#veeeeeeeeeery interesting XD

[blackjackkent]

OK! Rakha returns! (Again.) Got her saves and mods all straightened out, and ready to send my poor broken girl crashing straight into the chaos of Act 3.

So far Rakha has been pretty overwhelmed by Rivington. She's also, so far, learned that there are people here who are willing to do things like evict refugees in need and blow up children, and none of them even have the excuse that they're wrestling with a horrible murder urge in their heads, so she is VERY unimpressed and pretty mad about the whole thing.

Our first stop, because we're kicking off with a bang, is a little barn that the group wanders past on the settlement's outskirts, because I realized that Rakha never talked to a certain person in Last Light:

They're investigating the barn as a potential place to set up camp when Rakha notices that it's not empty. There's a shaggy ox - apparently untended - idly chewing hay near one wall. And, more startlingly, Rakha realizes she recognizes it.

It caught her eye first in the Grove, so many months ago now; a notch on the horn, a scar on the nose, and an oddness to it that she could not place, something about the intensity of its eyes as it watched her go past and the way the Weave rippled over its skin. She saw it again at Last Light, too, in the barn where Dammon had set up shop, although she was too distracted by Karlach's engine troubles to investigate further.

And here it is again in her path, seemingly adrift from the teeth-lings but none the worse for wear - in fact, perhaps even more robust-looking than she remembers it in the shadowlands:

She pauses and stands in front of it with her head cocked slightly to one side, trying to discern the source of the strangeness about the creature.

[ANIMAL HANDLING] Peer at the ox with interest. There's something in its eyes...

Narrator: There's an invitation behind its great brown eyes.

Reach out to pet the ox.

She uses the same gesture she used to first pet Scratch and Buddy, knuckles out to sniff, and then a gentle rub back along its jaw. Its hair is stiff and coarse and tingles with magic on her fingertips.

"What is it?" she asks Wyll in a low voice.

"An ox," he says. "Beast of burden - that Arfur fellow had some in his yard, too."

"Are they magical?" she asks.

He blinks. "...Not usually. What do you see?"

"I'm not sure." She puts a hand in her pack, then hesitates. The last time she used one of the potions of animal speaking, she killed Steelclaw on the Moonrise balcony. Then again... she also met Squire, and that turned out to be a good thing, a thing not soaked in blood...

She pulls out the potion and downs a gulp of it in a single sharp swallow, feeling the pale green magic pulse through her veins and into her brain.

The ox tilts its head. Then it snuffs out sharply through its nostrils and paws a foot against the ground. "Hm. No," it snaps irritably. "Incapable."

Rakha blinks. This is not the response she expected. "Incapable of what?" she asks, bemused.

The ox's eyes narrow. "Not for you to know," it growls.

Rakha is, of course, at once deeply curious, desperate for an answer. She narrows her eyes in response, takes a step closer to the creature. [PERSUASION] "You've piqued my curiosity,"(*) she says sharply.

The ox shifts warily. "Well..." it murmurs. A pause, then-- "Come close." It inclines its head downward toward her hand. "Your mind to mine..."

Rakha has only a moment, as she reaches her hand out, to wonder what this might mean - does the ox have a tadpole? Some other means of telepathy? And then her hand touches that stiff, rough fur again and--

The images roll through her like lightning, like blows struck into her stomach. She staggers, falls to her knees, clutching at her head, as the beast howls in glee and hunger.

Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood.

The images are clear and brutal and familiar. Heaps of bodies and gore and broken flesh. So many dead. So many dead...

"Rakha!" She hears Wyll call her name behind her and drags a ragged breath in, struggling for control.

"I'm... all right," she grinds out. "I'm all right. I'm..." She trails off, forcing her eyes open and looking up.

The ox watches her dispassionately, slowly chewing its way through another mouthful of hay. "Are you satisfied?" it asks coldly.

She shudders. Her breath is quick and shallow and shaky, and it's a moment before she can speak. "Your mind..." she whispers. "The unwanted visions... we are... much alike..."

"A kindred spirit," the ox says. She doesn't think she's imagining the hint of mocking in its voice. "But I only wish to be an ox. Do you understand?" The words are underlaid with menace.

Yes. Of course she understands. The desire to be only a thing of quiet, against all the visions of blood... "You're trying to run from violent thoughts, too, aren't you?" she asks, pushing herself unsteadily to her feet.

The ox's next huffed-out breath sounds like a bitter laugh. "My little secret," it says.

She should go - should leave this thing, pretend they never saw each other. But it is a terrible sort of brotherhood, this moment, and she finds she can't look away. "What are you really?" she asks. Is there, perhaps, some answer about herself to be found in this barn?

But the ox snorts again. "Keep quiet, and you won't have to find out," it growls.

Rakha's neck prickles. It fears her speaking up, bringing down attention on its attempts to hide from itself. She tries to imagine herself in its position, hidden away, no longer harming anyone, no longer responsible for either saving the world or dooming its people... "Your secret," she says, uncharacteristically soft, "whatever it is, is safe with me."

"Good little hero," the ox sneers. A pause; then it tips its head to one side pensively, seeming to reconsider Rakha's presence. "Though... perhaps your better nature would extend a little further, for little old me..." It takes a step closer to her; she resists the urge to flinch. "I need to get into the city," it murmurs. "But its hard to shuffle your way to the front of the queue when you're, well... big as an ox. But what if I were smaller, more discreet? Maybe then a kind soul might bring me through, right in their little pocket."

Rakha hesitates. This thing has the same dark thoughts as she, even if it will reveal no reason for them. That means it is capable of the same darkness, the same indiscriminate devastation... and it wants her to bring it inside the city walls. Inside Wyll's city.

And yet...

I only wish to be an ox. Do you understand?

She believes it when it says it wishes for no more than this form. She has seen it living quietly in the Grove and Last Light, where there were plenty of innocents to sate it if it wished. And if it is true... then perhaps there is hope for her to one day look away from herself as well, to find some life of peace, when all this is done.

She swallows, inclines her head slowly. "I suppose so," she says cautiously. "What form will you take?"

The ox snuffs eagerly. "Oooohooo..." it murmurs. "This day has ended so much better than it started. Now don't you worry about me. I'll be a good, quiet little apple you can tuck into the corner of your pack, just until we're inside the city walls." It squirms, its body rippling and shifting and shrinking away suddenly. "Hail Cyric! I can't wait to get inside!"

(A/N: I'm about 85% sure the ox is voiced by the same guy that voices Abdirak in Act 1. Really cornered the market on mildly creepy worshippers of mildly creepy gods. XD )

And then its gone, and sure enough - in its place sits the unassuming form of an apple nestled amidst the hay.

"What... was that about?" Wyll asks, bemused. He has understood none of the conversation, only saw Rakha stagger and cry out and then the ox melt away into almost nothing.

Rakha leans forward and carefully picks up the apple in one gloved hand. She can feel heat from it press through the fabric on her palm, and the ticklish flicker of magical energy, the Weave undulating around the strange shapeshifting creature's form. "I don't know," she says hoarsely.

She doesn't know how to explain to Wyll the sense of brotherhood and hope and fear all tangled together that came from meeting this thing. She doesn't know how to tell him that she is bringing another monster like herself inside his city's walls and trusting it not to show its teeth.

"It... needed help," she finally mutters.

He nods. "A worthy cause, then," he says.

She shrugs and tucks the apple carefully inside her pack, and hopes desperately that he's right.

-----

(*) In-game line: "Ah, c'mon, now you've piqued my curiosity," which is not very Rakha-ish. XD

[clumsyraccoon]

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)

Hello dear DMC anon! I am deeply sorry for the delay in my answer and for starting to answer not in chronological ask order 😔 This was the ask that was the first to give me inspiration and I admit that I overestimated myself saying it would take a week to answer ^^”

But returning to your ask! Ohohoh, I love thinking and talking about dynamics * rubs hands* , soo

- Dante-Vergil: I think that, at the beginning, the relationship between Vergil and Dante would be...strange. They’re just used to fight, stab, mourn, be angry, and a lot of other not very good and healty things towards with each other. I think at the beginning they would tend to act as they have always acted, their behaviour being like that for basically their whole lives, but slowly (veeeeeeeeeery slowly) and most likely with the help of Nero (and a therapist), they would start to change. In my opinion, Dante would be the one reaching out more, the one who firstly put some real effort towards communication and healing, while I picture Vergil instinctively trying to hide behind his “I don’t need humanity”. Thankfully tho, we have V’s memories and experiences that would metaphorically smack his head and finally make him see another point of view. The twins would go visit what remains of their old manor, and Eva’s grave. They would probably not say a word to each other, but they are twins and some things don’t need words to be understood, to be shared.

- Vergil-Nero: If Dante-Vergil would be strange, here we touch the peak of embarrassment, especially from Vergil’s side. Nero, despite being an orphan, is used to have people around him that loves him and he can call “family”. Vergil, on the other hand, has never experienced such things after Eva’s murder: he tossed away his own and only brother, he detached himself from his humanity and now not only he finds out his brother actually want him back in his life, but he also have a 20-something-year-old son. I don’t know if Vergil ever thought about having a family: I think he was too little before the accident for this kind of things, and he was too obsessed with his own delirious mission afterwards. We don’t know how and why the thing with Fortuna’s Red Woman happened, but I don’t think it was out of love and/or desire to have a family. Not for Vergil at least. (I have all my theory and headcanons about the Red Woman, but this is not the place I guess XD). I think they will be both wary of each other at the beginning, not knowing what to think of the other: you know, like two stranger dogs that study each other slowly walking in circles, trying to read the intention of the other, never daring to do the first step to move the situation forward. Kyrie would probably play a big role in their Reconciliation/knowing each other: she would gently push Nero, trying to ease his mind and doubts, being at his side whenever he needs it and probably suggesting therapy for the whole Sparda boys. And since I think Vergil would like her immediately, she would somehow also play the intermediary, inviting Vergil for dinner and starting conversations (that I totally see being super awkward the first few times), and sal those useful things to make sure that they slowly get to know each other.

- Dante-Nero: Nero would be very angry with Dante: as soon as the twins come out of the Underworld and return home, he would go there and scold both of them fot sure, but especially Dante. He didn’t tell him he was the nephew of the friggin’ Saviour his whole hometown worshiped, but most importantly he didn’t tell him he actually had a family. He didn’t tell him he was his friggin uncle, he didn’t tell him that Urizen was in fact the demon half of his father. Nero would shout and cry and swear against Dante, letting out all his frustration and anger and all the things he had time to ponder upon while the twins were in hell. But after that first burst of anger, Nero would slowly return to normal: it will take time for sure, since family for Nero is an important issue, but the desire to be with his family, to be happy with them, will prevail over any other negative emotions. One part of him will be also like “Woah, the Legendary Devil Hunter is my frigging uncle, this is so cool!”, but that’s a side he will never show XD

- Vergil- Lady, Trish, Kyrie, Nico, Patty, and Morrison: I think with Lady and Trish would be kind of awkward at the beginning: he has met both of them before his time as V and the subsequent return as Vergil, so he has some memories of both of them. However, obviously enough, he can’t base these new relationship on those past encounters, so he will have to rely on his experiences and interactions as V. With some time, I think they will manage to go past the awkwardness and start to know each other. (Maybe with Trish it will take a tad more time, since he still has to completely process the fact that there’s someone that looks exactly like his mother.) My headcanon is that Vergil would immediately love Kyrie, probably because she reminds him of Eva: her kindness, her selflessness, her love for Nero. Despite being the person who tore Nero’s arm off, she would be kind towards him, even if it a bit forced at the beginning. With time, I think their relationship will grow into an almost proper “-in-laws” one.

My take with Nico is that he would bear admiration for her skills, but he would also be put off by her personality. There are going to be some back and forth that are going to escalate in altercations, since I imagine Vergil is not very good at taking insults and/or not very good remarks and Nico is a snarky one who is willing to tell her mind. They would probably circle around each other like two dogs trying to understand each other. Nero will 99% of the times intervene as a peacemaker XD He would be pretty uninterested/neutral towards Patty and I imagine her to be a little wary of him at the beginning. I don’t remember if Dante ever mentioned his brother to her, but it was Dante she grew a bond with and is Dante that’s some kind of mentor/older brother to her.

With Morrison, I think Vergil will have a professional and only business related relationship. They’ll probably from time to time team up to roast Dante, but they’ll never let the other too near to themselves.

- Dante-Kyrie, Nico: Dante has already met Kyrie and, as everyone that has ever met the girl, is deeply fond of her. I think Kyrie would start inviting all of the DMC gang for dinner of sunday’s lunches: she wants them to bond in some other environment that isn’t slaughtering demons, and also because she deeply wants to know them as well. She’s a bit torn at the beginning, since she deeply thanks Dante for saving them and Fortuna from Sanctus, but she’s also mad at him for keeping Nero from the truth of his heritage. But Kyrie is Kyrie and she would end up forgiving him, mostly for Nero’s sake, but also because she can see he’s a good man at heart. Dante would try to avoid Nico and her questioning/fangirling (mostly for comic relief), but I think he admire how she’s a true Goldstein and how both similar and different she is from her biological father. She would become his official weapon repairer and in due time he will even entrust Ebony and Ivory to her care.

- Nero-Lady, Trish, Patty, Morrison: I think Nero views Trish and Lady as some very cool senior coworkers/aunties. He deeply respects and admire both of them and he cares for them, although not at the same level he cares for Nico or Dante. I think the events of DMC5 will bring them closer and will make the two girls think about him as a full grown adult now. With Patty, I think there’s potential for a siblings kind of relationship, similar to the one he has with Nico, since both of them aren’t afraid to speak their mind and absolutely would reprimand and roast him. The difference tho, is that Nero would be more of a bigger brother to her and probably would end up teaching her basic self defense techniques.

Morrison has the complete trust of Dante and I think it would take little to no time to gain even Nero’s one. After DMC5 he took a liking to him and would start to give jobs to Nero awell, especially if they are in the vicinity of Fortuna.

- Trish-Kyrie, Nico: I think Trish will have a very friendly relationship with both, although a bit superficial at the beginning? I picture Trish as someone that comes off as rather cold at first appearance, but than can warm up with time. Kyrie will make sure to make her feel comfortable and probably will initiate conversation to know better this mysterious demon woman, especially after she come to know her story. Trish would just humour Kyrie, but then she would find herself warming and opening up more. As with Nico, Trish will start to be a costumer as well, also giving the young girl with a lot of information about demons, devil arms and general knowledge of the Underworld, instantly become kind of an idol for her XD

- Lady-Kyrie: Given the fact that Lady has been a repeat costumer in Nico’s shop in Fortuna, I guess there are high chances that they’ve met before. At first I think Kyrie was kinda scared by a woman holding so many weapons at once, but after first hand witnessing how powerful demons are, having so much weapons (and be profiecient with all of them), is the least she can do to properly fight them. Like with Trish, I think both of them will warm and open to each other with time.

- Kyrie-Patty, Morrison: As with everyone, Kyrie will be welcoming with both, especially Patty, given her motherly nature. She would invite her often to Fortuna with the others and kinda become a big sis role model as well, being the mature and collected one in contrast to Nico. With Morrison she would try to avoid any conversation regarding Nero’s jobes, not very fond of all the gore and violence he surely faces (she hears too much from Nico anyway).

- Nico-Patty, Morrison: As with Nero, I can absolutely see Nico having a sibling-like relationship with Patty, being her bigger sister. Patty would probably find Nico very cool and would hang out with her and Kyrie while the others are on mission (probably would start to smoke to be cool as well, until Kyrie finds out and lecture her about a) how it is not “cool” and also not good for your health and b) how she has to have her own way to be “cool”, because she’s her own person and doesn’t need to imitate others). She would interact a lot with Morrison, picking up jobs for Nero or simply asking him a lot of questions about Dante’s jobs, because apparently no one is willing to give extended and exhaustive explanations about the demons they encounter and battle.

- What dynamics (other than anything involving a member of the Sparda family with another member) are you most interested in seeing playing out? I know it’s an impossible dream of mine, but I would like to see more human-demon and demon-demon relationships. Aside from the most obvious Sparda-Eva, I would really like to see what was like between Sparda and Matier or even brand new characters. My headcanon is that Sparda was not the only rebellious one, not the only that had a liking to humans, so I would be delighted to see how other demons acted towards humans and towards fellow demons: did they just take the side of human and fought for them against their own kin, or maybe someone tried the way of peace, of negotiation, of coexistence?