#incest shippers get real impacted on sight

[prototypelq]

DMC Questions Anon here!

Before you read this next question:

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Now onto the actual question:

How would you rank the 5 games in the Devil May Cry series? (By story)

Separately, if you want, how would you rank extended material? (The DMC1 Novel, The DMC3 Mangas, The Anime, The DMC2 Novel, Deadly Fortune, Before the Nightmare, and Visions of V, all of which can be found (along with other stuff) here: https://originaldmc.github.io/DivinityStatue/Downloads.html)

If you wish, how would you rank all of it together in one big list?

Hi, Dear DMC anon!

Oooh, that can be a rather loaded and tricky question actually! DMC story is excusively all about the characters, but the thing about them is that they are NOT forward with their emotions at all, and much of their motivations and reasons have to be guessed/theorised. Another obstacle here for me is that the only DMC game I`ve played is 5 (for reasons, I'm unable to purchase any game right now, and frankly, 5 is the only one I`m interested in playing), so I know the story from a mix of youtube lore masters, wiki and fanfiction. This ranking is very much affected by my history with the fandom, so it may differ greatly from other fans. I will also include a small summary of what I consider to be the story of said game, and is ultimatively what I was ranking.

My ranking of DMC games (+ anime) goes:

DMC1

Dante meets Trish, fights and kills Vergil, is betrayed and later saved by Trish, fights and wins over Mundus with the power of Sparda

The Drama of this game is literally the foundation of the series, and I believe it fully deserves the #1 place on this list. This game has: arguably te Endgame villain of the series, the third and the darkest moment of the twins`s conflict and trauma. This was the perfect start point for the series and a great foundation for it. It also gets a bonus from me for the Nelo Angelo theme which features church organ sounds and I love that.

DMC5

(be prepared for lots of Vergils) Vergil is alive after escaping from Hell, he follows the only familiar power call of the Yamato, which leads him to cut off Vergil Son`s arm. Vergil comes back to his destroyed family home, looks at the family portrait, and decided to cut out his pain, which backfires significantly. Soul part of Vergil decides he cannot defeat Ass Vergil, so he goes to Vergil`s Brother for help with dealing the Ass Vergil, also requesting help from Vergil`s Newly One-Armed Son to deal with this. Ass Vergil summons, or uses the opportunity presented by a demonic blood tree to gain power and sits on his ass a lot. Vergil`s Brother goes to fight Ass Vergil, but underestimates him, which results in: Rebellion being destroyed by Ass Vergil; the ladies fading into the background of the story along with dreams of fans; Vergil`s Son is forever traumatized by the word ‘deadweight’, even more so than the loss of a limb; Dante ded. Vergil`s Son takes a break for a month, Vergil`s Soul tries out homeless lifestyle for the time. Vergil`s Son comes back with cool metal arms, wanders around and bonds a little with Vergil`s Soul. Vergil`s Soul finds the Legendary Vergil`s Father Sword, then finds Vergil`s Brother who, as it turns out, is not actually ded, but was somehow mistaken by the blood tree for Vergil, so it was actually able to revive Vergil`s Brother. Vergil`s Soul apologises to Vergil`s Brother by almost stabbing Vergil`s Brother with Legendary Vergil`s Father Sword. Vergil`s Brother is hurting and troubled by the possibility of Vergil`s Son being even more hurt, so he runs off to face the Ass Vergil again, and ignores Vergil Soul`s attempt at reaching out. Vergil`s soul is told by Vergil`s Mother Clone that ‘she is not his mommy’. Vergil`s Son tries to take out Ass Vergil himself, but fails and is saved by Vergil`s Brother, who used Vergil`s recommended method of demonic powering up of stabbing himself with cool swords. Vergil` Brother fights Ass Vergil, succeeds but Ass Vergil escapes. All Vergils chase Ass Vergil again, this time Vergil`s Brother finally beats him down. Vergil`s Soul is rapidly fading and Vergil`s Son saves him, which gives Vergil`s Soul some closure with his trauma. Vergil`s Brother does not want to handle any more Vergil-killing weight and lets Vergil`s Soul pretend to finish Ass Vergil off, but everyone is tricked by him and actual V e r g i l emerges. Vergil`s Brother is sick with Vergil`s behavior and runs straight into the fight. Vergil beats him away, challenges Vergil`s Brother to a duel in good health, and leaves Vergil`s Son behind with a ‘thank you’. Vergil`s Son is confused, Vergil`s Brother is enraged and this results in Vergil`s Son learning he is Vergil`s Son. After the revelation Vergil`s Brother beats Vergil`s Emotional Support Demon Pets and duels Vergil to the death. The duel is interrupted by Vergil`s Son who wants his family to stop fighting, and stops them from fighting by fighting Vergil instead. Vergil concedes the fight to Vergil`s Son, Vergil`s Brother notices Vergil playing nice, sees the opportunity to bond and Vergil`s go on a Hell vacation together, leaving Vergil`s Son to defend humans from demons.

The story of 5 is the best possible ending the series realistically could have gotten: Nero becomes more assured of himself and gets a Big piece of his lineage and identity he was missing; Vergil gets Dante back (for Nelo Angelo) by killing him; the main plot (and even some of the bosses, including King Cerberus, my beloved) of the game is copypasted 3 which WORKS because 3 is the first game in plot order, so it all circles back around, twins feel their deep need to recconnect with each other and have a repeat of The Fall together. 5 is very weirdly structured, has an overly long lead up (FIVE ASS VERGIL FIGHTS,Carl, F I V E) to its main hook, and it would not work in any other game. These characters have their own backstories, been throught a lot, and had their arcs already, which lets 5 be so weird and convoluded, and Work because the ending is everything the fans dreamed about, and it is how the story of twins was supposed to end from the start. 5 is a masterpiece in ending a game series and it`s great.

Also the entire game can be summed up by sony in a 5 minute trailer, which shows off all the amazing action and fun gameplay plus the emotinal core of the story, which was ultimately what inflicted me with the chronic and incurable DMC brainrot, and sold me the game. Also 5 has the best OST of the series.

DMC3

Dante learns Vergil is alive and kicking, kicking his ass a lot actually, Vergil gives Dante a very painful but essential for his continued survival power boost, Dante befriends Lady, teams up with Vergil for a fight, then they have epic final duel which Vergil secretly concedes and Dante wins, but Vergil falls into Hell deliberately, cutting his saving hand and leaving Dante alone and Dante names his agency after the incident

3 portrayes the conflict of brothers perfectly. If in 5 their relationship is at a point where both are too hurt by each other to see what they deeply, truly want (to recconect), and the only option left for them is to hate each other, in 3 we get to see exactly why the twins are so divided. 3 shows that both truly care for each other, even if seeing Vergils version of caring requires actual freaking scientific research, but their trauma and ambition drove them so much apart that they cannot reconcile anymore, and it is the point where their relationship gets shattered. The tragedy of twins is perfectly encapsulated in 3, and I imagine many fans will rank this game higher than I did for that reason. And, of course, I can`t rank 3 without mentioning Devils Never Cry - that song is a banger and is a beloved anthem of the series.

DMC Anime

Dante gets closure with his childhood trauma while on a job to protect a child from demons and bonds with her. He battles a huge demon, but is incapacitated during the fight, Patty gives Dante a moral support speech and he wins the fight. Patty leaves to live with her mother and anime ends with Dante missing her.

I really love the main story of the anime, and a huge Patty Propaganda Enjoyer. I lover her very much, and the closure she (unknowingly) gives Dante is very meaningful for him. This Dante is openly at his lowest point, and he really needed some connection in that moment (even if Pattys methods are unconventional). Her presense alone is certainly not enough to help him overcome the trauma, but it is a start. Another thing I love about the anime is the casual setting and small stakes episodes, DMC could use some more of that. Music bonus this time goes to Future in My Hands, which is a song that basically gets it own episode, and is, as far as I know, the only diegetic song in the series, which means that Dante himself actually listens to it and likes it. Also I enjoye the credits song I'll Be Your Home, which, yeah, DMC needed some chill female vocals song.

DMC4

Dante learns about Nero, together they fight cultists, then find and restore the Yamato, Dante gives Nero space to let him overcome his teen angst issues, but helps out when needed. Dante heavily implies they are family, but then immediately walks off into the sunset (probably to have a huge crisis)

Nero is a critical addition to twins story, however the overall story of the game is...not really interesting. Dante and Nero fight cultists, thats basically it. Other games or anime you can watch for the story, but in 4 the only standing out element is Nero. And he is an addition that was very needed, Nero is basically a happy ending at least one Sparda could have before DMC55 was a thing. 4 was quite an epilogue for the series, the thing I love about it is the hope it gives, which if wonderfully sung about in Shall Never Surrender. For all his trials, Dante always kept marching on, and after 4 he could have Nero at his side. Nero is the legacy of twins and he is the emboidiement of heart and hope of the series, and that is his greatest strenght. But, as I said, the crazy Fortunans plot is... not interesting, so I didn`t rank the game very high.

DMC2

Dante meets Lucia, battles demons with her, Lucia is revealed to be an artifisial demon, Dante goes on an expedition into Hell for a couple of years

I dont think this will be a surprise to anyone. The only interesting thing about 2 is Lucia, and while she is a nice character, she is not deep and not enough to carry an entire game by herself. Though I like her character and design, and wish she'd get back into DMC somehow. And the end where Dante kind of tricks Lucia into going to Hell alone is a nice detail.

As for other extended media, I am not very familiar with it. I read Before the Nightmare novel, but it didn't really do much for me (except Patty mention). I know people love Visions of V, but I cant say the same about myself. There were important bits about the twins childhood, some Eva, but otherwise surpsisingly little of Dante or the damaged relationship of the twins. Some panels were very nice though, and the imagery when Nero saved Vergil from Malphas got to me, as I never felt the impact of that moment in-game. But I also know that I have trouble feeling the same level of emotion, or even understanding whats going on in comics or manga, so this is just a me issue.

Thank you, Dear DMC anon, for the ask, it was a pleasure to write and I really appreciate you stirring up the fandom.

[dmc-questions-anon]

prototypelq:

"'Battle for the Sun by Placebo is a song I associate with the tragic story of the wins. The music and melody is explosive and destructive, just like everything that came crashing down around the twins, it rises in intensity as their problems are left for decades to fester, the lyrics of the verses is very determined - both wont stand down and are extremely determined to see their crash course till the end (also the multiple repeats of some words makes it sound a little like a broken record - or in a narrative sense, like a lie they keep and keep telling themselves) , however the chorus is very different. The explosion of music that is constantly rising in verses finally blows up, and in this destructive cacaphony of sound the chorus is actually emotionally raw and sweet - the final confrontation of the brothers was inevitable, and it is the conclusion of their story, both know that and there is no more place left for conflict of goals, ideals or anything else, they know the end of their story is coming and the only thing they feel is joy. Joy as they clash together, like only they can, joy at seeing each other, alive after all these years, and joy at being together again, even in this twisted way, their affection in undeteterred'

also I`d add a little stuff here

Id written before(above) that some verse lines repeat and sound like broken records - it also reminds me of how both twins simply cannot let go of the past, both because their best and fondest memories are from childhood spent together, same as their trauma originated in said childhood and only continued to grow in folowwing decades.

the first two verses are PERFECT for dmc3 twins conflict

I will battle for sun the sun, and I wont stop untill I'm done, You are getting in the way, And I have nothing left to say - Vergil

I will brush off all the dirt, and I will pretend it didn`t hurt, You are black and heavy weight, and I will not participate - Dante (bonus Nelo gutpunch)

Dream brother, my killer, my lover - okay so, obligatory warning, I WILL Real Impact any incest shipper or sight. I interpret this line more like a collection of twins hopes for reuniteing in their brotherhood, however, those are impossible dreams (untill the end of dmc5) and now their only option is to fight. This constant fighting is closest they can get to being together again, so both cherish it while it lasts.

No fun if you are cheap and nasty fake, And I am the bones you couldn`t break - dmc3 prequel novel and gilver, possibly?

Also the song end ends with final I will Battle for the Sun, which I read as, the twins real goals and agenda never actually changes. Both want power safety, brotherhood and to protect each other. Their problem is miscommunitation, and once that is cleared up (or they are given a mutual person to protect (Nero) and a target to eliminate) they are, as always, a perfect match for each other, they make a flawless team, and are united in their brotherhood as twins, so nothing can stand in their way."

(Song Interpretation)

Battle for the Sun by Placebo

I agree! You said everything pretty well and I think this song works for the twins perfectly!

GMVs associating this song with DMC:

None that I could find.

[prototypelq]

I`m firmly in the camp 'all Spards need hugs and therapy', sadly though, there Might be hugs for them, but I cannot imagine any one of them going to actual therapy. On the side of healing though

One of the fascinating scenarios to me is how the twins have to help each other overcome their issues. Obviously, Vergil has been in literal Hell for half of his life, so he will need time and help to adjust, and the only person he can trust with that is Dante. The only people the twins truly connected to in their lives were each other, and after many years that connection became painful and rotten, but never truly faded. So, after they yeel, and fight, yell some more and joke around later, they can mend that.

The truly hard part will come after that. Once they return from Hell, Vergil is going to have to try to forge a new relationship for the first time in a very long time. Since his main experience with relationships with other people is his rivalry with Dante, and paired with the fact that Nero is just as impulsive and hotheaded as Vergil, the process is going to be rough, but I am sure they will figure it out, because both really want this connection to work.

Dante, on the other hand, I believe will have even worse time adjusting to having his family be present in his life. His painful history with Vergil have run him into the ground over the years, and each time Dante tried to make a new connection to anyone - the person eventually left him. Lady seems to be a trigger-twitchy associate, Trish left to be her own person and because watching Dante falling into depsair has been hard for her, looks like Dante and Lucia have not seen each other after their job, Patty left to live with her mother, and Morrison even commented Dante was upset after that. And Nero. Nero falls right into the 'extremely painful family history' category, and while Dante clearly wanted to be present for his nephew, he also could not bear doing it for long, which resulted in their distant partnership in (family) business and occasional gifts, like the neon sign.

While Vergil is, well, rusty (extremely understating) with his social skills and never used his opportunities to make meaningful connections to people around him. Dante has tried and tried over the years, and all of them kind of failed. Yes, Dante had gathered people around him and they do hold on to each other (Patty evidently calls him, plus he, Nero and the women share work sometimes), he cannot truly commit to having a meaningful relationship with either of these poeple because the most important connection he ever had, with his twin, has been a constant pain the entire time, so he closes himself off to not let it bother other people and not add any more burden for himself.

When Dante and Vergil fix their relationship, Vergil just might become the person to help Dante overcome his insecurity and constant avoidance, first of all by becoming a proper uncle to Nero. I don`t think any other person could help Dante get out of the shell he had been forced to create for himself, and there is very little motivation for him to work on these issues as important as Nero. And while Nero is Dante's motivation, Vergil will be his main support during this process. Because if Vergil has been able to have a healthy relationship with Nero, Dante can have one too surely. Because Vergil is the most real, strongest and most painful connection Dante has ever had to anyone, and he is the only person Dante can trust with these issues. Their bond was forged through hellfire, and it can help them both come out of it.

Nero truly is the gift to twins, and he might be the solution to them overcoming their trauma and having genuine, healthy and meaningful connections with other people.

[prototypelq]

DMC random thoughts and headcanons in no particular order:

(incest shippers - I will Real Impact you on sight, Go Away; DMC is exclusively a gen (except Nero/Kyrie) family drama to me)

- I kind of wish there had been more of a '5 plot except Dante doesn't wake up and Vergil has to decide between power and the life of his brother' AU going on around here. I had a post written about it, but basically I think Nero himself is more than enough to give Vergil's emotional constipation some cracks, and then the ball gets rolling

- More Cerberus And King Cerberus Appreciation!!! They are two great demonic doggos and deserve more love (and double the appreciation for their weapon forms). I wish Dante had a Cerberus as a dog, than man really needs emotional support

- Vergil should Not have 4 wings. Controversial, yes, but he has a very cool and stabby tail in SDT, Wings are Dante's thing. Dante should have 4 wings, Vergil should have two and a tail, I Do Not Accept criticism

- Dante/Lady or Lucia ship could totally sail (personally I lean more towards Lucia), but not in this story of DMC, at least not for me. I think Dante could like either of them, but he is absolutely not in the right space for any kind of relationship during the entire story of the series, and probably won't be for a long time even after 5

- Patty Adopted Dante As Father Figure, I Do Not Accept Criticism

- Patty would get like a house on fire with Nero, especially if they compare Dante burns. She would also get along well with Vergil, because he actually has manners and style, she can appreciate that, also Patty wouldn't bother him too much (aside from nagging to be nicer).

- Dante is the Best Uncle when he is actually trying

- I wish we had at least a little bit more story going for Lucia, I really like her, but have not idea how to fit her in with other characters

- Nero didn't need to grow his arm back. He gets beautiful DT wing-claws, they are enough, or, well, they couldve made him be able to make a temporary 'holo arm' if needed, but in any case he is a better character if his arm is missing. Nero uses Breakers anyway, and his theme is using human contraptions instead of demonic artefacts. Regrowing an arm just makes him another one in a long line of 'disabled characters that get magically cured of their disaibility'. (have you seen his reloading animation with one arm? it`s great and just as cool as others)

- Dante and Vergil silently agreed to let Nero throw his much needed temper-tantrum, and Vergil absolutely went on easy mode on Nero. I love the punk boy, but no way he would be able to defeat either of the twins

- It is exceptionally beautiful to me how much alike and different the twins are, and either of them could be a hero, or a villain in their respective story. At the same time I am absolutely certain a villain!Dante would be irredeemable

- Battle for the Sun by Placebo is a song I associate with the tragic story of the wins. The music and melody is explosive and destructive, just like everything that came crashing down around the twins, it rises in intensity as their problems are left for decades to fester, the lyrics of the verses is very determined - both wont stand down and are extremely determined to see their crash course till the end (also the multiple repeats of some words makes it sound a little like a broken record - or in a narrative sense, like a lie they keep and keep telling themselves) , however the chorus is very different. The explosion of music that is constantly rising in verses finally blows up, and in this destructive cacaphony of sound the chorus is actually emotionally raw and sweet - the final confrontation of the brothers was inevitable, and it is the conclusion of their story, both know that and there is no more place left for conflict of goals, ideals or anything else, they know the end of their story is coming and the only thing they feel is joy. Joy as they clash together, like only they can, joy at seeing each other, alive after all these years, and joy at being together again, even in this twisted way, their affection in undeteterred

- (more Patty propaganda) I believe Morrison found the 'protect young child from demons' job for Dante on purpose. Morrison is probably one of the people who have known Dante for longest, so he would recognise halfbreed's change in moods after the Mallet job (for example Morrison notes Dante was sad when Patty left at the end of the anime, and...is this the only time someone actively voices concern for Dante's mental health? dammit everyone is this series is an emotional trainwreck). It's unknown if Morrison knows exactly How close to Home of an assignment Patty is (very young orphan hunted by demons, and she is not a half-devil child) to Dante, but her character was probably another good reason for Morrison to pick her as a temporary company to Dante. Even without considering his depressed state, Dante responds only to other dominating personalities (rivalry with Vergil, constantly trying to one-up another friendship with Lady) and Patty certainly has no patience for his laying around or mess at home. At the same time, she is considerate and empathetic enough to give him space or leave him alone if needed. She was the person to help him through the time after Mallet trauma and she did an admirable job. I think this makes their relationship (familiar one, NOT a ship) special, and she totally adopted Dante as her Father Figure against his will, and he can't do anything about it since.

- Subhuman is The Perfect song for DMC5 Dante (would I have liked it on its own? dunno, probably not, but playing the game with it on feels fantaSSStic and I adore this song ever since, also it is thematically On Point with Dante's character arc in 5)

- One of the fics I've read (Неудачник by velkhar on ao3) had written down the idea that Dante doesn't speak in SDT is because he is afraid of what his voice would sound like (once again, Dante has problems with his demonic heritage, they did not go away, not at all) and this headcanon has been aggressively accepted ever since

- Every Sparda has a very refined music taste. Dante is a Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Tenacious D fan for sure, perhaps also a Deepeche Mode fan, probably other 80-90s rock would fall into his interests. Nero is more of a pop rock guy, he definitely would like some rap and grunge music too, he'd like older Imagine Dragons albums, Linkin Park For Sure, maybe Skillet and or Katy Perry, probably also developed a taste for some classical music (being in Order and all; btw yes, you can like rock and classical music at the same time). Dante and Nero would dance to Shakira and Lady Gaga. Vergil's harder to pin down, as much as I enjoy BTL I cannot imagine him listening to it. I'd say he would enjoy classical music of course, maybe something like jazz or soul too. Might be a big stretch, but I also think Vergil would enjoy something like Evanescence too, I feel like all Spardas have a weak spot for female lead vocals.

(projecting here) all of them would like orchestral covers of classic rock songs, Vergil would especially enjoy covers on pipe organ (double projecting).

[prototypelq]

DMC Questions Anon here!

The ending of DMC 5 leaves the door very open for new character dynamics to be formed. Which is exactly what this question is about.

(Keep in mind that if you don't want to or don't think you can you do not need to cover all of these dynamics)

(Also, I do not mean any of these dynamics as a group just for clarification)

How do you believe Dante and Vergil will move forward with their relationship after DMC 5? What about Vergil and Nero? How about Dante and Nero?

Vergil is going to end up needing to form a dynamic with all of the characters after he and Dante return from hell. The characters he will inevitably end up interacting with on a normal basis will be: Lady, Trish, Kyrie, Nico, Patty, and Morrison. How do you believe his relationship with all of these characters will turn out? How will they start off, and how will they develop?

Dante has a dynamic with most of this cast, but what do you think his dynamics with Kyrie and Nico will end up being like?

What dynamics do you believe Nero will have with Lady, Trish, Patty, and Morrison?

How do you think the dynamics Trish will have with Kyrie and Nico will play out?

The dynamic Lady will have with Kyrie?

The dynamics Kyrie will have with Patty and Morrison?

How do you think the dynamics Nico will have with Patty and Morrison will play out?

What dynamics (other than anything involving a member of the Sparda family with another member) are you most interested in seeing playing out?

(I have another question planned to do at some point asking you to talk about dynamics not included here)

Quite a loaded question, my favourite DMC anon! Your asks are lovely as always, and I`ll try to answer these to the best of my ability

(all of the relationships mentioned here are written as platonic, and incest shippers are Real-Impacted on sight)

the longest and easiest to answer: the sparda loser twins

I strongly believe that what the twins truly needed all these years to start healing was each other, and the yearning for their brotherly reconnection is the reason their relationship is mendable (unlike trigun twins, but that`s just my opinion). Both of them became extremely closed off after the attack, and their personalities were forged in literal hellfire, hence, their absolutely horrible, no good, very bad coping mechanisms - their childhood knowledge of each other is the solution to this trauma. Dante can see right through the Vergil`s pretentious and arrogant behavior to know his brother is hurting, and Vergil can relearn to see that the attention-attracting behavior and general clowning of Dante`s is a veil to hide behind, and they can call each other out on this bullshit to talk like actual adults. Which might happen after some brotherly stabbing (because their only response to pain has been violence for the majority of their lives and that’s not a healthy habit but I don`t think they will grow out of it any time soon), but they both want their bond to be real again, and that will require honesty. I have no idea how long mending of their brotherhood will take, but am sure they will make it work in time, and will finally start healing

(I do hope they also take the stabbing out of their fighting, because even if demonic pain tolerance is high it is still physical pain and that is not a thing you want to invoke on a relative you have a good strong relationship with), which will also positively affect all of their relationships with other characters (*cough cough* like dante helping vergil through his newfound fatherly feelings towards nero, and vergil getting dante right back with his secretive but very fond father figure-ly bond with patty *cough cough*)

Vergil must apologise for breaking the Rebellion. While the twins have equal score in killing each other (Dante>Nelo, Urizen>Dante (yes, I believe Urizen actually killed Dante as it would be thematically appropriate since 5 parallels 3 so much)), but Nero restored Yamato, while Rebellion was sort-of reforged by Dante himself. Still, Vergil did break Dante`s beloved sword which must have hurt Dante (for some reason the fandom glosses over it, like, yeah he made a DSD for himself which is very cool and all, still, it is not the familiar Rebellion and it is a loss, even if it is bittersweet)

Vergil is #1 person on the (short) list of characters Dante is physically affectionate with (both to tease and for funsies; I live for the 'Dante coaxes a piggyback ride out of Vergil' fanart, fics, everthing and everything that has this trope; also the twins sleep better when theyre close or together; Vergil relearns positive touch through Dante's affections)

Vergil&Nero

If Vergil and Dante are two halves of a one stupid loser whole, then Vergil and Nero are two identical idiots. They struggle with their feelings and need time to understand them, while at the same time being hotheads with little patience, which is quite an explosive combination to form a relationship around. Luckily, they have help! Nero has learned to lean on Kyrie in time of emotional need, and Vergil… will need time to learn to express himself, if not more openly, then at least without as much pretense as he has now (and he has Dante to yell at him when Vergil starts making stupid decisions yet again), and both will certainly need their ‘straight men’ to help out at times. I believe the Heaven in Hell`s Despair series of fics, by the amazing EirianErisdar on ao3, covers their struggles and triumphs of creating a father-son bond wonderfully.

Dante&Nero

Dante and Nero`s relationship is a more treacherous case. Dante and Vergil damaged each other a lot through the years, but they had the same goal – to reunite and stand together as brothers again. Nero and Vergil have had a very rocky start, but both clearly want to bond and they have a new relationship to figure out.

However, in this instance, Dante has actually had a sort of secret relationship with Nero as his uncle, which was built on a lot of things unsaid, and it ultimately betrayed Nero`s trust, even if Dante was trying to act in his best intentions (actually no, Dante just could not face any more Vergil ghosts than he already had, so he hid away from the problem and Nero as he usually does). Paired with Nero`s temper, this makes mending the relationship with his uncle probably an even harder task than forging a new one with Vergil. The way I see out of this is two scenarios: - Dante figures himself out enough to come clean to Nero about why he hid everything from his nephew (…as much as I`d love that, unlikely, Dante is a very old dog with his trickster trick at this point, even if he will improve after fixing his bond with Vergil, old wounds are very painful to pick on) - OR… Vergil tells Nero of his troubled history with his twin, and with some help from Vergil or Kyrie Nero comes to understand Dante`s actions and forgives his sorry uncle. I do believe Nero needs someone (Vergil or Kyrie) to actually slap him in the face with a detailed explanation of how to see through Dante`s clowning, because Nero`s temper wouldn`t let him otherwise. After that, I think they are very cool, and Dante would make an excellent uncle (noogies all around, Nero can protest all he wants, he`s not getting out of them) They certainly share some of their taste in music, and are secretely jealous of the others revvy sword/demonic motorcycle. Nero is, obviously, another person on the list of people Dante is physically affectionate towards.

Vergil & Lady or Trish

This is harder for me to figure out, mostly because the main character trait of the women in DMC is giggle physics. My guess is that Vergil and Lady will be neutral-hostile to each other, Lady seems to me like a character that will hold her grudges for an entire lifetime, or they will be completely neutral to each other, and I don`t think either of them would be interested in improving their relationship.

If not for her encounter with V, Vergil would be hostile towards Trish, but she treated a part of him well in the past, and that juuuust might be enough for him to be neutral towards her. Their actual history is shrouded in mystery and as it's unknown how much she was involved in Nelo Angelo's mind-washing so that`s very much up to interpretation. I really like all the headcanons about Trish trying to be an older sister to twins, but personally can`t see that happening, still, those headcanons are very nice.

Kyrie

Vergil would be very much unnerved by Kyrie – she has a sort of motherly care for people around her, which would trigger all of Vergil`s mommy issues combined, so he would be very tense with her at first. There is an amazing fic This Emptiness is so Real by Night_Companion on ao3, which has my favorite portrayal of Kyrie out of all the fics I`ve read – the author wrote her like a woman grown up in a religious- and military-heavy culture, with a steel spine just like her brother, who has seen how much trauma the veterans go through, and has learned to be a calming presence in their lives. It is her active choice and decision to try to help traumatized individuals, she has self-taught herself these skills and uses them to her advantage. This gives her an edge to be uniquely equipped to see through the twins horrible coping mechanisms, which actually scares the hell out of them both, because both haven`t known honesty since the fire. Kyrie might have a hard time forgiving Vergil for what he did to Nero, but that doesn`t mean she won't try to comfort him (as she always does for those who need it), and in time, she will forgive him (probably shell do it later than Nero himself does). After that, they will get along wonderfully, maybe they'll share a quiet evening with tea together.

Kyrie will have this quiet menacing aura around Dante, until he explains why he never told Nero they were family, she would totally be pissed about that, but with her skills she will see Dante has been through a lot and that decision was heavy for him to bear too, and she`ll forgive him (faster than Nero though, as she is more understanding towards his situation). Later they will get along great. Dante considers her to be his niece, and she is one (of a very short list) of people he is physically affectionate around (hugs as greetings for sure, maybe he`ll whisk her to dance around if there`s a good song on a radio (while Nero is aggressively shy, jealous and getting over himself in the corner nearby)). Help me remember fic by Okutama on ao3 has had a great scene in the final chapter (not a major spoiler, don`t worry) where Nero asked Dante to lead Kyrie down the aisle on their wedding and I say y e s to this headcanon aggressively. She might also get some firearms training from Dante (imagine Kyrie with a rifle). Also, let Kyrie swear, she needs it with these idiots.

Vergil&Nico

Nico would tease Vergil a lot, and just as with Nero. It might be weird for Vergil at first, but seeing as he is living with Dante now, he would accept the teasing surprisingly quickly and well. I don`t think Nico holds any grudges against Vergil after he verbally apologizes to Nero for the arm, then they`re good to go. (also I loved the idea presented in one of the fics I`ve read (please remind me the source if you know I completely forgot it) where in an alternate-timeline-dream sequence Vergil found smol Nero and adopted Nico, so they grew up as literal siblings. While I don`t think canon versions of them can grow that close, they can be fond of each other and easy-going in their friendship, so that would be nice too)

Patty, my beloved (headcanon-very-heavy territory ahead)

Patty will yell A Lot and Loud at Vergil for all he put Dante through on their initial meeting, but after Dante and Vergil fix themselves, she will be tentatively curious about Dante`s mystery twin. After that they would find connection in berating Dante over his housekeeping together. Patty would be fond of Vergil`s sense of style and his taste for some classical culture like literature and violin, while also benefitting from Patty`s ‘straight man’ nature for him and Dante both, as she points out any bullshit she notices (except sometimes when it matters, she lets it lie, which is how she was able to keep in contact with Dante all these years).

I am fascinated by the loser twin parallels regarding their (adopted) children – Vergil the unknowing and absent father, and Dante the secret protective but unacknowledging father figure for years. After dmc5, Vergil was forced to deal with being a father to a young adult, and Dante had been keeping in contact and protecting Patty since she was a small child, all the while avoiding the implications of his caring nature towards her, honesty and actual responsibility for her.

When Vergil is in good graces enough with Patty and learns of her history with Dante, he will piece together how big of an idiot his brother is (as he had to work hard to forge a bond with Nero, while here is Dante having the gall to completely ignore the obvious connection he has had with Patty for almost a decade (while also being very impressed)), and he will force a conversation with Dante about it (because Vergil despite all the years apart knows his brother perfectly well as can now see that the unsaid has been hurting his brother, same as keeping Nero in the dark was, and at the same time hurting Patty as well). Dante needs a powerful wake up call (as he knows Patty fro almost a decade) and Vergil knows his brother well, plus has the will and no-tolerance for his brother's bullshit to cut straight to the issue at hand, plus to encourage Dante to do better.

But yeah, in short Vergil and Patty get along great (which scares the hell out of Dante and Nero). If Patty ever learns fencing - Vergil would be the one to teach her.

Patty is another person on the list Dante will get physically affectionate with (actually she was the first person to start physically affectionate interactions with him since the fire - she literally throws herself at him in the anime and its adorable))). They listen to some pop rock together, and Dante taught her some cheap and easy tactics against demons to use and firearms. PrecariousSauce is to be awarded for the 'Call and Return' fic as it is the lifeblood of a patty stan, and the scene she learns driving from Dante is one of my favourites in all the dmc fics I've ever read. Another favourite scenario (trope?) of mine is when Patty and Vergil meet for the first time, Patty throws herself at Dante and hugs him, bt after Vergil is introduced she straight up punches him with all her might (she learned from Dante, of course))

Nero and Patty are house-on-fire kind of cousins, they can meet up (or phone) to vent about the sparda loser twins they have/chose as their dads, and are generally a good mix together. Both can be hotheaded, but the other will cut the first down to size with reason if needed. They help each other with holiday gifts for the twins. She and Nero tease each other mercilessly, same as with Nico.

some other characters

Vergil will have a good working relationship with Morrison, same as Dante.

Twins and Lucia…no much go off on. I wonder if meeting Vergil will reignite her previous crush on Dante, except on Vergil this time -than would be a cute little scenario, but not much to say besides that. I`d love for Lucia to make a comeback, at least to give her more character, and at most for her gameplay to be updated and her to be playable again. (Lucia is the only character I can ship Dante with, however their lives are too different and far apart in canon for that to happen, additionally Dante was specifically avoiding any kind of honesty with people around him for decades so there is no healthy basis for relationship there, but I can dream a little)

No specific idea for Dante and Nico. She needs to get over her hero worship of him first.If she dares, I think her attempts to provoce him with jokes will go right over Dante, as he is impenetrable to any kind of teasing, and he will probably just sleep on their way to the job if they ride together. Maybe they have similar music taste and listen to the same radio station or smth.

Dante/Vergil/Nero and Lady, Trish and Morrison are colleagues, I don`t really have anything more than that. Same goes for the other relationships you`ve listed later in the ask.

Cerberus!!! (and other Demon Arms)

I find DMC Cerberus' designs adorable and would love to get more of these doggos, they're are great. Also, Dante needs a dog - Let him have Cerberus as a pet please. And it would be cool if Vergil could summon Shadow back the same way. The twins need their emotional suppor pets.

Or just, any devil arms in general. I think it was very cool when each one had character and was able to talk, it would be great to see that again in some shape (love the Balrog voicelines). Fanfaves like Nevan also would be very welcome to make a comeback.

Thank you for the ask as always! Hopefully this was somewhat entertaining to read)