#i wish. i wish. i wish. i wish we had more details about vergil. i really really do. i would very much like to know more about him-

[deviltriggerdante]

i'm in the middle of doing something else right now + i don't normally make posts like this so this is going to be pretty poorly put together, but..

re:dmc1 novel, is gilver actually supposed to be vergil? i personally always assumed he was (+ and was therefore responsible for the resulting massacres etc.) until i last reread a few days ago:

for those unaware: the DMC1 novel mainly features demons that inhibit the corpses of dead humans. there are some instances of demons that don't possess any corpses which are described as "scythe-swinging shadows", but the main focus are the possessed corpses.

“Humanity was born a race of our slaves.” Gilver pressed harder on his weapon, and a thin stream of red blood rolled down Grue's neck. “Inhabiting the corpses taxes our strength and limits our numbers. But soon we will be able to migrate to this plane in our own prepared bodies.” (pg. 120)

The bandaged man [Gilver] radiated an aura of decay. (pg. 149)

however, dante does mention that gilver "doesn't smell like" the other demons. i left in the rest of the lines in mainly because i found gilver's characterization and dialogue here interesting:

“What are you, man? You don't smell like those other things.” “You don't need to know. In any case, I'm going to crush you.” Dante shrugged. “That's a fitting line for a villain.” “Your absurd labels are meaningless.” Gilver cackled behind his bandages. “The victor will be called the hero by future generations. Arguing about good and evil is pointless.” (pg. 172)

addt. gilver repeatedly separates himself from not only humans, but also dante:

“Do you have any questions, Dante? You have treacherous blood in you.” (pg. 172)

[...] Gilver finally pronounced. “You have our blood coursing through your veins. You're the mongrel half-breed offspring of a human and a demon. And you betrayed our side.” (pg. 173)

“This is your world,” he finally said. “Yes. The demon world is replacing yours. It will spread out from this nexus until finally everything is consumed.” Gilver hefted his sword, seemingly recovered from Dante's last attack. “This place is a cancerous blight to incomplete souls like you. [...] (pg. 180-181)

..... which is interesting, because throughout all of the novel dante has had trouble existing for any amount of time in the demon realm. whatever amount of devil blood in him doesn't help him and he struggles to stay awake and fight, even at the barrier between the two worlds. that said, gilver very obviously has access to some amount of demon power, mainly as shown through their battle in which he dons his.. demon armour lol

there are multiple other things that i didn't feel like touching upon right now, and the biggest issue is that... this is goikeda and kamiya's vision, not itsuno's. so it's possible that this IS actually vergil as the two wanted to write him, but considering this takes place just before DMC1.. it really could be possible that vergil's just been something considered dead, right?

... or maybe it is vergil and he just has blood on his hands and wanted dante to suffer, like i initially assumed. if anyone has any opinions or disagrees with me, please feel free to say as much :P i'd really like to analyze this book more and try to relate it to other DMC lore but it really is pretty difficult with how much has been retconned throughout the franchise. thanks for reading!

[ladynamida]

Devil May Cry: Vergil's Clothes

Warning: self-indulgent headcanons and rambling to follow. Tw for very brief mentions of violence against children (this is Vergil we're talking about here and I don't think he's had a good time).

I'm thinking again about how Vergil is wrapped in so many layers of clothes. Yes Vergil being so gussied up is an aesthetic treat but why is he like this?

On that day, the day of the fire, he was attacked, stabbed to within an inch of his life and turfed out of his home - and his family, or so he thought - wearing a shirt, shorts and boots. Suitable for a life on the run and on the streets it was not. It makes sense that once he was able he would dress in sturdier clothes for travelling, fighting demons and inclement weather alike.

We don't know the details of Vergil's later childhood years but I don't think the DMC universe is so different to ours that we should assume it is different than for real vulnerable street children. (Barring the eternal threat of demons hunting the blood of Sparda - but the parallels between them and real human traffickers and perpetrators of violence - physical, mental or sexual - against children are a whole other matter to consider.)

There was some information saying he was raised in isolation or in hell but I don't think that was confirmed as canon and still lacks any kind of detail. So how did young Vergil survive? Was he taken in? It strikes me that kind of situation may not have lasted long if he was hunted... Did he find sympathisers willing to support him?... Did he steal?... Did the mighty Son of Sparda have to beg for socks and bread? What a treasure trove of humiliating memories for such a proud and haughty man, pre-packaged and ready to be used against him by anyone wishing to cause him pain (looking at you Mundus). Somehow I doubt he immediately learned how to glamour-up a new outfit a la Trish's technique without guidance but it would have been helpful.

When we see Vergil in DMC3 he is dressed for the party: that beautiful, vivid blue battle coat with its gold lining and thorns/vine motif, the snakeskin trousers and belt combo, the boots and of course the infamous ascot scarf...

However he got them, to me it feels like a statement. "I'm not hiding any more." Chin jutted out, frown between brows, you can see me and I am untouchable. You have shown me no mercy, see how strong and unforgiving I am now. Who is that message for... the demonic legions hunting him or the scared little boy who had to grow up too quickly? Denial (like many behaviours) can be a useful emotional self-defence mechanism until it takes you too far down a dangerous path and reality catches up with you.

... and despite the overt flair and flamboyance if you look past the jewel colours he's pretty well wrapped - especially if you compare his outfit with Dante's. I know I know, in his defence Dante was rudely interrupted by Arkham's invitation and jumped right into action, but even so their clothes mimic their mannerisms. Vergil's? Stoic. Upright. Inviolable. Closed off. Separate. Alone. Lonely?

We know what "clothes" Vergil wears next. Armour: dark, constricting, binding, hopeless. Eventual escape - but not rescue.

So now imagine surviving the unsurvivable only to find yourself crumbling apart from the inside, knowing no matter how many cloaks or rags you wear you can't hide this time when the monster is inside your skin. A time to mourn then, the colours muted, darker, but an attempt to reclaim "oneself" - whatever that looks like after being torn apart. The thorns return and his own colour, but not the sparkling blues that almost glowed in the darkness of Temen Ni Gru. Perhaps a more grown up outfit for a man who didn't really live through all of the years he has been alive but survived them none-the-less. Scars, tattered coat-tails and all.

V. V, V, V... who didn't initially choose the outfit he wore but seemed to choose to keep wearing it despite spending a month surrounded by abandoned clothes stores or at least homes. Surely he could have pilfered some more sensible or logical devil hunting threads, unless he felt he didn't need to. Metaphorically cloaked by the support of his nightmares, maybe? (Or maybe he felt like your average run-of-the-mill demons wouldn't be as interested in getting their claws into him - and besides, what could they possibly do to him that hadn't been done before?) Dangerous bravado for someone so physically weak, a reminder of whom he came from.

Urizen, containing Vergil's lust for power and propped up by the skills he valued at the time of his Yamato-induced schism - power and strength, physical and demonic. In self preservation and to become stronger he armoured himself with the Qliphoth tendrils and used them to take the blood of human innocents. Take, take, take. Why shouldn't he take when so much has been taken from him? His outermost armour and shield, the faithful friend he carried and was protected by throughout those formative childhood years - Yamato. He eats the Fruit and sheds the armour - why would it be necessary now? Again, he feels untouchable, unbreakable, strong (using his own somewhat limited definition of the term). He loses of course because he is incomplete - V had strength too though it manifested in different ways. The strength to overcome, the strength to do whatever it takes to survive and the strength to ask for help (although perhaps that is debatable, since he acted at times as though he thought he was in control and manipulating those foolish enough to help him).

Even after reforming as Vergil and meeting Dante atop the Qliphoth nothing seems to have changed. Of course we know from Visions of V that a lot has changed. The way Vergil feels is laid bare for us to see and Vergil regains some parts of himself that he lost all of those years ago... not only that day but throughout the following years where his only option was to survive.

But no open-necked Henley, no forearms on show, still wrapped in those layers. Another armoured vest (sleeveless?) zipped and buttoned to within an inch of his life (and chin - those animations don't exactly make it look comfortable). The other devil hunters in the series seem much happier casually flashing their skin - midriff, cleavage, abs and ass cheeks aplenty - so what makes Vergil any different, other than his antagonist status? (Maybe I'm thinking too deeply and it's purely fan-service.)

So, still looking for protection, still hiding, still afraid of appearing (or being) anything other than untouchable? Still protecting his vulnerable core from anyone or anything that would harm him?

Recovery from trauma is an ongoing process, not something that can be "fixed" within the scope of a game, or a year, or a decade, nor can people be "fixed" to become the same person they once were. But people can grow and become something more and find life worth living again. So maybe one day we'll get to see all three descendants of Sparda with their coats on the ground and hearts on their sleeves, sparring for fun as a family.

Tldr: something something a self-defence mechanism against the entire world something

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

If you made it to the bottom of this self-indulgent ramble then kudos to you! So many thoughts, so difficult to articulate and so few words... and there are so many tangents I could go off on but I won't since we somehow made it to a conclusion. Sometimes you've just got to let it out 🎶

[hyperfixatinglove]

how about The Man, Cornelia Street and Daylight for Jesse? -ofloveandknights

@totallynotgayforyou Just bc you love Jesse too so maybe you appreciate my ramble

The Man:What strengthens your f/o in your opinion? What do they believe strengthens you?

Jesse seems to value physical prowess above all. His starting point is quite normal man with metal gauntlet and few firearms. He seems to favor punching vampires too.

He dismisses intelligence and knowledge and calls official paperworkers as "pencil pushers".

He seems to trust fellow Institute member Edgar, to guard his back and provide backup from time to time. Therefore comrades and people he trusts are most likely things that strengthen him.

I think him seeing his own country when travelling could be another point for him, riding on horseback for hours through towns and wilderness must be tiring otherwise.

Cornelia Street:Do you and your f/o live together? If so, what is your domestic life like? If not, what would it be like if you moved in together?

I haven't actually thought about this yet!

In canon Jesse lived in grand mansion, with big & long entrance (it had even fountain!), the house had intimidating elegance to it, huge pillars and expensive taste in furniture. Clearly the Institute had made his family rich & privileged, but it is also mentioned Jesse's family was all that before Institute (at least I think so).

For him to suddenly lose his home & almost every comrade he had must've been huge shock. It would most likely take years to restore even fraction of that same wealth, and the question is, would Jesse even do that?

To me he doesn't seem someone who enjoys massive mansions and servants. He just goes out in the world to do dirty work. He might've grown up in place like that and even then he certainly wasn't sheltered, as he himself says he has hunted vampires since he was 10, so I doubt he had privileged childhood after he hit 10, possibly even before that. We are not given details how William Rentier trained Jesse.

In the game, I'm not even sure where he sleeps! Does he have his own room? Actually he most likely has a room, either in the upstairs of the bar or where-ever Emilia and Vergil sleep. My s/i would also have a room, maybe close to Jesse's own? They'd stay late with one lamp lit to wait him back.

I think Jesse, in time, would move in a mansion, not only to restore some of the dignity he lost, but I'm certain he promised his father, when he died or when Jesse mercy killed him, to fight tirelessly so his sacrifice wouldn't be in vain, so his comrades lives would mean something.

And also to have bit of privacy.

It wouldn't be as grand as where he and his father lived, but still mansion. Tad out of the way of hustle and bustle of Calico, but close enough so he can go to check up on Vergil and others. He'd never be pencil pusher, so he'd stay on the field as long as he can. I think Jesse would internalize what Edgar said to him, that there's no normal for him. I don't think he dares to even think of domestic life with someone, with all the mayhem and brutality of his job. He thinks it's more likely he dies during one of his missions.

But I'm not sure yet what role my s/i would serve in Institute, thus I'm bit hesitant to imagine domestic life with Jesse.

But if my s/i moved in, I think they'd be alone a lot, as Jesse is out in the field. He'd come for few days, exhausted but smiling, glad to be home and crash on bed, hum as my s/i would pet him quietly and he'd be out like a light. He'd be pampered on, though, with meals and whatever he enjoys out the field. I'm not done headcanoning Jesse's interests yet. But I definitely will play up to the fact he's canonically a rebel against his father, so something he would not wish him to like.

Daylight: How has your relationship with your f/o changed your opinion of love? How has their relationship with you changed their opinion of love?

Jesse never knew mother's love, or by very least he doesn't remember her or her love, since he lost his mother in early age, after which his father forced him to train to become vampire hunter. He seems outright baffled by simple physical affection his father gives him after he gets temporary "cure" for his vampirism.

Look at him! He looks like he hasn't received a ton of love nor affection! Furthermore, what we can see from his relationship with his father seems very strained, as his father does not listen to him when he insists Edgar, his partner in hunting, is family. I think William raised Jesse to yield to him and I think Jesse resents this fact and his father to extend. He also rebellious side, which unfortunately does not get demonstrated.

All this in mind, I don't think Jesse has any positive ideas of love nor affection. Yeah, he teases Edgar about giving him flowers and asks if Edgar would kiss him next (Jesse's not straight ok, at least bi king) but I truly do not think he considers things like marriage or romantic partner.

Perhaps he feels he can never have it, with him being so busy. Maybe he fears his partner will die like his mother did. Marriage and love are normal things, things he can't have, due to his profession. Once again like Edgar said, there is no normal for people like him & Jesse.

Then there's the other side, the flip side of things. Who would continue the Rentier Institute if Jesse's gone? Would he appoint someone else & the name stays as legacy? Would Jesse feel obligated or worse, forced into having an heir in loveless marriage?

I don't think he'd adopt either.

Jesse was baffled, at first, when my s/i was around him. Smiles, hugs, pats, the overwhelming affection he gets is something he has hard time adjusting to and wrapping his head around. He's waiting someone to pull a rug underneath him. Someone who listens when he talks about something other than hunting ticks, even if those words and ideas aren't most elegant nor eloquent nor most groundbreaking nor most intelligent. He would feel, odd, being heard and openly loved.

It would take months by the very least for him to give it back, in little steps. Start in smiles and smirks and low chuckles my s/i misses, evolving in pats on shoulder and crude jokes, culminating in something else like hugs and him being so open someone like Emilia would be surprised to see Jesse that way.

Jesse would by the very least see love as something precious, not just as something that hurts you. Not just something that causes you grief down the line. I don't think he ever saw love as weakness.

[vetrenar]

Hell yeah, I’m back! Or, more precisely, we: I and “Promises and requests”, second chapter!

For ones who find it by chance, you can read the first chapter here. So… Jackpot!

No big actions, just a dumbass of uncle and an angrybird of nephew continue their respective adjustment to the situation, during which Nero gets back some of his equipment and Dante fills some white spots on the mental map that his brother and nephew are. Unsurprisingly, some of these discoveries are hard to swallow, but... Well, it's nothing new for the Sparda bloodline.

"I need to go to Fortuna," Nero says.

Dante looks at him over the pages of the magazine. The kid is sitting on the floor, numerous parts of the revolver are laid out on a piece of cloth in front of him like some kind of fancy Lego constructor, badass world edition. This, as Dante already knows, is his favorite way to pass the time. Nero turned out to be more than a decent shooter, but his weapon spends much more time being disassembled than actually working, and when Nero really tries it, he usually takes a shot or two, and then swears and returns to his attempts to create his Masterpiece. Dante would crack a joke about dangers of obsession with perfectionism, but he still remember Nell’s complains about his habits of destroying one gun after another, trying to fire them with inhuman speed. At least the kid has decency and skills to works at his weapon by himself, without dragging other people into the mess.

Yesterday marked a week since Nero crossed the doors of "Devil May Cry" for the first time. It was a strange time for Dante. He too used to live alone; it's just weird to hear someone else's footsteps in the next room, or notice that someone has moved books from place to place, or, stepping into the kitchen in the morning, to find there, in addition to the pizza leftovers from yesterday, half a serving of scrambled eggs left in the pan. Weird but not burdensome. Vergil turned out to be right: Nero is an exceptionally mature and sensible kid. And while his obsession with cleanliness is no match for Patty's, still, in just a couple of days, "Devil May Cry" was completely stripped of many its vital decorations, such as cobwebs in the corners and a mysteriously musty atmosphere. Dante watched these changes with cautious apprehension, but the kid had not yet encroached on his magazines and creative chaos on the table, so the legendary demon hunter allowed him to be.

(He, however, mentally drew a line here, preparing to defend it with his life if necessary. Even inherited OCD must have some borders.)

Otherwise, they gradually began to develop a routine for themselves. Nero cooks, cleans, reads books and reassembles his revolver. Dante sleeps, flips through magazines and orders pizza. For better or worse, he only had a single gig in the past week, and this one was in the dead of night, so he didn't have to worry too much about the Vergil’s ghost haunting him for leaving his son unattended.

Though… When he returned in the early morning, all covered with demonic sludge and gore, Nero was just preparing breakfast. Dante caught his gaze - attentive, appraising, taking in even the smallest details. He expected questions or demands to go on the next hunt together. But in the end, neither followed.

And that was it. In the week Nero spent in the shop, they never really talked. Oh, they spoke, that's for sure - and Dante enjoyed every minute of it, because, having a not-to-bad sense of dry humor, Nero just wasn’t able to accept a joke at his experience - but none of their conversations touched anything deeper than the choice of pizza toppings. Everything else - questions, doubts, inner thoughts and wishes – was up in the air, but never in the words.

It isn't like he doesn't know how to behave with kids in general. After Patty, the official rating of Dante’s child-handling skills was upgraded from "terrible" to "almost satisfactory" (to everyone’s surprise, Dante himself included). He is almost sure that if Nero was some random angsty teenager, they would have found a common ground already. But… The thing is, Nero isn’t a random teenager. He is a family, and family is a monster of a completely different level in Dante’s eyes.

Family always has been something to fight, and grieve, and sting with hurtful words, not talk to. And now, facing a fresh-baked family member, Dante finds himself with no idea on how to proceed farther. Is he supposed to condole the kid? To pretend that everything is fine and give him time to pull himself together? To ask Nero about his childhood (Dante isn’t ashamed to admit to himself that he really, really wants to know what woman made Vergil to lose his pants. Until recently, we was one hundred percent sure that cold-blooded pricks like his brother reproduce by gemmation) or will these questions be too privy?

He doesn’t know. So now, when Nero says something that possibly can be tied with the blank mystery of his past, Dante does the best thing that he can think about: stretches his lips in a lazy smile and gives Nero a friendly, totally unconcerned look:

"’Fortuna’, huh? What is this? Some casino?"

“City.” Nero briefly describes island’s whereabouts and Dante whistles.

"Hah, it's almost half a world from here. Not exactly a morning promenade. What you forgot there, please say?"

"My sword."

This picks Dante’s interest. So far, the only blade he'd seen in the boy's hands had been Yamato, but it was obvious that to Nero, she was more of a token than a weapon to fight. Not like Dante can’t understand him.

"The sword, huh?.. This I like. But couldn't you leave it a little closer?" he waits for an answer in silence and winces a little. "Come on, kid, throw me a bone here. You can't say a half of phrase and leave me hanging in the air!"

Nero frowns, and Dante feels a brief prick in his heart. Somehow, the boy managed to adopt this expression from his father completely, without changing even the slightest detail. However, despite the stern look, Nero still decides to honor him with an answer (what Vergil, if Dante was to bet, would never do):

"We had to leave it there for reparation. The ignition engine broke..."

"Engine? Inside the sword?"

"Yes. It allows to increase the power of the blow..."

What follows is an extremely excited, a little too full of technical details lecture, during which Dante reaches out for a can of beer, opens it and drinks up to half. From time to time, his mind catches individual words like "The Order of the Sword", "demons" and "dislike of firearms" (Undoubtedly, to Vergil's big satisfaction. The damn snob never understood the charms of a good firearm), but the rest flies in one ear and out the other.

At least until the last sentence.

"...and since these hoity-toity purists worship Sparda, they..."

"They WHAT?!" The forgotten can flies to the side, and Dante coughs. Inwardly, he wonders if a half-demon could die choking on beer, but the thought vanishes almost immediately, overwhelmed by more important issues. Outwardly, he probably presented a rather pathetic sight, because Nero looks at him with something akin to concern.

Grunting and somehow gathering himself eventually, Dante stretches out his hands forward:

"... I... okay. Hey, kid. Say it again. They worship demon as a god?"

With a strange expression on his face, Nero nods, and then another lecture follows. This one Dante pays much more attention to.

Finally Nero stops talking, and silence reigns in the room. Not for long, because soon the kid opens his mouth again:

"If everything goes well, then I'll be back in two weeks. It depends on whether there is a suitable ferry..." he pauses, and the fingers of his demonic hand twitch nervously. "Hey, Dante. You can... lend me some money? I don’t have enough for the journey."

(Dante. Nero never called him uncle. Although Dante himself did not find the strength to address his nephew otherwise as "kid".

They really have a long way to go.)

Dante sighs and, deftly kicking the phone into his hand, dials the number.

- Morrison? I'll be away... for a week or maybe two. Don't let Lady blow up the office, okay?..

***

Fortuna turns out to be a strange place that looked as city-sized decorations for some movie about Medieval Ages. Even more impressive is the giant vertical slab in the center of the city, which Nero presented as the sealed Hell Gate. At the sight of this, Dante whistles. Almost immediately, a picture of Vergil comes to his mind, circling around the Gate like a cat around a display case of fish, and he can't help but snicker. Nero turns to look at him with a frown on his face, but doesn't comment. Since their arrival in the city, the kid has been on edge, and it seems that any random breeze can set off an explosion. And while it would certainly be an entertaining sight, Dante decided it would be best to leave him alone.

Dozens of small needles tingle his skin, signifying a demonic presence somewhere on the outskirts of the city. Dante makes a mental note to go there with Nero for some quality family bonding time when the kid will get his sword back.

For now, Nero strides quickly ahead of him with grim determination, barely looking around. Rare passers-by give the two of them condemning looks, but the kid completely ignores them. He only slows down after walking a few blocks. After stories about mechanical swords (and although he remained a firm supporter of the Demon Arms, he couldn’t deny that it sounded cool), Dante expected to see a futuristic factory or at the very least a fantasy smithy, but Nero stops before the small house, so cozy that it would fit straightly into a fairytale. Noticing how Nero looks around uncertainly, Dante silently steps back into the nearest shadow and waves his hand: go. Whatever business the boy had with the inhabitants of this fabulous abode, it would be better not to complicate the situation if it is not necessary.

A melodious voice responds to a knock on the door, and almost immediately a pretty brown-haired woman appears on the threshold. At the sight of Nero, her face instantly brightens.

"Nero!" Wasting no time, she envelops the kid in a warm hug. There is so much genuine warmth in the way she says the name of his nephew that Dante's heart aches with memories and unconcealed jealousy. "Thanks Savior. We were wondering how soon you'd show up." She pulls away, a slight shadow moving across her face. "Kyrie and Credo aren't at home right now. If you wait until tonight..."

"No, no." Nero steps back a little. Dante notices that he holds his demonic arm a little behind himself, not completely hiding it, but as if slightly moving it away from the woman's gaze. "Actually, I've come for the Red Queen. Has she already been repaired? Credo should have left her for me here."

"Red Queen?" thoughtfully, the woman raises her finger to her lips. "Ah, you're talking about your sword... Yes, Credo left it in the garage."

"Good. Can I pick her up?"

"Aren't you staying for dinner?" Genuine disappointment sounds in the woman's voice. "Credo and Kyrie..."

"Yes. I know. Tell them I'm sorry, okay? I'll drop by later."

"...As you say. Just don’t forget: you both are always welcome here. Is Mr. Vergil with you? Give him my best regards."

"...Yeah. Of course."

With these words, Nero follows the woman into the garage next to the house and soon emerges from there with a huge metal case on his back and - unexpectedly - an elegant bouquet in his hand. Without looking back, he leaves. Dante silently emerges from his hiding place in the shadows and, with his hands behind his head, follows him.

Much to his delight, he discovers that Nero is undoubtedly heading towards the source of the demonic presence. Gradually, the houses around them become more and more ramshackle, and the wild vegetation takes more and more place. However, the city still does not end, and Dante decides that it’s a good time to put the end to his vow of silence for today.

"So this is your sword, then?" he looks at the case, which is bigger than Nero by a head. "Looks cool. But can you even handle her? Judging by the size, I’m not sure which one of you will swing whom.”

Not that Dante and the Rebellion at Nero’s age were a better spectacle, but the kid doesn't need to know about it.

"Ha? Don’t be idiot. Of course, I can handle her!" Despite the hasty answer, there is an uncertain note in Nero's voice. And Dante, because that's what annoying uncles do, can't help but go for the hit:

"Yes? And then how did you manage to break her? Poor thing…"

"Ahhh, shut up!" If it wasn't for his burden, the kid probably would have already punch him in the face already. Although Dante got the impression that Nero was more concerned about the safety of the bouquet of flowers than the weight of the case.

For now, deprived of the opportunity to shut up his beloved uncle with a fist, Nero confines himself to throwing lightning at him with a glance.

"This sword was given to me six months ago. It was a training accident. We fought and I revved her too much, and..." he clears his throat with obvious embarrassment. "Well, she had to be left here for repairs and an additional reinforcement"

"Broke the toy on the first day? A way to thank the benefactor."

"At least I got this jerk!.. " Nero trails off abruptly, and in Dante's head, with a dry click, the words "jerk" and "training" come together. It seems that for representatives of at least two generations of Sparda bloodline, this combination could mean only one person.

"...I can't imagine Vergil letting you have a mechanical sword."

(The poor bore must have had a stroke when he saw this marvel of engineering for the first time. And then he probably went off to read a lecture the first knight who came to hand about how much they dishonor the memory of Sparda.)

Nero shrugs.

“It was my birthday. And none of our Demon Arms work with me well. Besides, Credo, who gave me her, has prepared a speech with a list of ten extremely reasoned arguments..."

"Credo, huh?" This is the third time Dante has heard this name and the first time he can understand anything about the identity of this mysterious person. Anyone who could convince Virgil of anything deserved instant admiration in his book, but damn, this guy sounded like a real bore too.

"Yes. He serves in the Order. Kyrie’s brother." Nero's voice changes to unfamiliar, soft tone when he talks about them. "We are childhood friends. Although..." he looks down at his demonic hand and clenches his fist. "Lately, we don't get to see each other often."

They are now on the very outskirts of the city, and only ruined remains of the buildings stand around. Dante can almost hear the demons swarming in the depths of the forest, and he’s tempted to rush headlong there and start kicking asses.

However, Nero goes no further. At one point, he stops and slowly, almost carefully, turns to the nearest remains of the house. These are not much different from the rest: the same pile of time-worn stones and rotten wood. However, when Dante, following Nero, takes a step towards the ruins, he halts in his track. A familiar cold, refreshing aura touches his senses. It is not strong: rather, a little more than an weak echo. But even this echo is enough to make Dante stop and silently watch as Nero, leaving the case lying on the road, goes inside the ruins and kneels down in the middle of it, placing a bouquet on the mossy stone slab.

Several minutes pass in complete silence. With his back turned to him, Dante does not see Nero's face.

He's not sure he wants to see it. He… he is not sure if he ever felt more like outsider.

Finally Nero gets up and returns to the path. His eyes are hidden under strands that have fallen on his face. Bouquet is left inside ruins, and the its bright color contrasts with dirty green-brown of stone and moss. Dante waits for Nero to approach him and then quietly asks:

"What is it?"

"Our house." Nero bends down, picks up the case from the ground, and returns it to his shoulder. “Let’s go. It's time to kick demonic asses."

***

Uncle-nephew bonding time goes well. Of course, demonic bastards are nothing special, but they successfully make up for quality with quantity. Not bad idea, if you ask Dante. Helps to fire up some interest. Chasing his game in the forest thickets, he feels the satisfaction of a professional hunter. Although at some point he is stuck with an existential question: if he is the one who sniffs out prey and the one who kills it, does this make him more of a hunting dog then a hunter?

(Ok, ok. This was terrible. But the devil may have his fan, doesn’t he?)

He finally gets the chance to see Nero in action, and the kid is great, just like Dante expected. His mechanical sword (and Dante would rather eat his tongue than admit it openly, this thing is cooler than some of his Devil Arms. Some. Few.) is still too big and heavy for his age, but the kid handles it with a skill that shows considerable practice. His movements are brash and fearless, and bear little resemblance to his father's mathematic grace. Dante quietly wonders how Vergil allowed such blasphemy to come. Perhaps, Nero's character proved to be an too tough nut to crack even for the twin's snob ego to crack. Firing several shots into the muzzle of demonic scum, Dante cackles: he adores his nephew, and this adoration only intensifies when Dante imagines every aneurysm that the kid caused to his unfortunate dad.

But then the Red Queen gets stuck between the shell plates of one of the demons. With some overload of the engine it could probably be freed, however Nero decides not to risk it. Obviously, psychologic trauma of months of repair is still here. Instead, with a graceful movement, as natural as if he was born with it, the he summons Yamato.

It's good that at this point Dante has already dealt with his share of the demons, because he can take his time standing with his mouth open. And it's not even about the ghostly demonic figure hanging behind the boy. It's about way he moves. It’s still a little off - too jerky, too brash - but that's without a doubt Vergil's fighting style. The same techniques, the same summoned swords, the same impossibly quick slashes that cut through everything in their path, regardless of whether the target is close or far. All the graceful, deadly power that Dante was target of that night on Temen-Ni-Gru, and that he had replayed over and over again in his mind afterward. It's almost surreal to see her here in the middle of the day, in the midst of an almost friendly demon slaying.

Nero, fortunately, does not notice his shock. By the time he cuts the last demonic scum into two neat halves, Dante manages to manages to lift his jaw off the ground. It wouldn’t do good to ruin his ‘cool uncle’ image so quickly.

A short gesture - and Yamato is absorbed by the demonic hand in a blue flash. Nero raises the Red Queen, and they go in search of the next pack of demons. They fight until deep into the evening. The Order of the Sword should be grateful - Dante and Nero cleaned up probably half of their problems. But before Dante has time to approach the nearest knight and demand payment, Nero drags him to the port. Luck is on their side, and they manage to jump on the ferry at the last minute (which almost made the captain's eyes pop out his head. The poor guy is probably not used to people who are able to overcome three meters in one jump).

After everything is discussed and settled they get a small cabin at their disposal. And, after a scarce dinner, Nero cracks.

Sitting on a narrow bunk in their cabin, the kid lowers his head and starts talking. Yamato lies on his lap, and the fingers of the demonic hand fidget with the golden ribbons. Dante listens without interrupting. He already knew some parts of what Nero says. Other parts - suspected. And other parts comes as a complete surprise to him.

Vergil, of course, appeared in Fortuna because of stories about Sparda. Poor dude just couldn’t take a step without chasing after their dad’s shadows. But Fortuna (and, probably, the power of adolescence and suppressed hormones) had more to offer to him than piles of dusty books. In search of information, Vergil met a local librarian. Their acquaintance, started with purely pragmatic considerations at the beginning, gradually became more... intimate, at least for a fleeting period of time before an unavoidable parting. At this point, Nero trails off and, pink as roses, hurries on to the next part of the story. The corner of Dante’s mouth twitches up but he stays silent. It’s not the time and the place and probably even not the right person. The one Dante would love to torment for juicy details isn’t here and he probably never will be.

After the Temen-Ni-Gru fiasco, Vergil did not return to Fortuna immediately. In fact, he wandered around the world for another year before found himself on the island for some reason. And there he met his contact again - and with her, a big news, in form of a white-haired toddler.

At this point, Dante doesn’t manage to restrain himself and snorts. He laments that he would give a lot to see Vergil' face at that moment. Nero squints at him and, after a pause, says in a deadpan tone:

"I remember it even now.”

It takes several minutes for Dante to pull himself together from laughing. Boy, he needed this. Honestly, he would give up on his prized collection of magazines for the chance to just sit here and listen to the stories about his twin being an idiot!

But then Nero continues the story, and there is little room for laughter left in it.

Whatever went through Vergil's head at the sight of his not-quite-ex and mini-him, he stayed in Fortuna. They settled on the outskirts of the city, away from prying eyes. The locals, with the exception of one couple, did not much favor their family, but did not touch them either. The Order of the Sword, on the other hand… at some point they become a little too problematic. However, during the series of completely unrelated events, the Order was engulfed in the inner turmoil, due to which two Sanctuses were replaced and some morals were reestablished. In the end, Vergil’s family was left alone.

(It was Credo who told him about this, Nero added after a pause. Vergil himself did not like to share much about the events of that time)

Their not quite simple, but normal life in Fortuna lasted three years. Then, overnight, everything changed.

Nero doesn't recount these events in details. But Dante doesn't need them. Closing his eyes, he can see it just before him - a house on fire, the screeches of demons, a female figure lying like a broken doll in a pool of blood. The same picture, cruelly replicated fifteen years later after the first. The only difference is that this time only one of the twins witnessed it, while the other was happily spending his time and money in the "Love Planet" treating himself after lucky gigs.

"Foolishness, Dante. Foolishness," a deep, nasal voice whispers to him. "Without power, you can't protect anything."

Force Edge still hangs in his office, in a place of honor behind his chair. Dante didn't let Vergil take it. After all, who would entrust such a powerful weapon to the power-obsessed bastard who has no regards for human life? Who knows what idiotic purpose he will decide to use it for?..

Dante's nails cut into the skin so hard that drops of blood fall on the floorboards. Nero doesn't notice.

"Since that day my arm has changed," he says almost casually and continues the story.

After that, they were constantly on the move. From place to place without staying in any city for more than a couple of months. Fortuna remained the only somewhat stable point on their path. Nero wasn't sure why. Perhaps Vergil never managed to completely leave behind the place that became the home of his family. Perhaps he did not want to deprive Nero of it. In any case, from time to time they continued to visit the city, usually going to friends of Nero's mother. The children of this family - the forementioned Credo and Kyrie - remained few of the constant figures in his life.

Here Nero stops and, after short hesitation, adds:

"Actually, when we met, I was on my way to Fortuna."

Dante raises an eyebrow.

"What, you decided not to heed the words of your dear daddy and go to your beloved uncle?"

"After the description he gave to you?" Nero snorts. "No way! Only a moron would agree to go to ‘a lazy, incompetent, pizza-obsessed idiot who has no idea about self-control, acceptable behavior and responsibility...’"

"Ouch" Dante hopes that, regardless on which plane of the universe Virgil resides, he sneezes like crazy now. Because until Dante raises another hellish dark tower in the middle of the city, he will continue to consider himself the responsible twin, thank you very much. "So we ran into each other purely by chance? Okay, I guess that mission was worth something after all."

"I... tried to look for him. After he... after I was left alone. I looked around the forest…"

"Ah." Dante tries to keep his tone as neutral as possible. "And how? Found anything?"

Without taking his eyes off Yamato, Nero shakes his head.

"Only ashes and dried blood."

"Disappeared, then. Sounds like him. The last time he decided to go AWOL on me, it took him fourteen years, and in the end he sent a little kid instead of himself." Dante rubs his forehead with his palm and squints at the Nero. "Cheep up, kid! You’ll see, in another dozen years he will show up, maybe even with new relative in tow. Do you want a brother or sister?"

Nero snorts.

"Very funny," he grumbles. Dante shrugs.

"Funny or not, this is the truth of life. Well, until he decides to show his sorry hide again, you’re stuck with me. So we have a plenty of time to prepare a suitable greeting for him. Hm… Maybe we can record our duet performing "Hey, asshole!" and put it as melody for my Jukebox?"

Nero freezes. He sits like this for a very long time without taking his eyes off Yamato, and then raises his eyes. Very slowly, his lips curl up a little.

"Make sure that it sill have a violin arrangement."

Dante answers with his most radiant smile. And then, after finally working up his nerve, he reaches out and quickly ruffles the kid's hair.

"Exactly."

Nero snorts again, but his expression is a little more relaxed now. Dante hopes it stays that way.

‘Verge. I don’t know if you will ever be able to forgive me. I don’t know if I will ever be able to forgive myself. I can understand why you decided not to trust me with Nero’s existence until now. I will even understand if one day you really will show in the doors of my shop demanding for your kid and Yamato. Actually, I even hope that you will do that, just to see how the kid drop-kicks you in the face.

But… if… if the grandiose return isn’t really on your schedule right now… Then… Rest, brother. Rest peacefully. I'll look after him. You know, I may be an idiot. But I swear it: there is no chance that I will let the kid down.’

…To be continued.

Some explanations, rambling and headcanons:

1. I. Need. More. POWER! …or, actually, I need to expand my vocabulary. While I finally can read the story I didn’t found among other DMC fanfiction and see my headcanons come to life, it doesn’t quite come out the way I want it to be. From my point of view, it isn’t bad, but... it could be better. Writing in English is hard and too often I feel myself handcuffed – these is so many things I would wanted to say but too often I can’t find THE right word and expression. Damn.

In any case, if you find mistakes/feel that some parts could be phrased better, can you let me know?

Also, your commentaries are the MOTIVATION itself. Thank you for your praises of the first chapter!

2. There were no way that I will leave Nero without Kyrie. They are just too cute together, though Kyrie probably will have even less of screentime here than in DMC5..

3. Yeah, I’m wish only happiness to my favorite characters… That’s why for this fic I added to Vergil’s canonic trauma a new level… Well, he at least he has Nero… had. Well, authors of "hurt-comfort" fics always are kind, especially, you know, to their favorite characters.

4. Canonically, parents of Kyrie and Credo were killed by failed subjects of Ascension ceremony. But here Vergil from the very beginning made sure that this shit won’t go farther, so I can let them live, yeah! I feel that this fic has enough angst already, so there is no point to kill them too.

[ssson-of-sparda]

Fathers Do Cry (DMC Vergil one shot)

Summary: Vergil remembers his last Father's Day with Sparda and doesn't really realise how similar to him he has become.

Tags: Father's Day special / DADGIL! / Vergil acting like a dad to Nero

Author’s note: I woke up this morning suddenly inspired. Doesn't happen very often so enjoy ;) ps: I just love Dadgil!

***

His big blue eyes staring without blinking, the child was observing his father sitting by the fireplace in the parlour. Full of admiration, he was detailing all the features of his serious face, all the details of his confident posture and all the different luxurious fabrics that made his purple finery and as he did, he repeated to himself, wished, prayed, that someday, one day, he would grow up to be just like him.          “Aren’t you going to speak, Vergil?” The father’s powerful voice asked as he finally acknowledged the boy’s presence with a small amused smile, wondering what brilliant thoughts were occupying his eldest son’s sharp mind this time.            “I made this for you, father.” With a solemnity that didn’t suit a five-years-old but that somehow fitted Vergil’s young yet wise spirit and his will to be perfect son in the eyes of Sparda, the boy handed a paper sheet to his father.         “ And what would that be?” The man said as he took his son’s gift. “It’s father’s day so … I made you a poem… or tried to.” The adorable embarrassment tensing the child’s traits in funny grimaces made the father's smile wider but Vergil, suddenly too preoccupied with the blue paint stuck under his fingernails, didn’t notice it as he didn’t notice the paternal pride and the love shining in his eyes.               “I thought your mother wanted you and your brother to make a gift together this year.” “ You know Dante” Vergil sighed. “He has no artistic talent whatsoever. He wanted to make you a wooden sword to play with us.”    “ That’s actually a very good idea.”  Vergil frowned; suddenly worried that Sparda would not like his gift and preferred Dante’s – if he had made one of course. “Except when the sword looks like two twigs glued together. You should have seen this, father. It looked ri.di.cu.lous.” Sparda laughed at his son’s attitude, finding amusement in this sibling rivalry. “Why don’t you read me your poem then?”              “ I learnt it by heart actually. The paper is for you to remember this day by … and also because I wanted to illustrate it. Look.” Vergil approached his father, seized the poem from his big hands and climbed on his lap to show him the delicate aquarelle he had painted around the lines. “Impressive. Did your mother help you with this?” Vergil shook his head. “No, I did it on my own. I used a book I saw in that old man’s house I often go to as a reference.”       “ The old academic that lives down the hill? I thought you found him boring.” Vergil shook his head again, furiously this time and with a serious frown. “That’s Dante. Me, I really like him. He teaches me a lot of things. And he has lots of books. It’s incredible.”

Sparda ruffled his son’s silver hair whose hairdo was always made in order to somehow mimic his, thinking what a promising young boy Vergil was. Maybe more promising than Dante to be honest – though he knew he shouldn’t think that.   But there was something that Vergil had that Dante lacked. Perhaps rationality beyond his age … or some kind of maturity … wisdom maybe? He couldn’t really pinpoint what it was exactly. All he knew is that it was something unique and special, just like his son, something that made Sparda certain that one day his eldest would grow up to be a great man, a man greater than him, a man worthy of the Yamato and capable of handling its burdening power.

“Can I recite my poem now?” Sparda smiled at the sparkle in Vergil’s eyes. “Sure.” The boy quickly took back his previous position in front his father, cleared his throat, put his hands behind his back and stuck out his chest.

Sparda listened to every word, fascinated and amazed by his little one’s talent and profoundly moved by all the love, all the meticulousness and the time he put in each line and in each word. “Oh Vergil. The world is not yet ready for someone like you.” The father said as he let a tear roll down his cheek. “Why are you crying, father?” Vergil worried. “Because fathers cry, my son.”

That day was the last time Vergil truly celebrated Father’s day for a few weeks later he had no father, no one to make poems to, no one to admire by the fireplace. Just a memory that he feared would sooner or later fade but that he would cling to dearly for as long as he could.

“Why don’t we bring flowers to Daddy’s statue in the park today?” Eva asked when Vergil was six, when Vergil was seven, when Vergil was eight only to be welcome by a heavy silence that was no longer hiding brilliant thoughts but a painful sadness. But each time he did as Eva suggested, maybe more for her than for him, maybe because he still loved and admired Sparda even if he had left him, maybe because he thought that his father might see him and smile from wherever he was now, the same way he had smiled when he had read him his poem on his last father’s day.

And that’s certainly why, more than three decades later, he was back in this park, on this very special day with a bouquet of purple peonies he had bought on his way here and a memory that never faded. A memory he could still recite.

"Whether the sun shines or the sky cries,                 Whether the day breaks or the night wakes,       My father always as a rampart stands Protecting my house with his bare hands.

He is strong, he is brave                 And the day he always saves.     A knight in cockroach armor     To scare my terror away."

Vergil scoffed at the lines, at the way they rolled off his tongue, finding them funny and childish and not worthy of a Blake or a Fielding at all unlike what he thought when he wrote them as a child. The over-confidence of youth probably.

“Did you just come up with that?” Vergil turned around to see Nero walking towards him with a smirk. A surprise but not a bad one. “Cause the rhyming sucks a little. I expected more of you.”                “ And I suppose you’re an expert in poetry now?”         “ I may read have read one of your books.” He said as he tapped the pocket of his marine blue coat hiding Vergil's most sacred book with pride. “You still have it I see.”     “Hey! It’s a real page turner! Can’t get my nose out of it.” Vergil had a crooked smile, understanding perfectly what his son meant.

Son? Even a year after this reveal he still couldn’t believe this boy before him, the one he had lived such a terrifying yet incredible adventure with, was his own flesh and blood.

A sigh almost escaped Vergil’s lips. How did he make such a fine young man? Someone so selfless, so generous, so loving when he was nothing like that.              “ What are you doing here, Nero?” He asked, trying not to think more about this.      “ Well it’s father’s day, no? So … I made you something… or tried to.” The embarrassed grimace Nero suddenly made made Vergil’s smile grew larger but Nero, too worried to keep the gift covered with the pieces of newspapers he had taped together, didn’t see it as he didn’t see the paternal pride and the love shining in his father’s blue eyes. The same paternal pride Sparda had displayed when Vergil was a little child with a small paper in his hands.  “Thank you Nero.” The man said as he gently took the present from his son's hands, wondering what it was even though the long shape didn’t leave much place for imagination.

He cautiously unwrapped the thing, already feeling a happiness he hadn’t felt in years warming his heart. And when he saw a katana-like wooden sword that purposely looked like Yamato he couldn’t help but smile and let a tiny drop of water blur his blue eyes. “It was Dante’s idea. Though he might have suggested gluing two sticks together.” Nero said as he scratched his head. “It looks amazing.” Vergil’s honesty was like a knife in Nero’s chest but in a good way. It was as if all the stress and all the stupid fear he had felt while making this toy sword had been stabbed away. He felt relieved, joyful even that his always so stern father was genuinely grateful and seemed to appreciate his gift. “That way, you won’t have to tear my arm apart again cause look, you have two now.” Nero tried to joke but his words just erased the smile on Vergil’s face.

“There is not a single day I don't regret what I did to you.” This was Vergil’s way to say he was sorry. Nero was certain of it. He didn’t need to know his father that well to know it. After all, he was somewhat the same. “Hey, it’s in the past. Plus it grew back, so no harm done.” He winked, trying to ease the atmosphere with a bad pun worthy of Dante even though there was a time he would have ripped Vergil’s chest open for what he had done. And a part of him knew he would never forget and maybe never fully forgive what happened.               But right now he was just happy to have a family, to have a father and to finally be able to celebrate a day he has so long hated.  “ This world doesn’t deserve you, son.” Vergil solemnly declared. He had never called Nero that way and that name felt strange yet beautiful to both of them. It made the son and the father smile in ways they never thought they would smile at each other. “ Damn, are you crying old man? I thought devils never cry.” Nero suddenly harrumphed when he finally noticed the water growing in his father's eyes.                   “ Well, fathers do cry." Vergil declared as he allowed a tear of joy and pride to fall along his pale cheek. The first in a very very long time but one he will never regret or brush away. "Father do cry.” He repeated with a glance at the statue of his father behind him.

[rodeoxqueen]

Hi! I love your work and I want to make a request if they're are open, how the boys would react with a s/o that has Scarlett Witch(Wanda Maximoff) powers. If you don't want to write about it feel free to ignore and I apologize if I made some mistakes, english is not my first language

Howdy,

Thank you for liking my work. How could I refuse such a good idea? Your English is just dandy, no need to apologize. 

Yours,

Rodeo

Dante 

He’s so giddy that his S/O has powers. 

“Can you read my mind? What am I thinking of right now?” 

“You’re thinking of how nice my butt looks when I wear those black jeans.” 

“Holy crap! Your powers are awesome!” 

“I didn’t have to use my powers to know you were thinking that.” 

He will ask you to get stuff with your telekinesis. Sometimes it’s the remote, sometimes it’s to hand him a beer and a slice of pizza. 

He likes that both of you and him have red eyes when your powers are triggered. 

“Look, we’re twinning.” 

When you spar, you’re definitely more long-range and indirectly offensive. With Dante, you learn to be more head-on and willing to land physical strikes. With you, Dante learns to use his brain more by predicting the moves of more strategic and less brute-forced foes. 

On the actual battlefield, Dante always stays close to you to make sure you can maintain a close focus on your powers and not get jumped by demons. That being said, you also make sure that Dante can get to harder to travel places by using your powers to move him there. 

Dante does so many stunts with your help. You have in fact launched him to the atmosphere with your powers before. He came back down like a meteor. 

You guys don’t really feel the need to use your psychic bond to talk to each other in your heads. Dante blurts out everything he’s thinking anyway. 

Although you easily use your powers to make other people see things and to take their memories, he knows you won’t do for sadism and he thinks it’s awesome. 

The Scarlet Witch and The Red Devil. Match made in Hell. 

Vergil 

Vergil is attracted to you, for you. But these powers? Are a lovely touch to an already perfect individual.

The two of you discuss your abilities often. 

If you can make a doppelganger of yourself with your mental illusions, Vergil will be very proud. 

He always feels the need to improve his strength and durability, training with his beloved is a must. You throw objects at him and make illusions, he cuts them and solves your mind games. 

Vergil has had a history of being manipulated with his mind and body. (Mundus, you a dead man when I find you). He is slightly intimidated by the omnipotent nature of your powers. His growth is in learning that just because you have the powers to do bad, doesn’t mean you have to use them for evil. 

You guide him in strengthening his mind from being corrupted. Imagine the two of you sharing a psychic bond and floating in the air. 

The day Vergil lets you in his mind, you immediately burst into tears. Your lover’s been through a lot, hasn’t he? He trusts you so much, more than anyone before. 

He admires seeing you, scarlet eyes glowing and hands lit with energy. It’s like you radiate pure power. After a fight, your eyes still have a slight sheen of red. He has a habit of kissing your eyelids. 

When you fight, you find yourself dwarfed by Vergil’s protective shadow over you. 

Both of you require a lot of control when you fight, Vergil is precise in cuts and strikes and your hand motions must be detailed for a specific outcome. It’s a relatable thing for you two. 

“My Scarlet Witch, we will inherit the earth.” 

“Okay, but can we get lunch first?” 

“Very well.” 

The Scarlet Witch and The Dark Slayer, red and blue. It’s iconic. 

V 

He himself has very nice hands. But he prefers to look at yours, moving about like a puppeteer commanding whatever you wish. He gives you a few of his rings and smirks at the sight of you raising hell with them on. 

While he depends on familiars and his own physical endurance, you depend on your own mental strength. Separate disciplines that still get along. 

V is fascinated with how you can move things and either mold or break the glass walls of the human mind. 

Sometimes, you use your mind to make illusions for V’s requests. Often you spend your time together recreating scenes from V’s favorite poems. 

V is not too strong in the physical sense, the fact that you are just as strong mentally as Dante is brutal gives him relief that it isn’t all about brute physical strength. 

V is rather fond of listening to you talk about what you can do and how you do it. He is a bit jealous and if he is capable, you could teach him a little of what you know. 

He rarely wishes for you to exceed your usual abilities, but he stares in awe as you crush whole buildings and heave heavy objects like feathers. 

He feels like he is a worshipper to a powerful demigod whose hands and mind can manipulate whole worlds at a time. He wouldn’t have it any other way, knowing how much you love him. 

This man is a fan of kissing your knuckles, knowing what good can come out of your powers. He’s seen you fix what is broken and heal what if hurting with your scarlet witchcraft. 

“My darling. You are a god.” 

“V, more importantly, I’m yours.” 

“And I you.” 

The Witch and The Poet. Icons, the two of you. 

[breezeinmonochromenight]

Does anyone know what Vergil was up to after DMC1? He was defeated on Mallet Island; it took him about 13-18 years to find Nero. Was he stuck in hell during that time and just fought his way through?

He died of a fever in Brundisium harbor, Italy after traveling from Greece. Shit sorry no that’s the wrong one. Granted I’m way behind on Visions of V and just can’t drum up the interest to catch up lately, but barring something I’m missing there, it’s completely uncharted territory as far as I know. We don’t even know if he was stuck in hell, either — he and Dante would have been ~28 during the Mallet Island incident and when the Nelo Angelo armor exploded/he “disappeared” (Nero would have been about 9-10). The twins are ~44 around the events of DMC5 and Nero is about ~25, so it’s about 15 years we have for Vergil that are unaccounted for.

But yeah. Like. We really don’t even necessarily know if Vergil ended up back in hell — the Nelo armor fragments got scattered when he “explodes” in DMC1 and were recovered by The Order to make the Bianco Angelos you see and fight in DMC4. And Mallet Island was on Earth, too, so he may have not gone back to hell at all in this time gap.

(That kind of makes how in the hell (literally!) The Order retrieved all of the Yamato — or at least enough of it for Nero to be able put it back together again — even more curious to me, but I digress.)

If Vergil himself was somehow back in hell sans Nelo armor, then he could have potentially gotten out when The Order started meddling with all the demonic shit they shouldn’t have and/or when Sanctus just went hog wild toward the halfway mark of DMC4. My guess is that he probably would have had similar opportunities to the ones Dante had to get out post-DMC2 as well.

The only thing we have that’s even remotely concrete about Vergil in that time frame is Nero saying, in Deadly Fortune, that he’d been having a dream of “a man he had never met before”, who had a “‘cold’ glare but with a touch of gentleness/kindness despite it.” That novel’s been pretty much tossed out of canon, but they did keep little parts and details of it — and Nero meeting Vergil in his dreams doesn’t really conflict with anything in the current canon that I can think of off the top of my head. So. Take that as you wish, I suppose lol.

This is also more just me thinking about things way too much, and should only be taken as my two cents on the subject, but: Given how reverent Vergil is about that sword, I honestly wonder if that revive Nero gets via Yamato in DMC4 wasn’t meant for Vergil. I feel like the Yamato can probably recognize the Sparda bloodline — possibly Vergil specifically — but couldn’t differentiate between Vergil and Nero, potentially because of the state it was in. If any of that is even remotely accurate, I wonder if it would have played into why it took Vergil the almost decade and a half to find it/Nero. But again, that’s just me overthinking lol.

Ultimately, I don’t think there’s a real, solid answer out there rn — at least not one that I know of. I’ve always been curious about it, too, especially since he’s in such bad shape when he and Nero meet for the first time. It doesn’t help that the DMC devs also like to play it fast n’ loose with the canon more often than in a lot of other games, so we may never really know lol.

[harveywritings92]

DMC BOYS: They find out you're an assassin [Assassin's creed crossover.]

Dante: It was supposed to be a simple bodyguard job, a bunch of old dudes were having some super villain-ish meeting and one of them hired Dante to guard him, the devil was a little vague on the details all he remembered was the guy saying he'll pay upfront! And like that Dante blocked whatever else was said... 

to sum it up someone wants the old guy dead and Dante just there to make sure he doesn't croak, simple enough he can do that... what he couldn't do was kill the assassin who just killed his client...

She was his girlfriend.

Dante's mind replayed the scene over again: one second the old fat geezer is drinking whiskey and being chatted up by a call-girl, Dante gets distracted by one of the strippers, next thing he knows there's a shriek! the half-devil whipped his head in the direction of the commotion and saw his client looking at another old man in a dark suit in shock, his hand was clamp securely around his neck all in a vain attempt to stop the blood from seeping from his slashed throat he fell forwards and his assailant was revealed standing behind him.

They were a woman in a fav/c hooded jacket with some sort of retractable blade attached to her wrist, he could see tiny smirk grace the woman's lips as she stared across the club room at same old man who Dante assumed was the big boss behind this meeting, and another target on this won's list...

Dante grimaced and took a step forwards only to freeze when the familiar scent of his girlfriend's perfume caught his nose through the blood and booze, then he saw those eyes the half-devil knew them well the second they looked through the crowd at him, he was soon snapped out of his shock by the big boss boss bellowing "Get her! tear that dog apart!?" soon the y/ht woman was surrounded by armed men; Y/n took them down like they were nothing and seemed to be having fun with it before making a quick get away, he last saw her run out through one the exits.

He chased her just in time to see her jump off the roof and land in the back of a dump truck filled with leaves waiting in the street before the truck drove off into the night, needless to say Y/n was in for a major what the hell fest when she got home.

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

Nero: Anger was the first thing that crossed his mind, then betrayal he thought he knew you and that you could trust him with anything, but him finding out you were a killer? that's been fighting a goddam centuries old war, he didn't know what to think! how he found out in the first place was that you had gotten hurt and he was contacted against your wishes.

He demanded to know what happened? you had lied claiming you fell down some stair. "Stairs don't stab peopl-" Nero too a breath "Y/n you better tell me what's going on, or I'm walking out that door and I'm not coming back." you looked at him stunned hoping this was an empty threat but he was dead serious.

You kept your mouth shut but the second he took a step towards the door you sighed "Wait." Nero turned to look at you gestured for him sit down, and like that it was like dam had opened Nero sat and he listened, you told him of the creed, the artifacts of Eden, Abstergo and your involvement the more upset he looked, he silently left you alone claiming he couldn't be here. he had to think, after few hours he came back and paused when he heard a male voice talking to you...

Nero swallowed his inner demon growled hearing an unknown male in your room. "I don't think it's a good idea to be using the animus in your condition." You snapped at the guy the shut up you're gonna be stuck here for a week might as well do something other than mope about destroying the best relationship you've ever had in a while.  "okay, your good go."

Nero silently walked in without either of you noticing him and saw you hooked up to some oculus looking thing and this surfer looking guy looking over a screen, suddenly he jumped back at the sound of a pot shattering. "What the hell?!" you exclaimed as the guy chuckled. " I think ..uh-oh think Amir's wife Esha just found out he's an assassin she not taking it to well" he laughed nervously keeping a hand on his chest as Nero came up behind him to watch the scene, You grumbled something under your breath as a woman angrily shouting in Hindi filled the hospital room as more pottery in thrown.

 "Esha, please calm down, mera Pyaar!*my love*" a man pleaded as the woman snarled. 

"Don't you Mera Pyaar me! Five years we've been married and you kept this from me, How dare you?!"

"Look I didn't want to keep you - [dodges a vase.] please stop throwing things at me!"

"I should've listened to my brother when he said there was off about you! kameene!*Bastard*" *About to throw another vase*

Amir catches her arms  pushes her toward a wall "I was just trying to protect you dammit!" he snapped Esha tried to say she didn't need to be protected because her father but Amir cuts her off. "Can do nothing, these men and their order have been on earth as long as my creed has, they have more power then your family combined and they to destroy free will as we know it..." the door behind them sudden broke down to reveal a British man and few heavily armed guards.

Esha who was still enraged shoved Amir aside, demanding they leave their house did they know who her father was? he'll hear about this- she was cut off by the men laughing at her before dropping the bomb. "On her who do you think told us where to find your husband?" the Indian woman's fell in shock and started shaking her head in disbelief next thing that happened, a cloth was tied around her mouth as the smoke quickly filled the room the sounds of fighting started Amir quickly started dragging his shell shock wife out of their home … 

The sequence ended as you sighed waiting for the next one to load "that is exactly why I didn't want to tell Nero, one slip up, one loose end and the Templars could find him, Kyrie or the kids and use them to hurt me." The y/ht huffed wincing as she tried to pull herself up, and failed nearly falling off the bed luckily a pair a arms caught her and sat her up right.

"urg... Thanks Wally." Y/n's heart sank into her feet when she heard Wally voice on the other side of her room. "uh.. That not me N/n." the ginger man said sheepishly while adjusting his glasses as the familiar scent of Nero's cologne caught her nose, Y/n cautiously lifted up the Animus visor off her eyes to find Nero staring at her.

the y/nat woman's stomach tightened and her face felt hot as a tense silence filled the air, before Nero spoke up pretty saying that her reasons for hiding this life from him were the exact same reasons he keeps her away from Devil hunting to protect her. 

He sighed knowing there was no way talking her out of the creed like he had planned, but Nero urged her not to get killed and not to hide things from him anymore... Y/n promised then Nero sheepishly asked if she'd put the Animus back on? because he kind of wants to see what will happen to Amir and Esha.

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

Vergil: Like Dante he was hired by a shady old man to protect him, what he didn't expect was to be thrown into a special security called alpha squad filled with a bunch of arrogant humans who pointed a laughed at the white haired weirdo and using a sword in this day and age! Vergil ignored them seeing as this was just a temporary gig, and he'll never see them again. 

Of course nothing would prepare him for what happened next, alarms were blaring and the were bodies littering the hallways, Vergil examined as he went along noting that they alpha squad members and they'd been stabbed or had their throats slashed... 

It was Ironic that they died this way the more he thought about it, he snapped out of his thoughts when he heard his employer yelling at someone to back off.

 Vergil looked around the corner to see his employer and a hooded man with a strange blade on his wrist the two were engaged within a conversation while Vergil silently approached.

"I had dream about you Mr. Vesta."

"aww...how sweet, too bad you're not my type!"

"In my dream you never made it out the Paris Catacombs alive..."

"What can I say? I too stubborn to die!"

Vergil was just about to strike when the three were interrupted by an explosion, "Why Hello, Partner!" Vesta happily greeted the woman cautiously walked into the courtyard, Vergil felt a chill go down his spine as a familiar shouted at the man. "Jason, we have to go!" Vesta shook his head keeping eyes on the old man. "We can't let them find the box." 

The woman took a an aggressive stance not liking that answer "Screw that, I killed half of Alpha squad and destroyed the map, let's get out while we can!" footsteps were heard rushing down the alley, her partner growled in frustration finally complied with her. "See ya in your dreams old man.." Vesta jeered then threw a smoke bomb he and his partner ran from the scene being chased by Vergil.

Who caught up to them fairly quickly he knocked out the man and got a hold of the woman pulling her hood off confirming his suspicions. "Y/n what's meaning of this?" he hissed coming face to face with his gobsmacked girlfriend. "Only to be interrupted by remnants of Alpha squad, who ordered him to hold her down! Without a word Vergil used summoned swords on the men causing them to scatter.

before using the Yamato to open a portal; he threw Vesta over his shoulder and he and Y/n rushed through it landing in Nero's garage, the portal closed as Vergil dropped the passed out man none too gently onto the floor then turned his girlfriend who had a lot of explaining to do.  

[blooddrop-palace]

DMC-OC-Week Day 4

(No images this time. I ran out!)

Seraphina Valkyrie

Something she likes:

“There’s so much I couldn’t believe I missed during my twenty-something years being lost in Hell. It’s strange to think that during that time, Vergil was also suffering in a similar way… often not himself, broken, desperate, and searching. Since coming back, I’ve had so much worry on my mind. On the first opportunity back in Fortuna where I could afford a little peace, I didn’t know how I was going to go forward with either Nero or Vergil. But then Kyrie, blessed little Kyrie who was barely a year old last I had seen her, made her mother’s tiramisu recipe for us all. 

“It was one of my favorite desserts back when her parents invited me over for dinner. And I had shared some of this dessert with Vergil once before. To know that Nero also has a fondness for it, especially since it’s from Kyrie, makes me feel that everything is going to be okay. We will have more shared experiences to bridge off of this. Maybe I wouldn’t have to choose between Nero’s comfort or Vergil’s feelings. Maybe I’ll be able to have them both in my life, and bring them closer, too. We won’t make the most fairytale of families, and that’s okay. I simply wish to give them the love that they deserve.”

Something she dislikes:

“There’s no one singular way to describe this dislike of mine… but perhaps it’s simple to say that I loathe injustice. The problem with justice, however, is that it can often be a personal view. 

“But I’ve suffered injustice. Nero has suffered similar injustice. Vergil, too, has suffered injustice. Would I be able to flay Sanctus alive, or to also go up against Mundus, I would not hesitate. People who will make others suffer just to make themselves feel better or bigger are a blight upon mankind. I have no sympathy for the fool that scorns love and promotes pain. And I am not above spilling the blood of villains.”

Kassandra King

Something she likes: 

“It’s a bit cheap for me to say this, since this is somewhat of a family trait ingrained into our bloodline, but I like children. We all eventually become parental. 

“That said, it’s one of the reasons why there are usually a lot of children in this family. We thrive as a family and as our own little community. And children are an absolute blessing, even when they are at their worst. To care for them and teach them how to become their own individual person is something that satisfies the Hive blood within us, because family is everything.”

Something she dislikes:

“This might sound odd from someone like me, who knows how to seduce and works at a strip club for fun… but when it comes down to more than that, I don’t do well with the whole ‘no strings attached’ thing. 

“I feel guilty every time. I guess I just… crave a meaningful connection.”

Arabella

Something she likes:

“Oh, I’ve always liked peace and quiet… but I don’t think that’s the question here. I suppose I could count seafood as something I like. Does it provide much sustenance for a devil like me? Not as much as blood and red orbs. But seafood and the way humans might prepare it is not something we have in Hell. Fortuna being an island city was a good thing for me, even centuries after Sparda had left. I would mingle among the populace like a wraith, working part time here and there to earn the money just to enjoy human food and even check out what new establishments are built over time. The simple joys were like lovely little dreams… and devils seldom dream for enjoyment.”

Something she dislikes:

“The greatest dislike I have is when others take from me without my permission. I am, after all, very territorial and possessive. I can tolerate the human concept of borrowing, but in the end I am still a devil. Still, there is much I have learnt from humans. I can tolerate a little trespassing here and there while I’m in the human world. I would rather my children be able to live happily here, than to struggle for their survival in the Underworld.”

Snow

Something she likes:

“Oh there are a lot of things I like! Alfredo pasta, stuffed crust pizza, peach cobblers with French vanilla ice cream… okay, those are all pretty boring answers. Here’s something I really like and I’m really good at: music rhythm games. DDR, Band Hero, or any other number of music arcade games? I will high score and perfect-combo all of them! My name is on top of the charts for all of the local arcades, and yes, I’m proud of myself. Devil Hunter’s gotta have some fun, after all!”

Something she dislikes:

“Look. When I first brought this up, a number of people found this amusing and laughable… specifically the people from the, uh, Devil May Cry side of things. 

“But olives suck, okay? And you know what I don’t understand? How is olive oil so amazing, but olives suck so hard? Olive oil is this lovely soft but fragrant taste but the stupid olive itself has a flavor that stings my senses!

“I think dad has the right idea. Olives can go to hell.”

Noel

Something she likes:

“Something I like? Uh…I like pasta, I guess?

“I should give more specific or in-depth examples? I don’t know… I try not to want too much. I guess I like fruits. Strawberries are good. I mean… okay so I guess I like sweets?

“This is tough. I don’t think too much about what I like. If I think too much about what makes me feel good right now, all that comes to mind is the… the rush from fighting demons. 

“And I don’t like that. I don’t want to relish it. It feels… wrong.”

Something she dislikes:

“I don’t want to be alone. Don’t like not belonging. I guess that’s about it. There’s too much that I could really dig in about, but I have so little left that I can’t be worrying about what I dislike. I need to grasp what I do like and never let go. That’s what I need to do.”

Anthony and Caesar:

Something Tony likes: 

“Eh? Sure. Plenty. I like pizza. But who doesn’t like pizza? I like rock and punk and metal and grunge. Nothing wrong with that, right? Alright I like to jam, too. I like to wrestle with dad… could add Uncle V to the list, too. Caesar doesn’t like to do a lot of fighting and stuff, but I hope he’ll like the idea of maybe us two challenging Dad and Uncle V to a fight at some point. I also like video games. Caesar also studies all that fancy programming stuff so I get to playtest. It’s pretty great.”

Something Caesar likes: 

“You’d be surprised to know that I’m only lukewarm about books. Literature isn’t really my thing. Technology is a more fascinating avenue for me. There’s a lot of potential and a lot to look forward to in the future for the advancement of technology. I do a bit of hacking work but it’s not really my main thing. Still, if I don’t keep an eye on the security around the house, we’d have problems other than demons in our house. What, fighting? I don’t hate it. But I guess the difference between me and my older twin is that he’s the sporty one and I’m the more academic one. Don’t treat me like a pushover, though. I’m far from it. If Tony needs me at his back, I’m there, and I’m no slouch.”

Something Tony dislikes:

“Fuck olives. And also fuck any demon critter that is too fast for my axe. But I guess that’s why I deal with the heavyweights and Caesar can deal with the critters.”

Something Caesar dislikes:

“I tend to dislike…lack of effort. What I mean is… if something is preventable, why not make sure to take care of it? Inefficiency just takes away from the long run. Hefty things with too much excess weighing it down… both literally and metaphorically, I’m not fond of it. But I suppose that’s why I handle the details and the intricate problems, and I can always trust Tony to handle the clunkier things.”

[dongtopus]

On to feedback proper!

So far I'm really enjoying all of the characters that have been introduced, I think you've successfully managed to give each their specific voices and mannerisms even very early on.

That whole first chapter is such a good introduction and hook! Loved that and makes me wonder how other vampires deal with their changes.

Your two main lads are great! Marion seems to carry himself with elegance and dignity but without arrogance while Knell is an immovable stone block of a man, impossible to penetrate (at least at this point, but I feel like he's been through a lot in his past).

Really enjoying this duo and their antics, I'm curious on how the boys will get along in the future and adapt to each other's temperaments.

Also can I just say that I find it fascinating that this is all revolving around one vampire teaching another how to sew? It's not at all what I was expecting when I started reading and I'm pleasantly surprised. That first sewing lesson was really fun too! Can I just say, it has one of my favourite bits so far:

"Knell had chosen a fairly long needle and managed to sew the cloth to his palm multiple times." - This stamped the wax for me, it was when he won me over completely, how can one not love this yellow man after that?

Loving also the detailed desciptions. I haven't found them to be overly long or dragging the pacing down, just the right amount at the right time, always informing about either the characters or their world.

Some scattered observations:

I think it's really interesting how nostalgic Marion is about his human life. I assume not many other vampires are ( I'm excited to find out more about his past and the whole deal with Avendal);

How some clans see other clans as lesser;

Marion's vest being "A deep blue with golden thread." I appreciate that Marion appreciates Vergil's fashion sense! I expect no less from this tailor vamp!

It bears repeating that your entry for the Loktober day 19: The Flame story was phenomenal and I go back to it every now and then to get wrecked. That piece might be responsible Knell starting to become my fave, if I had to really think hard and pick just one character.

To answer these:

is there a character you’d like to see more of?

Tough to say and I'm tempted to just say all of them all but maybe Athil? I liked her little intro. And Vivian too!

is there a setting you would like to see more of?

Hmmmm, maybe the Necropolis and the Human City.

Long story short, I'm really enjoying this story and characters. I can tell there's been a lot of thought and work put into this, it really shows.

I wish I could give actual writing tips but I'm no writer myself so...

you'll just have to do with unbridled praise for now, tough luck!

I can't believe it. i've been garrotted. I didn't even realise when I said it.

Athil will at least feature for a portion of the next chapter which hopefully (tm) i'll have done soon.

Vivian will be an important character in the next 4 or 5 chapters, and she will have her proper introduction, too, when we journey to the Necropolis (a little bit of that journey was logged in day 18: Hurricane). The human city will come a while later, but there's a lot that happens there.

I have only just remembered that I do have a name for the human city, too, 'Cathbrough'. Its name is revealed in the prompt for Vermillion which is part-way done (still).

I revisited 'The Flame' a few days ago and whilst it's very poignant and a pivotal moment for him, I see there are issues with wording, though the imagery is still on point. I'll do better in the future and revise it a bit.

I had completely forgotten that he sewed to his hand multiple times. that was written a couple of years ago so it's all a bit patchy in my memory.

I'm delighted to hear that the descriptions aren't too long, I try to keep it informative but brief where necessary/possible.

There is a conversation between Marion and Adir, a long-time companion in the Vampire city, which contrasts their human lives quite a lot. I don't remember which chapter it was, but i'm 99% certain it's in a posted one

[thechildoflightning]

Vergilius

Title: Vergilius

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Pairings: none

~~~

Summary: Vergilius. Vergil. Virgil. Different spellings for the same Roman poet.

For some reason no one talks about the fact that Virgil's name does in fact fit the dark sides naming pattern.

-

Or: Logan and Virgil have a discuss about the name 'Virgil' and what it means.

Warnings: none

[ao3 link]

~~~

Vergilius

It’s after a meeting with Thomas- who is once again panicking over the simplest of decision making, though to be fair, a large part of that is Virgil’s responsibility as well- when Logan corners him.

Virgil recognizes the situation for what it is right away. Logan gets this shine to his eyes, not quite a twinkle, more of a glimmer. Virgil knows what that look means. Logan is curious and he wants answers and he won’t leave until he gets them. 

It's one of Logan’s best traits, his determination and dedication. It’s also one of his worsts.

“Why Virgil?” Logan asks, once he’s fully entered the room and checks that they are alone. (Logan’s not subtle to begin with, and it’s Virgil's job to notice the things others don't, he’s not going to pass over Logan’s sweep of the room for what it is. Logan’s making sure that they are truly alone).

“What?” Virgil replies, “Logan I have no clue what you’re talking about. I’ve literally done nothing.” A brief course of panic. “Wait, why- Logan is something wrong?”

“No, no, no,” Logan confirms, and Virgil relaxes. He lets his muscles and fists untense from where they were coiled and ready to strike as if he had the physical ability to fight every single problem away. 

“Not ‘why, comma, Virgil,’” Logan clarifies, “why Virgil.” Or attempts to clarify, because Virgil is now even more lost than before. 

“Why the name Virgil?” Logan asks, “Why not change it completely.”

Virgil blinks at Logan. Once. Twice. 

“What?” Virgil asks, completely thrown off balance and one word rebuttal coming off slightly harsher than he intended. He trusts Logan- he does- but vulnerability has never been his strong suit and his name- well… but Virgil’s working on it. He is. He’s trying. 

(Why does he feel like trying is never good enough).

“I don’t understand why you would keep it. I thought you would have changed it,” Logan remarks, oblivious too or plain ignoring Virgil’s inner turmoil.

Logan’s dismissal of his name stings more than Virgil’s ready to admit, and he realizes he has to do something fast. Because Virgil is his name, of course it is, and he’s not getting rid of it. But Logan- are the other light sides mad at him for keeping his name? Do they think it ties him to the dark sides that much more?

(Virgil’s so tired of being a dark side. So tired of everything he does being marked bad. He’s still having to relearn that he is not fundamentally a bad person after all these years).

“Logan,” Virgil says weakly, not sure how to build his defense on this particular subject, “Logan it’s my name.”

“I know,” Logan agrees, “and I would have thought that you don’t like it. You have already taken small measures to change it. I thought it was strange you stopped at that. Do you not wish to change your name? Am I mistaken?”

“I-” Virgil stutters, trying to gather his thoughts on the matter. Because Logan’s right. Virgil doesn’t like his name, doesn’t like how it rolls off the tongue. Too many syllables, too much weight, too much history. 

Virgil is a small change. But it’s so so so much better. 

Virgil is Virgil. 

“I- I mean- yeah- I don’t like my original name. But Virgil- Virgil is better.”

Logan considers him for a moment, watching Virgil with a steady gaze before giving a slight nod.

“Alright,” he agrees, “as long as it works for you.”

Virgil nods, and thinks that’s it. 

But Logan hovers in the rooming, leaning forward slightly. Virgil can practically see his mind racing. It’s obvious he has something to say. 

Virgil raises an eyebrow. 

“Yes Logan?”

“May I ask two questions?” Logan asks, “the second might be uncomfortable or invasive. You may refuse to answer at any time, even if you give me consent to ask it now.”

Virgil mulls over the words and reminds himself that this is Logan. He would never hurt Virgil intentionally. Unintentionally- sure, but it’s happened in the past. It could certainly happen here. 

But Virgil’s willing to take that risk. 

He nods. 

“I don’t understand why Virgil is acceptable to you,” Logan prefaces, “Virgil is nothing but a shortened version of Vergilius, and both names along with Vergil- spelled with an ‘e’- are all alternate titles for the same historical poet. They seem so completely connected together that I don’t understand how you could find one comforting and the other repulsive.”

Which is fair. Like Logan said, Virgil is one of many spellings, but all the spellings refer to the same name. It’s like when people sometimes spell Kaitlyn with a “c” or a “i” instead of “y”. Alternate spelling, sure, but the same name. 

That’s all Virgil has done, switching from Vergelius to plain old Virgil. 

“So,” Logan continues, “My question for you is wherein lies that difference? What allows you to be comfortable with Virgil but not Vergilius?”

Virgil has an answer. He’s thought about this for quite some time himself, even if he had never expected anyone to ask him about. But Virgil represents anxiety, and he double, even triple checked his own name, his own reasoning to determine that he was completely satisfied with it. 

Now how to explain it in words?

“We all started with names,” Virgil says slowly, “Intentionally or not, Thomas assigned us names that fit us when we were formed. Right?”

“Yes- well not exactly,” Logan responds.  Virgil raises his eyebrows at him. “The names Thomas gave us represented how Thomas perceived us when we formed, not necessarily are true authentic selves.”

Virgil gives a small nod of acknowledgement. 

“Fair enough,” he allows. “So- Logan, a question for you. Why were you named Logan?”

“Logan. Logos. Logic,” Logan reciters, “the principle of reason and judgement.”

“Right,” Virgil agrees, because his has always been one of the easiest to make sense of. “And I’m Virgil. Again with the Greek and Roman origins. Potentially coming from the term ‘vigil,’ to keep watch. As anxiety that’s my job. Then the connection to the poet- which sure that takes us closer to Roman’s territory but the few times Roman and me have actually gotten along is when we’ve mixed his creativity and the way I feel emotions- specifically surrounding anxiety and fear- to create art.”

“Yes,” Logan agrees. 

Virgil nods and considers how to continue. He knows what he wants to say but he has to think about it for a moment and calculate the proper way to present his feelings to Logan. Logan wants facts, knowledge, logic. That isn’t Virgil’s default and it takes him a minute to speak Logan's language. 

“Your name fits your role. My name fits mine. It’s not a name I chose, but I feel that it fits me well. It- my name allows me to be more than anxiety. Anxiety has always restricted me, made me be one thing. Virgil gives me the freedom to choose and be myself while still providing comfortable familiarity. I don’t have to limit myself to a simplified emotion. I can just be… Virgil.”

Logan studies him for a moment, eyes sweeping across his body as if searching for a lie. 

“Okay,” he eventually says, “I can understand that. But then why not keep Vergilius?”

Virgil gives a weak smile. 

“I thought that would have been obvious.”

Logan frowns. 

“Your name doesn’t make you a dark side.”

“But it matches the undeniable pattern,” Virgil points out. 

Logan hums but doesn’t protest. It’s not like he could. Virgil’s right. 

Roman. Patton. Logan. 

Remus. Janus. Vergilius. 

“It hurts,” Virgil admits finally. And it’s hard to admit but he’s trying to be vulnerable, trying to open up and he’s going to give Logan the benefit of the doubt. (Even so his heart beats louder and his breath grows slightly shorter and his fingers and toes curl tight and tense up). “It hurts to know that somewhere in Thomas’s subconscious, he sees us as good and bad.”

Logan's frown grows deepens. 

“That’s an over simplification of the complex roles each of us carry out.”

“I know,” Virgil says. He didn’t once upon a time. He used to truly believe that there was good and bad and that he was bad, that he hurt Thomas no matter what even when he tried his hardest to be good. But those days are mostly behind him. Mostly. He still had some bad days. “I know that Logan. But Thomas hasn’t always seen it that way.”

“Do you think Thomas sees you that way now?”

A few weeks ago Virgil would have said yes- that Thomas only thought he hurt them and would be glad to get rid of Virgil and the pain he brought with him. 

Now though…

Thomas told him that he was wanted, that he was needed, that he was loved. 

What a strange concept. 

“I-“ Virgil hesitates, “I think Thomas is learning to see shades of gray.”

Logan nods. 

“And you are of course aware that Thomas was raised religious.”

Virgil snorts. 

“No shit Logan, it wasn’t like I was there for all of it or anything.”

“You weren’t?” Logan friend, eyebrows knitting in, “I was certain you had formed by then, am I-“ Logan pauses, clears his throat and adjusts his glasses, “right. Sarcasm.”

Virgil quirks a smile and gives a small nod.

“Got it in one teach.”

Logan straightens his posture, hands coming to rest in front of him and head up. Virgil recognizes it as Logan’s “I’m about to give you a shit ton of info posture.”

“Okay then. Well then you are aware that Thomas was raised with the awareness that things were either good or bad. Thomas was raised with extremes. And as he grew, he eventually started to learn about shades of gray. But as a very young kid it’s hard to see things as nuanced and detailed as they actually are. Add religious teachings that emphasize that good and bad are opposite absolutes and it makes sense that a young Thomas’s brain divided us that way. But that does not mean we still are that way.”

Virgil is- quite honestly Virgil is touched. He’s used to putting up strong walls, ready to fight back against whatever tries to hurt him. He’s still getting used to the idea that people actually want to interact with him and being validated so strongly by Logan almost makes him glow. 

“I know,” Virgil says softly, “I know. The world isn’t black.” Vergilius. “Or white.” Something entirely new. “It’s grey.” Virgil. “And I- I’m not exactly sure where I fall now. I’m not- I’m not a dark side, but I don’t think I’m a light side either. I’ve uh- kinda created my own little space.”

Logan looks at Virgil with his piercing gaze. 

“Ah. I understand now. Thank you Virgil.”

And for some reason, Virgil thinks Logan really understands it. His name, and so much more.

(There’s so much more than light or dark).

“Yeah sure. Anytime.”

Logan gives him a final nod and turns to exit, leaving Virgil to his thoughts. 

Just before Logan passes out through the doorway, he turns around. 

“Virgil?”

“Yes.”

“You have a nice name. It is- admirable that you chose to keep parts of it and alter the rest to best define you.”

Warmth. warmth everyone, sleeping across his body and into his heart, through his entire being. 

“Thank you,” he manages. 

And then Logan is gone.

If this is what being accepted is like- well, he might want to get used to it.

~~~

Taglist Below

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@mewithanie @eddies-spaghetti @lemonyellowlogic @savioursailor @goldteethandacurseforthistown @gattonero17

[scalproie]

VERGIL

THANK YOU I LOVE YOU

So about the V-man/Daddy Long Legs/Deadbeat of the year/Blue Dante/Jack Frost Sr. himself:

favorite thing about them: I keep a list

Boss Fights (they are SO FUN!!!)

Coat

Hairstyle

His design in general really

His Sin Devil Trigger Form is pretty cool...

Voice

His simple yet complex character and development that I shan't go into details orherwise we'd be here all day

His son Nero

least favorite thing about them: I know this isn't the series' focus and honestly I don't want it to be cuz we're not here for that, plus if you're willing to reach, there are some justifications, but yeah, causing the death of all those people and getting off scot free wasn't very gucci

(I was gonna add that he did so twice but the first time he DID end up in a prickly situation (The Nelo Angelo stuff) because of his own hubris)

favorite line: HE'S GOT SO MANY THAT I LOVE ok ok ok because of the ironic potential if it comes back to bite him, I'm gonna go with

"Did some pesky fatherly love get in your way?" [Cue Curb Your Enthusiasm]

Close runner up is the "That Day..." speech and the Vergil Bratty Moments™ aka "Well I want yours too." and "If you want it, then you'll have to take it.".... also "Thank you Nero." is up there... there's so much more you have no idea.... "SHCUM!"...

brOTP: easy answer is Dante but this is like. The one (1) meaningful relationship confirmed he has in his life. Also they're already brothers and had a whole childhood AND game dedicated to them. Part of me want to say Griffon & co but I feel this is more a V thing even if I'm in the "V is literally just Vergil" group. So this is just wishful thinking but MAN I just really want more interactions between him and Nero, indulge me with more father and son bonding because I would argue this is the MOST interesting relationship to look into in future games and content. Another relationship I'd really wanna explore is Vergil with his daughter-in-law, once they're past all dmc5 events-related awkwardness. Vergil and Credo are lowkey similar so I get the vibe Kyrie would know how to handle the man, and I don't think they would make Vergil disrespect Kyrie because while we've never actually seen him interact casually with other people/humans, I think it'd be out of character and a dumb move.

OTP: Ok so Vergil is a very big comfort character o' mine so I project really hard on the man, and the aro/ace is jumping out so I really do not care and do not want to ship him with any character of the small cast, that's not why I love dmc in the first place. (ABSOLUTELY NOT a jab on OCs and self-shippers. Y'all do y'all <3). Romantic and/or sexual love is not the type of love I want to see him express... which I realize is super ironic and funny because this is the one (1) character in dmc we know for certain that had sexy times (congrats to the fortuna woman who got him in bed. You go girl).

nOTP: You'd think it'd be a given but an alarming amount of dmc fans are addicted to inc*st so... a big no to that. What the fuck. (They're literally twiiiins whyyy... and I don't care how many mental gymnastics you're doing this is still his fucking father....). Also like I said above I pretty much avoid any shippy or suggestive/nsfw stuff involving Vergil so.

random headcanon: Vergil doesn't need to sleep or eat because of that sweet sweet demon blood, but if he did, his go-to junk food would be hamburgers like we saw in VoV (Dante has pizza but we all knew that, and my hc for Nero is instant ramen/pasta). Additional hcs for Vergil is that he played the violin and he strikes me as the kind of guy who speak fluently latin, not modern italian, but the dead latin language (which would make for some funny interactions in Fortuna). Also Special Shout Out To Scottish Vergil.

unpopular opinion: Unsure of the popularity of that take but I'm glad him being Gilver got retconned. Unsure of the popularity of that take but ive seen a few people saying that they'll ruin Vergil by making him more "fun" by developping his character and to that I say "You want to keep Vergil boring???". I also personally do not care about the nature of the relationship between him and Nero's mother and I don't feel the need to find out more about that.

song i associate with them: THAT BEING SAID irony strikes again because a bunch of songs I associate with him are romantic. And italian. Anyway: "The Nexus" by Amaranthe; "Bottom Of The Deep Blue Sea" by Missio; "Cold Cold Man" by Saint Motel; "Il Volo" by Zucchero and "Vivo Per Lei" by Andrea Bocelli

favorite picture of them: choose your fighter

[skvaderarts]

Hiraeth Chapter 44: Archival

Masterlist can be found Here!

Chapter Forty-Four: Archival 

Notes: Hey everyone, sorry I had to push back the last chapter on such short notice! I just honestly forgot how many days it was until my mom’s birthday and I wanted to give her all of my attention! Thanks for all the birthday wishes! She loved them!

(-~-)

The next day…  

Honestly, the youngest living descendant of the Dark Knight Sparda couldn’t remember the last time that he’d seen snow outside of the Lamina mountain range. It had truly been a sight to see when they had arrived just a few hours ago at the crack of dawn, long before the majority of the townspeople had crawled out of their beds and made their way into the streets. They would be in for a rude awakening, much as poor Kyrie had been when he’d accidentally woken her up so early.

When the van had pulled up in front of the house, he had been surprised to see Kyrie standing in the doorway less than a minute later, clearly barely awake and not fully registering just how cold it was outside. The poor young woman had her robe halfway on, the cool night air kissing her exposed skin. To say that she was not thermally prepared for a light blizzard would be a bit of an understatement.

She’d nearly tripped down the stairs as she met Nero halfway, nearly leaping on him in excitement as she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. No one needed to ask if she had missed him during his time away or if the young songstress had been worried about him. It was clear for anyone to see that she had nothing but love in her heart for Nero.

Kyrie had greeted V warmly as well, noting that it had been some time since she’d seen him, and that she hoped that things had been well for him in the interim. The young summoner had decided against mentioning his new ailment to her, preferring to not give her something else to worry about. Literally everything and everyone else was enough already. Instead, he simply reassured her that he was more or less content, something that wasn’t a lie. Curse or otherwise, he was at peace for perhaps the first time in his entire life. He would relish that. 

After wishing her well, he, Nico, and Flora boarded the van again and headed back to the mainland, stating that they needed to do something with the scroll that Magnolia’s sister had gifted V after they dropped Dante off at his office. He had been asleep the entire time in the back of the van, and considering the circumstances, they had collectively chosen not to awaken him. Nero and Kryie wished them a safe trip and told them that they would contact the rest of the group if they happened to hear from Vergil, and then they went inside, eager to spend some quality time with one another for at least a few hours. That was the most that they were going to get with three kids in the house.

But now hours later, he was headed towards the last place that he wanted to set foot in again in order to complete an errand that V had requested of him. And he would have company. Apparently, there was still some work to be done at Fortuna castle, this time on behalf of the Ludwig family. It seemed that both they and V were keen to preserve as many of the books in the private library as possible. Admirable enough on paper, but still a miserable trek through the snow either way.

Just as he approached the ruined front gate to the castle’s bridge, a familiar face emerged from the frosty fog a few yards ahead of him, seemingly unperturbed by the extreme circumstances. It was Sirrus, here at the behest of both parties involved to help him do… something. Nero wasn’t sure he really truly understood, but he was certain that the adjudicator probably did and that he could fill him in while they headed towards the library. He wasn’t even going to ask how he beat him there. He’d been at the Ludwig estate long enough to know the answer to that question.

“Well, aren’t we a sight for sore eyes? It’s good to see you again so soon, Nero.” “I hope you’ll pardon my temporary departure. I had to go speak with my superiors. They summoned me, so there was no avoiding it, I’m afraid.”

“Hey, Sirrus. So that’s where you went right before we left, hu? Makes sense, I guess. How did it go, then?” Nero had had the feeling when they’d told him he’d be working with one of them again soon that it would be the powerful redhead with the dry humor, and it turned out he had been correct. Score one for Nero.

“Oh, I’d say it did. They don’t trust me as far as they can throw me, but that just comes with the territory, I’m afraid. But we can talk about it in more detail once we’re inside. This frigid wind isn’t exactly unfamiliar, but it’s still a bit much. I’m not keen on staying exposed to the elements for any longer than I have to be.”

Nero nodded. Now that was something that they could agree on. He just hoped that the swarm of cutlass that had been here last time had taken up residence somewhere else, or at least retreated back into the depths of Agnus’s laboratory. He didn’t feel like shooting every demon in this damn castle again. He had things to do today.

(-~-) 

In truth, the marking made no sense to him. 

Whatever Sirrus was doing seemed completely foreign and mystical to him, probably because it involved the use of some more arcane knowledge that he hadn’t the slightest idea about. He’d never even known that something like this existed until just recently, so seeing someone actually perform it was entirely new. In truth, he’d seen evidence of its presence in action before in this very castle when one took into account the many elaborate puzzles and traps that seemed to utilize an unknown source of power, but he hadn’t really put much thought into it at the time. 

But now? Well, he couldn’t help but wonder who had put them in place. Surely someone from the Order, but that didn’t mean much in regards to figuring out who actually did it. He didn’t know most of the people in the higher echelons of the ill-fated Order of the Sword. That was by design. And as for what they were capable of and where some of them had disappeared to after things had gone down the way that they had? He was none the wiser. But he wished that he knew. He had some choice words for them. And probably a few bullets.

“So… how does this work? I mean, if you can do that, then why not just go back and forth to wherever you want to go like this?” Nero watched curiously as Sirrus fiddled with some sort of book, marking out a circle with several symbols upon it on the floor. A triangle overlapped it, forming a curious visual that he couldn’t say he’d seen before. The Adjudicator glanced up at him for a moment, seemingly acknowledging that he was benign spoken to but unable to maintain eye contact.

“As much as I’d love to, that’s not how this works. Only inanimate objects can pass through a portal such as this, and it requires two people in two different locations to just to be opened in the first place and to remain stable” Sirrus shrugged nonchalantly, working on some sort of symbol that he was marking out on the floor with white chalk. Nero had no idea what it meant, but he knew that it had to be magic in some way, shape, or form. “Your father’s blade is undeniably unique. It honestly fascinates me. I’d ask him to take a look, but I worry based on his rather unique answering conventions that he might literally give me exactly what I’m asking for.”

He went quiet for a short while at the mention of Vergil. It hadn’t really occurred to him until then that he actually missed his somewhat short-tempered and unpredictable father. None of them had yet to hear anything back from Vergil, and that fact alone was cause for concern. It wasn’t so much that he was the sort to check-in and ask for permission to complete a task. Far from it. But at least they normally knew where he was headed.

“You're probably in the clear. He only stabs people he’s related to these days. Well mostly. I even saw him spare someone once who helped kidnap V. Couldn’t tell you what was going through his head at the time, but he’s okay some of the time.” Nero allowed his mind to wander for a moment, pondering his wayward father’s current location. He couldn’t imagine that he was in danger. After all, he had been through worse before, and this time he at least had Yamato. Surely he would return soon. 

And yet… 

“Do you think I should be worried that he’s not back yet?”

“Sighing softly, Sirrus took a moment to consider his question before shaking his head. “If he indeed went to where you think he might have, then I suspect not. Time works differently across the Trinity of Realities, and I suspect that very little time has passed wherever he is, if any at all. There are rare places where time simply doesn’t seem to pass at all.”

“No shit, really? I heard something like that but… ” He stopped. Not really sure what else to say. They nodded to one another and then returned to sorting out the book in the room. It was best that they keep their minds busy.

Adding additional food for thought, Sirrus spoke again. “And unlike my father, yours seems to possess the capacity to actually care about another living being. He seems to find it trying a considerable majority of the time, but he possesses the desire to love and be loved nonetheless. There is hope yet for him. I think you’re in a good place. I like to hope that whatever tension there is between you can be worked out in the end.”

“I hope you're right. Any chance of working it out with yours?”

A humorless look crossed his face. As he looked through the younger devil hunter instead of at him, seeing him but at the same time, not seeing him at all. It was as if his eyes and his brain were not fully communicating. He fell quiet for a moment, fidgeting slightly. “... I’m afraid not. Any hope of that outcome dissolved after what happened between him and Aluta.”

Nero knew enough to not press the issue any further, even if he was somewhat quiet. After close to a minute of silence, Sirrus glanced at him momentarily before speaking again, not keen on keeping whatever was on his mind buried there any longer.

“Generally speaking, it’s in poor taste to date someone younger than your own children. If nothing else, it causes a fair bit of tension.”

Taking a moment to register that statement, Nero continued to try and organize the books, eager to not spend the entire day in this library. As much as he knew that V would disagree with his sentiments, he had to admit that he was glad that most of the books were old and damaged in this part of the library. There were at least a dozen extra-large moving boxes filled with books, each one weighing about a hundred pounds.

Oh, how Nero hoped that his brother wouldn’t find a way to hurt himself by moving them around his house. But deep down, he knew that he would. It wasn’t so much that V was clumsy as it was that he was simply unfortunate, and if his little move had gone the way that it had, he was sure that this would go much the same. Or perhaps he would learn from his previous mistakes and opt into a much more cautious approach this time around? Who was to say? He was smart, after all, and Flora was there to assist him. He could only imagine that, given the size of V’s house, that they would be taking the majority of the books. That was probably for the best, all things considered. V would get nothing done with that many books in his house.

Nero then paused for a moment, his brow furrowing as something occurred to him that hadn’t until just then. He turned and looked over at Sirrus, registering the fact that he was quickly sorting through an entire bookshelf and stacking the books into two different boxes. Nero had been doing the same, but at a much slower rate. It turned out that it was difficult to categorize and sort books that you couldn’t fucking read. Big surprise there.

“Hold on a second… Did you just say…”

“That I am older than Aluta? Yes. Yes, I did. Because I am.” Sirrus chuckled slightly, continuing to pick up books, gently flip through them, and then place them into their requisite boxes. He seemed to find something enormously entertaining about Nero’s flabbergasted demeanor, carefully concealing his amusement so as to not come off as a smug jerk. Well, at least not more than he was sure he already did most of the time. He silently hoped that he wasn’t actually as insufferable as he assumed that he was. He just lacked social skills.

Leaning over to take a closer look at the smarmy redhead, the youngest Descendant of Sparda made no effort to conceal his deep-seated confusion at this revelation. How could that be possible? Sirrus looked the same age that he and V looked, and while Aluta didn’t look particularly old herself, he knew that she had to be at least old enough to be his mother due to the singular fact Vergil had known her as a teen when he himself had been one at the same time, albeit slightly older than her. For him to be even a year older than her implied that he aged even better than Vergil, and that didn’t seem physically possible for a normal human being.

Oh, that was right. Sirrus had stated before that he wasn’t human, hadn’t he? Back on Vie De Marli What had his words been back then? “I am not what you are” or something like that? He’d implied early into their working relationship that he wasn’t even remotely human, so that made the possibility of him being something capable of living longer and aging slower logical. But then that once again raised the question as to what he actually was. Nero couldn’t think of any other beings in their world that looked so… human. If he wasn’t technically a demon and he wasn’t at all human, then what the hell was he? What else was there?

Clearly noticing that Nero was staring him up and down like he’d grown a second head, Sirrus laughed in earnest. It wasn’t every day that he got to see someone look at him like that. Most of the people that he spent time around didn’t know enough about him to even inquire into things like his age. At most, he was occasionally asked about his accent if he allowed it to slip, but aside from that, people didn’t really give a damn about his personal life. Or him, for that matter. Adjudicators worked solo on most endeavors. They had no reason to get to know one another.

“You seem shocked to have learned this, Nero. Do I look a bit young for my age?”

Giving him a sideways look, Nero looked down at the floor for a moment before shaking his head and sighing, returning to stacking books. This had been a weird few weeks. No doubt about it. Ever since the Redgrave Incident, he’d had a very hard time understanding what was going on. So much had been thrown at him all at once, and he was still grappling with a good deal of it.

“Poor V,” He thought to himself. “I’ve got it pretty rough, but he was just minding his own business walking around, and then he just woke up in the middle of this nightmare. He had to do whatever he could just to stay alive, and then to find out that he wasn’t even totally human and then die and come back just for this stupid demon prince bastard to come after him? He doesn’t deserve any of this. Neither of us does.”

But they were going to work it out. Of that, he was sure. And this somehow would assist in that endeavor. When V had told the Ludwigs about these books, they had seemed very interested, and he genuinely hoped that they did find something interesting or useful about their opponent in these volumes. At the very least, relocating them somewhere more secure so that they were out of the hands of undesirables forever was a good place to start. All they would do is sit here and rot if anyone worth their salt in Fortuna had anything to say about it.

“Smartass,” Nero said with a genuine laugh, admittedly somewhat amused by Sirrus’s extremely sarcastic and rhetorical question. Slowly but surely he was starting to understand his dry sense of humor. Or, at least, he was starting to understand why V understood it so well. The two of them seemed to get along pretty well. Nero was glad that his slightly older sibling seemed to have made something close to a friend. He could be so unintentionally antisocial at times despite the fact that he knew deep down that V didn’t want to be and probably just wanted companionship. Poor guy.

“What can I say, you're not wrong,” Sirrus said with a soft laugh, smiling gently but with a slight tinge of something else. Was that sadness? It was difficult to say. Despite his normally straightforward demeanor, he was hard to read. “Let’s finish up here and head back to the mainland. I have something that I think might help lift you and your brother’s spirits a bit. We could all use a distraction from time to time. What do you say?”

Nero shrugged, more or less fine with that option. He could always double back with Nico once they were finished. They couldn’t really do much more until they found out where his father had disappeared to, anyway. Right now, everything hinged on his return. None of them were going to formulate a plan that he wasn’t included in. He and V knew the most about their opponent. For now, they would bide their time and try to remain reasonably calm.

“You know what? Fine by me. Let’s go. V needs to get out of the house and go do something. I think he’s starting to develop a phobia of stores or something.”

(-~-)

Wow, this one was on time for some reason. I don’t understand what happened. By the way, for those of you who read Saudade, this is the night where they go to the furniture store and Sirrus covertly buys V all that furniture. I figured that some of you might be wondering that. What’s that? None of you were? Oh. Well, anyway-

Happy Wednesday or whatever! Hope you’ve had a good week so far. I’ve been trying to branch out into freelance writing because I live in a conservative anti-vax hellhole where people protest the administration of a vaccine at all, refused to wear masks despite being one of the highest case areas in the entire country, and I refuse to work another low paying retail or fast food job and put my fragile lungs in harm's way only to still not be able to afford my rent. 

I’ll keep you all posted on that in case it means I have to shift the upload schedule. It probably won’t, but I just thought I’d let you know.  Let me know if any of you have any pointers or advice in regards to working in that field. Oh, and don’t worry, the books are still happening. I’m just building the ordering system. See you in the comments!

[coeursetcolores]

What I Would Add To/ Change About: Devil May Cry 5

Hello again! Today is March 8th! Two years ago, Devil May Cry 5 was released, over ten years after Devil May Cry 4. Such a long gap caused many to believe that Capcom abandoned the franchise, but to our surprise at the 2018 E3 conference, after years of silence and tentative hope brought by a picture of Reuben Langdon and Johnny Yong Bosch in mocap gear, the day we dreamed of happened: DMC was back!

Now here’s the million dollar question: Did Devil May Cry 5 live up to it’s fans’ expectations after all those years?

I’m pleased to say, YES!

To the whole collective fandom, this game was totally Smokin’ Sexy Stylish!

To me individually...

Well...

It wasn’t really what I’d thought it’d be.

This is all just my own personal opinion and if you disagree with me, that’s perfectly okay! If you’d like to talk about a point I made, please let me know, but please try to respect my opinion as I respect yours.

Fair warning, I won’t talk about online stuff. I’m not an online gamer, that’s just not me.

Well, with out further ado, let’s get started!

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Like the last time, I’d like to start with the positives before getting to the things I wasn’t 100% on board with.

Combat. It’s DMC, and it’s styling way past any other game that dare challenge it.

The music: Frustration is getting bigger! BANG, BANG, BANG! Pull my Devil Trigger!

NICO. I jut love that crazy chick. And yay! Nero has a friend!

The death screen changes were SO helpful. Giving an option to come back in the middle of a fight saved me so much time! As long as it stuck to in-game currency...

The backgrounds are so detailed, Redgrave City looks amazing! And I was really happy when they brought back that gorgeous gothic architecture for Sparda’s mansion!

Bosses are tough, but not to unfair levels. It really makes you feel awesome when you finally knock that last bit of health out.

I’ll never miss an opportunity to fight Vergil. One for having an opponent that doesn’t tower over you, two for his fights just being great as usual. And after everything he’s done, yeah, it feels good to beat the ever loving crap out of him.

Dante dance. I cannot do it justice.

Lady’s new outfit is so cool!

Patty! Call her back Dante!

MOTORCYCLE! BUZZSAWS!

Dante has officially embraced being a silver fox. I salute him.

LORE!!!!!!

NERO! NERO! NERO! BEST BOY, SPICY SON I LOVE YOU SO MUCH YOU PRECIOUS BLOODTHIRSTY SWEETHEART!

You can see just how much detail went into the game. From the blood tubes staining you to V decomposing, it’s astounding.

Nero got a Devil Trigger! And it’s GORGEOUS! ...I do miss his persona, though...

Seeing all our favorite demon hunters again! I missed these guys!

Okay, but before we get to what I wish they added, I want to say something.

I have a lot of issues with this game, but while I can blame some of that on the writing and design teams, a lot of it is also on me having spent years basically imagining the story that would be perfect for me and probably me only. So a lot of my problems may boil down to the game not matching my imaginary scenario, so take my suggestions with a grain of salt.

Now here are some things that could have possibly made me like the game more.

ADD:

MORE LADY AND TRISH. These women were screwed when it came to the plot and they could have done more, what the heck?! Maybe some scenes where they try to process what happened to them, have them distraught at having been used by Urizen to help him destroy the city and blame themselves. Have Lady blow up at Dante for not warning them about what was really going on, for letting them go in unprepared, let her tell him that the blood of the city is on their hands because he kept his mouth shut. Lady is a huge influence in his life, and I feel like this would really open his eyes to how much he messed up.

As for Trish, she knows better than anyone else that you can really screw up and hurt someone that cares about you. Maybe after everything goes down, she could be the one to encourage everyone that, “Yeah, we messed up big time. But sitting around here hating ourselves isn’t getting anything done. So get up, we’ve got a city to fix.” I feel like this could really show how human she’s gotten from being with Dante and the others. I think it’d make her look more multi-dimensional.

And how come Vergil can get a DLC when he was in the game even less than they were?! The women in these games deserve equal representation, Capcom’s DMC developers!

And as for Vergil, maybe make his deal less ambiguous? I mean, the whole “Is Vergil really redeemed?” debate is really bringing out the worst in people. Like yeah, keep it ambiguous to the characters, it makes sense for Vergil to not show something “weak” like remorse to others, but show it in a way that the player can easily interpret.

Give Vergil some missions to himself where he takes in exactly what he’s done. Have him see Redgrave City, where he was born, devastated, people he may have once known reduced to ashes and know this is all because of him. That just because he wanted to be stronger, he’s destroyed lives, because even if he had no intentions of doing so, the split went against his wishes and left him weak to see a tyrant slaughter countless people without any goal. Have him realize that even if that was unintentional, he still nearly almost ended humanity once before with a sound mind (Temen-ni-gru) so he can’t pretend he’s in the right and that he’s actually probably a disgrace to Sparda’s legacy. Have him run into a sobbing little boy crying that his mother was killed and he lost his brother, maybe in the ruins of the family home. Have Vergil look into a mirror and see Mundus, have him realize that he’s no better than the demon that killed his mother and imprisoned him for years. Have him hallucinate Sparda disowning him for going against everything Sparda believed in. Have him see Eva sadly tell him that she wanted to save him, but seeing what he’s become lament that she lost her life trying to save a monster. And when Dante tells him Nero’s his son, he freezes. He abandoned and maimed his own child, left him for his brother to care for. Dante sees this and doesn’t know what to do? Is Vergil...sorry? Can he take a chance on him this time?

Or leave him an unrepentant jerk that’s just upset he still can’t win and expressly tells Nero he’s only going to cut down the Qliphoth down so he can fight Nero again and because he doesn’t want to give up Yamato.

And for that matter, make V’s goal clearer to the player. Have him expressly state, when he’s by himself with his familiars with no one that he can manipulate around that:

A. He wants to stop Urizen and prevent anymore devastation as atonement for his crimes as Vergil and part of the reason he wants to merge again is that while he does want to fight Dante again, he deserves to die as Vergil or defeat Dante and fix his mistakes by himself, realizing that Dante’s been cleaning up his messes for years. 

B: He wants his power back, his mind got stuck in the human half and he can’t stand how weak it is. Everyone is just a stepping stone for him to be stronger.

Actually have the characters react to the Qliphoth. Seriously, everyone is crazy apathetic to all the death and destruction that they failed to stop. Aren’t they supposed to be the “heroes?” The only character this would make sense for, ironically, the one who actually seems to remember it exists at the end, Nero. Yeah. Remember how he didn’t care about anything but Kyrie in 4? Remember how the developers said he would just walk away after Dante shot the pope if Kyrie wasn’t there? I’m not say he needed to stay apathetic, I’m just saying it doesn’t make sense for him to be the righteous character. 

Have Dante at some point just look out at Redgrave and see that if he had told the others what was going on, maybe this wouldn’t have happened. “...This didn’t have to happen.” Have this weigh on him. He’ll still act goofy, but he realizes that his selfishness can have real consequences. 

Have him realize that he really hurt Nero with what he said and that he used Nero’s trauma and insecurity against him in the heat of the moment and it’s causing a rift between him. When he’s alone, make him privately promise to make it up to him later and actually apologize at some point near the end. Dante should know from his experiences with Vergil that insecurity can lead someone down the wrong path and that if he doesn’t do something he could lose one of the few positive relationships he has.

Have Nico have at least one freak out at everything around her and realize that she might not be as ready for this as she thought. She hasn’t experienced something like this before like the others. Nero comforts her and it makes their friendship grow stronger.

When Nero starts talking about family, he should acknowledge that while he is related to Vergil, they’re not really a family yet until they actually work for it, and that he knows what a real family is like, the ones who adopted him and were there for him (Kyrie’s parents, Credo, Kyrie, Nico, Dante, Lady, Trish, etc.).

Make it clearer that Vergil isn’t forgiven for his crimes, but that they’re willing to give him a chance. His last one.

Alright, now for the overall changes.

CHANGE:

The entire ending. Instead of Dante going down with Vergil, Vergil stops him and tells him that his life is here, with people that haven’t hurt him like he has. Dante tries to protest, says he can’t leave Vergil free to do whatever, but Vergil gives a bittersweet smile and tells him he can’t stop him, but it’s obvious Vergil’s not going to do anything again. When Dante gets desperate and tells Vergil he can’t leave him again, Vergil tells Dante he’ll be back, once he’s cleaned up his own mess for once; he’s the older brother after all. With that, Vergil goes to fix his mistake.

Dante’s left behind by his brother again. Instead of brushing things under the table, Nero is furious with Dante for never telling him the truth about his family. Especially after he was left uncertain about the future and looked to Dante for guidance, Nero feels betrayed. Dante understands and apologizes. Nero’s too upset to accept and tells Dante he needs time to think before he’s ready to talk to him again. Instead of begging Nero to stay and keep a connection he desperately needs, Dante lets him go, realizing that if he wants to fix things, he needs to start learning how to talk about how he actually feels instead of covering things up and unintentionally hurting those he loves.

Vergil destroys the Qliphoth, but doesn’t leave the Underworld. Realizing just how much he’s sinned, starting all the way back to Temen-ni-gru, he resolves to not go back to the human world until he’s made himself one worthy of being a Son of Sparda, finally understanding what that really means. Descending into the Underworld, he won’t leave until he’s eliminated those that would harm the world his brother, father and son protect so hard. This could be the start of his own spin-off series that would focus more on the demon lore in the games and take place entirely in the Underworld with Vergil struggling to be a better person and take responsibility for his own actions. Devil May Cry: Atonement, maybe.

Nero heads back home with Nico but doesn’t read V’s book. Hurt from his betrayal, he puts it in a box and seals it up for Vergil’s maybe return. When Nico starts talking about how Agnus is the reason she’s alive, she also acknowledges that she already has a real father and family that love her and subtly (and stutteringly) implies Nero’s a part of that, cementing that Nero has a family that loves him and is there for him. Nero thanks her  and the two descend into silence for a bit before they start mocking each other and end up laughing before Nico realizes Nero’s crying. When she starts freaking out, he explains that he’s scared he’s still not strong enough to protect them, but before Nico can say anything, the phone rings. Answering it, a voice says, “You don’t have to be.” Looking out front the two see Kyrie and Patty, decked out in hunting gear, a phone in Kyrie’s hand. Smiling at them, she says into it, “We’ll protect each other.” Running out of the van, Nero scoops Kyrie up in a hug. When Patty starts complaining about them ignoring her, Nico pulls her away and tells her not to interrupt. After a bit, the group looks out at the horizon and vow to fight together, not letting themselves fall to the bitterness that led to this mess. Seeing some demons approach and watching his crew get ready, Nero smiles before smirking and gets ready to throw down. “Let’s rock!” Devil May Cry: Forsaken.

Dante looks out over Redgrave from his childhood home, silently miserable. After a while, Lady and Trish come over and try to talk, but he cuts them off with an apology. Fully realizing how his inability to let other people in nearly got them all killed, he encourages them to leave so they don’t end up like that again. Stunned from Dante apologizing, the two are silent. Then Lady angrily asks, “What the hell?! Just how dumb are you?!” She tells him that yeah he really screwed up this time, but they’re not going anywhere! He’s an idiot, but he’s THEIR idiot, and they’re not leaving him alone. They need him and he needs them. Trish tells him that if he has time to mope, he has time to clean up the city. The girls begin to walk back to the city and tell him to hurry up. A genuine smile on his face, Dante looks to his family’s home one more time, sheds some tears and walks away, from his past to his new family. Devil May Cry 6 will pick up on what happens next.

If Resident Evil can have like 50 spin-offs, why can’t DMC?

Alternatively, I’m also open to the suggestion of Vergil being stuck as V for the rest of his life. Karmic punishment at it’s finest.

In all honestly, Vergil was really unnecessary to bring back. Like, just make him DLCs, his whole story is done. It just feels like fanservice and the writers banking on a popular character to bring in sales. I also feel like the game bends itself over backwards to please him (back to life, cheat coded to power, no more nightmares, gets to fight Dante whenever he wants, gets a son who wants his acknowledgement he didn’t have to raise, crimes are basically swept under the rug) while everyone else gets kind of screwed over (Dante has to leave his friends behind, Nero’s abandoned again, Lady and Trish are captured and get no screen time, V’s familiars are gone, millions are dead).

I think Urizen and V should have been their own things: I liked the idea of Urizen being the general of Mundus that attacked Dante’s house (his ACTUAL reason for fighting) and V being Mundus’ son who was abused and bonded with his henchmen who decided to become a devil hunter in vengeance for his mistreatment. I dunno, I feel bad V (who legitimately creeped me out) was just made into a convenient little redemption arc.

Nero’s character arc really should have been something else. I think he should have learned throughout the story to stop caring what others thought about him (a trait that should have been visible in 4 if it was going to be such a big deal in 5) and learn to trust his own strength. He should’ve realized that he doesn’t need to prove anything to Dante, he’s never going to be the same and he should be happy with who he is. Also, wanting Vergil’s acknowledgement doesn’t make sense. He may be his biological father, but literally the only things Nero knows about him is that he ripped his arm off, started the apocalypse, got millions killed, manipulated him and wants to kill the guy who was actually like a dad to him. Biological ties can only count for so much.

Alternatively, his arc could have been about becoming a more compassionate person. Like I said earlier, it’d make sense if he didn’t care about anyone other than Kyrie being in trouble. And remember when he tried to kill an armor he thought had a human in it in 4? Along with the seemingly human Agnus? Have Dante worried Nero might go down the wrong path. Have him tell Nero about Vergil WAY earlier (months after 4) and have Nero worried if he’ll turn out like that. Nero actually had more potential to be dark than Dante, and I feel like that in trying to make him look like a perfect hero in 5, they had to make Dante look worse (keeping secrets, ignoring suffering, etc.).

And instead of “deadweight,” Nero’s berserk button should have been Dante not telling him things. You know, like the Order? The group he worked for that tried to start the apocalypse in secret and nearly got him and his girlfriend killed along with actually killing his older bother? Yeah.

I do not like the hyperrealism. This is purely on me preferring more animesque art styles, but I always felt that not looking like actual humans helped the series’ fantastic elements shine.

Dante’s new outfit is just so...muted. It’s just boring. Dante’s supposed to be flashy, dang it! Give me back the chaps!

Nero’s hair is awful. It just looks terrible on him, I wanted him to have long, pretty hair. They should have just kept his trigger hair all throughout the game.

Also, Dante’s the hunk, give Nero back his soft, pretty boy face!

DON’T GET RID OF DEVIL BRINGER! I hated using the Devil Breakers, who wants breakable weapons in Devil May Cry?! What’s next, reloading ammo?! And if you can come back from being stabbed, shot, electrocuted, impaled, would it kill you to let Nero grow his demon arm back to keep his playstyle easier?! And if you needed a challenge, congratulations! Nero lost his Devil Trigger! WORK WITH THAT! 

Please don’t get rid of Dante. I love Nero, but he can’t do the main protagonist role. This is Dante’s series and he needs to finish it. Sure, give Nero a spin-off or two, but let Dante finish the story; the “Sons of Sparda” storyline was just 3. Not the whole series. Vergil is an important figure in Dante’s story, but he’s not where it ends. Dante. And. Vergil’s. Lives. Do. Not. Revolve. Around. Each. Other. They just liked to fight each other and developed opposing ideals, but their overall goals ultimately didn’t really factor in the other.

The whole Vergil abandonment thing shouldn’t have happened along with his beating Dante obsession, it seriously weakened Vergil’s character. He started out as someone who wanted the power to defend himself and became so deluded that he was ready to disregard any moral limitation to get it and simply fought Dante to amuse himself while never letting it get in the way of his goals. And him blaming Dante and Eva and insisting that Dante had an easier life, while I can understand it, just makes him come across as a spoiled brat throwing a tantrum.

Let V’s familiars kill demons without him. That was just really annoying.

And that’s it. My dreams for Devil May Cry 5 and the reality were two very different things and honestly...I’m afraid I’m growing out of this series. 

I’ll still post some content I want to get out, but I’m not sure I’ll be picking up the next one.

[adaru32]

October 2020 Devil May Cry News Updates

Someone mentioned in September’s news updates about how they don’t like visiting Deviantart due to what’s happened to it. So here’s the full list and links I’ll be sharing here that I’ve shared in the Deviantart journal so you don’t have to visit there.

Hey, how's it going? Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween. Here are this month's Devil May Cry related updates: 1. Asmus Toys has announced a devil Dante Qbitz figure up for preorder. 2. More promo images of Lady for the Pinnacle of Combat mobile game. 3. Rumours of a Devil May Cry 6 in the works are already surfacing. 4. Devil May Cry V getting a SSS pack, which contains a soundtrack, tshirt, and poster. b) Speaking of which, they haven't forgotten about releasing an official Vergil coat. c) Famitsu Interview regarding what may or may not happen in Special Edition. d) Other inclusions and exclusions of Special Edition regarding features, the official Vergil DLC release date, etc. 5. CapCom at one point released stamps to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the 1st Devil May Cry game. Someone got their hands on them. 6. 90 Day Fiance, featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry series. 7. Interview of Kyo (aka RedgraveKyo) talking to the voice of Trish from DMC4, Danielle Burgio. 8. Some drama regarding how "casuals" and "elitists" react to different opinions of Devil May Cry 4 and V.

My Thoughts On These Updates:

1. That Qbitz figure's adorable. A friend of mine in my one Facebook group mentioned about how Asmus Toys announces all of these Qbitz figures, but no mention about a release date, which is frustrating. 2. As I mentioned in the previous roundup of updates, Yunchang Games really loves showing off more promo work than their actual work. They are nice images, but they could at least give small tidbits of updates about what's happening with this game. Last I heard, it is supposed to be fully released some time this year. Well, we still have another couple months before the year ends. The other thing I heard for why it's getting delayed again is because of the pandemic, and they're actually listening to feedback from their beta testers so they're fixing whatever they can to please the fans. 3. I'm not surprised that rumours about a Devil May Cry 6 is already in the works. Especially when this rumour is coming from DuskGolemn (aka AestheticGamer1). Sure that person has some history with CapCom, but it doesn't mean whatever comes out of this person's statuses are always 100% true. It's plausible since Devil May Cry V did so well with their sales and such, but I'm gonna be cautiously optimistic about this info given. 4. I feel like for CapCom's SSS pack, they should include a Vergil figure from Prime1Studio or Kotobukiya. Sure a soundtrack, tshirt, and poster are nice, but I feel like there should be more. b) Nice that they haven't forgotten about Vergil's official coat being available for purchase. Sucks that these official coats/jackets are so damn expensive. They're way more than a used or new car for crying out-loud. c & d) Sucks that we PS4, PC, and XboxONE players have to wait longer for the Vergil DLC, but better to be late than never. It's also too bad about Xbox Series S players, but I guess some technology does have their limits. I'm very curious as to what Special Edition has in store. I like how CapCom's not giving away too much info to make up for the mistakes they've made of releasing major spoilers in their trailers for the original game and DMC4. 5. I think I've heard about those stamps before. It's cool that CapCom does things like that. Japan gets really awesome gaming merch stuff...Even their advertisements are more entertaining than us westerners'. 6. Funny how a little tidbit of someone cosplaying as Dante pops up in a TV show. Wonder what was happening down there in San Diego with that guy? 7. I haven't checked out the interview, but it's cool how specific fans can interact with these voice actors to get some more details and such. If any of you watched it, and anything sticks out that seems interesting, don't be afraid to share your thoughts. 8. (Warning: Very long rant, brutal honesty, and swearing ahead)...It really sucks what's happening with the Devil May Cry fandom as of late...More people have been leaving the fandom because someone was trying to be "funny". I'm aware that these kinds of things also happen with other fandoms like Undertale, Bayonetta, etc. for these kinds of drama to occur. I'm just sick of people shitting on one another... Yes, there is good that happens in this fandom as well like fundraisers for good causes, fans supporting other fans, even chill folk that don't like to start drama (Like that wholesome status post I shared in the list of updates for example). My problem is how people are either living under a rock, or are being in denial with the problems that surface with this fandom. Let alone being hypocritical where they share an opinion regarding another opinion that they disagree with in a rude manner, then turn around and  share something more positively eye-opening that's not so rude so they cover their tracks with their mistakes they've made before (Not sure if I worded this properly. Hope you get what I mean. One example is how one of the "elitists" mentioned about how "casual fans" are the most toxic people he's come across. Meanwhile he's complaining and whining in a toxic manner about PC players not getting Special Edition, then he turns around and shares that wholesome post about DMC4 players vs fans to make himself look good). I just want everybody to keep the peace with one another instead of being entitled, egotistical, self-centered, spoiled-rotten, hypocritical, idiots. The other issue this fandom is facing is content thieves. They've been on the rise for quite some time now, and people aren't doing a damn thing. I've been fighting with a few Facebook groups regarding this kind of act, but all they want is clout...Which is ridiculous if you ask me...I ask that if any of you see fan artists', screen captors', meme and mod creators', and cosplayers' content being posted where they state on their images or profiles that they don't want their content shared, or need permission to ask about their content being shared, message these artists or report the images. Even say something to these content thieves. As an artist who's had my stuff stolen before, I don't condone content theft... For those of you who know me in my Original Devil May Cry Sanctuary group on Facebook, and The Red Devil's Chronicles page on there as well, I always credit the content creators for their work, but I am also cautious on who wants their stuff posted or not. And as of late, I've pretty much stopped sharing others' fan art to respect these artists' wishes of not wanting their content shared without permission. If any of you want your stuff shared on the Facebook page, don't be afraid to let me know on here or there, I will give credit. I've been debating about whether to completely delete the fan art album on there and start anew. What do you guys think? As I've said, not all things are bad in the Devil May Cry fandom. We do have the good side of it, too. I'm hoping it gets better regarding that good side of it. It really sucks having to see stuff like this happen. But we good fans can change things for the better if we do something. This may come off as nerdy or cheesy, but as Alucard from Castlevania states in Symphony of The Night, "The only way for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing".

[redqvccn]

Vergil (& family)

Did I just make a Tumblr account because I need to dump my thoughts on my most recent hyper fixation, Devil May Cry? You bet.

Anyways, let's get right to the point and talk about none other than, you guessed it, Vergil. More specifically, him and his relation to his family. There is a lot to unpack here so strap in for a long post after the cut!

Eva & Sparda

There really isn't much to say here, those were his parents and it's out of question that they meant a lot to him.

Dante, while also showing respect, holds a sort of resentment towards Sparda (see; "I don't have a father", said by Dante in DMC3), but Vergil shows no such things. Let's be honest, Vergil most probably held more fascination for how powerful he was.

And Eva? Well, apparently she had to have given him the impression she didn't love him as much as she loved Dante (which may or may not be a purely subjective feeling, we don't know), but after all she was still his mother who provided the love and protection a mother should give.

Until the incident happened.

And this is where we get to Vergil's motivations; The pursuit of power Vergil was so lost in stemmed purely from that day and the inability to protect and save his own mother and brother, believing them both dead at only 8. He never wanted to feel weak again, so he started to gain power to be able to protect what's important - or at least himself. Yes, the methods he ended up using in this pursuit are very much not right a lot of the time, but the roots of everything have always been something so...genuine and deeply reasonable.

Dante

There'd be a crazy amount of things to unpack in their bond, especially Dante's side of things, but that would make this post longer than the list of reasons why I wish to perish, so we'll leave that for another time.

First things first, it's quite obvious that, despite all the fighting and their very different morals, they do care about each other a lot. They're brothers, they need each other, they deserve each other after going through hell and back (quite literally) separately all this time.

However, there is one thing that struck me especially lately.

Vergil almost never is the one to initiate a fight when they meet. It's always Dante, who definitely also has his very own (and valid) reasons of pointing his weapon at Vergil first thing, but also not the point, safe for one instance; After the fight with Arkham in 3, it's Vergil to attack Dante first in an attempt of retrieving Dante's amulet again.

Take DMC3; On top of the tower it's Dante who first points his gun at Vergil. In the ritual hall it's also Dante holding his sword against his brother.

DMC5? Dante charges at Vergil the second he has returned. On top of the Qliphoth it is also Dante initiating a fight.

And then there's the encounter with Nelo Angelo - a corrupted Vergil, a seemingly mindless demon. Nelo Angelo is the one to hunt down Dante, wanting to fight him, as ordered by his master Mundus, but as soon as Nelo Angelo catches sight of Dante's amulet, memories kick back in and Vergil, who's still in there, recognizes his enemy.

Then he stops fighting and runs away. It's only because Dante keeps following him that they end up fighting until Nelo Angelo is eventually defeated.

I feel like Vergil doesn't necessarily want to fight Dante. Never has. He never showed half the hostility than the other way around, but it goes easily unnoticed because - of course - he'll defend himself and fight back when attacked.

I don't know, but it is a little detail I think is quite overlooked.

Nero

So this one's gonna be very interesting.

Again, first things first; Vergil most certainly did not know about Nero's conception. He didn't spend enough time in Fortuna to actually develop a sort of bond with a woman. I'm not sure he would have been able to at that time, anyways. And even if he knew, it's not like he had much of a chance being at his kid's side, considering he threw himself into the underworld roughly a year after Fortuna and spent years there under Mundus' hand.

Technically....seeking out his child was the first thing he did after returning but...obviously we ain't counting that as quite the best of bonding moments.

Anyways.

I don't want to go into too much detail about V, but here, too, is something I thought was very interesting about V.

Because he talks about his regrets and fears and feelings and all that he considers a weakness with exactly 2 people.

Trish and Nero.

With Trish it makes quite a lot of sense, after all, she was created to look exactly like Eva. Naturally so, Vergil would find a sort of comfort and trust in her, despite the fact that they never met before.

And with Nero, I think, it is a similar sort of comfort and trust, even though he doesn't know this boy and isn't aware of his actual connection to him. It's something purely subconscious at that time.

Now, let's actually get on to Vergil and Nero.

When Vergil returned and was about to leave again through a portal, he says "Thank you, Nero". One could argue he simply thanked Nero for taking care of the Yamato while he was gone and....letting him "retrieve" it once he was back, but I like to believe something else.

I like to believe Vergil thanked Nero for helping him. For helping V. It's quite obvious V had needed Nero's help to reach what he desired and it is also rather obvious that Vergil shows more of his human side at the end of 5, with the little screentime he has. (Capcom...Vergil dlc when?)

And then there is the scene before Vergil jumps off the Qliphoth. The scene in which Vergil gives Nero his book. And I don't think we have properly grasped the gravity of this action for two reasons:

1. This isn't just any book. This is the collection of poems Vergil has been keeping since he was a young boy. It's his most valued possession - quite frankly, his only possession and keepsake - along with the Yamato and his half of the amulet (of which he does no longer have the latter). This book means a lot to Vergil, and he wouldn't just throw it at anyone just like that. He entrusts this to Nero.

2. It's a sort of promise. Vergil wouldn't go and say "I promise I'll come back for you. I won't leave you behind again", but that is essentially the meaning behind this action. He wants Nero to keep the book and take care of it until he is back, this meaning he wants to come back to Nero.

I definitely do think Vergil would want to get to know his son and try to right his wrong.

And Nero, having heard V ("The truth is, I wanted to be protected...and loved.") and being someone who cares about family, would not oppose.

TL;DR:

Vergil cares about his family more than you'd think at first glance and I really want to see where his character will go from here on.

(Since I'm still relatively new to this franchise, I'm not 100% educated in every detail of each game, so if there's anything I missed or somehow got wrong, feel free to add and/or correct. You immediately deserve my whole soul if you read this whole thing. Took me like an hour and a half to write, jeez.)