey?” Iris asks, Barry beckoning you to pass him his nephew, Cisco clapping his hands together as he moves next to you, leading you to the table with a peck to your cheek,

#Cisco Ramon #Cisco Ramon one shot #Cisco Ramon story #Cisco Ramon x reader #Cisco Ramon imagine #Barry allen #Nora west allen #Iris west allen #Barry allen x reader #Joe west #Dante ramon

[uozlulu]

Black Clover chapter 268 reaction and spoilers

The devil world has a similar problem to the human world in that there’s a fixed caste system, though we’re starting to see that system wiggle a bit in the human world.

The lady who looks like Asta is called リチタ (richita), which VIZ romanized to Licita. Went looking into baby names and surnames and found a few entries but nothing definitive in terms of meaning. According to Word Reference, in Spanish, lícita as an adjective can mean things like legal, permitted and licita can also be a conjugation in Spanish for licitar, which, according to Collins, means “to tender for, to bid for, to sell by auction. I went looking because I wanted to know if the チ become ci represented a si or chi sound and also I’m curious if her name might indicate something about her as we learn more about her.

Apparently Licita had Asta’s grimoire before Asta did. So in the VIZ translation, Licita says that her magic can “[steal] magic and life from whatever’s near me.” The words she uses in the raw is 魔力 (mariyoku) meaning (according to Jisho) magical/supernatural powers and 生命 (seimei) meaning life, life force, soul, essence, etc…. The reason I looked it up is I wanted to see if this was a mana vs. ki kind of thing or larger than that, and it seems to be larger than that. It makes me wonder if Licita can do what Asta’s swords do, and also makes me curious if we’ll see her absorbed into the grimoire at some point, which might explain why Licht’s swords can do what they do.

Licita says to the Ant-Magic Devil, “But! You've got no magic, and maybe because you're a devil, you're not losing magic or life to me! So, listen, doesn't it feel like fate?! C'mon, stay here and be my kid!” and now I’m thinking it’s not Asta’s memory we saw of the person reaching out to him covered in blood calling him, “most beloved son,” but the Anti-Magic Devil. This is going to be interesting (and heartbreaking) to see play out.

Licita names the Ant-Magic Demon リーベ (riibe), which VIZ Romanizes to Liebe, which is German for love, feeling of love, etc… which is frankly absolutely adorable.

As with Megicula reportedly being responsible for whatever killed Acier, Luciferio has arrived to screw things up and give Asta even more reason to kick Dante’s ass.

OH WAIT. OH WAIT. THIS *IS* ASTA’S MOM.

Okay, folks, let’s talk about this set of panels and all the implications within:

Licita left a baby in a basket at a building made of stone that looks a lot like the church in Hage, coupled with the dialogue I think we can safely bet this is indeed Asta’s mother

We also know Licita likely lives just outside of Hage because she found Asta’s grimoire before Asta came into possession of it

Since her magic, which steals life and magic from others, doesn’t affect Liebe, in turn we can assume it would not affect a child who has no mana as well.

Now for the timeline

When Luciferio appeared by possessing Liebe, he said, “Who’d have believed a devil would be in the human world without making a contract with a human. I’m glad I killed time by looking for him [Liebe]! What a find! I’ll use him to search for a way to manifest my own body into the human wo –” So at this point, Luciferio hasn’t teamed up with Dante. However, if the baby Licita left behind was Asta, then the coup already happened, which means the coup happened before the Dark Triad became possessed.

That would also follow with why in 255 it seemed like Vanica and Megicula might have encountered Acier separately rather than in the same body (this post). It’ll be interesting to see where Vanica vs. Acier falls on the timeline and how long ago it was. It might also not rule out Nozel as the child since Vanica was likely not possessed by Megicula yet at the time.

This also might mean, since Asta’s mother would have given him up a little over a month before Noelle was born, that the Dark Triad took on their devils soon after Luciferio met Licita and whatever went down between Acier and Megicula happened near-immediately after.

Back to our regularly scheduled liveblogging 268

As suspected, the memory Asta received from Luciferio and Dante was actually Liebe’s memory.

Licita seals Liebe in the grimoire and it makes me wonder if her sealing him into the grimoire is what caused Licht’s swords to become what they are now or if that’s a function of Liebe’s anti-magic. It could also be a corruption of the swords from the initial demonification as well. It also makes me wonder how Licht’s swords behaved in life because since they’re light magic, perhaps they could absorb and manipulate light and now they absorb and manipulate mana.

I’m really curious who Asta’s dad is though it’s possible we’ll never know considering we have only barely seen Lord Silva and we haven’t seen Ciel yet either. Maybe he was just a manaless peasant or didn’t care the lady he chose was stealing his magic and life. Or we’ll get more into the angels and that’s why Licita had no effect or something. Lots of questions.

Also I really like that this technically makes Asta and Liebe brothers rather than father and son (as was possible last week when we had no context). A nice touch

#long post #liveblog #manga liveblog #black clover manga liveblog #black clover manga spoilers #i'm reading ch 268 #black clover #ymmv #theory #black clover theory

[harlot-of-oblivion]

What’s Your Pleasure?

You're hanging out at your favorite bar when Dante walks in and offers you a drink. There's just one problem though...you're a vampire and he's an infamous mercenary known for dealing with supernatural threats like you. But his charming grin and persistent flirting starts to stir an insatiable hunger, and you wonder if this handsome devil wouldn't mind being the drink he so kindly offered you.

I got a request for this awhile back and now it's finally finished! Hope you enjoy this late holiday gift of vampire spice! 😘

When most people think of vampires, they usually envision alluring pale creatures dressed all in black, enticing mortals from within their grandiose castles so they can slake their insatiable need for blood. And well, you cannot fault a couple of those points: you are pretty pale and no vampire in existence can sustain themselves without blood…but fuck that notion of always wearing black and living in decrepit castles. You much prefer the comfort of your brown leather coat, cowboy boots, and the rabble of a rowdy bar.

The smell of strong booze, along with the distinct stench of drunkards, never fails to bring a nostalgic smile to your face every time you walk into your favorite local watering hole. Times may have changed, but the enjoyment of excessive drinking certainly has not faded in the last century. You tip your brown gambler hat at the barkeep before taking your usual seat in the corner of the bar near the back. They know you are a regular here…they also know to leave you alone since you never order anything to eat or drink.

Fuck, I miss whiskey.

That is one crucial drawback about being a vampire that always gets on your nerves…well, there are many more debilitating costs. But hanging out at a bar just does not feel right without a bottle of liquor. You could always feed on one of the poor souls stumbling around the poor excuse of a pool table, but denizens such as yourself have to be careful of hunting in this city. A few mercenaries specializing in the supernatural work in this area, so your instincts say to lay low and stick to the shadows or the blood packs anytime you want a meal for the night.

A smirk curls on your lips as one of those mercenaries you have the good fortune of meeting comes to mind: Dante, The Legendary Devil Hunter and owner of the shop known as Devil May Cry. You remember the night he first entered this bar, how the very air about him instantly set you on edge. The patrons whispered about him being the Son of Sparda and that alone told you that he was just as dangerous as you are…which is why you thought for sure he was there to end your undead life.

What really kicked your paranoia into high gear was when he swaggered right up to your table with a cheeky grin, asking if the other chair at you table was taken and if he could join you for a drink. Not wanting to lose face, you let him sit with you that night…and a few more nights after that as well. You determined that if he really wanted to destroy you, he would have done so by now. And the more you chat with him, the more you got to know the laid-back mercenary.

After a while, you stopped being on high alert around him and started to appreciate his company. He is a riot of entertainment, quick witted and always willing to share one of many colorful stories about his exploits. It also does not hurt that you find him quite attractive. Something about that long red jacket really catches your eye every time he steps into the bar. The sway of his white hair when he combs his hand through it, the white stubble on his rugged face, and that constant glint of mischief in those striking blue eyes. All of that together is a sure-fire cocktail of desire…just add the scent of leather and the smoke of gunpowder as garnish to really stir the hunger for a taste of-

“Speak of the devil…” you mumble quietly to yourself as a familiar face walks through the door.

Dante scans the modest crowd until he spots you in the usual corner at the back of the bar. His lips turn into that captivating grin you have grown accustomed to every time you are around him. He nods at the barkeeper as he approaches your table, signature red jacket blowing slightly away to reveal a couple of impressive guns strapped to his back. The more insidious part of your nature always nags at you to be more vigilant every time you see those beauties, but you are able to suppress that annoying instinct just as he finally arrives at your table.  

“Howdy, Darlin’.” Dante nods his head with a wink as he greets you, using the oh so charming nickname he gave you after spending a whole night imitating your unique accent.    

“Evenin’, Cowboy,” you greet him right back with a small smirk, drawing out his own charming nickname as you tip your hat at him.

You push the only chair left at the table out for him with your foot. Dante sits down and scoots the chair closer to you. There is just barely enough room to breathe between you two, which reminds you to not face him fully or else he might notice that you do not have breath. A waitress comes over and places his usual drink, a whiskey neat, on the table before scurrying off.

Dante lifts the old-fashioned glass up to his lips and takes a sip. The hunger for his blood returns as you glance sideways at him as he swallows the dark brown liquid. You cannot stop your greedy eyes from traveling down his neck as his Adam’s apple bobs up and down in the most delicious way. Your subtle display of yearning does not get past Dante though; he puts down his glass and shoots you with a knowing smirk, leaning in closer as his mischievous gaze bores into you.  

“What’s your pleasure?”

Aaaaand there it is.

That simple question is part of his usual greeting ever since he started coming in here more frequently. He always insists on buying you a drink even though you always decline. But the subtle teasing tone of his husky voice this time around has your eyes squinting in suspension.

Does he know? If so…is he still hunting me?      

You push aside your wary thoughts as you tell him your usual response. “It’s nothing they serve here, Dante.”  

Dante lets out an exaggerated sigh as he lazily leans back against his chair. “So! How’s your night been so far?” he inquiries, sticking to status quo of how most of your conversations start off, swirling the whiskey in his glass as he gives you his undivided attention.

“Eh,” you sigh with a shrug of your shoulders. “Watching them drunk idiots over there play pool without an 8 ball has been kinda entertaining,” you point out with a nod of your head towards the pool tables. The highly intoxicated group around the table are now crawling on the floor, presumably searching for the ball they need to actually finish the game. “But other than that,” you finish with a shake of your head while rolling your eyes. “It’s been borin’ as hell.”

“Hey now!” Dante loudly interjects. “I’ve been to hell,” he brags, pointing a finger at the drunken display unfolding before him. “And I can say, with all confidence, that it’s nowhere near as lame as that sad excuse of a pool game.”

“Hmm, I’ll take your word for it,” you concede with a tip of your hat in his direction.

Dante pulls you into the typical talks that happens on nights like this soon after he finishes off his first glass; it usually involves a lot banter, quips, and a heaping amount of storytelling about his most recent jobs. At some point, you both start ranting and raving about how those idiots can easily finish their game of pool. He never fails to make you feel like you are on the brink of tears as you laugh at his stupid jokes and cheesy one-liners.

That is one thing you miss since accepting your fate in this solitary life: letting loose and having fun for once instead of just constantly stewing in your own self-loathing. It is why you did not go to another bar after your first encounter with Dante. You are just so grateful for his rousing company and his unforeseen ability to somehow coax genuine laughter out of you.    

“You know,” you begin as the inebriated group decides to use a tennis ball someone found in the bathroom to replace the missing pool ball. “If they weren’t as drunk as a fiddler’s clerk…they would’ve figured out by now that the damn 8 ball is still in one of the pockets.”

Dante chokes on his third glass of whiskey. “Whaaaaat?” He looks at over at you skeptically as you point to one side of the pool table with a glass panel where the pool balls collect at the end of every game. And there, at the very end of the closed panel, is the source of all the drunken group’s woes. He blinks for a moment before a hearty laugh bursts from his mouth, gloved hands waving wildly towards the missing 8 ball shining brightly in the artificial light of the lamp above the pool table.    

If I still had a heartbeat…it would skip every time I hear that infectious laughter.

“Well, Darlin’,” he starts as soon as his boisterous laughter dies down. “What if I told you that people generally go to bars to get drunk?” Dante tilts his head as he peers down at you playfully. “Clearly, you missed the memo on that one,” he quips with a quirked brow as he dramatically swirls his whiskey.  

“I did not miss a goddamn thing, Dante!” you sneer back in agitation. You make a point of looking around the entire bar before adding an afterthought. “And I don’t go here to get drunk…I like the atmosphere.”

“Riiiight,” Dante draws out as he takes a swig of his drink.

A moment of silence passes. “...it still doesn’t change the fact that they’re also as dull as dishwater,” you tack while watching the epitome of human ingenuity unfold before your eyes. Someone in the group has found a black marker, and they are now writing a big number 8 on the tennis ball. Dante snorts into glass and you cannot help but smile at the sound.

You both watch the haphazard pool game for a few more minutes, curious about whether or not a tennis ball will actually work as a good substitute. “Man,” you sigh longingly, “I miss playing pool.” Your finger taps on the table as you look up at Dante from under your hat. “Wouldn’t mind playing a game with you if they ever finish,” you offer with a smirk.

Dante stroke his scruffy chin in thought. “I can do ya one better,” he proclaims as his arm comes around and rests on the back of your chair, leaning in real close until you can make out his gleaming blue eyes that are usually hidden behind his unkempt hair. “I just got a new pool table for the shop.” You can smell the fine whiskey on his breath as he boldly stares down at your lips. “Wouldn’t mind breaking it in with you,” he counter offers with a devilish grin as his eyes dart back up to meet your gaze.  

“A private game of pool with the famed devil hunter himself, huh?” you wonder aloud while mulling it over in your head. The constant paranoia that always hounds you rears its ugly head for a moment, but you are able to stomp it out before it makes you flee from the bar. Everything from feeling the closeness of his body to the way his eyes openly stare down at you as they spark with desire rekindles your previous hunger for the dangerous mercenary. It begs you to accept his tempting invitation, convincing your obsessive mind that you may finally find out if this irresistible devil tastes as good as he looks.      

You never break eye contact as you lean up closer, pausing when you feel both of your noses barely brush each other. “Well, mark me as a damned sinner cos I’m gonna need forgiveness after I kick your ass!” you exclaim with a cocky smirk.

Dante’s devilish grin widens into full blown smile. “Alright, you’re on!” He turns away to down the rest of his whiskey in one gulp, signaling the barkeep to cut him off for the night before pointing a finger at you. “But don’t think I’ll take it easy on ya, Darlin’,” he warns as you scooch your chair away from the table.  

“Wouldn’t even dream of it,” you chortle as you stand up and walk around the table, pausing when the now tennis 8 ball shoots through the air and bounces across the floor. You are about to comment on it when your keen sense of awareness detects the sudden presence of Dante pressing in close behind you. The scent of leather and smokey gunpowder is strong as it wafts up around you and effectively rattles all thoughts about that ridiculous pool game out of your mind.

“And maybe now I can finally have a drink with you.”

All of your attention immediately focusing on his warm lips brushing against the shell of your ear. The titillating timber of his voice sends shivers down your spine as you wonder once again if he really knows what you are. If he really does, then he’s making this one giddier than a school girl, you mentally avow as your head turns slowly to meet his eyes. The hunger deep inside you starts to simmer as you see that hint of desire in his eyes from earlier unabashedly shining now. Your eyes linger down and openly admire all the rugged contours of his face as you reply in low and sensual purr.  

“Only if you’re lucky, Cowboy.”

You feel a sudden rush of heat blast by you in waves. Either someone turned up the thermostat or I just turned on the devil, you surmise as Dante smirks in approval. He leads you out of the bar, and just as you are about to ask if he has a ride…he literally pulls one straight out of his pocket. You tip your hat up so you can get a better view of what looks to be a fiendish motorcycle.

Dante just hops on like it is most natural thing in the world and gestures you to take a seat. “You better hold onto your hat if you don’t wanna lose it,” he informs as you swing your leg over and sit snugly behind his back. You lift one hand and grip your hat firmly while Dante takes your other hand and encircles it around his waist.

“Am I holding you down too?” you tease as your fingers trace the outline of his belt buckle.

“Sounds like someone's eager to play,” Dante teases back, revving his motorcycle a couple of times before taking off like a bat out of hell.

You zoom through the city at breakneck speed, hair whipping wildly in the wind as you clutch Dante’s waist. The thrill of riding dangerously fast through the city streets is similar to the rush of adrenaline you feel while riding a horse at full gallop. And much like those old days you take off your hat and let a howl of excitement. Your sensitive hearing picks up Dante’s rowdy laughter over the blistering wind and you cannot stop yourself from squeezing his waist tighter, pressing your body closer to his back as you enjoy the rest of the ride all the way to his shop.

The devilish motorcycle, which is called Cavaliere if you heard him correctly, comes to screeching halt in front of a building. The red neon light from the sign that reads Devil May Cry glows like a beacon in the night above the door. Dante lets you hop off first before following suit, storing his ride wherever the hell it keeps it. You follow him up the stairs and step into a very messy office. Old pizza boxes are strewn about the floor and stray magazines cover a desk while a rock music blares from a jukebox in one corner of the room.  

Such a sight of disorder does not deter you though as you continue to follow him up another set of stairs. He opens a door which leads to the aforementioned pool table. You can tell by the plastic debris littering the floor and the large box in one corner that this pool table is indeed very new. Dante picks up some of the plastic that is in the way and throws it all into the box before heading over to a rack of pool cues. He grabs two cues and hands one over to you, pointing out a couple cubes of blue chalk as he starts to place all of the pool balls onto the table.

“You want solids or stripes?” he inquires as you pluck a cube of chalk from one corner of the pool table.

“I’ll take stripes,” you reply while rubbing your pool cue tip with the blue cube, blowing any excess chalk off before asking your own question. “Want me to flip a coin to see who breaks first?” He gives you an absentminded nod as he uses the triangle rack to assemble all the balls at the racking end of the table. You reach into your pants pocket and take out one of your old coins.

Dante’s brows shoot up as you take out a worn gold dollar coin. “Whoa!” he exclaims as he snatches his own pool cue. “That’s some coin you got there.”

“It’s my favorite coin,” you explain with a shrug of your shoulders, hoping that he pins you as a collector instead of a vampire that cannot let go of sentimental items from your past. “Heads or tails?” you ask, clenching your fist and positioning the coin between your thumb and forefinger.  

“I’m a tails kind of guy,” Dante reveals confidently as he rubs his pool cue tip with a cube of chalk.

“Huh. Figured you’d like heads,” you remark as your eyes slide down his form suggestively.

“Oh, believe me,” he chuckles as he moseys on down to your side of the table and stands beside you. “I enjoy heads…” His words trail off for a moment as he leans back and makes a big show of checking out your ass. “…but nothing beats the view of tails.”

You roll your eyes at his crude attempt at flattery…which oddly enough works since it does make that feeling of giddiness bubble up in your stomach again. A naughty smirk pulls at your lips as you decide to really give this devil a good view. You bend down until your hands rest on the edge of the pool table, which pulls your leather coat away just enough to really show off every curve and crevice of your ass in your tight blue jeans.

With a flick of your thumb you flip the coin, and as it spins in the air you sensually sway your hips to the rock music playing downstairs. Dante hums in appreciation as you look over your shoulder and give him a flirty wink. He bites down on his clenched fist as you turn around, holding out your hand just in time for the coin to land right into your open palm. You quickly snap it over the top of your other hand and reveal the results of the coin toss.

“Looks like I break first, Cowboy,” you announce smugly, moving your hand closer to prove that the coin landed on heads.

Dante waves his hand with a flourish as he gives you a dramatic bow. “You may be going first, Darlin’…but I feel like a winner already,” he declares with a flick his wrist and presents you with a single red rose.

You quirk a brow at the romantic gesture, but still reach for the rose after you pocket the old coin. If he’s still hunting me…then it must be in another sense now, you deduce as you bring the lovely flower up to your nose for a sniff. Dante’s lips form that same captivating smile you remember back when you first met him.

Damn, he’s good, you mentally praise him as you feel the fierce pang of desirous hunger overwhelm your mind and body. You fasten the rose to your hat before making you way to the racking end of the table to break. As you line up the shot, you glance up at Dante and slowly lick your lips, giving him your best come hither stare while you draw back your pool cue and break the balls. 

The pool balls scatter and one of your balls goes straight into a side pocket. You relish the lustful look in Dante’s eyes as you walk around and line up for another shot. And that is pretty much how it goes for a few turns: blatant stares and bawdy conversation as both of you drive each other crazy with all the pent-up tension hanging in the air. You make sure to take it easy on him, mostly because you want this game of seduction to last. Well, that and the fact that playing too perfectly might tip him off of your true nature. You actually suspect he sees through this though, but he never points it out as he succeeds in sinking two of his balls.

You are just about to sink your third ball when Dante lets out an exaggerated yawn. This distraction causes you to scratch as the stripped ball flies off the table. He does not even try to stifle his laugh and you stare daggers at him while retrieving the stray ball. You give it him since he gets to place it anywhere behind the foot spot before taking his turn.      

“Wanna make this game more interesting?” Dante abruptly asks as he casually tosses the ball in his hand a couple of times.

You squint at him, leery of whatever crazy nonsense he has up his sleeve…but then again, you are rather curious. So, you throw caution to the wind and take the bait. “I’m listening.”

“Every time I sink one of my balls,” he begins as he saunters on over to the racking end of the pool table, “you have to take off one piece of clothing.”  

Your entire face falls flat. “Really, Dante?”  

Dante brandishes the stripped ball and places it randomly behind the foot spot. “I’ll also take off one piece of clothing every time you sink one of your balls,” he finishes with a lewd smirk.

You perk up at the intriguing prospect of literally stripping Dante for all he is worth. He’s really upping the stakes…why though? That damn paranoia tries to make you see reason, but your lust for the rugged devil currently waggling his eyebrows at you wins out in the end. It may be a foolish endeavor, you thought as tip your hat at the man who may very know that he has stirred the voracious appetite of a vampire.

But how can I refuse such a naughty wager with the devil?

“You better prepare yourself for the ass whoopin’ of a lifetime, Cowboy.”

Dante laughs. “Oh Darlin’…I wouldn’t mind getting my ass kicked by you,” he replies to your taunt as he lines up his shot. “Especially if we’re both naked while you do the ass kicking,” he adds before cracking his pool cue against one of his balls, sending it straight into a corner pocket. He crosses his arms and gives you an expectant look.

“Lucky shot,” you mutter as you remove your coat.  

Both of you continue to play with higher stakes now. A few turns later, you finally sink your third ball and now you get to stare expectantly while batting your eyelashes at Dante. He beams at you confidently as he removes his red jacket with style. You smile in satisfaction as a little bit more of his skin is revealed, admiring his robust arms as he takes off his guns and puts them down on his jacket.

As you walk around the table and search for a good shot, Dante rakes his hands through his white hair, combing out a few tangles before taking out a hair tie from his pocket. He gathers up most of his unruly hair and ties it into a small ponytail. Your eyes trace his chiseled jawline as you fully appreciate his scruffy face in all its rugged glory. But what really gets your attention is his very…bare…neck.

Dante turns his head as he stretches out his arms. The simple gesture shows off a very prominent vein below the skin of his neck. Your vision instantly zooms in on that point, eyeing his neck with scrutiny as the desire coiling below your belt begins to be pulse in time with the vein. You feel the urge to strike shiver all the way up your spine as your fangs begin to tingle and ache for a bite. The need to feed is palpable now and you start to regret not sneaking a sip of the blood pack in your coat pocket as the haze of hunger starts to cloud your mind.

“You know, I might have to charge you for the meal if you keep staring at me like that.”

The sound of Dante’s rather salacious innuendo snaps you out of your lustful daze. You look up to see the sassy devil staring at you with a shit-eating grin plastered on his face. Your eyes narrow at him as you bend down and line up a shot. He’s gotta know, right? you wonder as you draw your pool cue back and crack the ball towards the side rail. It ricochets off the side rail and unerringly rolls across the table until it drops into a corner pocket. Now you are the one grinning like the cat who got the cream while Dante lets out an exaggerated sigh and takes off his gloves.

A couple of turns later, Dante sinks another one of his balls and you have to decide which piece of clothing will join your coat on the floor. Your hat would be the most obvious and tamest choice, but you want to get back at him for teasing you earlier. So, you unbutton your shirt, letting him have a peek of your green cotton bra as you reveal more and more of your skin. You arch your back a bit to really accentuate the curve of your breasts, which earns you a wolf whistle from Dante as you remove the shirt and toss it over towards your coat.  

You give him a pleased grin. “Maybe it’s me who should charge admission, Cowboy.”

The spark of desire in Dante’s eyes begin to crackle as he shamelessly checks you out. He walks around the table to line up another shot, ardent gaze never breaking away from your body as he draws back his pool cue. None of his balls make it to any pockets, so it is your turn to take a shot. It only takes you a few seconds to line up a shot and skillfully sink one of your balls.

Dante rubs his chin in thought before resting his hands on his belt. He taps his fingers on his belt buckle, teasing you for a moment before hooking then under the hem of his grey shirt and pulling it up over his head. The heady hunger you reigned in earlier threatens to take over again as your brazen eyes trace every line and curve of his muscles. You especially enjoy the sprinkling of white hair on his chest. Your fingers itch for the chance to stroke every inch of his broad chest as you sink your fangs into-  

“Something the matter, Darlin’?”

Once again, Dante’s playfully smug tone knocks you out your thoughts. He is leaning against the pool table with that self-satisfied grin again. “Pff! No!” you scoff before bending down low until your eyes are about level with the table. “Just wonderin’,” you tack on while carefully accessing which way to strike your ball.  

Dante quirks an eyebrow. “About?”

You line your pool cue up for a shot. “Well, you know what they say about a cowboy with a large belt buckle…”

“Bold of you to assume that you’ll get the chance to find out.”

You crack a smile at Dante’s saucy remark as you take your shot, cursing softly when the ball stops just a few centimeters away from the targeted pocket. He chuckles softly as he steps around the table and stands next to you. “Shut up, Dante,” you grumble as he lines up and easily shoots his ball into a side pocket. “Ugh,” you sigh while bending down to remove your boots, earning you a deep grunt from the handsome devil currently biting his lower lip as he ogles your behind.

“Something the matter, Cowboy?” You smile as you repeat his playful question right back at him.

“No.” You hear him pause for a moment. “Just wonderin’,” he echoes your exact response to the playful question. You hear his own heavy boots move around behind you, probably trying to spot his next move on the table while you throw your boots over to the side.

“About?” you urge him to continue as you straighten back up, only to feel an intense heat warm your back as a pair of strong arms entrap you against the table. He leans down and whispers smoothly by your ear.

“What’s your pleasure, Darlin’?”

You feel those lips curl into what is most definitely a sinful smirk against your ear as he leans himself even closer to your body. The scent of leather and gunpowder is back and stronger than before as it turns your mind completely into mush. You subconsciously seek more of his body heat by leaning back into his chest. This causes you to feel the distinct outline of his strained cock press against your bottom. The distinct rhythm of his heartbeat drums in your ear and your insatiable hunger for this shameless devil rears back, getting ready to charge headlong through the last barrier of your control.  

“Alright, look,” you begin before babbling on as you try desperately to wrangle in your desire. “We both know what I am. I know it, you obviously know it. Let’s just clear the air, shall we?” You turn around to face Dante, still trapped in between his arms as you gaze up into his now triumphant face.

“I’m a vampire,” you admit while staring him right in the eyes. “And you look,” you inhale deeply, “and smell fucking delicious,” you sigh in pleasure, letting your control slip a little as you bare your fangs. Dante continues to stare down at you, totally not blindsided by your confession. His eyes widen at the sight of your fangs as fascination melds harmoniously with the toothy grin on his face. You clear your throat and gather your thoughts before going on.

“Now, unless you’re being a big ol’ tease on purpose with the whole showing off the neck and chest thing…” Your hands gesture frantically at the culprit of your growing hunger. “Please stop tempting the bloodthirsty beast in the room, okay?” You cross your arms and puff up your chest, glaring at him predatorily as you give him one last warning. “Because if you don’t, I’m gonna have to take a chunk outta ya.”

Dante leans in close until both of your noses are almost touching, lively blue eyes never straying from your intense gaze. “Show me whatcha got, Darlin’,” he cajoles with a  wink.

Your instincts snap into action as soon as you hear his flirtatious taunt. You are a blur of motion as you quickly pull Dante onto the pool table, sending a few of the pool balls flying off the table on impact. “Whoa!” he exclaims as you hop on top of him and straddle his hips. He lets out a husky chuckle as his hands begin to wander up your thighs. “You’re a lot stronger than you look, ya know?” he points out as he grabs a handful of your pert bottom.

The sight of such a dangerous man sprawled beneath you is positively sinful. Your fangs elongate in anticipation as you playfully tip your hat at him. “You ain’t seen nothing yet, Cowboy,” you purr lowly as you grind your hips against the impressive bulge in his leather pants.

Dante hisses as his hands squeeze your butt, thrusting up to meet your hips as you take off your hat. Your hands slowly slide up his chest as you hone in on the pulsating vein that caught your attention earlier, this time letting it beckon you to come closer, closer…until you are suddenly burying your face into the crook of his neck. You hear his heart beat faster as you scrap your fangs against the vein beneath his tender flesh. “And to finally answer your question,” you growl darkly against his neck.

“You’re my pleasure.”

You hiss softly as you sink your fangs into his neck. Dante grunts at your bite, but you are barely aware of your surroundings as soon as his devilish blood touches your tongue. Your hands begin to rub every inch of his chest of their own volition as you slake your needy thirst, savoring his unique red nectar with every pull of your lips. It tastes a little like caramel with a slight hint of cardamom, and…you moan in pleasure when you recognize the flavor of well-aged fine whiskey. The smooth smokiness of your once favorite drink evokes memories of a life long ago spent in bawdy saloons.

While you are lost in the taste of his hybrid blood, Dante carries on with his exploration of your body. His hands sensually stroke your back while his hips meet your every grinding thrust against his clothed erection. He hums in delight as his sneaky fingers find the clasp of your bra. It takes him no time at all to undo the pesky clasp and gently coax your arms down so he can completely remove it from your body. You whimper against his neck as the hair on his chest tickles your nipples.

“Mmm, sounds like I’m pretty tasty,” he murmurs sinfully by your ear, fingertips gliding over the sides of your breasts while the intense heat emanating from his body burns like a furnace.      

You throw your head back from Dante’s neck and force yourself to sit upright on his hips. An ecstatic gasp bursts from your mouth as you gaze up at the ceiling, letting the high from feeding wash through you. You feel his succulent blood drip down your chin and smell its redolent scent in the air, setting your more wanton desires ablaze. His blood sprinkles onto your chest and atop of your breasts as you shift your gaze down to the delectable devil.  

“Fuuuuuck,” Dante groans as you smack your lips at him.

The simmering desire gleaming in his eyes ignites as he pushes himself up and slams his lips against your bloody mouth. A gratifying moan rips though your throat as his wicked tongue wastes no time slipping through your teeth, poking and prodding every inch of your mouth like a man starved. You wrap your arms around his neck and deftly untie his ponytail before combing your fingers through his messy white locks.

Dante’s guttural purr thrums against your mouth as he begins to fondle your breasts, smearing the drops of blood as he teases your nipples. Both of your bodies rock against each other, working each other up until one of you inevitably cracks…which happens to be you. You are tired of just feeling what he has packing down below his belt buckle, so you use some of your blood to boost your speed before getting to work. You ignore Dante’s yelp of surprise at you move supernaturally fast, ripping off his boots, leather pants…

“Mmm, going commando, huh?” you tease with a raised brow, admiring the very generous length of his cock as you hastily remove your pants.  

Dante chuckles as he scoots closer until he is sitting on the edge of the pool table. “Thought I might surprise you if you did happen to win our little game,” he explains, grasping his cock and giving it a few strokes as he watches you take off your green cotton panties.

“Tricky devil,” you quip back playfully, wiping some of the smeared blood off your chest and sucking it off your fingers as you strut over to stand in between his legs. Your other hand cups your slick center, fingers sliding between your slit as you slowly rub your clit. Dante’s mouth opens in a silent moan as he watches you play with yourself. You release your bloody fingers from your mouth with a pop and trail them up the inside of his thigh. His steady breath turns harsh and erratic as your teasing touch gets closer, closer…    

“I can sense your blood…rushing to your cock,” you moan, baring your fangs as your wet fingers move faster against your nub. You bend down in a flash and lick the vein along the underside of his cock from base to tip, dangerously teasing him with one fang as it barely grazes his soft skin. He grunts and curses under his breath as his cock twitches against your tongue.

When you straighten back up Dante wraps his big arms around you. “Remember what I said earlier?” he recalls as he rubs your back. You tilt your head at him as you ponder what he is referring to. A raunchy grin pulls at the corners of his mouth as his eyes dart over to your hand, which is now gently caressing the underside of his cock. “I enjoy heads.” He slides his hands down and cups both of your ass cheeks. “But nothing beats the view of tails.”

Dante pulls you up on top of him again as he lies back down on the pool table. He grabs your hips and prompts you to turn around until you are face-to-face with his girthy cock. Your legs adjust themselves on either side of his head, lowering your hips until you feel his hot breath on your aching sex. Both of his hands knead your bottom thoroughly as gives your slit a tentative lick, making you whimper in need before fully dipping his tongue inside you.

You gasp out in euphoric pleasure as he wastes no time devouring every inch of your cunt. A deep rumbling hum resounds from between your legs as you begin to grind against his face. You rest one hand on his thigh for support while the other grabs his cock and begins to steadily stroke it in time with your hips.  This only spurs Dante on, encouraging you to pick up the pace as he presses his face closer against you. His scruffy stubble scratches the inside of your thighs in the most maddening way and you feel yourself leak and drip all over his face as you moan in ecstasy.

But this is not your first time at the rodeo though, and you're not about to be out done so easily.

You lower your head and gradually take as much of him as you can into your mouth, using your hand to cover what you cannot reach at the base of his cock. Your head bobs up and down as you begin to suck him off, languidly dragging your fangs against his shaft on the upstroke and flicking the head with the tip of your tongue before sinking back down. This makes him moan and groan against you as he licks you with renewed vigor.

The corners of your mouth twitch around his cock as you suck him a couple more times before taking him out of your mouth with a satisfying pop, noting that his cock tastes just as delicious as his blood. Time to show the devil what it really means to flirt with danger, you decide as you eye a particular spot on the inside of his thigh. Your hand at the base of his cock continues to stroke him as you kiss a path down to his balls. You lightly nibble on them with your fangs for a moment before moving on towards his inner most thigh.

Dante twitches in your hand just as he pulls away from your slick sex with gasp. “Whoa! Easy there!” He pokes his head around your leg. You raise your head and look over your shoulder, batting your eyelashes at him innocently as you circle the head of his cock with your thumb. He shakes his head and gives you that charming smirk that always stirs your non beating heart. “You know I’m a pretty open-minded guy, but-”

“I’m just messin’ with ya, Dante,” you reassure him with a soft laugh. “Besides…” you trail off as your eyes flick down, letting the silence linger before finishing your thought. “That’s not where I want to feed.” Your eyes snap back up to meet his eyes, now gleaming with intense arousal as his brow raises in interest.

“There’s this vein in your thigh,” you elaborate while sliding your other hand still resting on his leg to the appropriate spot. “Close to the groin,” your fingertips brush along the vein delicately, feeling his cock spasm in your other hand at the touch. “That is particularly…juicy.”

An impish grin curls on your lips as you lick one of your fangs seductively. “I hear it feels really nice to the one being bitten, especially when you pleasure them while drinking their blood.” You emphasize the pleasure part by giving his cock a few hard strokes, which makes him bite his lower lip as he desperately thrusts up to meet your eager hand.    

“Whaddya say, Cowboy?” you ask with an enticing glare.

“Jackpot!”  

Dante does not hesitate to splay his thigh out onto the table, grinning from ear-to-ear as he presents that wonderful vein for your feasting eyes. You nuzzle the inside of his thigh, purring in pleasure as his talented tongue goes back to lapping your wet heat. The coveted vein pulses against your ravenous mouth as his cock twitches in your hand, no doubt in excitement and anticipation. Your fangs gently nip the skin over his vein, slipping into a rapturous stupor as you begin to jerk him off in earnest.

You pause for a moment, taking in the sounds and smells before indulging in what is quickly becoming one of your favorite vices. This moment will be engraved into your mind for centuries to come. You will never forget the tingling sensation that flows through your body as you sense his blood running through his veins. Dante groans impatiently as he grinds his hips up to meet every downward stroke of your hand. You smile at his enthusiasm and decide to stop teasing…and start pleasing.

A tender kiss, a soft hiss…and then you strike. As soon as you sink your fangs into his thigh, Dante groans loudly in relief, hips stilling for a moment while you gulp down a mouthful of his delectable nectar. Your grip on his cock tightens as you slide your hand all the way up the shaft. You swipe some drops of precum with your thumb and spread it around the head of his cock, feeling his soft skin harden at your erotic touch.

Dante’s hips start to fidget, silently urging you to go back to jerking him off as he begins to moan with abandon. His tongue slips down and rapidly flicks your clit, doing what feels like his damnedest to make you come before him. Your hand sets a fervent pace, stroking him in time with every deep draw of his intoxicating blood. It does not take long for his cock to become impossibly rock hard, slowly swelling in your hand as you gorge yourself on his blood with gusto. His throaty moans increase in volume when you pick up the pace, secretly trying to push him over the edge first.

But it seems Dante has other plans. You feel his mouth leave your dripping wet heat and replace his tongue with two of his fingers. He pumps them with fervor inside you as he nibbles the inside of your thigh with his teeth. A passionate moan escapes your throat while your cunt twitches around his fingers in anticipation.

“Mmm…you like that, Darlin’?” he murmurs gruffly against your skin. You sob and nod your head eagerly as your sopping wet core quivers around skillful fingers. He chuckles softly and teases you couple more times with his lips and teeth on your thigh, letting the tension build up inside you as it climbs higher and higher and higher…

Then, with no hesitation as all, Dante bites down hard on your inner thigh. You pull away from your luscious feast as a gratifying yelp of pain leaves your lips, but then a litany of enraptured moans fills the air as exquisite pleasure courses through your body. Your hips begin to hump against his relentless fingers, fanatically seeking release as your blood pours into his mouth. You hear him smack his lips and growl softly before licking and sucking your thigh with zeal.  

“Oh fuck…Dante…” you manage to choke out as you stumble over the edge before your orgasm comes crashing down. His fingers continue to pump you for all your worth, prolonging your pleasure as you gush all over his hand. Your hunger begins to stir again when you feel his scruffy chin nuzzle your trembling thigh as he partakes of you. In a matter of seconds, your fangs are sinking back into his thigh and the hand still grasping his cock starts to jerk him off fervidly.

Dante groans harshly against your thigh, hips rocking up to meet your hand as you drink more of his blood. He becomes impossibly hard again before letting out a roar of satisfaction as you feel his seed surge up his cock in the palm of your hand, spurting out in hot ropes as his release rips through him. You feel drops of his cum sprinkle your back as you continue to stroke his cock, gradually slowing the pace when it starts to dribble down your hand.  

Both of you writhe against each other for a while, riding the waves of blissful pleasure together before it sadly comes to an end. You detach your fangs and inspect the bite mark on his thigh before licking it clean. The wounds fully heal after a couple swipes of your tongue and you hum in contentment as you look back over your shoulder to see Dante lazily sucking your thigh. You shimmy your hips, trying to get his attention, but all he does is wiggle the fingers still embedded deeply inside you.

You groan and spasm around his slick fingers before leaning your hips away, shaking your head at Dante and giggling when he grunts in irritation. He sighs and gives his bite mark one last lick before letting you pull your hips away. You release his softening cock from your hand as you sit up on the pool table next to him. “Now that was one helluva rodeo,” you declare, grabbing your forgotten hat from one corner of the table and bringing it back to its rightful place on your head.    

Dante laughs as he sits back up. “Yeah, it was,” he concurs as his hand cups your cheek. “Thanks for helping me break in the new table,” he murmurs with a bloody smirk, blue eyes glowing warmly as he leads you into a gentle kiss. You open your mouth and press your tongue forward, moaning softly as you taste your blood on his lips. His tongue quickly sneaks out and both of you lavish each other with slow passionate kisses for a moment before breaking away.  

“So,” Dante begins as he stares deeply into your eyes. “How’s the drink?”

“I haven’t tasted anything like your blood for looooong time,” you divulge with a genuine smile, raising one hand up to his neck. “It’s been well over a century to be exact,” you add as you gently caress the spot where your bite mark should be, but the wounds have miraculously healed itself.  

Dante tilts his head. “What do I taste like?”

“Like the finest fucking whiskey I’ve ever had,” you boldly confess with a happy sigh. “What about me?” You draw your hand away from his neck as you turn the question back to him. Dante’s mouth lifts into a toothy grin.

“Like strawberry ice cream!”

Your face goes deadpan as you blink in disbelief. “Really, Dante?”

“Yep!” His expression turns pensive as his voice drops down to that titillating timber again. “You taste niiiiice,” he compliments as he raises a hand and shows off the slickness of your orgasm on his fingers with a beckoning gesture. “And creamy…” He sucks and licks you off his fingers as those brilliant blue eyes glint with desire.

“Like the best damn strawberry sundae I’ve ever had,” he imparts with a genuine grin as soon as he is done cleaning you off his fingers. You swoon over his honest admission and fling your arms his neck, pulling him down for amorous kiss. Both of your tongues clash against each other while his hands roam over every slope and curve of your body, reigniting your insatiable need for his blood and lustful touch.

“Say,” Dante utters in between your heavy kisses, “are you a cowgirl?”

“I was when I could still breath,” you reveal while getting up on your knees.

“Oh shit!” Dante gasps as he draws his head back. “Really?” He gives you a look of astonishment as his eyes gaze down at you in awe.

You nearly bust a gut as his expression, but manage to just let a bark of laughter while nodding your head. “Yep! I was in fact a cowgirl if my attire wasn’t a big enough hint for ya,” you jest with a tip of your hat.

His jaw drops as he shakes his head in amazement. You chuckle at his silent admiration as you lean in close to his ear. “I believe your next line was gonna be,” you whisper, trailing your hand down his chest and over his abs. “Because I can see you riding me…amiright?” He takes stuttering breath as your fingers brush along the length of his reinvigorated cock. Dante quickly recovers from his shock, quirking an eyebrow as he shoots you with the charming smirk that always spells out trouble in all the right ways.

“Ready for round two?”

You grin and wiggle your brow at him before straddling his hips as quick as a flash. “Now, you saddle on up, Cowboy,” you boast playfully, pushing him back down to the table before adjusting your hat with dramatic flair. “I’m about to take you for a wild ride.”

As Dante grabs your hips, you start to warm up to the idea of not walking the endless night alone. You howl in amusement when he bounces you against his twitching cock with enthusiasm. He gives your ass a playful slap and as his eyes gaze up at you with searing admiration he gleefully exclaims:

“Giddy up!”  

A warm smile creeps up on your face and you cannot help but feel beholden to the devil-may-care mercenary. There was a void in your lonesome existence until Dante waltzed across the bar and right into your life. He made you laugh with his care-free attitude and awful pick-up lines. And now, you are looking forward to having another tantalizing drink with the renowned devil hunter as you mount his cock and have the best damn ride of your undead life.  

Read on Ao3

My Masterlist if you want more ❤

Tagging: @exsultry @bettybattaglia @drusoona @dvdenlioon @daemongal @ceruleanworld @tehrevving @veenus-ow @shadowbearing @thenightgazer @queenmuzz @a-midsummer-nights-odyssey

#dante #dante x reader #devil may cry #dmc5 #vampire prompt #request #vampire bites #strip pool with a lot of flirting #what's your pleasure? #cowgirl vampire reader #yeah you read that tag right #so saddle on up #because its gonna be one helluva ride in this rodeo #harlot writes #vampire spice #blood

[monsterbaesbymamakennysaurus]

“Sure Thing, Boss”: Part Two: Monster Boyfriend: Demon

Monster Boyfriend Series: Demon

Disclaimer: Not my artwork. Just used for inspiration.  However, this is my edit. Also, if you want to read more of my Monster Boyfriend series, the masterlist is HERE.

When Drew said he was taking me to Dante's Inferno....I honestly didn't believe him.

I figured he was just talking out of his ass.

I mean, I really don't know why I would question anything this enormous demon told me at this point because fuck- anything is possible now...but somehow I figured..

Naaaahhhh..

Boy was I wrong.

And apparently it showed on my face because he was laughing his ass off.

"Are you gonna be ok?" he asked.

"This is a volcano." I said.

"Yeah."  he said. "We covered this."

"But...but it's a volcano." I said.

"Yeaaaahhhh." he said.

"And we're going inside?" I asked and he just nodded.

"But I can't go inside! I'm human! I don't want to die!" I exploded.

He laughed, "You really think I'd take you somewhere you'd be hurt?"

Apparently, I still looked unsure because he just scooped me up into this arms.

"Hey! I can walk perfectly fine." I snapped.

"We'll get there a lot faster my way." he said.  "I'm a lot taller than you are with much longer legs."

"I figured you'd just teleport." I shrugged.

"I am but unless you want to be lynched with half of body still down here... I'd stay close." he said and I promptly clung to him like peanut butter to well....anything.

We materialized in a different setting a moment later and I could barely breathe when I glanced out the window to see how far from the ground we were.

"I didn't know you were scared of heights." Drew commented.

"Listen, dude, I am clinging to an enormous demon man, standing inside of an active volcano that it who knows how high in the air.  At this point, I'm scared of everything." I said.

"So, now wouldn't be a good time to ask you if you want to take the tour through the Nine Circles of Hell?" he asked.

"Hell?!" I gasped. "I don't want to go to Hell!"

"Relax." he laughed. "A, you're with me and you'll be fine no matter what.  B, it's not actually Hell, honey.  It's a tourist attraction.   It's levels made up to look like the "supposed" nine circles of hell.  You are gonna have to chill out.  Maybe I should take you to Gluttony first. "

"You're a cruel man." I said.  

"Let's go to the condo and get changed and then I will actually take you to Gluttony which is not a frozen wasteland but is in fact one of the highest rated resteraunts in the supernatural world.  That actually serves real food by the way.  Not that sliver of meat with a spit of sauce and a carrot zest on top for a thousand dollars type of bullshit." he ranted.

"Triggered are we?" I teased and he glanced at me.

"Yeah, humans are fucking weird." he said. "No offense."

"None taken." I shrugged. "I'd much prefer to be an alien."

"Oh, I'm sure they'd prefer that too." he joked.  "We really need to have a talk later about how you are LITERALLY the ideal for many, many species.  Like, demons are literally just the tip of the iceberg.  You're a fucking goddess and I should know.  I'm rather tight with several of them."

I just rolled my eyes with a little smile before he transported us to a rather posh home.

The condo was stunning and I could barely keep my jaw from flapping open.

Once inside he sat me down and let me roam while he apparently went to make some reservations.

The place was mind boggling and I had honestly reached a point where I couldn't tell if I was dreaming or not.

I looked out the window to see the massive volcano in the distance, the lush tropical landscape...it was stunning.

I was so caught up that I didn't even hear him approach.

"You hungry?" he asked and I barely had a chance to answer before my stomach growled. "I'll take that as a yes."

I just shrugged sheepishly.

"I don't have any clothes though and I'm guessing that this isn't really appropriate." I said gesturing to my outfit.

He just smiled as he guided me to the mirror and stood behind me.

"Let's see." he said. "You want to be festive?"

With a flick of his claw I was standing there in a hula skirt and a coconut bra.

"Negative!" I said turning and swatting at him.

"Ok, ok!" he laughed. "But I do like the way your back looks."

"Yeah, yeah.  We know about your back fetish." I said.

"Maybe this." he said and suddenly I was in a full on princess dress complete with big poofy skirt.

I looked up at him, "Really? You don't think it's too formal for dinner?"

"Maybe." He shrugged. "But you do look cute."

He waved his claw once more and I was rather surprised.

A nice black dress with a mesh three quarter length sleeve panel that showed off my arms and collar bone while still looking quite modest.

There was silver flame detailing on the side of the dress and a pair of matching silver shoes appeared on my feet.

"Not bad." I said examining myself and turning only to spot what he really did it for.

The big open peek-a-boo slot in the back of the dress showed off my bare back.

"I can't wear a bra with this." I said.  

"Not a problem." he grinned.

"Uh, yeah it is." I said.

"Fine." he said and suddenly I felt my breasts being lifted.

"Look I can actively see that you are not touching me so please explain to me why my tits are just sitting up on their own." I said.

"Magic is the easy answer." he said.  "Now you ready?"

"Hell no!" I said. "You mean to tell me all this years, I could've had my tits sitting where they are now and NOT being wearing and over the shoulder bolder holder?!"

"Never heard it put quite like that but yeah sure.  You know, if you have demon powers." he shrugged.

"Shit." I said honestly shocked. "Who do I gotta fuck to get that magic for the rest of my life?"

His grin was massive and I honestly couldn't blame him.

I set that one up and walked right into it.

"I mean, if you're taking applications just tell me when and where." he said.

I couldn't help but giggle at him and soon we were materializing in a different location again.

"If I keep hanging out with you I am going to get so much bigger than I already am.   And so lazy." I joked. "I don't have to walk anywhere.  I don't have to wear a bra.  Didn't even have to get dressed by myself today.  Fat and lazy- that's my new life goal."

"I got you, babe." he chuckled.

"How very Sonny and Cher of you." I remarked.

"And for the record, you're perfect the way you are.  I love it.  However, no one would have anything nasty to say about a gorgeously engorged sex kitten." he growled.

"Well, someone has a kink." I said.

"You have no idea." he said.

And he was right.

I had no idea what I was going to discover about Drew, the netherealm and everything in between.

But man, I was ready to find out.

Hello, darlings!  I hope you like this next installment of Drew the Demon!  What delicious adventures they'll get up to!

Love, Kenny

@frankie2902

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Love, Kenny

#demon boyfriend #demon #devil #exenophilia #demon x reader #ps reader #plus size reader

[eglantiney]

Okay so I want to write this down before the new chapter drops in case new hints appear on it. 

This started as a crack “what if” theory between @xanataku​ and me but then we actually started finding “evidence” of it. 

There are many unknowns and uncertain things so I’m afraid this might be a messy post; please bear with me!

TL;DR: Johann is the spider. Dante’s involvement in the spider’s business is considered but there’s nothing to prove it.

It all began as I was rethinking the “Ruthven is Dante’s father” theory. Moreau is connected to Ruthven, which is to say Moreau’s experiments to turn humans into vampires (and possibly the opposite as well) are something within Ruthven’s interests, and we don’t know for how long it has been like that. Isn’t it possible that Ruthven had a child with a human to study the outcome? But this is not what I’m here to discuss today, although it could explain this panel here:

If you think about it, if the spider was a Dham, they could be seeking to become a full vampire or a full human, as it has been implied before that Dhams have been rejected by both humans and vampires.

Going back a bit, where does the idea that the spider is Johann come from?

Initially I always thought these two figures looked familiar:

Slender and tall + shorter and sturdier. Just like Johann and Dante! But that isn’t enough. And yet, if you pay attention...

During the bal masqué the spider recives a kick from Noé. Next time he shows up in a panel, he is holding his left arm (sorry about the low quality screenshot ahah), and from then on he doesn’t use it or move it at all. In every panel, his left arm is hanging as if it was broken.

After this incident, Noé and Vanitas have their meeting with Ruthven, are kicked out from Altus and return to their hotel. And one week later...

Johann’s left arm is broken. This is where it becomes hard to say if the person in the plague doctor mask is Dante or not. There is no one to confirm if Johann’s story (that he got his wounds after being kidnapped by Moreau’s men) is true, but Riche does confirm Dante’s story. It could be that she is covering up for him, though. 

At this point we were asking ourselves: if Johann and possibly Dante are working with Ruthven, why point Vanitas and Noé to Moureau’s laboratory, which led to its destruction? That seems counter productive. We considered a couple of possibilities:

The more plausible: Dante was ordered to by Marquis Machina.

For some reason, Machina wants Vanitas to be involved in these incidents. It could be that Machina and Ruthven work together, so maybe they wanted to bring Vanitas to Dr. Moureau to get a hold of the book. 

It could also be that Machina and Ruthven don’t work together, and in that case I doubt Dante would be the man in the plague doctor mask. If Ruthven and Machina, and therefore Johann and Dante, have different agendas, it would make sense for the Dhams to provide info to Vanitas and Noé without Johann objecting to it (he wouldn’t be able to reveal himself as the spider).

The least plausible: All they knew is that the Chasseurs had been kidnapping vampires, so it could be that they wanted to make Noé and Vanitas clash with them for a personal reason: 

If Johann is the spider... the scumbag would be Noé.

The next time we see the spider is in Dr. Moureau’s laboratory and, suspiciously, instead of punching like he did in the bal masqué, this time he uses kicks, only uses his right arm to grab Moureau and has his left arm covered by a cloak all the time:

There is something else that has been bugging me for a while too... the spiders outfit. Until yesterday I thought it was a chasseur outfit, but it definitely isn’t.

I’m only putting a picture of Roland here, but I’ve checked the outfits of all the other chasseurs and they all look the same. The priest collar, the buttons all the way to the bottom, the sash. The spider doesn’t have any of those things. The one thing he does have is the cross around his neck, and it makes me wonder if it’s in an attempt to mislead other people.

Moving on, the next time we see Johann is in the way to Gevaudan. During this arc we’ve seen a side of him that isn’t as sweet as the one we are used to. 

One of the things that kept making me doubt this theory is that the spider’s personality when he was with Ruthven never matched Johann’s, but this here does seem closer to how the spider acts.

Then, when Naenia appears for the first time. Vanitas attempts to use the book to get rid of her, and someboy throws a dagger breaking the book of Vanitas’s chain. 

Right before this happens, during Charlatan’s parade, we can say for certain where everyone is: A few pages before we see Johann and Dante together, back to back. Jeanne is with Vanitas who just saved her from Astolfo. Astolfo and Marco are together, and Noé is with Naénia. Vanitas takes out his book, the chain is cut, triggering a massive reaction, and then...

Johann is gone. The fact that he isn’t with Dante anymore makes me think that they aren’t working together in this. They meet again later in the cabin in the forest, but during the current chapters Johann is once again nowhere to be found. Where is he and what is he doing?

All in all, Dante’s attitude in general makes me doubt he is involved in Ruthven’s business at all. He seems to get along too well with Vanitas to be siding with a group interested in getting rid (or something similar) of him. It does seem like they’ve known each other for quite a long time, too. Johann, on the other hand... I get the feeling he would do anything for his family, but doesn’t care about anybody else. I can see him collaborating with Ruthven for their sake.

If I’m not forgetting anything, that should be all ahah. I would love to hear what others think or make of this. I don’t think any of this really is solid evidence against Johann and Dante, but it’s definitely very very suspicious, and I’m certainly not going to take my eyes off them for the remainder of this arc!

PS: Oh and let’s not forget that Dante just stole a few drugs from a chasseur for a still unknown purpose. It might be good to remember it.

#vanitas no carte #i #t #the case study of vanitas

[valhallanrose]

Sabina ( @arcanecadenza ) did this lovely prompt of A Kiss for Losing a Bet between her OC Dante and my Zelda, which immediately made me spiral and now I have a second meeting fic from Zelda’s perspective because I ultimately am now a fan of this pairing. Dante’s just baby, I can’t help it.

Fic under the cut for the sake of your dash

Zelda heard the locked shop door pull as if someone tried to open it, she’d been wrist deep in a flowerpot full of dirt, getting it ready for one of her other plants to be transferred into it. There was a moment of panic, several moments of just standing around with her muddy hands wondering what to do before she remembered that she was, in fact, a magician. 

“Oh, just a moment!”

She quickly flicked her wrists, the dirt vanishing into nothingness before she crossed the room to the window beside the door. Zelda was already half leaning out of the stained-glass panels before they were fully open, polite smile on her face as she spoke. “I’m sorry, we’re closed at the moment, but I’ll be open again tomorrow…”

When she got a good look at who had been trying to open the door, a really good look, she could have just about died. 

Dante stepped down off the stoop as she laid her hands on the windowsill, face cherry red and eyes wide as he approached the window with a casual sort of smirk that had her mind committing a minor malfunction. She was frozen as he leaned in, bracing his arms on the windowsill and speaking to her in a hushed sort of tone. 

“That’s alright. I came looking for you, anyhow.”

The night she’d kissed him, over a game of cards with just enough blackberry liqueur helping her throw all inhibition to the wind, she hadn’t expected to ever actually see him again. She didn’t visit taverns, certainly didn’t gamble, and figured that the odds of him actually looking her up were rather slim. 

So the fact that he was standing in front of her right now, outside her shop?

Fuck. 

“What, you want me to absolutely demolish you in cards again?” She teased gently, watching with some delight that his own cheeks turned pink. “Can’t say I’d be opposed, but I don’t own a suitable deck at the moment. Or is this just an excuse to lay one on a stranger when you bet a kiss again?”

Zelda propped her chin in her hand, a smile pulling at her lips as he flushed, and found herself taking him in all over again. 

The dim light of the tavern hadn’t done him justice. She couldn’t easily see the freckles scattered across his skin, so many more than she had, couldn’t see the different shades of brown swirling in his eyes. Her eyes followed the loose curls of his hair down the sides of his face, over the curve of his cheeks...down to that beauty mark in the center of his lower lip that she found she wouldn’t quite mind kissing again. 

She idly wondered if he’d taste like orange juice and gin again if she did. 

“I like to think I don’t make it a habit of kissing strangers.” Zelda heard him say, drawing her out of her reverie and making her refocus on the conversation at hand. “Though, if you’re so eager for a recreation, we don’t have to be.”

Zelda chuckled and rolled her eyes, reaching out and gently pushing his glasses back up his nose when they started to slip. Her voice lowered to a purr, much more characteristic of when she got a little tipsy than her usual self, but...something about him just made her bolder than usual.

“Oh, but you aren’t a stranger to me. I’d wager I know you far better than you think.” She murmured, watching his Adam’s apple bob slightly as her hand lowered to smooth out his necktie.

He lifted a brow, expression somewhat roguish despite the growing flush on his cheeks. “Oh really? Have we met before? I’d hope I wouldn’t forget such a face.” 

His hand lifted, brushing a few pieces of hair out of her eyes - surprisingly at height with her even as she leaned down from the window. Zelda only laughed, shaking her head and taking his hand in hers. She turned it over in her palm, lazily tracing her fingers over the lines of his hand as she spoke. “No, but I do read palms, and yours were quite easy to get a look at over the table.”

Dante groaned dramatically, leaning hard into the windowsill and rolling those warm honey eyes in her direction. “Oh, and this is the part where you predict my impending death and tell me there’s a dark, handsome stranger in my future, isn’t it?”

She smacked his palm lightly, playful over aggressive, and shook her head. 

“Hands tell a story, Dante. I can read them just like an open book.” Zelda’s hand started to pull away, her tone becoming nonchalant as she continued. “Of course, if you’re worried, I can always just keep it to myself…”

When he grabbed her hand again and nearly smacked it down on his own, she had to bite back laughter, his expression somewhere between disbelieving and curiosity as their hands settled on the sill again. 

“No, no, I’d like to see what you think you know. But if you’re wrong...you owe me a favor, to be called in at any time.”

“I’m rarely wrong, so I’ll take that bet. I’d like to maintain my winning streak.” Zelda giggled softly, lowering her gaze to his hand in hers. For a long moment, her fingers passed down his, following the shape of his hands and the lines of his palm before she looked back up at him. 

She didn’t notice the way his eyes lingered on her face, too focused on her quiet words as her thumb idly stroked over his palm. 

“As I said, hands tell you a lot about a person.” She said softly, trailing the very tips of her fingers across the center of his palm and smiling a little as his own fingers twitched. “And not a lot of people think about it. You can probably tell I’m a gardener just by looking at mine.”

“And not at all by the absurd number of plants I can see over your shoulder.” Dante teased, and she felt herself flush again under the intensity of his gaze and the curve of his lips. Instead, she just managed a roll of her eyes, lowering her attention back down to his palm instead in hopes that would somehow keep her from making a fool of herself.

“Palmistry, on the other hand,” she chose to ignore his amused snort, “tells more about a person if you know where to look.”

Her fingers shifted, tracing first over the curved line arcing around his thumb. “This one here is your life line.” 

“Ah, so this is where you tell me I’m going to die in three weeks. What do you think, food poisoning or mugging gone wrong?”

“Five minutes, using the pruning shears in my back pocket.” Zelda shot him a grin as she looked up to meet his own mischievous expression, snickering under her breath before her gaze lowered again. “No, the mortality thing is a misconception. Your life line focuses on your general well being, your passion for life, major changes and events in your life.”

She lazily drew her nail along that line, trying not to focus too hard on the chipped green polish that made her quite aware she hadn’t done shit to take care of her hands for a few days. “Yours is a long and strong line, meaning you’re dependable, but...it’s forked. Forked lines are usually indicative of a new path, redirection, and life change. And angled toward the Mount of Moon...traveling to far off places, which we know is true, dear traveling salesman.”

Her gaze flicked up briefly, searching for a reaction before her eyes dove back down and her cheeks heated when he realized he was watching her, not their hands. She held his gaze, brown nearly searing gold in the sunlight that made her feel a little weak until she managed to spit something coherent out.

“What? Something on my face?”

His face turned pink, but he shook his head, gesturing for Zelda to continue before she lowered her gaze. She pulled her hair idly over her, the ends brushing his palm as she lowered her fingers to the heel of his hand. She didn’t move it, though - she needed the cover to pretend like she wasn’t blushing like mad when she really took in how close he was. 

“This one here, in the center of your palm, is the head line. Yours is long, deep, and curved...you’re a person who’s intelligent, has an excellent memory and concentration, but you’re a romantic. You’re creative and open to new ideas, unafraid of exploring concepts and beliefs unfamiliar as you go. And here…” She tapped the next line, highest on his palm. “This one is your heart line. This one is wavy and double-forked - that means that though you weave both romance and practicality into your life, you’ve experienced less in the way of serious relationships.”

“Your fate line expresses how much of your path is controlled by destiny as opposed to your own will, and yours is…” Zelda stifled a laugh as she took in the line in question. “Well, let’s just say you’re very self-driven. You chose your own path, not the one laid out for you by others. And if your sun line is anything to go by...you’re willing to work hard for that success. It runs parallel to your fate line, meaning you could continue to grow that success and gain quite the reputation for yourself, but...it’s short, too. Don’t forget to stop and enjoy life, take some time for yourself, especially when it seems like you’re stuck in place.”

Zelda was quiet for a moment before she stiffened, realizing with some horror she’d practically been petting his hand for a good ten minutes and wanting to die a little inside as she cleared her throat. “Or, you know, die in three weeks via carriage accident and all your ex-lovers will come to your funeral to mourn.”

There were a few more beats of pause, and Zelda wanted to die just a little bit more, turning her face away as she started to withdraw her hand. But...his own shifted, just enough for him to lay her hand in his palm just as she had done to him before.

“So you get to know all about me, and I haven’t got a thing about you?” She heard him say, tone playful, idly noticing when she looked up that he was now studying her palm. Zelda watched as he carefully adjusted his glasses, brows quirking up when he lifted his gaze back to hers and gave her a light smirk. “What does your hand say, hm?”

“Oh, kotyonok, what makes you think I’d give that information over so easily?” Zelda grinned, feeling suddenly energized and impulsive all over again as she reached out and grasped his tie carefully. She pulled him into the window opening ever so slightly, placing a kiss on the corner of his lips before leaning in to murmur in his ear. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you a magician never reveals her secrets?”

Delighting in the way his face flushed, and ignoring her own reddening cheeks, she leaned back and pretended to consider the idea for a moment, then made a face as if she’d had an epiphany. “Well, not until she’s at least taken you on a proper date. How about you swing by at seven? Then you can learn all about what my hands tell you.”

The only answer she got was a sound very much like a mewling kitten as Dante, red faced, managed a nod and a sheepish sort of smile as Zelda straightened. With a final, very cheeky wink, the panels of her window swung shut - and she would wait a long, long time, until she was sure she was alone to laugh nervously in the empty and quiet shop.

“I am in so much trouble.”

(kotyonok - Neviv/Russian for kitten)

#zelda hollyheart #zelda x dante #dante x zelda #writing #not my oc #actual title of the doc is 'dante gets read to filth' #also i don't actually read palms i prefer tarot but i did research i promise

[starryjealousy]

May I Have This Dance

Title: May I Have This Dance Fandom: Devil May Cry Pairing: Dante/female reader insert Rating: G Warnings: None Summary: You can’t dance. Dante doesn’t mind.

(Request fic for @dragonesszena.)

"What," you say with a soft laugh as you step into Dante's office, putting your hands on your hips and eyeing him with amusement, "are you doing?"

"Mm?" Dante turns his head to look over from where he's stood on a chair, a hammer in one hand and a few nails in the other, and a grin comes to his face when he sees you. "Ah, you know, little bit of this, little bit of that--" he shrugs, turns back to the wall, squinting critically as if he's trying to visualise the best way to finish his task before just shrugging again and setting another nail against the splintered paneling, driving it in with a few firm blows. "And a little bit of moving things around so demon carcasses aren't almost falling on my head every time someone slams the door, you know how it goes. Wasn't expecting you this early, though. Something up?"

"No, I just had some unexpected free time." You shrug a little yourself, taking a seat on the couch to watch him, your head tilting briefly as you realise the old jukebox is clicking and whirring in the corner, crackly notes floating through the air. (It's been a while since you've come in to music playing; it's proof that Dante must really be in a good mood, and that's something you're delighted to see.) "Which one is it this time? The Empusa? You really need to quit throwing darts at it, you're destroying its integrity. No wonder it keeps falling on you."

Dante feigns a pouty look, turns his head to pout at you like he can't believe you'd say such a thing to him, never mind the fact that his expression is full of clear amusement. "You wound me, ____. I am highly offended by your implications--" but he's laughing now, boots thumping noisily on the floor as he hops down off the chair, setting the hammer and nails aside on his desk for the moment. "Nah, you're right, makes a terrible dartboard. Too old and dried out. It's only fun when you can pop ‘em - vicious cleanup, though." Turning to eye the jukebox, he folds his arms, hums a thoughtful sound and moves to prod at it, cutting off the current song in mid-note and changing it to something more bouncy, full of jazzy strains that lilt through the air. "In any case, I'm about ready for a break - been putting new holes in the walls all morning. So," apparently satisfied with the song, he turns his attention back to you, "tell me something. How do you feel about dancing?"

"That's an awfully open-ended question," you say dryly, leaning back and letting your arms drape over the back of the couch, eyeing him with mock suspicion. "I don't care if other people do it around me, I have no weird religious hangups about it, and I swear I have two left feet so I don't do it, but if none of that is the answer you expected, you're gonna have to stop being cryptic and just tell me what you're getting at. I'm not a mind reader - and let's be honest, you probably wouldn't want me reading yours even if I was."

A snort of a laugh escapes Dante, never mind he's pretending to look offended again, taking a few steps closer and planting his hands on his hips. "Probably not," he says, and he looks pleased when you bite back a snorted laugh of your own, holding eye contact with you for just a moment longer than is strictly necessary, faintly smirking when you narrow your eyes just noticeably and let yourself settle into a purposely over-comfortable sprawl that is absolutely not one single bit intimidated. "Alright, lemme rephrase that. You ever danced with the devil? And if not," now it's definitely a smirk, and he sketches a bow, offering you his hand with a great sweeping flourish. "You want to?"

"I just told you I can't dance." You narrow your eyes more, stare at his hand like you're considering biting it, but he looks so unconsciously eager when you lift your head to make eye contact again that you can't keep up the aloof act, shaking your head and letting a small smile come to your lips, lifting your hand to place it delicately in his. "But I guess I can't refuse such a generous offer, can I?"

"Nope," he agrees, grinning now as he tugs you to your feet, pulling you close to him and settling his other hand on your waist, as easily and confidently as if it belongs there. "Don't you worry about a thing, babe. Just follow my lead, and you'll be fine."

"You and 'fine' are on entirely opposite ends of the dictionary--" you cut off with a squeak of indignant surprise when he's suddenly urging you into motion, never mind your clumsy stumbles and faltering feet, only his supportive hands keeping you from falling flat on your face. "I-I'm not kidding, you know! I really don't know what I'm doing, can't we start out slower - you're gonna make me sprain an ankle at this rate and then I'm gonna be pissed, I don't have all the magic woo-woo insta-healing powers you do - are you even listening to me?--"

"Course I'm listening." Dante smiles down at you, easy and sympathetic, giving your waist a little reassuring squeeze and pretending for your sake that he doesn't notice how you're blushing. "Look. You're making this harder than it has to be. You trust me, right?"

"You don't want me to answer that--" your hand tightens on his as you nearly trip again, mouth setting into an indignant pout. "If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't be letting you do this."

"That's all you need to do," he says, still smiling, bringing the both of you to a halt and just looking down at you for a moment. "Trust me. I'm not gonna let you get hurt. Just close your eyes and follow my lead - I promise, you'll be fine."

"I've heard that one before," you mutter, but after a moment, you take a slow, deep breath, try to will the tension out of your shoulders, and tightly close your eyes.

It's still awkward, even like this, and you're still desperately hoping you don't end up twisting or spraining something, but it is easier - not looking at what you're doing lets you focus more on what Dante's doing, lets you feel how he's guiding you to move, and while you're certain you'll never be more than perhaps vaguely passable at this, it's beginning to feel less arcane and more actually doable. (It helps that he's very easy to follow; you may not be skilled, or even capable, at dancing, but you do know a partner with a firm leading arm and easily comprehensible body language can take even the most subpar dance up a few notches, and he fits those requirements to a T.) Honestly, it's even beginning to approach something you might call genuinely fun by now, and you don't even realise you've started smiling until you hear him muffling an adoring chuckle, snapping you out of the half-trance you've settled into, your cheeks flaring brilliantly red when you open your eyes again and see him watching your face. "Stop staring at me," is the first thing you can manage to say, and it comes out a little sharper than maybe you would have liked, but his affectionate expression never falters and so you don't let yourself spiral into needless apology. "I swear you just like to embarrass me."

"Only cause you're so cute when you blush," Dante shrugs, lets his feet and yours come to a stop and lets go of your hand to reach up instead, tracing light fingers along the heated pink splashed across your cheeks. "Even cuter when you're enjoying yourself, though. Sure looked like you were having fun, even if you say you can't dance."

"I can't," you retort petulantly, but you're leaning your head into his touch, so any attempts at acting genuinely angry are not even close to successful. "Maybe I just like being close to you--" and the instant the words leave your mouth, you're going bright red all the way up your ears, not having meant to be quite so blatantly honest, but it's too late to take it back now and so you just turn your eyes away in mortification. Why does your traitor mouth always do this sort of thing at the worst moments, you wonder? "I, um - look, forget I said that."

He studies you for a moment, sympathetically amused, tightens his grip on your waist when you try to pull away and turns your face back towards his. "Hey, c'mon, that's nothing to be embarrassed about. All you had to do," he lets his hand drop from grasping your chin, settles it on your waist as well and pulls your body flush against his, "was say something, yeah? I'm sure as hell not gonna say no to such a tempting possibility." His chuckle, low and resonant, is more easily felt by your proximity to him than it is heard, and it makes you feel both hot and shivery in equal measure, sparking off a low burn of pleased curiosity along your every nerve. "So if that's what you really want..."

You swallow hard, nodding just a little, not quite trusting your voice but trying it anyway. "Yeah," you manage, and thank whatever deity might be watching over you, the words don't come out shaky. "Just - let's stay just like this for a little while...okay?"

"You got it," Dante agrees, quiet and affectionate, a hand coming up to rest gently against the back of your head as if to cradle you against him. "As long as you want."

Still blushing brilliantly, you press your cheek to his chest and close your eyes, just nodding again and letting the strong, steady pulse of his heartbeat beneath your ear soothe your jangled nerves, drowning out everything else around you.

Maybe if this is what it leads to, you think, you might just let him try to teach you to dance again sometime.

#devil may cry #sfw #character: dante #character: reader insert #pairing: dante x female reader #warning: none

[thirstzone]

On The Interpretation Of V

V is an interesting character to be sure, and certainly one that’s taken the hearts of many of us, I’m sure. I’m still trying to nail down how I want to portray him, so hopefully this helps organize my thoughts a bit more. As always, everyone is entitled to their own character interpretation and their own way of writing characters! This is just how I personally analyze things.

On to the topic of the mysterious one, V.

Where to begin with V... As I write him on this blog, he’s... sort of his own character? I leave it ambiguous whether or not he’s his own entity or if he retains his origins. I do this because most of the time, it’s not relevant to the writing at hand. This leaves it up to the reader, and everyone has different opinions on this. Everyone can see V as they wish, so long as they aren’t attacking others for having a different opinion. Personally, I’ve already crafted a completely alternate storyline for the purposes of my own fantasies. However, for this particular analysis, I’m writing strictly from canon. So let’s dive in.

Before I reflect on V’s personality, let’s trace back his beginnings and his emotions when he came into existence.

With the release of the Visions Of V manga, we’re getting some more information about V directly after being formed. It’s still being released on an every other week basis, so this is absolutely subject to change as we get more information from that. 

I think to understand V’s situation, it’s important to understand where Vergil’s been in his life. Of course, that post will be coming soon, so for the short of it, Vergil’s been broken. He didn’t always start out so corrupted, but having been tortured to the point that he completely lost his identity must’ve seriously messed the guy up. Even before that, Vergil was trying to suppress his human side, but he still acknowledged it, sort of. But after all that broke him, well... we saw the state he was in. In the manga, he states that he needs to sever his human emotions because it was doing nothing but holding him back, plaguing him with nightmares.

And thus, V came to be.

V was just dregs. I’m honestly stunned there was enough of him left to even manifest alongside Griffon, Shadow, and Nightmare with how absolutely broken down Vergil had been. But there’s something the manga revealed: he was scared. He realized he was separate and he was scared of what “he” had become. We can even see it on his face in the game. He’s absolutely mortified when he sees Urizen. He realizes he’s helpless, and it terrifies him. And let’s not forget this panel.

Pardon the non-translated text, but the website I use to read the English translation isn’t connecting at the moment. What he’s saying is shinitakunai which translates to “I don’t want to die.” He knows almost immediately that being split off means that it’s a death sentence. Given what he’s saying, and the imagery of the darkness creeping in around him, it’s obvious that he’s at least mildly afraid of dying.

So let’s tie that in with the prequel novel Before The Nightmare. I won’t linger too long on this because I’m mainly analyzing his actions in relation to his emotions. He’s already mentally separated himself from Vergil, as evidenced in the manga when he says, “I guess ‘I’ had forgotten how scary it is to be helpless.” Or something to that effect. I attempted to use Google translate before the chapter was actually translated and I noticed that when he uses the pronoun “I” in that sentence, it’s in the equivalent of quotation marks. Just that shows he sees Vergil as someone different. And in the novel, he even says that his “past self” was “full of delusions.” Though it’s interesting to me that Griffon seems to treat V’s actions as surprising when he chooses to leave on Dante’s suggestion. It’s possible that Griffon sees V as Vergil, even though V himself doesn’t feel the same way.

Another action of V’s that Griffon is shocked by is his decision to stay in Redgrave City to try and help the humans there. Vergil would’ve never done something like that. He may not have actively tried to kill them, as Urizen was doing, but he wouldn’t have bothered saving them. So for V to actively want to do so is something out of character for his old self. And V volunteers to do this knowing that doing that would only accelerate his death.

So we know that at the beginning, V is, to some extent, selfless. He would wear down his already decaying body to save people, or at least attempt to.

Regardless of this, let’s not forget that V has a touch of ruthlessness to him. In Before the Nightmare, he obtains the money to hire Dante by basically mugging a man. He’s not above doing things like that if he really needs to. He’s not maliciously manipulative, but he knows how to pull strings to reach the outcome he desires. He even refers to how he gets Nero involved as “using” Nero, with that exact word. In the prologue of the manga, he states that he will use anything at his disposal. In the game, he tells Dante “I never would’ve dreamed of using that child.” He’s pulling strings by getting Nero involved. He didn’t outright lie to Dante, but he did leave out some pretty important facts. He told Dante his adversary was Vergil, which was partially correct. He knew the name would mean nothing to Nero, and so he named him Urizen when speaking to Nero. Why he would make this distinction, I’m not sure. It wouldn’t have impacted anything to tell Nero Urizen’s name was Vergil from the start.

In regards to Urizen and Vergil, I think another thing that I should discuss is his motive. Was V planning to re-merge with Urizen? Was he planning to defeat Urizen? In my personal interpretation, I think merging with Urizen again was not his initial intention. So what changed?

When he tells Trish the story of his birth, you can tell he’s sincere. He’s being genuine and open and vulnerable. He is truly regretful for the things that Vergil had done and wanted to set things right by taking down Urizen. He’s guilt-ridden, and it’s clear in his voice. I do think he told Trish his origins in particular because she looked like Eva. Vergil’s mother. The memories V was in possession of. When he tells her, she basically brushes him off and tells him that it’s his own problem. To hear that from someone who reminds you of your late mother must have hurt. To add insult to injury, my friend pointed something else out: that must’ve drove home the fact that no one cared about V. When he says he’s glad Lady’s okay, she responds “You too, I guess.” Now, I get it. This stranger you know nothing about is kind of shady. But to add the “I guess” on is sort of... well, it’s rude, in my opinion. Then again, I’m southern, and manners are a huge thing here. And when Trish also shows that she’s not personally involved with V, it must’ve made him realize that oh right. They don’t care about him. They’re only working with him because he’s paying them. What happens to him or what he feels doesn’t matter to them.

So when Trish tells him “You need to see this through,” I think that’s when his goal changed from “I need to take down Urizen” to “I need to take down Dante.” He wasn’t seeing his goal as V through anymore. He was seeing his goal as Vergil through. That moment is when he decided to merge with Urizen, even though he didn’t originally plan to do that. I think he really was ready to bring down Urizen and save Redgrave City, even if it meant he died.

Now that I’ve talked about that, let’s talk about his personality in regards to how I write him.

When I write for V, I always write during the point of the story that he wants to save Redgrave. So basically I write V as he is before mission 12. Whether or not he’s a part of Vergil or his own person doesn’t come into play with his personality, as it only effects his motivations. V is polite, that much is certain. He tells Lady that he’s glad she’s okay, he specifically picks up a piece of Geryon for Nico without her asking him to, he doesn’t fuss when Dante tells him to turn back, among some other examples if I thought a little more about it.

He’s kind, but not too kind. He would willingly sacrifice his health to help the people of Redgrave. At the same time, he doesn’t have qualms about acquiring money (or clothes, according to the new Visions of V chapter) by unsavory means. He’s most definitely an “ends justify the means” sort of person, as he strung along Dante and Nero with just a bit of manipulation, although his intentions were good at the time.

Above all, being someone’s concentrated humanity, I think V feels his emotions very strongly. He may not know how to process them, but he’s the most open about what he’s feeling.

#devil may cry 5 #devil may cry #v dmc #dmc v #v (dmc) #musings #I'm almost done with the next request. It's not long by any means but I got SO HUNG UP ON IT #writer's block hit me SO HARD #and it was a double whammy of being overworked for the past week #ANYWAY here's this #I have so many feelings about V