#due to his desire to keep dante and vergil from killing each other and to save them both

[ridgystacis]

imma write down some quick thoughts on narratives as living things real quick

Deltarune has got itself a really healthy narrative, alright? It's thriving, its guiding the path in the background, tangible yet invisible. It's the ferris wheel scene for Noelle and Susie -- a convenient set-up marks the deft hand of fate moving to direct the pieces and roles into their correct places, narrative framing, art. Its vigor is its emotion, the satisfaction one feels and it fuels within a desire to live and experience with it. You can feel it within every sequence, the warmth of a song for you.

And then you got the narrative in something like Devil May Cry 5. This narrative is rotting, full decay. The characters must play roles that don't fit them, it's oozing and slippery and they fall into patterns, moving further along with no ability stop what is mundane now. It's later seasons of sitcoms, stories repeating again and again except that it's not a cycle, it's a spiral, and it's been spoiling this entire time. Why do Dante and Vergil have to fight? It's because they're the protagonist and antagonist of an action game that refuses to ever let them die because it has one story it wants to tell. As the narrative dies they corrode with it, continuing to play out their roles and awaiting to be fossilized in them.

so like, games where the narrative is a living, breathing thing am i right?

[sinful-morningstar]

Spartober 2023 Day 4 Reunion (VerDante)

Author's note: I purposely kept Nero out of this one despite him being important in the cutscene in DMC 5 but bear with me there will be more Nero content in the future, other than that enjoy this ficlet where they reunite and spar Prompts by whatsanapocolae1 (I am using a combination of Spartober and Devil MayTober prompts) {I'm still catching up on the Prompts so stay tuned for more content i will get caught up even if it kills me lol} 4: Reunion (VerDante)

 “You’ve got some pretty big cojones coming back!...Just don't know when to give up!” Dante growled as he charged at Vergil, his heart racing; he felt a mixture of anger and joy for seeing him again but bitterness due to the last time they saw each other. He jumped and struck Vergil only to have the Yamato push him back, it gave him memories of when the two had fought atop the tower all those years ago. Sparks flew as the blades crashed an echo into the past as Dante remembered their last duel. Distracted by his own thoughts he felt the sheathed blade pushing him back as Vergil defended himself further.He blinked pleasantly surprised that Vergil hadn't impaled or even grazed against his flesh…no the blade was covered and it left Dante wondering why. Falling back Dante steadied himself, his eyes fixated on Vergil as they both caught their breath. He remembered the rainfall on the tower the way Vergil’s hair fell in his face, it was all too similar and it made him shiver. He had Vergil back but at what cost?. Shaking his head Dante proceeded to Charge once more at Vergil, the duo coming to a close in the middle of the Qliphoth as their swords clashed once more, sparks blew between them almost a small flame which perfectly embodied not just their fiery passion for fighting, but something else..something unspoken… Vergil defended himself expertly, keeping Dante back from slashing at him with The Rebellion. The pair grunting in unison as their strength bounced off one another. Sparks continued to fly  between them as he spoke “Defeating you like this..is meaningless…” He says shaking his head he can see just how beaten Dante is ,how tired..or broken he must feel in this moment seeing him again, he can't stand to witness his brother fight in such a weak state of body and mind…No that just won't do.. “Cmon Vergil!” Dante growled soft before he spoke again “Let's do this~” it was almost enticing; the way his breath caught in his throat making it somewhat sultry, this reminded Vergil of the moan that once  escaped his brother's lips as he had impaled him with the yamato ..long ago..

He smirked to himself, some things never change and it seemed this dance of determination and strength was still fresh in their mind as if it ran through their veins and fueled that desire in their hearts, would they continue to fight or would they finally give in to what they both want , that they repeatedly deny themselves every time they battle.

“Heal your wounds Dante..” Vergil said as he looked back into Dante’s eyes; a slight warmth in his tone as he remembered this exact moment years ago. He gripped The Yamato as he continued to say “ Get Strong…After that we’ll settle the matter!”.

He swept the blade beneath where Dante stood causing his brother to fall back, Vergil pushed Dante to the ground making sure he was down and out for the count. He watched him writhe in pain seething at his wounds; the adrenaline from the reunion had worn off and Dante was worse for wear.

Vergil sighed as he used the Yamato to travel to another part of the Qliphoth. The blade sliced a portal open as glowing lights of blue, red and purple mixed homogeneously, leaving a captivating glow that only further pulled Vergil to the opening.

Dante watched as Vergil was about to leave he wheezed “Come back here..I-I’m not through with you..” he shuddered.

Looking over his shoulder Vergil raised a brow at his brother, surprised by his stubbornness. He turned around and walked back over to him, he knelt down on the ground beside him and caressed his cheek gently wiping away the blood on his face.

“Oh I know all too well, brother mine…but if I have my fun with you now, there won't be any more left of you once I'm done with you..and where is the point in that?~” he said in a sultry tone, smirking as he got up to leave.

Dante blushed darkly, this was definitely better than being unconscious and having a stolen kiss..the words..the promises..the empty threats, it's what made his heart race and his blood rush. He watched as Vergil went through the portal leaving Dante on his own.

He would heal..he would get strong just to see Vergil again ..just to have that  twisted pleasure from their brotherly fighting..the rivalry that was in their blood and bones, the one thing that kept Dante going..His reason for fighting…

Reunited and it felt..so good…

[tenshiscientia]

Submit to Me

Guys, again this one is entirely fucking dark! The entire Submit to me Series is going to be fucking dark as hell! Like I said in Dante’s exploring new ways to write!

Nero

*taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap*

It was raining again outside, harder this time than it was last time. Mikazuki watched the rain hit the window, the cold outside fogging up the window due to the warmth inside.

'Damn I really need to stay away from the rain. I love it so much. But it truly makes me far to dangerous.'

Mikazuki pulled herself away from the window in the front room of Devil May Cry and wandered to the back where there was a training room. Vergil and Nero had decided to train together that day. She slipped inside the training room and took up a seat along the wall and got comfortable. She watched her son, Nero, as he trained with his father. The both of them had forgone their shirts in turn of going with just a set of shorts and bare skin.

Mikazuki's mouth watered as she watched her mate for a few seconds, before she saw him push Nero back and slam him against the wall on the opposite side of the room. Nero slid to the floor and remained there for a second before raising his head and glaring at Vergil.

"What the hell, old man?!" he yelled, swiping a hand across his mouth then pulling it away and looking at it.

Blood was smeared across his hand and he spit more out of his mouth.

"Keep an eye on your opponents movements, Nero. You can't let them get past your guard. You'll end up dead...or worse..." Vergil's voice echoed across the room.

'Or worse...or worse...or worse...'

____________________________

Mikazuki shook her head and laughed as she stood up and walked to her son. Nero gazed up at her a question in his blue eyes.

"Oh poor boy. Such power, but with no idea how to use it." she whispered to him.

Reaching down she ran her fingers over his cheek, wiping away blood after trailing down to his lips, then wrapped her hand around his throat and lifted him into the air. Choked sounds escaped Nero's lips as his hands came up to claw at Mikazuki's. Mika merely laughed again before tossing him across the room.

"You think you have the strength to match me, child. You stand no chance whatsoever. Now get up, I don't want to feel guilty when I kill you." she sneered at him.

"Mom, what is up with you. Why are you doing this?" Nero asked, voice panicky.

"You're weak. Not worthy of being alive. At least in the form you are right now. But have no worries...I'll still keep you around...even if you aren't of my blood, I've become fond enough of you to call you my son." Mikazuki laughed as she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself then flung them out.

Large angel wings of black unfurled from her back raining down black feathers. Dark laughter bubbled from Mikazuki's lips as she opened her eyes. They now held a silvery hue that Nero had never seen before. Fear lodged itself into Nero's chest. This was not the mother that he had adopted as his own when she, Dante, Vergil, and Sparda had returned from the Underworld.

This was someone entirely different.

"Nero..." Mikazuki's voice echoed slightly, "kneel."

Before he knew what he was doing, Nero fell to his knees, his body automatically following her command for some reason. An insane smile spread across Mikazuki's face.

"Very good, my son." she purred.

Walking forward, Mikazuki reached out and cupped Nero's chin in her hand.

"Already the perfect little slave."

"Mom, what the fuck?" Nero spat, jerking away.

*SMACK*

"Slaves and monsters do not talk to their masters. They don't have moms. They don't have anything. They aren't anyone, unless their master deems them to be." Mikazuki yelled at him.

Nero's jaw dropped as he was stunned into silence. For months now, Mikazuki had told him over and over that he wasn't a monster. That he was more human than demon, and that it was okay to have a devil side just as long as he didn't let it rule him.

"M-mom..."

Another slap rang through the room.

"Master, you worthless monster!" Mikazuki hissed.

A cruel smirk spread across her face.

"If you want the honor of calling me 'mom' again, you will have to earn it." Mikazuki whispered, cupping his chin in her fingers before throwing him back onto the floor.

Nero remained there, trying to figure out what brought about this change in his mother.

"Now, little slave, remove your shirt." Mikazuki instructed.

Nero's celestine eyes snapped to hers, but this seemed to only infuriate Mikazuki.

"Slaves do not look at their Masters!" she snapped, Cosmos appearing in her hand and flicking forward.

The next thing that Nero knew, the side of his face was burning just below his eye. He cried out and turned away, shielding his face from Mikazuki. Bringing his hand away from his face he looked at it and saw it was covered in blood.

"Next time you look at me slave, I'll take your eye as punishment. Now remove your shirt. Don't make me repeat myself again. That is something I don't like doing. You'll do well to learn that quickly." Mikazuki hissed, raising Cosmos to her fingers and letting two of  them trail through Nero's blood.

Humming to herself, she brought her fingers to her lips and gently sampled Nero's blood with a small lick. Then with a pleased sound, she drew them into her mouth and cleaned them, eyes closing slightly. Nero had raised his gaze just enough to see what Mikazuki was doing and as he saw her slip her blood covered fingers into her mouth, he shivered. He heard his demon side whisper to him in his head how utterly beautiful she looked doing that. Almost questioning what she would look like with blood smeared entirely over her lips.

Nero shook his head, cringing away from the thought. That was utterly and entirely disgusting. Enjoying the taste of blood and thinking that someone looked good with it on them.

'But you can't deny it...' his demon whispered again, 'That pale skin...the way she calls you slave...you love it, you want it, you need it. That human female isn't enough for you. She can't give you what you want...what you NEED.'

"Shut up..." Nero muttered aloud, pressing his hands to the sides of his head and shaking it.

Mikazuki looked down at him and smirked.

"Ah, your demon is talking to you I see. What is it saying to you slave? What is it telling you, and please spare me no details. I want to know everything." she whispered, slowly kneeling down before him, sliding her hand through the mess of blood that was still on the side of his face.

The cut may have healed, but the blood remained coagulated and smeared on his skin.

"He...it...I..." Nero stuttered out.

"Oh come now, little slave. You can do better than that. You don't have to worry. It's just us here. No one else to hear you.

Tell me what your demon wants. What does it desire." she whispered gently, thumb rubbing gentle circles into his cheek.

"It wants me to...submit...to you...it likes it...liked it when you licked my blood from your fingers, and...and called me...slave and...and monster. It...it enjoyed it. And...and I...I did too..." Nero refused to look Mikazuki in the eye, eventhough she was forcing him to face her.

Mikazuki smiled sweetly.

"Oh you enjoy being demeaned and seeing me take you life essence. You filthy thing." she hissed, throwing him onto his back.

"You think you would enjoy me bleeding you. Enjoy me drawing intricate patterns with my blade in your skin. Watching the blood drip down skin. To cut you over and over until your healing abilities finally can't keep up. Poor thing to think so, but if that's what you want, who am I to deny you?" she smirked down at him.

Standing up, Cosmos flashed to her hand and she stabbed it into his shoulder and pinned him to the ground.

"But just remember, slave...you asked for this!" Mikazuki's voice hissed softly over Nero's form.

Twisting Cosmos, she ripped it out of his shoulder only to plunge it into his other one and do the same. Nero cried out, but didn't pull away. His demon had been right. He did want this. He want to have his blood drawn.

"Look at you, you little blood slut. It's like your getting off on me hurting you." Mikazuki laughed.

She ripped Cosmos out of Nero's shoulder then plunged it into his hip. A shrill cry left Nero's lips and he started to reach for Cosmos.

"Ah ah. No touching." Mikazuki chided, summoning a shimmering black sword and impaling it into Nero's hand, pinning it to the ground.

"You lost your choice when you told me you wanted to bleed. Now hold still...I'm not done with you..." she laughed, her eyes turning even more silver.

Ripping Cosmos out of Nero's hip, Mikazuki drew it down Nero's chest, a distant look on her face.

"So, slave, do you want to earn back your title?" she whispered gently.

Nero nodded his head, a small whimper passing his lips. His eyes flickered up to Cosmos which was hovering in the air above him.

"That's a good boy. I'll let you do just that. Now close your eyes." Mikazuki instructed.

Nero nodded and closed his eyes waiting for Mikazuki to tell him how to earn back what he wanted. Then suddenly Cosmos plunged itself down into Nero's throat, forcing Nero's eyes open as he tried to figure out what just happened. Mikazuki forced Cosmos all the way through Nero's throat until the golden hilt touched skin. Then swiftly slid it out, allowing the blade to dissipate in a swirl of black before she leaned over him to bring a hand behind his head and tilt it so she could look in his eyes.

"There now, my son. You are once again worthy of that title. The strength you hold will be held by a worthy person for a long, long time. You my son, will serve me until I no longer need you. Sweet Nero, become my Living Scythe." she whispered sweetly to him.

Nero's body shimmered, then glowed. His body became a glowing orb or light before alighting in Mikazuki's hand. After another flash of light, a deadly looking scythe appeared in her hand. A blade at each end curved wickedly both directions, each a midnight blue. The long handle of the scythe was blood red, yet had veins of midnight blue running all over it.

Standing, Mikazuki made a few twirls with the scythe then a few killing strikes with each end of the scythe.

"Yes, you will serve me well. You will stay with me forever, my beloved son." Mikazuki whispered to the scythe, caressing one of the blades lovingly.

_______________________

"Nero, get your ass off the floor and fight back. I swear to Minerva above, if I have to come out there and train with you myself...ooooo boi, you will be a sorry mess by the time I'm done with your ass!" Mikazuki yelled, snapping out of her inner musings, realizing Nero had gotten knocked into the wall again.

"Kid, you might want to get up. She's not kidding about the 'kick your ass' part. I've gotten on her bad side Nero. I don't think my pride will ever recover." Dante teased as he walked into the training room.

"Fuck off, old man!" Nero yelled, but got up quickly and squared back off with his father.

'Shit that boy needs to be taught to fight better...my demon's going to get the better of me one day...Minerva help the boy if that happens...'

Mikazuki turned away as Nero launched himself at Vergil again. As swords clashed, she shook her head. This place would be the death of her.

[fractempyreal]

Before the game drops tonight. . . I wanted to share a few thoughts on how I’ve always seen Vergil and what makes him the man he is today, so here’s some small headcanons.

001. Contrary to popular belief, Vergil was and never will be a villain. He is an antagonist, yes, but he’s never been a villain. The reason as to why, is because Dante and his beliefs have always differed. Absolute reflections of one another, parts of one whole, stronger together than they ever will be apart. Vergil’s intentions have always been honorable and noble, but it is his method to achieve them that are corrupt.

002. His obsession with power comes from a place of helplessness. Vergil has always felt inadequate in discovering that he is the Son of Sparda. While that contributes to this obsession of obtaining power, it’s also always been a thing where it was borne of circumstance, having been unable to protect both his mother and brother during the night of the demon attack. Vergil more than likely had been outside when the demons attacked their home, making him the first to encounter them and attempt to fend them off with the hope of protecting his mother and brother.

003. His failure is what destroyed the innocence that he had before that night. Not only that, but always in the back of his mind, Vergil always believed that Eva loved Dante more than him ( which was never true to start, but that is the belief he developed ). Vergil loved his mother nonetheless, and regrets that he was incapable of saving her and blames himself for it.

004. Vergil and Dante were separated the night of that demon attack, and believed each other dead. Vergil lived his life in solitude, where survival became his only option. This is also moreso of an addition, but Vergil seemingly gains his DT while he’s about 14, when he was more than likely visiting Eva’s grave ( Since Dante had already forgotten about his true identity then ),  before Mundus’s demons attacked him and drove Yamato through him which in turn activated his Devil Trigger. After this small taste of power, he sought out more information about Sparda during this time, and it is where this desire for power began to gain traction. This led him to the city of Fortuna, a place where Sparda once lived, and found out all the information on Sparda that he could there and slept with a random lady from where Nero was then conceived.

005. Vergil has always hated his humanity, finding it disgusting and a source of weakness. This is especially noted in DMC3 where Arkham brings up Vergil’s humanity, that he was born from the union of a devil and a human and that thus, his power was incomplete, to which Vergil finds no response other than to tell Arkham to ‘ Shut up ‘. Thus, Vergil has always sought to rid himself of his human heart because it is his belief that it is due to him still having it, that keeps him from gaining the power that he desires.

006. He never has hated his brother. They will fight in order to kill each other, yes, but he’s never once hated his brother. Vergil is steadfast in his beliefs, and Dante stands in the way of that constantly which leads the the only option of having to rid himself of the one person that obstructs his path to gaining more power.

007. After the events of DMC1 and Vergil having been turned into Nelo Angelo, it was a moment where it was embedded into him even further that he had to gain more power in order to not fall under the control of anyone else ever again since he had ONCE AGAIN been caught within state of helplessness where he could do nothing but become Mundus’s ‘right-hand man’ which was little more than a glorified lap dog.

008. Vergil still has nightmares due to the extreme torture and experimentation that he underwent as Mundus’s pet. This is not something that he will admit to. He will view it as a weakness ( as he always does ),  and will avoid any conversation that might lead into it.

009. He still has human emotions, and they are indeed, very human. He pretends that he doesn’t have any, but it’s obvious that he has them and cannot by any means rid himself of them completely, no matter how hard he tries, and it absolutely infuriates him.

010. Vergil often wonders what it would have been like, if his and Dante’s positions were switched, and if they would have turned out the same, or ended up different due to it. Dante was able to create relationships; he had pseudo-families that impacted him in a positive manner despite the tragic ends that they met, while Vergil had none of those things. There was no warmth that he was able to find in life, which only served to strengthen his resolve of attaining power because there was no one that was close to him to ever question his methods and beliefs.

[demonslayvr]

What's your take or thoughts on Dante's theme subhuman on DMC5? If you haven't covered that yet!

questions  ??  you have ‘em send em  !!  |  always accepting

JACKPOT.   the song itself isn’t really my cuppa tea since its really hard for me to hear lyrics out of like   . .   the screaming   (   lmao  )   but i did look up the lyrics and sit on them for a little bit so i guess i’m going to dissect parts and relate it to dante in some form or way considering it’s his gosh darn theme   !!

As I stare into the eye of the comingApocalypse I see them reaching for my soulI cannot erupt, I must controlI cannot erupt, I must explode

first of all just expect me to jump all over the lyrics here in the chunks i grab since my mind flies all over the place as i spew my thoughts all over.  the last two lines being that he  must control   and   must explode   are   –  at least to me  —  dante’s human and demon sides at odds with each other.  since one part  (   the human part  )  feels that   the soul  must stay in control of the potential eruption while the latter  (   the demon part   )   feels it must explode and accept the latter part.  

which,  in game he does  –  he accepts the mixture once more as he’s done countless times by stabbing himself with rebellion and absorbing sparda into himself.  he essentially  explodes   into his sin devil trigger to take on the challenge ahead of him.  

the apocalypse is pretty obvious in terms of devil may cry 5   –   whatever urizen has plans for the world after he gets what he desires.  what happens   after the apple is attained  ??  the coming apocalypse is urizen.  the coming apocalypse that dante sees  in his eye  as he’s thrown off.  the coming apocalypse ultimately   reaches out   to him as well in the form of the tendrils and later while dante   tried   to keep control of the eruption he had to let it explode to attain a bigger power   –   the sdt.

Funny how the mind tries to sink me deeperAs the evil tries to turn me aroundI will not falter, shout at the devilAs I bury them six foot underground

the mind tries to sink me deeper   is dante’s depression that’s it.  go home.  the end with that lyric.the other lyrics though  . .  haha   well.   urizen in the game when she and dante converse in the illusion space before the childhood home tries to pull dante to their side which fails.  dante doesn’t falter even after trying to reason with her and is only disappointed.  he talks and shouts at the devil before him   –   the goal if the attempt to dissuade vergil to stand down is to,  well,  murder them once more and bury them six feet underground.  although with urizen being a full demon it’s facetious since there would be nothing left to bury all due to the fact they would simply   disappear   like other demons do. 

You cannot kill meI am OmegaYou cannot kill meI am Subhuman

pretty clear.  you can’t kill dante because he keeps coming back no matter how many fuckin’ times you try and kick this man to the curb.  time and time again.in this point of the story dante’s the  end   —   he’s omega   —   like how vergil later is mentioned to be both alpha and omega  ;  the beginning and the end of the story   (   which is how i interperet it anyway   –  in dante’s story i suppose   )    since we’re back once again with dante and vergil at odds.  dante’s subhuman  ;  hybrid and demon.  pretty clear.

I must not forget, that I have bledFrom no respect for the demons in my headSomething save me, put me out of my destinyAnd drop me safely in this hell

dante’s bled a fuckton lets just get that out of the way   ;   he’s bled due to his personal demons to his own   mental demons   he’s got within his own mind.  my canon with him specifically having devil may cry 2′s events happening with his apathy stemming from his demons caused by his depression.  he bled in hell for   five years   due to this apathy and uncaring for him to jump into hell after just barely much thought.  he did it for answers but there was more too it.

dante wishing to be saved from this absolute hell he’s stuck in.  this cycle of death and destruction he keeps finding himself on with his brother.  his destiny possibly being,  to him,  being in the same cycle with his twin over and over.  

I see right past me, the eyes are flashingAs I call upon the dark gift to eruptWith the devil on my backAnd out demons right in frontI slash through and slice its shadow up

eyes flash a blood colored red as they flash,  devil blood bubbling within body as dark gift erupts,  corrupting human flesh into scale.  becoming what man was deep within,  who he was inside that he sometimes feared.  the devil was now in the forefront,  the devil and man one and in control.

dante’s self is the devil,  his demon side  (   and the demonic energy from the sparda just fyi  )   is the dark gift that erupts  ;  the sin devil trigger that he attains is just that.  he slashes through and slices to get to the goal in front of him.  he’s got his own back  ;  flashing eyes happen when he’s triggering and this happens when he’s held tight by urizen’s tendrils and trish throws sparda his way which he catches.  dante’s focused on urizen yet he erupts at that moment as well,  calling upon the power within sparda to help him attain the trigger.   

I feel the devil in meWe’re coming right for youI feel the devil in meWe’re coming right for you

pretty much drives my mind to dante’s last thoughts as he’s transforming into his sin devil trigger and shoots off into the sky to face urizen the way he does.  dante,  in that moment,  is more devil than anything else  ;  he’s absorbed two demonic weapons   –  one   hugely  stronger than the other and thus he’s ultimately triggered his demon side   immensely.  he’s coming for urizen.  there’s nothing more to do   but   go toward him and finish the job that this job was in itself.