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iamafanofcartoons · 8 months

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No , RWBY is neither misogynistic nor homophobic...it is every bit the opposite

Rwby not written for the male gaze. Redesigns made by critics focus on sexualizing women. RWBY has women show much less skin than the typical fairy tail woman. Also their clothes have pockets and pouches. Rwby is not written for the patriarchy.

So Personally I've always felt like misogyny was always made by the critics. A common thread in a lot of that group's criticisms seems to come down to not liking that some of the show's villains embody male power fantasies, and that the positive male characters it has aren't the main characters, with the female characters being a harem for them.

It's a female-centered story whose true focus is its main characters' growing and supporting each other through their weaknesses and struggles, and a lot of men can't stand it.

Rewrites and AUs focus on men, on straightwashing women, on validating edgelords, on telling women that they suck. And more importantly, rewrites are obsessed with not letting women be right about anything or important unless they're tied to a male protagonist story.

But Rwby is about giving women roles typically held by men. Women not requiring men for authority, or guidance, but instead being men's equals. Or in the case of the female antagonists? Having mental superiority over deconstructed edgelords like Adam taurus or the "ends justify the means" deconstruction of ironwood.

They have girlfails like Cinder, who you can hate, but also admire that she keeps coming back and refusing to give up.

They have badass grannies like Maria Calavera.

They have autism-coded women.

And unlike Naruto? Women can actually WIN a 1 on 1 fight against a male opponent.

Edgelord is what incels see themselves as. Incels also see themselves as victims of women. They also see themselves as tragic, misunderstood, or entitled to an ego.

Adam is the example of the incel: "I was hurt by society, so I am going to make it everyone's problem! I am a hero of justice, for I am giving the world the justice it deserves! I am an underdog!"

That's how incels, conservatives, otakus see themselves.

They saw Adam as a Vergil Sparda. A dude who murders countless innocent lives for the sake of power.....who believes that power is the only thing matters. He ain't morally grey, he's evil. But he's cool, and to a lot of very emotionally immature people, coolness means morally grey or anti-villain/anti-hero. Adam was introduced trying to rob a train and blow up innocent people....people accused blake of being a murderer and trying to blow up the train, then running from adam. Adam was shown in volume 2, as a cult leader neglecting the deaths of his people. As with "Burning the candle" Yang and Blake scene, RWDE and RWBY Critics disregarded that because it ruined their headcanons of what they wanted Adam to be.

How many Adam fanfics have you seen where Blake is written as the one abusing adam?

Male abusers see themselves as victims of women.

Coffeehouse Crime, Danielle Kirsty, Eleanor Neale. Look them up on Youtube. They cover multiple cases of murderers and abusers. And the details that go into emotional and mental abuse/gaslighting? They cover them all. Including how society turns a blind eye to abuse if its not physical. Which is what Adam fans do.

Btw, if you want an example of a murderer who was an IRL abuser? Just look up OJ Simpson, who got away with both thanks to his fans.

RWBY covers emotional abuse, shows the damage it can do, and shows through Blake the recovery.

Arryn has been a victim of IRL cyberbullying from blacksun fans, BobxEliza fans, and Adam fans.

To where she's had to deactivate her social media.

Art imitates life....RWBY Critics harassing voice actresses. Though thefloofartist actually sent CRWBY gore fanart of Bumbleby and tauradonna ntr fanart, that was horrific.

Roman Torchwick is an example of charismatic sociopaths being the criminal: Society was mean to me, so I'm going to be racist, steal from the elderly, and hurt kids. Sure he has charisma as a character....does that excuse racism, calling Emerald a Street Rat, trying to rob old men, and shooting teenage girls

Jacques emotional abuse and gaslighting, something many people refuse to acknowledge unless its clearly spelled out from A to Z. One Adam taurus fan on twitter made death threats to a woman trying to explain that emotional abuse is real.

Raven is a bandit. A bandit is a killer and a thief. You don't romanticize killers and thieves. One piece paints an unrealistic view of pirates.

Ironwood and Atlas represent the American Macho mindset and the nationalism issue Americans have. Illegally occupying foreign nations with military force as a means of "peacekeeping"? Removing leaders from power who don't respect your authority or your ideas? My way or the highway? Unwilling to compromise? Willing to work with capitalist Corporations so long as your war machine is funded? The ends justify the means? Only villains say that! Merging the police with the military to have unlimited power? Putting the good ethical cop "Marrow" under pressure and mockery? Treating the poor people as acceptable losses to cut and cutting all aid and support to the 99%? Arresting or threatening good samaritans who try to help the impoverished and underprivileged because they're not recognized by your licenses? Refusing to accept checks and balances because you see yourself as above the law and being the only one with the big picture? Seeing it as your duty to police others?

People were willing to consider Ironwood a sussy baka so long as they could consider Atlas to be like Germany. But the moment CRWBY pointed out how Atlas was too much like America? The "patriots" got furious...because it was too much like looking into a mirror, and the Ironwood fangirls did not like what they saw.

youtube

Less character bloat compared to shounen anime. Shounen has thousands of character. RWBY barely has 200. But they focus more on women's characters than men, and that upsets the Cardin fans and fanfic writers. If I had a nickel for every youtube channel that decided to make the racist incompetent bully into some "gigachad", I'd have two nickels, which isn't much, but still weird that it happened twice. Meanwhile, let a man have 3-5 minutes of screentime, the critics will say that Team RWBY don't act like the main characters. Protagonist centered morality only in shounen. Team rwby do face consequences and are forced to evaluate their decisions. The women are the protagonists, and they can spend more than 10 minutes without breaking the Bechdel test. Something that, once again, adam and cardin and jaune fanfics fail within a paragraph.

"A man and a woman can spend several seasons together and be just friends at the end"

Ichigo and Rukia from Bleach, One Piece Live Action, Naruto and Sakura from that Gay Ninja Series.

Or in RWBY's case, I'm referring Blake Belladonna and Sun Wukong

Neither showed romantic attraction towards either gender for the majority of the show. Blake and Sun's arcs in V4 and V5 were about Blake learning to accept help, and Sun learning to recognize and respect people's boundaries. Neither Blake nor Sun actually made serious advances, and simply stayed good friends. Also if lesbians cannot exist without being fan service to you, that just means you're a pervert and need to touch grass.

Anyway, whomever said that RWBY Writers have no idea how to write women need to take a look at how their critics make video after video bashing women and LGBT.

Oh, and twitter calls RWBY post v3 "pandering to tumblerinas".

Given how Tumblr has no pedophiles/lolicons, less conservatives and terfs, and is very feminist? I'll take that as a compliment.

#rwby #rwby is great #please give rwby a chance #rwby is worth watching #greenlightvolume10 #greenlight volume 10 #Youtube

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keeroo92 · 5 years

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I read your post about the dmc boys helping a s/o with body image issues and I loved it 😭 can I ask for more comfort?? How would the guys help a partner who has PTSD from an assault that happened years ago? If you're uncomfortable writing that's totally fine! 💞

Soooo this got slightly out of control. I originally planned on making this a headcanon thing, but... well...

The first section is an intro to the Reader’s viewpoint, read that first and then pick your favorite guy. (Sidenote - Apologies in advance for Vergil going OOC)

Hope you enjoy!

____________

The past weighed heavy on your soul. Over the years, you learned how to ignore it and keep moving forward, but some scars never fully heal. It wasn’t a memory you spent much time dwelling on if you could help it.

You told yourself it didn’t matter, that you were over it. That person couldn’t hurt you ever again, you wouldn’t let them. You were stronger than what they did to you and never again would you surrender to them, even mentally.

Yet when your beloved partner accidentally reminded you of it, the walls shattered. The ache in your chest felt as if it was only yesterday, the tears as powerful as ever. Even after all those years.

---V---

He froze as your breathing hitched, but not in pleasure. Something was wrong, had he hurt you?

“What’s wrong, love?”

Tattooed hands left the bare flesh of your stomach to stroke your cheek. He longed to ease the pained expression on your familiar face, but you flinched back from his touch. Confusion and concern warred in his mind as he shifted away, granting you the space you so clearly needed.

The glow of the television danced across your body as the film played on, heedless and uncaring. A soft rustle accompanied your every move upon the upholstery. Only seconds before, sighs and moans filled the now silent air.

Something was terribly wrong.

“Please talk to me. Did I hurt you?” the poet begged.

You shook your head, arms and legs pulled tight to your core. “I- it’s not you.”

His heart twisted at the broken tone of your sweet voice. Restrained sniffles and shaking shoulders only heightened the sensation. He knew you far too well for you to hide your pain.

Slick fluid still coated his rapidly wilting length, the flush on his skin only barely faded. Echoes of his arousal lingered in his belly, but easing the ache was his last priority. All he cared about was restoring your smile.

“What can I do?”

At first, he thought you weren’t going to answer. By the time you finished telling the story, he wished he’d been correct.

Why did such terrible people exist? What evil needed to manifest for a person to steal your very ability to choose? How dare they, what gave them the right? He would tear them to pieces, drive stakes into their body until they begged for mercy just as you did. They’d receive the same level of compassion as they’d given you.

But not tonight.

Tonight, you needed him. His wrath could wait.

“I cannot imagine the strength required to survive that. I’m so sorry,” he murmured. “Thank you for trusting me with the truth.”

Hesitant hands reached out to you, slow enough you could easily deny his attempts to pull you into an embrace. Despite the fear and pain lingering in your eyes, you allowed it, huddling against his chest as if he could hide you from any strife.

He’d do his best.

“I’m sorry I’m like this, I thought I was past it,” you whispered. “I won’t hold it against you if you want to leave.”

You trembled in his grasp, curling inwards as another round of tears slipped free to drip from your chin. His grip only tightened, crushing you against him as he pressed a kiss to your forehead.

“Never apologize for being in pain. Not to me.”

He paused and rubbed soothing circles across your spine, listening to your unsteady breathing. When you stopped shaking at last, he pulled back to look deep into your eyes.

“I’m not going anywhere. Now that I’ve found you, I refuse to let you go. Understood?”

You sniffled again and nodded, the first hint of a smile gracing your lips.

Nero

In the back of his mind, he always knew. The way your eyes always searched for an exit in public spaces, how you never slept as well alone, the way you saw yourself… It all hinted at the truth, but he never pressed for the whole story. You’d tell him when you were ready. In the meantime, he did his best to support you.

As you finally broke down and spoke about it, an odd sense of joy rushed through him. It was nice to know you trusted him so much.

But the feeling didn’t last. How could he ever be happy about any aspect of it?

It didn’t matter that you barely cried. It didn’t matter that your voice was steady and constant. It didn’t matter that you didn’t push him away or let go of his hand as you spoke. No, all that mattered was how none of it should’ve ever happened.

“This is so messed up…”

He didn’t know what else to say. Words didn’t seem like enough.

“I’m working through it, bit by bit,” you said. Judging by your defensive posture, it wasn’t helping.

Nero sighed and scratched the back of his neck. He knew plenty of people who dealt with similar crap. Growing up in the orphanage exposed him to the concept before he even hit puberty. It never made sense to him, wasn’t it more enjoyable when everyone wanted it? What kind of monster preferred forcing themselves on another person?

Regardless. It wasn’t the kind of thing anyone should face alone and despite his knowledge, he knew he could only do so much. He stared at the floor as blood rushed to his face. It felt strange to ask such a personal question, but considering the circumstances…

“Have you… y’know, been talking to someone?”

Your hands fidgeted the way they always did when you got nervous, picking at the seam of the bedspread. Was that because of the trauma?

“No, not for a few years,” you mumbled.

He took your hands and brought them to his lips, pressing soft kisses across the knuckles. It was important not to make you feel worse, no matter how much he wanted to scold you for not taking proper care of the issue. Support, not judgement. Understanding, not condemnation.

“I can help you find someone, when you’re ready. Anything you need, okay?”

He wrapped an arm over your shoulders and kissed the top of your head, his heart heavy and stomach twisted. What else could he do? Was anything enough?

Probably not.

But that never stopped him before.

Dante

The devilish smirk fell from his lips the moment you started crying. He’d never seen you cry before, not once. It shocked him, if he was being totally honest.

“Babe? What’s up?”

It was clear on your face how desperately you fought whatever was troubling you. What could possibly be wrong, and why didn’t you say something? You told him everything, even the stuff he didn’t want to know.

The clatter of the cue ball breaking the rack at the next table made you jump. Raucous laughter followed soon after and the red-clad man set aside his stick. Fear and shame stained your eyes; whatever was going on, this wasn’t the place.

He took your hand and pulled you outside into the chilly evening air. Overhead, the stars shone in a pitch-black sky, no moon to be seen. Wisps of cigarette smoke drifted over from where some idiot puffed away.

“Hey, get lost,” Dante commanded.

The fool almost protested, a sneer already teasing at his mouth but Dante had no patience. He focused on his blood and allowed his eyes to shift, growling at the man until he dashed away with a terrified look. That shit never got old.

“Right. Wanna tell me what’s going on, now?”

He never would’ve imagined the tale you told him, pausing here and there to sniffle or take his hand. Pressure built in his sternum with every word, glass choking him as his hands tingled. What he wouldn’t give to take away your pain and make it like nothing ever happened.

But all he came up with was a stupid joke. “Want me to go kick their ass for ya?”

You sighed and wiped your eyes, staring at anything except his face. “No, it was my fault anyway. I should’ve been more careful or worn something else. It was my mistake.”

Oh, hell no. He was not letting you get away with that bullshit. Not in a million years. Calloused hands took careful hold of your chin and gently turned it to face his stern glare.

“That’s stupid and you know it. The only person responsible is them. They chose to… do that to you. They chose to be an ass. It’s not your fault. Don’t you ever say or even think stuff like that ever again, you hear me?”

“But-“

“No.”

A petulant frown split your tear-streaked face. “But-“

“Stop it,” he insisted.

“Dante, come on-“

“I said no, damnit!”

A hint of amusement filtered through the sorrow in your eyes. It was a start. Enough for him to drop his hand and pull you into a hug, encasing you in his body in a silent promise. He didn’t know what you needed to do to heal, but he’d be there every step of the way.

Vergil

It explained so much. Why you didn’t like swimming or wearing a bathing suit. Why you hated going downtown. Why you were so hesitant with your affections. How had he not figured it out before? You shouldn’t have to relive it just so he understood.

As if he ever could.

Still, he’d been violated before. Scars still marked his otherwise pristine skin, not to mention those on his soul. He knew what it was to survive against all odds, and the knowledge that you did too deepened his respect for you threefold.

“I never knew,” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

You sat on the antique couch, hands in your lap and eyes locked on the oak parquet. Throughout your tale, he’d been pacing. The living room was the perfect size for it, even with the elaborate fireplace. The motion helped to ease the pressure to do something, anything to fix this. A way to channel his energy without causing damage.

Much as he wished to sink his blade deep into the gut of the villain in your story. Not too deep; only a slow and painful death would suffice. No mercy for such a crime.

“I’m sorry. I… I didn’t want you to know how weak I am.”

His repetitive footsteps froze. You thought yourself weak, and that he would as well. Guilt and shame mixed in his mind; how could he have allowed you to not understand? A muscle in his cheek spasmed and he whirled to kneel at your feet, an earnest look etched across his regal features as he grasped your hands in his own.

“Weakness lies not in the inability to avoid pain, but the inability to withstand it. You are not weak, quite the opposite. That you haven’t given up is a testament to your strength.”

A shaky breath slipped from your lips. What else could he do or say to help? How could he make you understand that in his eyes, you had the strength of a typhoon?

“You’re wrong, I’m a coward. I’m not strong, just too broken for them to bother killing.”

First you called yourself weak, and now broken? You couldn’t possibly think so little of yourself. Unacceptable, he wouldn’t allow it. Not anymore, at least.

He knew of only one way to piece together a wounded soul. Hopefully, it would prove sufficient for your needs. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t be with you at all times.

The pommel at his waist warmed to his touch. His oldest ally and most reliable companion, the Yamato never failed him. A pang of loss ached in his heart as he untied the strings, as if he were surrendering a portion of his own soul by holding it out to your curious eyes.

He never allowed you to touch it before.

“Take it.”

Your mouth dropped open, shock tinting your gaze. “W- what?”

He huffed and forced his arms not to retreat. “I will train you, until not a soul alive can call you anything but strong. Even yourself.”

Your trembling hands wrapped around the sheathe after a long pause. Releasing his grip sent shockwaves through his body, but somehow he managed. It was worth it if it helped you.

“I- I couldn’t! It’s yours!”

A soft smile twisted his lips as the last echoes of pain faded into static. Truthfully, the arrangement was perfect. Yamato was a part of him; nothing in the world would work harder to keep you safe. If ever you found yourself in a dire situation again, escape would be child’s play.

And in a sense, as long as you carried his blade, he was at your side.

“And now it’s yours.”

He paused, another wave of agony rushing through him as you slid the blade free. “At least until I find a suitable weapon for you.”

#fanfic #ask response #dmc dante #dmc nero #dmc v #dmc vergil #my writing #tw: assault #reader insert #devil may cry

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dmc5sucks · 4 years

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Another reason I absolutely loathe DMC5 is because the rotten writers did the unthinkable & made me hate Dante.

In this game, he was a selfish, negligent asshole who treated Nero like a burden & refuses to tell anyone what’s REALLY going on because of his stupid edgelord drama with his shitty brother.

Then he just abandons everyone in a ruined city to hang out with Vergil in literal Hell, even though Vergil abused him every time he was in Dante’s life.

I absolutely fucking hate the writers & I fucking hate Hideaki Itsuno for making this. Cunts.

When Capcom eventually shits out Devil May Cry 6, I would not be surprised at all if Dante is a villain, too.

#dante #dmc dante #devil may cry #devil may cry 5 #dmc5se #dmc 5 #dmc5 #dmc 5 special edition

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mahvaladara · 5 years

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Thinking about V and DMC V

Whenever I think about it, and after reading that amazing analysis on V, and all Vergil and V have been through, V is quite the tragic character.

No one wanted V, no one cared for V, sadly enough, not even himself.

His own self cast him out to wither and die. His “loyal” demons only stick around because they are in the same predicament as him. The people he turned to for help do not care about him. The woman that like the mother in a way tells him she doesn’t care and for him to man up.

He’s crumbling, he’s dying, he’s afraid. And only when he decides: Fuck it. I’ll see this through. I don’t want to die.

I think that after that turning, V just decides to go on out of spite and understanding.

This “human” heart that was cast away that wanted to help mankind because he is kind because he knows it is his self that has caused this, has always known, always understood, but now he feels it. He knows what it feels to not be loved, to not be wanted, do not mean anything.

Suddenly he understands Vergil. Suddenly he understands his own demon. Why his demon was obsessed with power, why his demon was obsessed with killing Dante because his demon had nothing else left. He had nothing else left than keep going or die, and he doesn’t want to die. And power is not enough, he knows this now.

Power is not enough. Urizen is going to be destroyed and V is going to die. If anything else, since he can’t do anything else since no one cares about what comes of him, he suddenly wants to give himself a fighting chance. He wants to survive and give himself a fighting chance. The one that was controlled and abused by a demon. The one that was left to rot in the Demon World. The one that was defeated time and time again.

The one that was picked last.

Vergil.

He wants to give Vergil a fighting chance.

That is why he decides to remerge with Urizen, despite knowing this would bring back Vergil. Because the whole time the objective was to destroy Urizen and the Qliphoth and at the very end, after Trish, after accepting who and he is. He decides, killing Urizen is just the end. And now he understands. Now he knows the pain of being picked last.

This is why he says to Nero that he wanted to be “loved and protected”, because he has always existed believing no one ever wanted him, not even himself. Because while Dante leaves going “yea, you should rest”, leaving him on the floor, crumbling, Trish goes “I’m not your mom”, Lady is like “I guess? I mean you’re meaningless to me”,

Nero is the only one who lends him a shoulder.

And V is just crumbling in all ways possible. This humanity has reached the end of its string and it’s in pain.

One thing I have learned through life experience is that you can only take so long to people pulling on your heartstrings before you break.

But V’s humanity does brush to Vergil strongly. We see that, with him refusing to fight Dante if Dante isn’t his whole self. With him accepting to destroy the Qliphoth that he brought, and above all, with him give Nero the book. And I think the book is the most important part.

Because until then, Vergil hadn’t realized Nero was his son. He only realizes it after Dante tells him. He might have suspected, but nonetheless. To him its nothing but another demon hybrid with his Yamato. So though at the end, Vergil giving Nero the book, might be interpreted as him accepting Nero as his son and recognizing his valour as a warrior.

But accepting Nero as his son and his valour as a warrior, Vergil has already done it. He has entrusted Nero with protecting the Human World and he admitted defeat (not by those exact words, but regardless). Only afterwards does he notice the book, and the moment he gives the book to Nero, in my personal opinion is not so much Vergil but more V.

Because when V was crumbling, everyone left him. Nero was the only one who showed any form of concern or interest towards V. First suspicious curiosity, later respect and at the end genuine concern.

Nero didn’t need to go back and give his shoulder to V and help him get to the Qliphoth. For a matter of fact that only slows him down. Nonetheless, he chose to. Nero could have gone, and we all know what would have happened.

Dante would have destroyed Urizen, the Qliphoth might have been stopped, and V, surrounded by his familiars would crumble away into “Qliphoth dust”. But no, Nero saw how important it was for V to get there, and he helped him, he made sure he made it through. And after V merges with Urizen, who’s the first person to ask about V? Nero.

Someone cared, and there’s nothing more important than that. Someone cared for this small shard of humanity that no one wanted. It wasn’t a demon fearing its own demise, a devil hunter getting paid. It was a genuine human concern and care that sealed the deal.

So Vergil gives Nero the one object to which V clung to while begging to survive. The most important part of his humanity, small poems and good memories he held on to, of a time where he wasn’t left behind.

We can say that Vergil and V are a perfect analogy of accepting oneself, perfections and imperfections.

But in the end, it is still sad and tragic. Because Vergil is not V, Vergil is the union of V and Urizen, and Vergil is a whole, not the sum of his parts. So from that moment on, Urizen and V are both gone and only Vergil is left.

All of V and the ending saddens me.

Because only Nero proves Vergil there’s some worth to his humanity. No one else cared about it. Dante had a villain to defeat, and everyone else had a contractor to do a job for. That was it.

It’s like something you made, and you love it, and you show it to everyone, and no one cares, or everyone tears it apart, to the point you’re wondering if it’s even worth anything and sometimes, you just give up on it. This is what V became to Vergil, and what V ends up being to everyone else but Nero.

One thing that hurts me about Dante, is that when Dante realizes what V is about to do. The first thing he does he try to stop him because he knows it’ll bring back Vergil. He tries to stop V despite knowing they’re both dying.

And it hurts that this is who Dante and Vergil are. Two stubborn men who will keep fighting over a stupid point. One for demons, one for humans, despite the fact they’re both.

I am saddened with the loss of V, because I feel it brings little to the table. It hints at the possibility of Vergil becoming and being a better man, but we spend the whole game getting to know his human side, not him. And at the end, we just see them brotherly bickering and guess what, fighting. Might be fun and here they go again, but it’s more of the same.

V wears his emotions on his sleeve, he is mischievous, sombre and secretive, but he is also kind. Vergil is stoic, controlled, reserved and most certainly not kind.

I am hoping in DMC VI they plan to bring Vergil not as an antagonist but as, from the beginning to the end, ally! If they decide to continue the line of Vergil being a rival or a villain, I feel they will make all V went through meaningless cannon fodder.

Though I would love to see V be brought back, I don’t know how such could be pulled. I am not, however, against the idea of a second “son” of Vergil, one who looks, acts and is like V. Maybe one created and brought by Vergil himself to aid his son, Nero.

Because, honestly, V and Nero make an amazing team, and we need brothers working and fighting together, and not just being dicks to one another. My favourite missions were those where the two fought together. Or where I could stand above or bellow watching V or Nero fight. It was fun to be in that platform and watch Griffon bickering with the demon V was fighting. And it was fun to later when I replayed the level as V, to watch Nero do the same on the platform.

In a nutshell, I want V back. Because I know how it feels to be the last picked, or how it feels to not matter and you’re trying so hard, but you don’t matter.

#dmc 5 #dmc v #shah has many feels about v

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tgunn64 · 5 years

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Favorite Villains - Vergil (Devil May Cry)

In my foray to widen my repertoire of video games and tackle a few blind spots here and there, I’ve fallen utterly in love with Devil May Cry series, arguably one of Capcom’s biggest flagship franchises alongside Mega Man and Street Fighter and the addictive hack and slash game with all of the style and flare you could expect. You cut up a good number of slobbering demons in your quest to make devils cry, but no challenge stacks up to the brother of Dante himself, Vergil. Vergil’s is a tale as old as time--born to a legendary demon warrior, Sparda, and a human woman, Eva. Vergil grew up admiring the strength of his demon father, contrary to Dante, who practiced humanity and admired Eva’s sensitivity. Make no mistake, Sparda was a good guy demon who fought off the hellish warlord who threatened to end humanity, Mundus, but Sparda eventually died and those who worshipped Mundus saw a chance at cowardly revenge. Eva was lynched by a mob of demons, leaving Dante and Vergil to fend for themselves with only their respective amulets as mementos. As you can guess, Dante committed himself to protecting the innocent and slaying ill meaning demons in the name of being a hero like his parents, Vergil saw Eva’s demise as being linked to her weakness, and he committed himself to power in the name of no one but himself.

Drawing opposites between your hero and villain, especially when they’re siblings, is one of the oldest tropes in the book, and nowhere is that more apparent than with Dante and Vergil. Dante is chief known for being wily, boisterous, and a daredevil, while Vergil is reserved, stern, and efficient. Dante is kindhearted and very open about how he feels in the moment, while Vergil represses everything. Dante values his friends and sees value in bonds and emotional vulnerability (only devils never cry), while Vergil will throw out anything that doesn’t make him stronger like a side of broccoli he didn’t order. This all boils down his primary conflict with Dante, his desire for his brother’s amulet, which can supplement his own and make him more powerful. As you can guess Dante refuses to submit his amulet, and it’s easy to infer he’s more scared to lose his last remnant of his mother than anything to do with power, which paints a pretty picture of the two. What’s really neat about Dante and Vergil’s animosity is that despite the fact that they’re half demons dealing with the fate of the world, their central conflict is rather small scale. They’re really two brothers bickering over the custody of old heirlooms, they just happen to do so with massive swords and powers. The line Vergil crosses is teaming up with a wicked sorcerer called Arkham to raise the Temen-ni-gru, a tower that houses Sparda’s left behind sword and with it, his demonic power--doing so unleashes a horde of demons all over, which is obviously a big no no in Dante’s book.

After playing through two Devil May Cry games where Dante makes a spectacle out of running circles out of muscle headed monsters, seeing a demon hunter who can keep pace with Dante and treat him like Dante treats most of his opponents is really impressive. Devil May Cry 3 opens with Dante losing to Vergil in a grueling battle in the rain. They fight once more at the halfway point of the game, which ends in a draw caused by Arkham’s intervention. It’s also worth noting that this encounter occurs right after Dante’s fight with the blind demon, Beowulf. Dante claims the weapons wielded by the demons he slays, which is why it’s hard not to notice that Beowulf escaped with his life before Dante could do so--only to meet and be killed by Vergil, who claims Beowulf’s gauntlets for himself and must be beaten before you claim them--which is the kind of game mechanic crossed narrative fleshing I adore. Finally Dante, and you, the player, achieve a satisfying overcoming of Vergil, and none of those boss fights are easy. Speaking of spectacle, Dante is known for his peerless style and capacity to show off, and you’d think Vergil, being his foil, would be very plain and a dull fighter, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. He shares Dante’s affinity for looking cool in a fight, while Dante’s idea of showing off is, say, standing on a racing missile like a surfboard, Vergil is more the kind to dazzle by slicing a demon up and returning his sword to its scabbard before said demon even has a chance to fall to bloody pieces. As much as Dante and Vergil resent one another, there is a begrudging respect to be found, to the point that they’d even team up to finish off Arkham when he steals Sparda’s power for himself. Vergil may have gone way off the deep end, but he can’t deny the respect he has for Sparda even if simply for his strength, Arkham does not deserve to partake. But of course, the second their common enemy is gone, it’s back to feuding.

Devil May Cry 3 is actually a prequel to the first game, telling the tale of Dante and Vergil’s big falling out that leads to Dante and Lady establishing the Devil May Cry demon slaying business. Dante and Vergil’s final battle ends with Vergil, unable to come to terms with his failure to beat his brother, decides the only way to progress further is to condemn himself to the demon world, precisely where Sparda bred his own strength. Dante reaches for his brother’s hand as Vergil lets himself fall off the edge between earth and Hell, and Vergil only swipes at Dante’s palm with his sword as he damns himself to his fate. We’re then treated to a post credits scene, where Vergil witnesses Mundus and challenges him, stating that if his father could beat him, he should be just as capable. And as confident as Vergil seems...he throws away his scabbard as he proclaims this, which no swordsman does unless he feels this fight may be his last. Now...cue to Devil May Cry’s first game, which again, takes place after the third. Dante consistently comes across Mundus’ general, the masked Nelo Angelo, and it isn’t until Dante’s final encounter with the berserk knight that his mask is revealed...and Vergil is underneath, clearly a brainwashed shell of his former self forced to serve the sworn enemy of his father he so idolized. At the time of the first game this is more of a shock factor thing, as you only saw old family photos of Vergil before this, but with the context of the third game this is rather heartbreaking. Not only did Dante’s only equal in combat skill, style, and conviction lose everything that made him who he was, but we know this is entirely the end result of Vergil trying to step in his father’s footsteps and fight Mundus, a fight that clearly didn’t end well for him. I think that weirdly puts into perspective what’s so likable about Vergil--it’s kinda easy to peg him as the nerdy, dour brother, but he absolutely had a fire within him. Even if he grew up to be selfish and callous, Vergil had great pride in his lineage and immense conviction, enough to wield a gun alongside Dante when their foe besmirched Sparda’s name, and Mundus took that all away. For all of that he’s an incredibly compelling character, and an engaging villain who blends a slightly unconventional role with familiar traits masterfully.

#tommy's favorite villains #vergil #devil may cry

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weatherman667 · 5 years

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Agnus

Let’s talk about Agnus, from Devil May Cry 4.

Perhaps the only good part of Devil May Cry 4. Agnus, (Lamb), is an alchemist for the generic villain church. Through the game you fight his many creations, The most pertinent ones being

Gladius

A flying bird/reptile demon that could transform into a sword to impale you.

Cutlass

Demon fish that swim like sharks through solid ground, and attack you from any angle.

One of the things the underwhelming Devil Bringer does is grab them and allow you to temporarily use them as weapons. You only get a single throw attack out of them, but in DMC3 every Devil Arm is literally a Devil with interesting personalities and powerful abilities you gain for your own. I slavered at the possibility that you could get to use these weapons as your own, up to the point you fought Agnus.

Agnus you see had given up his humanity for demonic power, and his battle was a debate. The ENTIRE premise of Devil May Cry is that “tears are a gift that only humans have.”

--Dante, (Devil May Cry (original))

Dante tries to do everything to prove his point without saying it, but Agnus is too blind to see it. See, for him, power is entirely measurable. Entirely predictable. He cannot fathom that humans could have any sort of power, despite conquering the world on their wits alone. He used his human wit to gain demonic power, and in the process surrendered his humanity, giving up his hope, his human spirit. He seems like he might be autistic to the point that he simply cannot fathom the nature of humanity.

Dante says to him, “Humans possess something that demons lack.”, before an execution shot to the head.

THIS WAS IT. THIS WAS THE MOMENT I WAS PLAYING DMC4 FOR. THIS WAS THE REWARD FOR PLAYING THROUGH ALL THE HORRIBLE NERO LEVELS! IT GET THE WEAPON I HAVE BEEN SLAVERING OVER!

Oh, and when I said debate, it’s also shown as a play akin to a German opera about good, evil, the nature of humanity, God, and the Devil.

youtube

Oh, wait, no, DMC4 sucks donkey balls and can’t even be arsed to try and make a game as good as DMC3. Instead you get a pallet swap, (or not even a pallet swap, as it uses the same pallet, it just adds kibble), and a weapon who’s only function is to masturbate in your opponent’s face.

PS I love how autocorrect tries to pretend it doesn’t know how to spell masturbate.

PPS I would love to have Credo as a weapon, and God the things you can do with naked glowing girl flails. How about Echidna as a weapon that lets you temporarily gain control of lesser enemies? Bianco / Alto Angelo was designed to be a Nero weapon, if they could be arsed to make the EX system useful in any way, sense, or form. How about holding down the attack buntton activates the Infusion properties? This would contrast Nero, the reincarnation of Vergile, who refuses to use modern weapons, with Dante, who uses guns, and make Dante the user of older, more elegant weapons.

#devil may cry #agnus

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