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coeursetcolores · 1 year

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What I Would Add To/Change About: Devil May Cry 4

Good day! It’s January 31st, and I actually remembered this year! What did I remember?

THE BIRTHDAY OF THE BESTEST WHITE-HAIRED DEMON KILLING BOY EVER (OF WHICH THERE ARE MANY, BUT HE IS THE BEST!)!!!!!!!!!!

In non-squeeing terms, it’s the fifteenth anniversary of Devil May Cry 4, quite possibly the most divisive of the franchise (non-rebooted)!

My thoughts?

...Did the squeeing not make it obvious?

I LOVE this game!

My first Devil May Cry game, and it was a great investment! Not only did I find a new franchise to fall in love with, but it’s what got me interested in hack and slash games in the first place! Thanks to this one, I expanded my tastes to a whole new genre!

Sure, it has it’s flaws. I know, they are pretty obvious *cough* rushed development *cough*. Even so, this is my comfort game and I want to talk about it and criticize it with all the respect it deserves. Now let’s get into it!

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

Alright! Let’s do this!

Come on!

SPOILERS AHEAD!

As per usual, let’s start with all the things that this game did wonderfully!

NERO!!!

NERO, NERO, NERO!!!!

NERONERONEROOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

...I like Nero. (๑꧆◡꧆๑)

Just gonna say it, DMC4 Dante is best Dante, I will hear nothing else. The man was born to be a funcle, it is the obvious path of his character development.

Also he looks cool as a cowboy, I don’t care what anyone says; that look is iconic.

Trish and Lady are back! Re-occuring characters are a thing now!

And DANG! They look hot. Love the outfits! They always look good!

Opera! That whole opening sequence, my boy is a remorseless demon killer who is also such a sweetie pie who gets his girlfriend presents! D’aww!

Fortuna is gorgeous. The bright colors and changing environments really helped this game differentiate itself from the others, but the gothic elements still tie it in. And the enemies blend in while still clearly being obvious they don’t belong in the Human World.

DEVIL BRINGER! The most cathartic gaming mechanic ever! There is nothing more satisfying than getting your enemies health low and pressing that blessed button. All those beautiful combos, savagely ripping enemies apart...perfect for my bloodthirsty son.

Ah, the classic “Church is Evil” trope Japan so loves. Never gets old.

MUSIC! Vocal character themes! That play as you slay!

And man, I love it when a character theme transitions into an opening/ending theme! The Time Has Come/We Shall Never Surrender, perfect way to get energized then cool down.

Did I say anything about Nero yet? Like how he brings a different and interesting perspective to the story? Or how his more emotional and naive personality can be explored as well as Dante’s wiser and cooler one? Or the fact that his willingness to attack humans could lead him to be a darker protagonist than Dante? Or the fact he’s a video game hero that already HAS the girl? Unambiguously? OR THAT HE’S THE CUTEST THING EVER, THE SWEET LITTLE BLUSHY, FACE-HIDING DORK?!!!

And he has a Persona!

AND HE’S JOHNNY YONG BOSCH!

Dante and Nero’s developing relationship. Dante’s clearly just having a good time trolling this little hothead and knocking him down a peg, but still knows when to tone it down and help out. And OHMIGOSH HE WAS CONCERNED! Get those strong male parental figure points! You were born for this!

Ah, Dante mode. Switching the novice’s simplicity for the master’s variety.

And yay! They finally settled on a voice actor!

Kyrie! Cutie!

The FUNNIEST boss fight interactions!

CREDOOOOOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOOOOOO! （Ω Д Ω)

And, oooh, I love the continuing narrative from DMC3 that humans can be just as evil as demons. The loose but present repeating elements between the games are so much fun to analyze.

That secret ending. Words cannot describe it’s beauty.

Alright, that’s enough gushing, time to go over what should have been expanded on/brought in but was probably left out because of reasons *cough* rushed development *cough*.

ADD:

They. REALLY should have had more cutscenes between Nero and Kyrie. Y’know, make the relationship believable and well-developed. Establish their dynamic. Maybe have them talk on the phone? It’s 2008, they would at least have cellphones, demon cult or not.

For that matter, give us some more time with Credo: Make us really feel the conflicting emotions when we finally have to face him. Come on, we play Japanese videogames, we’re clearly emotional masochists!

Give. Dante. His. Own. Bosses.

And if you’re going to give us two characters, expand the level count from twenty to forty.

With someone as cocky as Nero is when the game starts, why not show him clearly messed up after losing to Dante? The guy who clowned on him, one of the best in the country? Especially since his inferiority complex was such a big deal in 5.

Give some more time fleshing out Nero’s relationship with Fortuna/the Order, like in the novel? Everyone loves an All the Other Reindeer character and it really could have helped endear him to the fanbase with explaining his abrasive side.

Explore that Nero’s willing to kill humans? The thing Dante refuses to do? He didn’t know that armor didn’t have a person and went straight for the kill, and he had no qualms about ending a seemingly human Agnus. Would have been an interesting point of confliction. Might’ve been interesting to explore in later games...

Show how the events of the game affected the people of Fortuna? We saw the city in ruins, but what about the folks living there? Would they turn on the Order? How would they treat Nero? Do they consider the city worth restoring? How did Nero and Kyrie react to losing Credo?

And now, what needed to be completely overhauled.

CHANGE:

Get rid of the dice game. Leave the puzzles to Dante, Nero.

Maybe make Dante mode a bonus for beating the game the first time? The bonus ending could just be his ending.

Honestly, the game was more unfinished to me than flawed.

Overall, the game isn’t perfect, but I love it. Whenever I need to just chill out and play something that makes me feel good, DMC4 is my first option.

I’m so happy I picked it up the day I did. I got to discover a whole new way to enjoy gaming and found one of my most favorite videogame characters of all time, along with others that I love.

Others may see it as the weak link in the franchise, but Devil May Cry 4 will always be my favorite.

One question, though.

Shall we dance?

#What Would I Add To/Change About...#Devil May Cry 4 #DMC #Criticism #Praise #My Silly Personal Opinion

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jibrillenyan · 3 years

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Eldarya Come-Back

[Disponibile in Italiano qui]

Eldarya EU servers are back up. For people out of the loop, a fire destroyed both the servers and the backups of Eldarya. It's not beemoov's fault.

BR and US servers, stored somewhere else, are perfectly ok.

The FR server accounts were lost, but the story retrieved.

All the others (IT HU PL DE ES RU) have both the accounts and the story wiped out. ANE has been re-translated/Recovered, but origins is currently only playable in english.

Only the first 2 episodes of ANE have been translated so far. Errata corrige: PL, RU, ES haven't released any ANE episodes yet. DE IT and HU have the first 2 available in english. DE and HU appear to be broken.

Level 7 and episode 6 of origins (completed) are needed to access the market.

BUG REPORT: Currently there is a bug where if you change the name of your companion for the first time after evolving it you lose 100gc. please take care.

BUG REPORT: If you already have a companion and you play episode 3 of Origins you won't be able to hatch the companion Kero gives you and you might get stuck right after "Objective: Go to Kero’s room to complete the Companion Questionnaire"

Accounts must be recreated. You have to create a new account and, if you ever bought maana or gold coins, follow the instructions below.

I REPEAT, ACCOUNTS ARE LOST ON THE EU SERVERS. YOU MUST MAKE A NEW ACCOUNT. (sorry, I get this one a lot)

FAQ of sort under the cut, original here. Italian translation will be here starting tomorrow. warning: it’s long XD

♦ WHAT DO I GET?

Everyone gets 1000 maanas, 100 gold coins and 350.000 ancient coins upon creating an account. You will also get 5 big exp potions, 10 small, 5 big energy potions, 10 small, 1 evolution potion and 3 incubators. You will also get the companion Sogiluv... it's not very good. You can retrieve some (most?) of the currency you bought by contacting the support (see below), you will be credited maana/ancient coins depending on your purchases; once you get the money back the 3 spin-offs will automatically unlock, along with the bank outfits.

The first companion to hatch will require no incubation time.

BR and US Server got 10.000 AC for their troubles too, but no maana or GC or items.

♦ I ENDED UP IN THE WRONG GUARD.

Please check this page. Re-doing the 3rd episode of Origins WON'T help.

♦ DECORATING GUARDIENNE'S ROOM, EP 5-6.

If you want to know how to get the guy you like AND have the room decorated by him, or other questions along these lines check this link

♦ WHAT'S THE BEST COMPANION TO USE?

Since you can now get any companion you like if you want to get the "best" one in terms of energy/luck ratio you should consider these:

PLESE NOTE: Hatching an adult companion (Chiromagnus, Blobbiathan) has the advantage of giving you an adult companion AND saving the evolution potion. This could be nice to have, for example, during a map event, you can use all the energy of your companion after midnight, then hatch another egg, use all the energy of the baby, evolve with the potion, use all the energy of the adult. If well played , with a baby companion, it means potentially 400-500 energy to use on the map

"Best" Companion, bought food (36 maana): Blobbiathan Energy 170 (already an adult when hatched) Luck 360 - 400

"Best" Companion, bought food (30 maana or less):

1. Chiromagnus Energy 160 (already an adult when hatched) Luck 340-390

2. Zarali Energy 90-160 Luck 350-380

3. Ocemas Energy 100-150 Luck 310-360

4. Ciralak Energy 110-160 Luck 300-350

4. Rawist Energy 110-160 Luck 300-350

"Best" Companion, farmed food (in exploration):

1. Alfeli: Energy 80-150 Fortuna 320 -370

2. Gallytrot: Energy 110-150 Fortuna 320-370

I consider the Alfeli "better" because its food, elven grapes, comes from a 20energy/30 min area, Mont sizhe, compared to the food for the gallytrot, gallyflore, from the Cave (35 energy/60 min).

♦ WHAT CAN I USE ANCIENT COINS FOR?

There is a special ancient coins shop (Until May 9th) with ALL the items ever released in the game. I do not advise using them for Origins illustrations but I suggest you grab some of the rarest items at least. It's among the boutiques.

BANK ITEMS WILL ONLY APPEAR AFTER RETRIEVING THE PURCHASED CURRENCY (? Im not sure about this, some are there from the beginning and I'm still waiting on the email I sent for the currency)

♦ HOW LONG DOES THE SHOP LAST?

May 9th

♦ HOW DO I GET MY BOUGHT MAANA/GOLD COINS BACK?

Go to "your account" by clicking on your name (top right). There is a button to retrieve the credit, for many payment options there is a simple form to fill.

However, if you paid by credit card or paypal you have to send an email to the support (you can get the adress by clicking on "other"). In the mail you should include:

Credit card:

- Old/New Username (if they aren't the same) - The email address associated to the accounts - The date and the amount in €/$ of a recent transaction (max 12 months old, the most recent, the better). - Last 4 digits of the credit card you used. - I'm not sure what happens if you you used more than a credit card, I'd suggest sending one transaction per credit card and telling them about this issue.

Paypal:

- Old/New Username (if they aren't the same) - The email address associated to the accounts - If it's not the same email address, the email address/username of the paypal account. - The date and the transaction ID* of a recent transaction (max 12 months old, the most recent, the better).

* Transaction ID's can be found in the confirmation email you get when you make a payment or on the paypal website, in the payment history section.

One ID should suffice, they can retrieve them all from there.

♦ WHAT DO YOU ADVISE WE BUY?

On a general note, do not buy things that can be found at all times, like explorations items, other than that, anything you like, but I'd at least consider to buy/play the following:

*** PLEASE NOTE: I've heard rumors that during each event, you will be able to find things in explorations from the previous events of that kind, so easter should have the other easter events' outfits on the map. I'd wait a bit to spend the coins to see if we get any confirmation, the store will be open until May 9th.

HOW CAN I KNOW WHERE (SOMETHING) IS FROM?

Wiki. Or This wonderful site. Or the wikinyan (c'est moi!), I don't mind answering specific messages, I'll update this post with any question I get. If you don't know the french name you can find it out in the French shop.

1. COMPANIONS:

Other than the event companions that you like you should probably consider...

GET:

Minaloo and Draflayel. These only comes from the purro'swap. Once the store closes, if you're unlucky, you'll never see them again.

Calunko and Bunraku. They're 2 of the japan expo rewards and with the merchandise boutique closed, they're incredibly hard to obtain, you need a physical code.

Chiromagnus, while you can get this from explorations, the scroll for it is extremely rare, and 2000 AC is stealing it.

ON THE FENCE:

The Seryphon , Poulpatata (both of them) and the chestok. These can be found on AH but require Gold coins to get in exploration. Personally I won't get them, but it's personal preference.

SKIP:

All the normal explorations companions, no matter how rare. They'll start popping up at the market soon enough

2. CLOTHES:

This is clearly completely at your own discretion, Events and ranking rewards should be considered. However there are some times never released before, like the fireflies so...

GET:

Fireflies. A beta-tester reward item, they were never made available to purchase before.

Steam girl set (Total: 1594 AC). It's the japan expo 2017 reward, 9 pieces

Maana demon and its other 3 colorations is a skin never seen in the game, previously reserved for admins. It could however be added to explorations, like other items of this kind.

Frency French was once an inside joke for ChiNoMiko, has not been made available to the public before, you can buy the skin, the hairstyle (it's a special jackson), Frency French Top, etc it's just a joke, but it's still something you won't see again, if you like it.

ON THE FENCE:

Depending how much you hate alchemy, you can consider some alchemy stuff.

Some rare Skins like Nan'vi, that could be hard to find in explorations

Rainbow and Pearly hair colours, if you like them, they can be rare/offered only in rare circumstances.

Crylasm set (526 AC), top, socks, hat. It was a special Christmas outfit released one piece at a time during Christmas events of 2016, 2017, 2018

Healer support Set (400 AC), made of 7 pieces, it was a special gift given at the beginning of the 2020 pandemic)

Rainbow Spirit (1594 AC), released for the 2020 Pride month (sorta)

Guard ranking rewards, the total il 11.980 AC (thanks Desdhi ♥)

SKIP:

Anything normally on the shop, or from (normal) map explorations.

3.ILLUSTRATIONS:

GET:

Possibly the event ones you like the best, there should be 42 event illustrations for a total of 105.000 ac

SKIP:

If you have the time to farm, the episodes' ones. They're way cheaper with replay, with a few exceptions (see below).

ON THE FENCE:

There are a few episodes where it's cheaper to buy the other illustrations than replay, I'll make a list below.

♦HOW MUCH IS...

EGGS

As "one time" I mean it's either now or never, so exclusive items or event items, unless they come back with their event.

No Explorations is events + rare +the stuff that you would pay gc to get the bait for

All the eggs: 222.400,

One-time + rare ones: Chiromagnus, Minaloo Draflayel: 164.500

one-time: 158.000

No explorations (+GC/rare ones): 180.700

BACKGROUNDS:

All: why do you hate yourself? don't. it should be around 5660

Events only: 2460

EPISODES:

Event Illustrations are 2500 each, Episodes' 2000

It's generally cheaper to play the episode to unlock illustrations. Coins won't disappear, so if you can slowly make your way up you will end up saving A LOT of Ancient Coins. During episodes, each dialogue is 2 AC

(cost is rounded up) (!) = Replaying is not worth it, money wise (*) = more expensive than 1 illustration, but still worth it in the grand scheme of things

(how much it costs playing Origins VS how much it costs at the shop)

Episode 1 - Free - 1 Illustration, play once (FREE vs 2000) Episode 2 - Free - 3 Illustrations, play twice (FREE vs 6000) Episode 3 - Free - 1 Illustrations, play once (FREE vs 2000) Episode 4 - Free - 2 Illustrations, play once (FREE vs 4000) Episode 5 - Around 1200 maana - 3 illustrations, play 3 times (3600 vs 6000) Episode 6 - Around 1500 maana - 2 illustrations, play once (1500 vs 4000) Episode 7 - 1200maana ca - 4 Illustrations, play 4 times (4800 vs 8000) Episode 8 - 1700maaana ca - 4 Illustrations, play 3 times (5100 vs 8000) Episode 9 - 2000 maana ca - 1 Illustration, play once (2000 vs 2000) Episode 10 - 1500 maana ca - 3 Illustrations, play 3 times (4500 vs 6000) Episode 11 - 1900 maana ca - 2 illustrations, play once (1900 vs 4000) Episode 12 - 1500 maana ca - 3 illustrations, play 3 times (4500 vs 6000) Episode 13 - 1500 maana ca - 3 illustrations, play 3 times (4500 vs 6000) Episode 14 - 1500 maana ca - 2 illustrations, play once (1500 vs 4000) (!) Episode 15 - 2500 maana ca - 3 illustrations, play 3 times (7500 vs 6000, it's better to buy the other 2!) (!) Episode 16 - 2150 maana ca - 1 illustration, play once (2150 vs 2000 it's still worth to play the episode) (*) Episode 17 - 2450 maana ca - 3 illustrations, play ONCE (2450 vs 6000) Episode 18 - 1900 maana ca - 6 illustrations, play 3 times (5700 vs 12000) Episode 19 - 1700 maana ca - 4 illustrations, play 4 times (6800 vs 8000) Episode 20 - 1800 maana ca - 5 illustrations, play 4 times (7200 vs 10000) Episode 21 - 1800 maana ca - 3 illustrations, play once (1800 vs 6000) Episode 22 - 1700 maana ca - 4 illustrations, play 3 times (6800 vs 8000) (!) Episode 23 - 2100 maana ca - 4 illustrations, play 4 times (8400 vs 8000, it's better to buy the other 3!) Episode 24 - 2000 maana ca - 2 Illustrations, play once (2000 vs 4000) (!) Episode 25 - 2500 maana ca - 3 illustrations, play once (2500 vs 6000) (!) Episode 26 - 2200 maana ca - 4 Illustrations, play three times (6600 vs 8000, it's better to play once for 2 illustrations then buy the other 2!) Episode 27 - 1800 maana ca - 4 Illustrations, play 3 times (5400 vs 8000) Episode 28 - 1700 maana ca - 5 illustrations, play 3 times (5100 vs 10000) (!) Episode 29 - 3250 maana ca - 4 illustrations, play 4 times (13000 vs 8000 it's a huge ac loss to replay) (!) Episode 30 - 2400 maana ca - 4 illustrations, play 4 times. (9600 vs 8000 it's better to play once and buy the other 3)

Grand total so far: 93 Illustrations, 71 playthroughs, 58 suggested. Extimated maana/Ancient coins: 129.000 replay eveything vs 186.000 buying everything. Optimal: 122.750

IF you play everything once then buy the rest you should spend around 146000

* Optimal means buying the illustrations where needed before May 9th, then play all the episodes at your leisure. The episodes where you'd have to buy illustrations are: 15, 23, 26, 29, 30.

Please remember that if you buy the illustrations then you decide to play the game you will ended up paying not only 186.000 ac for the illustrations, but also roughly 60.000 to play all the episodes. The only case where my racommendation is to buy the illustrations is if you really don't care about origins or you only want a few illustrations

#eldarya faq of sort #eldarya

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incorrectallpersonaquotes · 3 years

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Not an incorrect quote, but just wanted to share some thoughts

In 2021, the Persona franchise will complete 25 years. And it was already announced that we'll have some new stuff to celebrate it ( https://metro.co.uk/2020/12/04/persona-series-has-big-plans-for-25th-anniversary-13700542/ )

So, I wanted to make my bets here. Then, when 2021 is over, I can check and see if my predictions are correct or not.

- Persona 1 and Persona 2 (Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment) released for Steam. Just a re-release from their PSP version, not a remake. I'd love a remake for both, but surely they'll be forgotten again =/

- Ultimate version of Persona 3, for Steam and maybe consoles. Taking the best part of Persona 3 FES (main character using any weapon, real animations) and Portable (playing with FeMC, controlling the party). But I don't think they would remake it from scratch.

- Persona 5 Arena, for Steam and consoles. Main focus on Persona 5 characters, but also featuring some characters from 4 and 3. I don't think all of them at start, just some of them, like Yu, Naoto, Mitsuru, Aigis and Akihiko, with others like Junpei, Ken, Yukiko and Kanji being released later as DLC). And, of course, Labrys and Sho. Also, Adachi, Akechi, Maruki and Zenkichi as DLC.

- A new and ultimate Persona Dancing. Probably without a real story mode, but featuring all songs from three games, and all characters playable.

- Crossover with Shin Megami Tensei DxD.

And that's it. What do you think? Any other interesting bets?

~Estel Fortuna

#Persona 3 #Persona 4 #Persona 5 #Persona #Persona 2 #Not a Quote

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mooshs-crack-headcanons · 3 years

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Maybe headcannons of Nero and his new s/o around family, specifically Kyrie

(I hope this came out okay!)

Okay let’s get one thing straight before we begin; The Order was absolutely fucked up and Kyrie was really affected by it. She, like the other 99% of believers in Fortuna, were brainwashed and her brother was killed by the fucking pope, that’s quite some stuff to deal with and I think that slowly coming out of the brainwashed state she slowly and slowly became less of...her empty character from 4, of course she still remained kind and compassionate but over time and overcoming her brother’s death she changes until she becomes her own person that has completely broken free from the Order’s control. Her and Nero did date for quite some time but they both eventually respectfully broke up when they both realized that they just didn’t work out together and both agreed to just live together to support one another and help raise some of Fortuna’s orphans.

So Kyrie is absolutely happy to see that Nero has moved on and found you, it fills her heart with joy seeing that both of you make each other happy and after some time is perfecting fine with the idea of you moving into the apartment. She even has started making you and Nero matching sweaters to wear for Christmas on lazy afternoons on the couch together with Nico (who she finds herself spending a lot of...closer time with together recently)

Speaking of Nico, expect spending a lot of time with her on the road if you’re in the hunting business. Now Nico can be loud and can get on your nerves sometimes but she means well, she also teases both you and Nero a lot which also makes your boyfriend both embarrassed and mad making his face flush a bright pink, which only fuels more teases earring more yelling, it’s quite the sight to see. Nico has this weird talent with eventually getting along with just everyone she meets (as long as if you don’t mind the teasing and joking she does, which Nero doesn’t do to well) so you and Nico should eventually get along just fine but if you’re interested in her art then Nico will immediately do anything for you, this starts the “Why can’t you be more like (Name)?” treatment with Nero, which the grandson of Sparda doesn’t take well. But seriously if you just sit down and let her just ramble on about whatever she’s made whether it be a new devil breaker or just a new gun she’s made for Lady you’ll be absolutely fine in her book and even joke about stealing you from Nero (which of course she wouldn’t...she’s been more closer with Kyrie lately after all)

Since you’re living with Nero at the apartment, you’ll of course be around Kyle, Carlo, and Julio. The boys can be a handful to deal with most times but with the help of both Kyrie and Nero, they tend to stay on their best behavior whenever they're around you. I think with them the best way to make them like is to do stuff with them; like play outside, watch cartoons, and play video games with them. Nero has a very cute father-like relationship with them and it’s absolutely adorable to watch whenever he’s around them.

Well with you being involved with Nero, there’s a most definite chance you’ve been at the Devil May Cry office, meaning you’ve been around the inhabitants that usually find themselves sticking around there so it’s obvious for you to have a relationship with Dante since you’re dating his nephew and all. We all know that Dante’s a chill guy when he’s around people, so with his charismatic personality it’s hard to get along with him. Dante’s glad that Nero’s found someone that makes him happy, and like Nico he teases the shit out of him (again earning Nero’s bright pink faced embarrassed yelling fit) Dante’s a great guy to have a drink with and he’s most likely to share a drink and tell you that he’s glad that because of you that he’s noticed that Nero’s been a little less pissy at the world and that he appreicates that from you.

And of course the Vergil in the room has to be addressed. Even after post 5 Nero and his father have...not the best of relationships (you know, abandonment issues and having your parent yank off your arm and all) but there have been at least a few attempts, enough for Nero to allow Vergil to at least meet you. Vergil is...pleased by your relationship with his son, of course on the outside he won't admit it but he's glad that you're with him and it gives him peace of mind that not only you but the rest of the people in his life in Fortuna but him on the right path and not make the same mistakes his father had. Sure Vergil can be a stubborn asshole but it's not really hard to get along with him (mostly post 5 where's he's chilled out and not a huge motivated power dick anymore) as long as you're not annoying him constantly he can actually carry on a good conversation (especially if you're into reading poetry because he's a fucking nerd and you know he has tons of trivial stuff on Blake he can pull out of his ass at any given time to share with you)

I like to believe every Christmas that the crew will get together and have a quality business dinner at Kyrie's (as a family) and this is just a great time to see everyone together (even Patty bringing her mother along) and just forgetting about any demons, hell, and any upcoming jobs. On one of the first that you attend, you sit next to Nero at the table as you laugh along with Trish as Lady scolds Dante about his ever growing debt while Morrison shakes his head all while trying to hide his cracked smile. All while on the other side of him is Nico excitedly rambling about her newest invention to Kyrie while trying to control her stutters from excitement as Kyrie patiently nods and patiently listens along with the kids. Across from him were Lucia and Nina happily engaged in conversation as his father doesn’t say a word next to them but slowly drinks from the mug in his hand as Patty is on her fifth story of what it was like being around Dante as a kid and how much he was a pain to clean up after, which the eldest kin of Sparda if you looked closely enough could be seen nodding to himself showing the things the Lowell girl described were things child Vergil had to deal with cleaning after too.

When Nero looks back to you he finds you already staring at him with a small smile attached to your lips and in a quiet voice you ask him if he’s having a good time. He quickly looks away from you before rubbing at his nose with a barely visible tint to his cheeks (that he can already tell from the corner of his eye that Kyrie noticed and gives him a small supporting smile) Nero clears his throat before looking back to you and tells you that it’s pleasing but also really shocking that no one has tried to kill each other yet. You laugh at the statement before telling him that your pretty sure you can fend yourself to the death against his father or uncle with nothing but a plastic fork and the discarded pizza box on the floor alone which earns you a scoff and an eye roll (and the tinist of smirks) as goes back to eating his pasta.

Nero eventually finds your hand graze along his fingers underneath the table as if testing the waters before fully grasping his hand and squeezing it tightly. At first it takes him off guard but once he’s used to the warmth on his face he’ll reciprocate the gesture by rubbing his thumb across your skin as the night continues on, thinking about how vastly different he feels in this moment now that he truly has a family versus the lonely self loathing days from when he was younger.

If you like what you read please consider reblogging! It means the world for writers and artists!

#devil may cry #nero sparda #nero x reader #mine #devil may cry x reader

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lizzzweasley · 4 years

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Hand-Me-Downs (George x Reader)

*This is a re-write of my original story so make the overall series flow better*

🖤This is a follow-on from Love Potion, so if you haven’t read that, read that first if you want the whole story🖤

——————————

You woke up the next morning and sat up in your bed, looking at the love potion you had taken out your pocket and put on your bedside table.

Yoy have to tell him, the love potion, on the train, smelled like him.

You sit there staring at the sprawl of books on your bed.

Angelica walks in, she is looking as gorgeous as ever, but slightly disheveled. She always woke up an hour before you to make sure her makeup and hair looked perfect for the day.

“You okay, y/n?” She asked, walking into the dorm

“Yeah, I’m just thinking, are you?” You asked, but she was already looking at herself in the mirror, fixing her makeup and hair, so she didn’t really hear your response.

“I’m gonna go downstairs, do you want anything?” You asked Angelica

“I’m okay Thankyou! Just “ate” she gave you a wink “with Freddie”

You looked her up and down, the attempts to fix her makeup were obvious now.

You walked down the long winding steps, into the great hall. You search the hall looking for George but no sign of the Ginger haired, pixie pop drinking boy.

Penelope noticed the confusion in your face.

“Looking for someone” she asked from a seated position

“I was just wondering if you’ve seen George” you asked trying to hide your pink cheeks.

“Weasley boy? Yeah he’s out back, quidditch practice” she said.

You didn’t even respond and tried to walk calmly out the hall, but as soon as you left her eyesight you walk turned into a jog.

You walked onto the quidditch turf, which was muggy from the days rain. Madame Hooch asked if you were okay, this was not your domain after all, she was shocked to see you in your dolly shoes, covered in mud.

“Sorry to disrupt, Madame, just waiting for practice to be over, I’m looking for George”

“It’s no worry at all, love, he’s there” she said whilst pointing to what looked like a dot in the sky. “They should be done soon!” She said, still looking at the team, whizzing past in the sky.

You decided to take a seat in the changing rooms until he was done, you put you hand in your pocket and around the love potion. “It’s a dud” you though to yourself.

After a while all the team came into the changing room, you looked the whole team up and down, and while all of them were lovely, they just weren’t George.

They all looked at you as if to say “should you be in the library” or “what is she doing here”.

George passed, he didn’t notice you at first as he high fived Lee and said “we’re going to kick Slytherins ass!”.

Lee high fived him and then gestured your way to George.

“Is everything okay y/n? Is Fred okay, he didn’t turn up to practice?” He said and his face dropped.

“Everything’s okay George!” You giggled, “I just came to tell you about the love potion” you said shyly

“THEY WORK RIGHT? IVE HAD A FEW GIRLS LOOK MY WAY, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!” He said excitedly

“Oh..Erm well, well I guess they work!” you said.

Look his way? As in like him? Does he like them back? You wondered to yourself

“So, what ya’ here for?” He asked taking off the top part of his quidditch kit off, he didn’t mind, he was totally comfortable.

You saw his chest, it was defined, but not overly, you looked to the floor, the thought of seeing him like that would light that spark in your tummy again.

“Oh erm. I was just wondering if you wanted this” you said pulling a Pixie Pop out of your side bag, you must be shattered after that practice” you said.

“MY FAVOURITE” he said giving you a wink “wait, you saw that?” He shyly asked, but his confidence always covered up his shyness.

“Of course, you’re really good out there you know, and, urm....”

“HEY, we’re gonna go back to the common room! Let’s find Fred and get this party started” Lee said. He was a flamboyant boy, he didn’t really play quidditch, but he narrated it, and turned up to quidditch practice regardless.

The rest of the team walked out, they were pumped up on adrenaline and couldn’t wait to celebrate their (soon to be) win against Slytherin.

George threw his white shirt on , buttoned to his sternum, and put his tie in his bag, he rolled up his sleeves, which honestly drove you crazy.

“Let’s wall back” George said, and then, just like magic, the rain started to fall and you heard it patting against the tent you two were stood in.You grabbed your stuff and he grabbed his and walked into the rain.

His hair was sweaty from the game, but the rain made it wet, splitting into different sections, he took his hand and pushed his wet ear length hair back from his forehead. You could’ve swore you never saw anything more beautiful.

“How are classes going, anyone giving you any jip?” He asked you, not just a conversation starter, but a genuine question.

“Snape’s a bit mean, but bar that I’m am loving it, gets me away from Muggle studies!” You replied, the whole time noticing every raindrop that fell off his hair and onto his shirt, which was practically see through by this point.

You got to the front of the castle now, and everyone was either inside, or lovers in the rain, kissing like it was their first, and you wondered what that would be like.

“You going to the party in the dorm?” He asked you

“Well seeing how it’s about 10 steps away from my bedroom, I guess I must”

When you arrived no one was in the dorm. “This party isn’t a party without Fred” a note from Lee read.

“Welllll I guess we have the place all to ourselvesssss” he said whilst throwing himself down onto the sofa and throwing his arm on the back of it “also you might want to do something about..your shirt”

You were drenched and your black bra was showing through your white shirt, usually you wouldn’t mind, but George could see everything, you weren’t embarrassed, you could feel that heat again, it was moving down your stomach and onto your thighs, and George felt the same way.

“Do you want a jumper?” George asked

regardless of you having a trunk load in your room you couldn’t pass up the offer.

“Please” you said, shaking with cold and anticipation next to the fire.

“Sure thing” he said practically jumping out his seat to run to his room.

He was rummaging around but all he could find was a jumper his mum had knitted him years ago, perfectly preserved in his drawer. It was a green jumper with a gold letter “G” on it.

He grabbed it by the collar and shook it off.

He made his way back down the small stairs from his room, where you were still shivering next to the fire.

“There you go!” He said, hand stretched out to you with the jumper in it, his eyes were on the floor, trying not to look at your bra.

“Thankyou!” You said.

He kept his eyes on the floor, “I’ll look away if you like” he said as you started to take off your shirt

“It’s okay! Don’t worry” you said as you turned you back to him to slip off the wet white shirt and put the jumper over the top.

Now when George handed you the jumper it looked small in comparison to him, but when you put it in it fit you like a knee high dress and hit your legs just where your skirt would too. Your skirt was drenched with the rain so you decided to take it off, but leave your knee high socks on.

When George looked at you, he took all of you in, from the knee high socks to the jumper of his that was now draped around your body “wow” he whispered under his breath.

You walked over to him, and he was convinced with that sultry look you had in your eye that you were going to sit on his knee. His shirt still wet from the game and you could still see the outline of his chest.

You stood over him.

“So, who’s “looking your way”?” You asked, almost domineering

“Some girls, the right one just hasn’t stepped forward I guess” he said, he put his hand on the side of the couch and lifted himself up, he was now looking down at you, his wet hair starting to dry on his forehead.

“And who would be the right one? Don’t tell me it’s Penelope” you giggled, but he didn’t laugh, he just kept taking steps towards you, and you kept taking steps backwards until you were against the wall.

He put his hand on either side of the wall next to your head. “Love potion doesn’t create the real thing” winked back at you.

He thew himself into your lips, despite how fast he came at you, his kiss was soft and well though out.

You kissed back and moaned into his mouth, very softly, but even your quiet moments, he heard the loudest.

You raised your leg up to his hip and he grabbed your thigh, kissing and moaning quietly into eachother was enough to warm the both of you up.

When you placed your hands on his chest, the cold of his shirt shocked you, you could feel his heart thumping against the fabric.

He grabbed your other thigh and lifted you up against the wall, he felt his was up your legs and found his hands touching the bottom of the jumper he had given you, which was (poorly) covering your ass.

You let yourself relax against the wall and him, and as you did you could how hard he was, resting against your inner thigh.

You kissed him and he bit your bottom lip, you both giggled .

“fortuna major” you heard people outside the common room say.

You both looked at eachother and gave one last hasty kiss and he quickly placed you down onto the ground and he took a seat back on the sofa, his heart was beating hard, and so was yours.

The party walked in with Lee leading them

“Gry-ffin-dor. “Gry-ffin-dor”. We’re-the-ones-that-you-adore” he said chanting, and Fred was following suit. They walked into the common room and with a flick of his wand music stared playing.

Everyone started piling into the common room, chanting the house chant.

You got up to see yourself to bed, george saw you leaving and he felt heavy, he got up to talk to you.

“Y/n...” he said across the room and walking over to you

“Oh, sorry george, do you want you jumper? I’ll wash it and get it straight back to you”

“No , no. In our family we do hand me downs, we don’t have a lot but whatever we do have we share. This is yours now” he said tugging at the sleeve of your (his) jumper.

“Thank you, George” you say, looking straight into his brown eyes, a kiss waiting to happen.

You turn. And make your way up the stairs.

Then 6th or 7th step up, George was still looking at you. But from that angle he could see right up you jumper, which made him hard again.

“Going to bed so soon?” Fred asked george as he was picking up your uniform from the floor, which no one seemed to notice .

“Yeah mate, some of actually turned up for practice” he said jokingly, he took himself to bed, and was thinking of you.

When you reached your room you snuggled down in his way oversized jumped, tonight you didn’t need to smell the love potion, you had the real thing right here.

#harry potter #harry potter fanfiction #george weasely smut #george weasley fluff #george weasley x reader #george x reader #george weasley imagine #george weasley fanfiction #george weasley #fred weasley sm #fred weasley x reader #fred weasley

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masterhandss · 4 years

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Hamefura Idol AU!

No one on tumblr really knows it but... I love idols, like idol animes and games are my childhood and has eaten away at my very soul. I like drawing and imagining idol aus for pretty much any show I get into, and sadly hamefura isn’t gonna be an exception to that :P

(i’ve yet to draw for my dumb au so have a placeholder image from an upcoming anthology by @/relaxmakoto)

Instead of being isekai-ed to a bootleg PS4 otome game, our monkey girl gets reincarnated into “Fortune Lover: Cinderella Idol!”, an idol-production rhythm game (help me i’m bad a choosing names).

(Long post, I’m basically gonna retell the entire game in an idol setting lol. I only wanted to draw for this au, but thinking about plot and gameplay was too fun so I wanted to share it)

The Game

The original game’s story follows Maria Campbell, the main character of the game who applied for a job in Sorcier Productions after seeing a wanted ad online. By some luck, she gets hired as a temp-producer for the famous male idol group “Fortuna”. After a few hours of gameplay involving producing the male idols (Gerald, Keith, Alan and Nicol) through the game’s tutorial (introducing various aspects of the gameplay like “Choosing your Idol”, “Getting Relationship Points”, “Rhythm Game Concert Mode”, “Idol Produce Mode”, “TV Drama Mode” etc), the game reveals the plot twist of the game: Not just the male idols, but you get to also idol-produce yourself!

By the outcome of various events, Maria ends up performing in the stead of another idol during a mini concert that she escorts the boys with, and immediately stole the hearts of the audience by her beauty and hidden talents! M.C. is actually the first idol in the “Self-Produced Idol” project, one that aims to determine and bring out the full talents of an idol by exposing them to all the in outs of the idol world. Maria ends up becoming quite known very quickly, being rumored as a “Cinderella” of the idol world (In sports, the term Cinderella is used to refer to situations in which competitors achieve far greater success than would reasonably have been expected, rather than the typical meaning of Cinderella which means “damsel”). This rumor leads her to the anti-hero rivals for Maria (who ends up joining you in the game as idols you can produce), the perfect idol Mary Hunt and the “rarely appears publicly despite her talents” Sophia Ascart.

They start out as rivals for the game but ends up becoming friends with you and becoming produce-able idols like the 4 boys. You can even form a trio unit with the girls if you have enough relationship points (when your trio unit “Amour” is unlocked, you get more events, songs and outfits for you and the two girls!). But the true antagonist of the game is Katarina Claes, a boastful and prideful newbie idol who joined a few months before Maria, who earned a fan base thanks to her confidence and mature style. She doesn’t have the best voiced or is very skilled at dancing, but her confidence and ideals draws people to love her for her unique character. Katarina lacks self-awareness though, and thinks that she is the jack of all trades when it comes to being an idol, thus leading her to have an unbelievable amount of self confidence when it comes to her popularity and skills. She despises Maria Campbell because of how much the articles praise her for her charm and adorable singing, as she thinks that Maria is nothing more than a wannabe that doesn’t know the harsh reality of the idol world (the irony of that is an important aspect of the game’s story, since Katarina is overly reliant on her producer Anne, and Maria is the one who works both as an idol and as a producer).

Maria doesn’t really play much into the “self-insert” protagonist, more like an involved protagonist like Izumi from A3 that plays an important role into the story. The player does get to choose Maria’s (and everyone else’s) songs, schedules, outfits etc. by the guise that you are Maria, working as both an idol and as a producer.

The game does have a “relationship points” system, which means you can actually date one of the boys form Fortuna (secretly). Even if you don’t intentionally date anyone, the game already does play the “you, the main character, are so important and they wouldn’t know what to do if you weren’t here” agenda that most games have, so the game already makes all the love interests seem interested with you regardless of whether you actively target Gerald, Keith, Alan or Nicol.

Katarina’s Bad End

(Rather than the life threatening doom flags of FL) In the game, Katarina Claes constantly sabotages Maria’s events and performances, creating the conflict in the “story mode” and the “events” of the game. Near the end of the game, the character who has the highest relationship points with Maria will reveal Katarina’s awful treatment of Maria in public, ruining Katarina’s reputation and causing her to lose public opinion and fans

Sabotaging fellow idols is actually quite common in idol stories, but the extent that Katarina goes for her bullying is terrible, which shocks the public because that side of the idol world had never been put into the forefront before. While Katarina does have an arrogant and prideful personality, learning that she, who didn’t have the cleanest reputation in the first place, has been harassing the darling of the idol world, meant that shows, programs, radios and events didn’t hire or invite Katarina anymore in fear of loss in sales or public outrage, leading to her eventual downfall.

The final event of the game, the Idol Queen Tournament, Katarina performs despite her ruined reputation, and was met with almost no response from the audience. Realizing that her life as an entertainer is ruined, she quits and vanishes from the public eye.

It is said in the epilogue that she moved into the country side, by a small farming field, shunned by her parents and the public for her embarrassing behavior, in order to repent and look back on her actions, much to her anger and disapproval.

The degree of Katarina appearances and story events differ depending on which male idol love interest Maria has the highest points in. Katarina is most active if you are closer to Gerald, as she is madly inlove with him and only became an idol to be by his side (as Gerald won as the “Idol King” of that year, and Katarina aimed to be his “queen”). Katarina is also frequently present in Keith’s events and interactions, as she makes fun of the both of you for being a disgrace as idols. She also appears on Alan and Nicole, but not as much.

“Fortuna” and “Amour”

Fortuna, the most popular male idol group during that time, and Amour the all-new girls idol unit, are the “produced” characters of the game

(i’m bad at thinking at idol group names so those are placeholders lol)

Gerald Stuart is a child actor known for being a perfectionist. Even as a child, he had a good face, pose, fashion sense, perfect memory, amazing acting talent and charisma to carry himself infront of a crowd. He became an idol in hopes of escaping the endless sea of acting offers he gets, and to just starve off a bit of his boredom and free time. He ends up becoming interest in their new producer Maria, due to her unique circumstance and how hard working and earnest she is. Idols are known for being prohibited from dating, but in the Gerald Ending Epilogue, he proudly announces Maria as the woman of his affections and deeply apologizes to all his rabid fans and supporters, and hopes to gain their support for his feelings for her. The two are crowned the “Prince and Princess” of the idol world for that decade.

Keith Claes is an adopted son of the Claes Household. He was bullied by his sister and mother, making him feel alone and isolated as a child. In his teens, he became a handsome playboy that easily caught the hearts of a female crowd, leading him to be scouted by someone in Sorcier Productions. He accepted, wanting to use the love of a huge fanbase to drown himself with praise and adoration and to fill the hole in his heart from years of trauma and loneliness.

Keith attempted to flirt with his new young producer, but gets constantly rejected due to the idea that idols can’t date (and bc Maria is just so busy), making him crave Maria’s attention even more. He ends up respecting her diligence, intelligence, beauty and honesty, making him slowly fall inlove with her. In the Keith Ending Epilogue, Keith confesses to Maria and wants to date her, but knows that he can’t just let go of the fans that he gained from his playboy persona, so instead he gives her a promise ring, telling Maria that when their whole “idol” thing is over with and pass them, he hopes to be able to date her (and even marry her) for real one day without a fanbase that might attempt to seperate them.

Alan Stuart is the twin brother of Gerald, who is often compared to his twin brother due to his lack of acting and entertainment skills. Alan does however, have a deep love for music. He might not be as good with instruments as his brother, but unlike Gerald, he truly loves composing and performing music and finds solace in the melodies that he can convey. Alan ends up becoming an idol due to his love for music, with the desire to one day use the connections he can make as an idol to become a full-time composer and song writer (as well as to generally learn how to sing bc he secretly likes that too). Alan also wanted to be an idol as a way to compete with his brother in an area that he is more knowledgeable on.

Throughout Alan’s encounters with Maria, he ends up rejecting Maria’s friendship and praises due to his inferiority with his brother. Through time, Maria’s constant praises of Alan’s music and singing ends up resonating with him, leading up to her telling him that he shouldn’t compare himself to his twin brother and there are only things that he is good at, like his music. Maybe a line like “Not even Gerald can recreate the melodies that you write and compose, Alan! These scores are very Alan-like, and there’s nothing I’d rather listen to; nothing that warms my heart more. This is something only you can do, as Alan and no one else” does him in.

In the Alan Ending Epilogue, he admits that his heart isn’t ready for a relationship yet, but declares that he wants to be with Maria forever and that from the moment Maria started to make an impact in his life, she had become the “Aria” of his music, and that he wants her to know that he will always write his music with his love for her in mind. He wants to be able to convey his love for her through song one day, and he hopes that she will continue to love him until he finds the right words to sing.

Mary Hunt is the daughter to a famous businessman and politician, who has connections to the Stuart Family. She met Alan by accident, during the dinner party in her house for his father’s birthday. Mary was hiding in her beloved garden, and had encountered Alan who had done the same, before she could retreat to her safe haven. She was in awe as she watched Alan play and sing a song in his small guitar, almost thinking that the song was for her. They ended up singing in a duet, with Alan complimenting her voice, saying that she should develop it. Mary instantly fell inlove with Alan, and had trained herself in the same musical arts that Alan loved, especially the voiced that he had complimented, in order to one day become worthy of performing by his side. She had originally assumed that Alan wanted to perform for an opera or musical, but when she found out that Alan wanted to become an idol, she auditioned to Sorcier Pro. as fast as she could.

In Alan’s ending, Mary was very heartbroken to know that she could not be the one to stay by her beloved Alan’s side, but silently thanked Maria for breaking Alan free from the inner turmoils that Mary knew was an impossible job for her. Despite her feelings, she still wanted to sing by Maria’s side and congratulates the two with all of her heart.

Nicol Ascart is the son to the esteemed Ascart Family, owner of the Ascart Inc., one of the major sponsors for Sorcier Productions. Nicol has been a child model and was popular since childhood because of his beautiful face. He doesn’t talk much, so when someone has filmed him singing to himself in the hallways in highschool, it immediately went viral, causing various scouts to offer him a role as an idol. Nicol had only accepted his request due to the circumstances of his little sister, Sophia.

Sophia Ascart is born with unique features, leading to her being bullied and made fun of in public due to her stage appearance. Sophia has always loved idols, being envious of their ability to enchant a crowd and sing songs about their feelings out loud. She had a sweet voice and an adorable face, but her hair and eyes caused people to think of her as a freak. She wanted to become one, but knew it would impossible for her. Nicol decided to use his popularity to jump-start Sophia’s possible idol career, by trying to brainwash/persuade his fans to also love Sophia (when she first joined and started as an idol). It didn’t work on everyone, but he was determined to help his sister.

When Maria befriends and even starts a unit with Sophia, Nicol eventually fell for the woman who made both his and Sophia’s wish come true. There’s also the fact that as their producer, Maria became a true friend of Nicol’s, one that didn’t look at him with obsessive desire and only wanted nothing more than to be a friend and an ally.

In the Nicol Ending Epilogue, he quits being an idol due to his desire to eventually join his father in the family business, much to the disappointment of his fans, but promises to always watch Maria from the side lines. He would always send bouquets almost everyday, with small cards giving the declarations of love that he normally wouldn’t be able to vocalize. He thanks her for supporting both him and his little sister, and promises to jump to her side once she is done being an idol.

Bakarina

As usual, Katarina ends up remembering her future as an 8 year old kid, and plans to prepare for her future “banishment” and humiliation. She learns to farm in order to provide for herself once she gets shunned and retreats to the countryside, and (unknowingly) meets all the characters in the game and gains their good favor before the events of the game begins

I’ll write the rest of the plot involving reincarnated!Katarina next time lol :P

This au is obviously heavily influenced by a lot of the Idolmaster console and mobile games, Ensemble Stars, A3, Vocaloid Project Diva games, Aikatsu etc lol. Thanks to anyone who gets to read till the end. Feedback (and name suggestions) are very appreciated! Hamefura is still a small fandom so idk if i’d write for this au, but it’s a good enough excuse to draw the girls in cute idol clothes so i’ll take it XD)

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postmodernmulticoloredcloak · 4 years

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15x11. A game of cosmic moves, heroes, and queer subtext

This was a very interesting episode that is about a game. The game being played by two cosmic forces: God and Death. The gamblers from the title refer to both the players in the pool hall, but also to the big game that is being played by Billie, who previously mentioned taking “a calculated risk” with breaking her rules. She’s playing a game and we wonder whether Chuck is realizing that.

But it’s also an episode about people handling phallic objects and playing with balls the entire time, which has a long history on the show of being associated to Dean (and men). Plus there are swords (the phallic object for excellence) and hearts, specifically hearts ripped out, which have a long history on the show of being associated to love and sex (2x17 Heart and multiple other werewolf episodes, 11x13 Love Hurts...), and it’s no coincidence Dean mentions suffering from “heartburn”: while it’s about the digestive system, the word itself evokes the heart. Of course it’s also about Sam, who’s texting Eileen at the beginning. But it’s also about Cas, who faces another soul-sucking angel, and much has been written about that kind of mirror back in the time of 10x20 Angel Heart.

So, Fortuna. And, interestingly, her son who is called Pax, which is Latin for peace, and thus drops the concept of peace/paradise in the episode. The pool hall is run by Pax, and it works a bit like heaven, especially the old way heaven was run, when the Grigori literally fed off humans’ souls. If you replace ‘luck’ with ‘soul’ you really realize what this episode is about and what it parallels to.

In fact, I think that the episode purposely blurs together callbacks to angels and demons: the pool hall Grigori torture scene is reminiscent of Alastair, for instance, there are callbacks to Crowley, to Abaddon*, to soul-selling deals (the cowboy mentions having gotten a year of extra life, the amount of time Dean got when he made his demon deal...), but also to Michael (who literally trapped Dean inside a bar, like Evie was forced to work at the bar of the pool hall) and heaven.

*In 9x17 Mother’s Little Helper, which also features Dean playing pool (and Misha’s unsubtle directing choices), demons stole souls to make an army for Abaddon quickly, and Sam released them. The episode also featured the concept of addiction - Dean and the First Blade, Crowley and human blood, the title of the episode itself refers to drugs - and now the pool players are unable to stop playing until their luck runs out, although the game is rigged.

Now, Fortuna is a clear parallel to Chuck; she keeps people trapped in her joint to play for her amusement or whatever, just like Chuck does with his narrative. But I mentioned before replacing ‘luck’ with ‘soul’, right? That makes Fortuna the goddess of ‘soul’. Who’s the cosmic lady that rules over souls and is also making someone play the moves of her own game? Yep, Fortuna is both a parallel to Chuck and Billie. Who are indeed the players of the cosmic game that is being played.

Fortuna “reads” the players like they were stories, just like Chuck writes people like characters, but also like Billie reads the destiny of people from the books in her office. Now, Fortuna calls Dean a “beach read” and laughs when he calls himself a Tolstoy, which is a clever bit because what really is a beach read is Chuck’s pulp novels, it’s Chuck’s narrative for them, while the real Dean (et alii) are much more complex and interesting than what Chuck’s story would reduce them to. Her dismissal of Dean and interest in Sam also mirrors Chuck in a way, and we wonder whether there’s some reason for that: Dean is better at pool than Sam, as Dean states and Sam doesn’t contradict him. Pool becomes the way they challenge the deity that is pulling the strings, and Sam loses. Is it a coincidence that the thing they were supposed to trap Chuck with in the last episode was shaped like a smooth ball...?

But I also think that this could be foreshadowing of Dean & co. also putting their foot down with Billie, because it’s pretty clear that whatever plan she has for Jack, they won’t accept to play it like she wants to. The Ma’lak box plan has already been labeled a bad idea by the narrative, and I’m sure that the story will frame Billie’s plan also not as the good thing to do, but they’ll find a third way between Chuck’s story and her plan.

Fortuna differs from Chuck in a fundamental way: she understands what makes a hero. Eventually she rewards them despite their loss -- it’s not about winning, it’s about trying despite zero chances of success. They went against the goddess of luck in her own joint, they were doomed from the start, yet they tried anyway, because they care. Reminds you of something? Death made a deal with Dean, his brother’s soul in exchange of being able to being Death for a full day. Dean lost, and yet Death rewarded him anyway, because Dean was never going to be able to succeed, but he showed something in his attempt.

Fortuna’s power outdoes Chuck’s “damage” (they indeed have an “average” luck: not because they are “normal” now but because they have wins and losses, they lost Jack and now they get him back, and so on...) because she acknowledges them as “heroes” -- not because they defeated her, but because they tried anyway. It’s not being exceptional, not being stronger or whatever, but it’s about being... very human. Trying against unsurmountable odds. People against something bigger than them. That’s why they are heroes -- because they’re human.

They’re human and they care about others, even if they’re strangers. Fortuna and her pool hall are a strong parallel (even in visuals, and, well, in the inevitable homoerotic subtext layer) to Lee’s bar. Lee's bar was based on the sacrifice of innocent victims so that he could prosper; Fortuna steals luck off the people in the pool hall, until they’re sucked dry, except of luck instead of blood. Lee, in fact, was killed with a pool stick, and the meta about the homoerotic subtext writes itself. Here, the homoeroticism is maybe less ridiculously blatant than in the episode with Lee, but, hey. Dean first plays a light match with a woman, then an intense match with a rugged man with a cowboy hat; Sam only plays with a woman. Yeah. *stares at the camera*

Last week, the episode with Garth was a manual of queer subtext, now the focus is more on other aspects, but it’s still an episode about pool, i.e. sticks and balls and shooting things inside openings. I think I don’t have to explain here. You have the history of pool in the show -- Dean and Ash, Dean and Crowley, Dean and Lee... but there’s also something that is not strictly about sexuality but in general about existing as a societal “other”, an outcast, a “freak” in the Dean side of the meaning since forever in the show.

Sam states that he learned to win at pool from his brother, and acknowledges that they had to hustle all their life to eat (a little reminder that they didn’t always rely on magical credit cards to pay for living expenses...), but Sam’s history with pool wasn’t an easy one. At the beginning of the story, he was against using that kind of things to get money. From 1x08 Bugs:

Dean: So what are you saying? That Dad was disappointed in you? Sam: Was? Is. Always has been. Dean: Why would you think that? Sam: Because I didn’t wanna bowhunt or hustle pool -- because I wanted to go to school and live my life, which, to our whacked-out family, made me the freak.

Abnormality versus normality, big theme of the show and particularly clear in season 1. Sam rejects the hunting life, the life he led with Dean and John, to seek a “normal” life. But he was always trapped in a mental trap made of the concept of “freak”, because of the life he’d led growing up and the sense of being unable to fit in with normal people. On the other hand, Dean armored himself with the claim of being “abnormal”, or not fitting with normal people; but that was a mechanism of defense because he was troubled by being different. Except that the story explored how Sam’s “difference” was tied to the supernatural (his tie to Azazel, the demon blood) while Dean’s “difference” was always framed as something fundamentally human, fundamentally tied to his relationships with people. You know what the subtext was always about.

So hustling pool was always a metonymy for a wider picture, the life the Winchesters led in the margins of society, in an underclass environment Sam rejected and took a long time to accept, and Dean embraced because he felt like he couldn’t belong anywhere but there. (“I’m a freak among normal people because I’ve been raised in an abnormal environment” versus “I’m a freak so I belong in an abnormal environment”, in substance.)

So, hustling pool doesn’t equate queerness per se. In Sam’s case it definitely doesn’t, but Sam embracing it equates him embracing being different in a class sense and in a general hunting-life sense. But in Dean’s case, his “being different” was always connected to a different set of subtextual meanings. Sam was “wrong” because of the demon blood and all that jazz, Dean was “wrong” in a sense of societal expectations.

So pool is connected to queer subtext in a stricter sense but also in a larger sense, the semantic area of otherness, of outcast, of freak, of being in the margins. And they play for the ability of going against God -- a God that, in Fortuna’s speech, is framed in opposition to other deities (non-christian deities, female deities, non-white deities) and that represents societal order.

Now about the game. In 5x07, whom this episode is obviously a big parallel to, the high-stake game was poker. Another obvious parallel is to the Ingmar Bergman movie The Seventh Seal, where a man plays a game of chess against Death.

In 5x07, Sam won, now he loses. It’s a fundamental difference that brings us back to what the current narrative is telling us about what makes a hero. All the stuff about luck and whatnot is irrelevant -- Chuck wants us weak, Dean says, and he’s probably right, Chuck is doing this to undermine their confidence, but it’s not a matter of strength/weakness or even confidence. They’re heroes because they’re human, because they’re not special. Against someone stronger than them, like a deity, they lose. But the point is that they play. That’s what matters. They’ve always faced adversaries more powerful than them, situations where they couldn’t win. But they fought anyway. And now, Fortuna is right in saying that they need to fight Chuck by their own rules, not the rules of his game: Chuck will win his own game, because he’s God and they’re just human. But if they play their own game, it will become irrelevant that they’re just human and he’s all-powerful. And, of course, their game means more players, just like Garth attacked the big vampire from behind.

The point is that Dean and Sam aren’t particularly strong or special in any way. They’re going to win because they are not alone.

#spn meta #spn 15x11 #my spn thoughts #spn spoilers #spn

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gennarenee · 4 years

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My Devil May Cry Game Ratings

Alright so I finally finished playing all the Devil May Cry games (barring DMC2 and DmC), so I wanted to write out my thoughts and reviews of the games in order of my favorite to least favorite. I played the games in the order of 5, 4, 3, then 1.

#1: Devil May Cry 5

DMC5 was my introduction to the series. I first watched a whole play-through of the game as background while I was working on a research project, but it looked so fun that I bought it on the steam summer sale and I loved it as much as I thought I would. The combat is intricate and fun, and I’m still discovering new tricks and play-styles (I think I’m on my third play-through of the game??). I love V’s character, but on my first play-through I didn’t know the story of the DMC universe, so I was disappointed when he turned back into Vergil. Now that I’ve played through all the games though, I love the story even more and I understand now how V is an important step in Vergil coming to terms with his humanity (also I love Vergil too now). Having played the other games too I can now see all the references this game makes to the previous games as well which is really cool.

Overall 10/10 this is my new favorite game and has beat out Bayonetta as being my favorite game of all time.

#2: Devil May Cry 4

As previously stated, I’m a huge Bayonetta fan, so you can imagine my excitement at all the parallels between this game and Bayonetta (aesethically, story-wise, etc.). However, DMC4 is definitely not a finished game, so I’m actually glad that Bayonetta basically stole the concepts of DMC4 and made them better.

The start of this game is my favorite out of all the DMC games. I love the scene of Kyrie’s performance in the church while Nero battles demons in the street, and I think this does a really good job of setting the scene for the game. Fortuna is aesthetically beautiful, and the game’s music is fantastic (I’ve had “Out of Darkness”, “The Idol of Time and Space”, and “Shall Never Surrender” on repeat for the past few weeks). Having finished DMC1, I can see now too that Fortuna, Fortuna castle, and the enemies take a lot of inspiration from Mallet Island in DMC1.

Combat wise, I loved playing as both Nero and Dante. After playing DMC5, Nero’s combat felt a bit lacking, but nevertheless I had fun smacking demons around with the buster arm. I adored playing as Dante, and I enjoyed his combat style more than Nero’s. HOWEVER, this brings me to the game’s biggest flaw: while Dante is super fun to play as, his levels are absolutely awful. Instead of creating a new area for Dante to explore while trying to save Nero, the entire 2nd half of the game is spent backtracking through all of the Nero levels. Like seriously Capcom?? I was aware of the backtracking before playing this game but having basically half of the game backtrack through the first half is ridiculous. The areas themselves also felt disconnected. Fortuna, Fortuna Castle, and the jungle all were interesting areas on their own, but it doesn’t make sense going basically from Italy, to a frozen mountaintop, to a jungle, all on a single island.

All in all though, I’d give this game a 7.5/10. While repeated sections were annoying, the combat was fun and I love the aesthetic of the game and its soundtrack. Also Nero and Kyrie’s relationship is adorable.

#3: Devil May Cry 1

This might come as a surprise, but I enjoyed DMC1 more than DMC3 (but I’ll get to this more in the next section).

First, I’m glad I played all the DMC games in reverse order. When I first picked up DMC1 after completing DMC5, I was shocked with how awful the camera system and general gameplay was, so I put down DMC1 to replay DMC5. However, when I came back to DMC1 after playing all the other games, I had become adjusted to the lack of features in each game, so I no longer felt as annoyed with the camera and gameplay. In fact, I enjoyed the gameplay a lot more than I thought I would. I imagined that the game wouldn’t live up to today’s gaming standards, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the combat. I missed having access to the different playstyles of future games, but this Dante’s gameplay almost felt like a mix between trickster and gunslinger, so his combat style was not as empty as I thought it would be.

Much like DMC4, I also really enjoyed the aesthetic of this game. Having played DMC4 before DMC1, I almost had “reverse nostalgia” for the scarecrow enemies and the castle aesthetic. I also really liked the level designs. While the levels in DMC4 felt disconnected, I could see the areas (castle, canyon, coliseum, pirate ship, etc.) all existing on one island together. In terms of bosses, I wish that there had not been repeat fights. While I loved seeing V’s familiars having a role in this game (again, “reverse nostalgia”), I could’ve done with a couple less Nightmare and Nelo Angelo fights.

In the end, my biggest complaint about this game is that it’s too short. I started this game at 5pm yesterday, and I’ve completed it in under 5 hours. While the game is short, it felt like there was almost no plot until the very end of the game when you fight Nelo Angelo Vergil. I wish they would’ve expanded upon the story and included more information on Sparda and Eva and Dante and Vergil’s childhoods, but I understand that this game was the first in the series and made in 2001.

Overall, I’ll give the game a 7/10. While I can’t imagine myself replaying this game (especially since there’s no other playable characters besides Dante), I had an overall pleasant time playing this game.

#4: Devil May Cry 3

First, while DMC3 is the last game on this list, I want to clarify that I enjoyed all 4 games, and this game is almost tied with DMC1. However, there are just some choices in the game that made this game a less enjoyable experience for me.

Combat wise, while it took me some time to adjust to only having one style at once, DMC3 has my favorite weapon set out of all the games. I loved played with Cerberus in DMC5, so I was excited to have the opportunity to use this weapon again in DMC3, and the same goes for Beowulf and Kalina Ann. While I didn’t use it that much, I also adored the Nevan weapon, and it seems like a perfect weapon addition to the game series (if only we could’ve seen something similar in DMC5!). I also enjoyed the story of this game. It was nice getting more of a backstory on Dante and Vergil, and Dante definitely grew as a character by the end of the game. It was also nice finally seeing Lady’s backstory. Arkham/Jester annoyed me, and one of my favorite parts of the game is when Vergil basically goes from “I need to begin the all important ritual” to “Okay we need to get rid of this clown ASAP”.

But, what this game makes up for in storytelling, it lacks in general gameplay and aesthetic. The game’s aesthetics almost felt bland, and many areas in Temen-ni-gru were just brown/grey stone. I also wish the early enemy design went outside of the “grim reaper” aesthetic. While I know others have different opinions on the matter, I feel that DMC3′s aesthetic was very one note, and suffers from the opposite problem of DMC4. In terms of gameplay, I felt that most of the item quests did not make sense and were unnecessary. For example, many of the doors require orichalcum to open, but randomly finding a piece of orichalcum on the ground doesn’t make sense story wise. I remember a level specifically where you have to drop down to the library to find a key item, but the library is even before the start of the level.

Compared to this, the item quests and backtracking in DMC1 made sense. For example, finding a key in a room in a castle to use on another door in a castle makes sense. Even weirder item quests, such as finding the trident to open the door, make more sense than DMC3 missions. While I do not know what orichalcum does or what it is, in one of the rooms in DMC1 there is an item with 3 holes in it, and it makes sense that the trident item gained later on would go in this space.

Finally, one of my biggest complaints about this game is the boss battles. Now I might just suck at video games, but it took me way too long to defeat some of the bosses on Devil Hunter. For example, it took me longer to figure out the Vergil fights than it did for me to complete DMC1. Bosses like Beowulf also sucked due to relying on the smaller eye hitbox. In contrast to DMC1 as well, these bosses were at the end of a level, as compared to being a separate mission, so if I wanted to leave and come back later, I’d have to replay the entire mission first.

Overall, I’ll give the game 6/10. Will I replay it? Possibly, I know I can play as Vergil, so it would be fun learning his moveset. However, a game’s aesthetic is almost more important to me than gameplay (that’s just a me thing), so I’m not sure that I would enjoy playing through the levels again due to their lackluster design.

Ending Thoughts

And that’s my rating on (almost) all the DMC games! While some of the gameplay in the earlier games was annoying, I definitely love this series, and I plan on reading the extra novels/mangas outside the game (I’ve already watched the anime). Hell, I’ll probably read some William Blake and the Divine Comedy itself.

Let me know what your ratings are! I’d love to hear everyone else’s lists.

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blooddrop-palace · 4 years

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Project Updates - What to Look Forward To

<3 Hello all! I've realized (humbly) that I have a small following of very nice people that seem quite interested in what I've written so far, and after seeing some mutuals post update-status posts, I thought I should share what's going on with my projects, also. (Thanks for the encouragement, @queenmuzz!)

Updated Dec-10-20

Sons of Fortune

Probably somehow my main focus now, though I am steadily working on other works. Currently working on the “In Between” special short before I start on Chapter 12.

I would also like to talk a little bit about my plans for this story: if anyone has paid attention to this story's tags, yes, I am touching up on the plots of most of the games. In fact, all of them, and the anime. (I already dealt with DMC4. No, I will not tear apart Fortuna lol.) Not all relevant tags are in, yet, because small spoilers. It looks like it's going to be a long while before I even get to the Temen-ni-gru, though. (There is a reason why that event is getting pushed back.) I want to have fun with the family fluff that is the twins each learning how to parent, first.

Hell Froze Over, and We Shall Reignite It

The drama of it all! Dante and Vergil are finally back from Hell, and Nero doesn’t even know his mother is now standing right in front of him. Meanwhile, even I’m anticipating seen how Snow and Dante is going to handle the obvious things currently unsaid... and I have a feeling a small measure of stupidity is still going to be involved.

Current chapter progress: Outline complete.

It's going to feel so interesting, shifting from "Fortune" back to Reignite. I get to write Sera and Vergil falling in love all over again, with a different set of circumstances. Whoa.

And, and... Nero meeting Sera... odd that I'm saying this as the writer, but I have a "I hope he likes his mom" feeling going on.

Also, no doubt Dante's brain is going to 404 when he sees Snow.

Nico prepares popcorn.

This is Not an Office Rom-Com

I have... about 8 new skits planned out. Nothing more written just yet.

That’s all I’m saying about this for now. =P

Hierarchy of Kings

Purely indulgent M/M romance of Vergil and an OC, existing all thanks to

@wordborne

Working on chapter 2.

I know I said 3 chapters only. I might have lied depending on how much I want to write. It's supposed to be just... awkward fluff of a listless part-devil who somewhat-recently lost his mate, got in a bit of a tiff with his brother, and now his children are trying to set him up with the prospective-king-of-hell, Vergil.

I think about this one a lot but I haven't written anything new for it yet, only because "Fortune" is taking over my life right now, haha.

Through the Lens of the Beholder

Okay, so...This story has no real plot. As a result, my drive for it is purely down to "if I think of a badass or cool photograph to describe." There is a TINY bit of plot. Only a little. And I don't know when I'll update. But this is why I'm trying not to START new projects. Four is a lot already! But because this one is supposed to be simpler than the other two, I will most likely finish this one before the others, so I can open a new project.

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

Speaking of new projects... Here are things ideas bouncing through my head:

- I still have a prompt from @maybeishouldwait sitting in my inbox. I WILL have it done one day, when I find the perfect way to write it.

A whole, entirely royally late set of Dadgil week fics. Yep. I want to write them. They just won’t be on time.

Written in Ink

A plot-less post-DMC5 story.

I say plot-less. There is a plot. The plot is:

Dante: Damn it, Verge, are you trying to turn my office into a zoo??

In which Vergil compulsively starts contracting strong demons he's defeated, left and right, because he's discovered "the joy of pets." The demons all take on a dark animistic form and things get wild.

A Persona and DMC fusion/AU

I have no title for this yet, and I absolutely cannot start this one until I have finished one of my other big projects. This one will take a lot of big planning, because I am making a new plot, using the mechanics of Persona, with DMC characters and setup.

What I want to write, is a teenage Nero as the protagonist, trying to solve a mystery... probably starting with the sudden disappearance of his mother. (Most likely Sera.) And he meets a lot of "new" people, and even finds new family... and yes, he will find his dad. (I'm thinking he'll know about Vergil, though. At least in name and a photo? Isn't that an interesting difference?)

For those of you not familiar with Persona, the major theme I really want to play with is that of the protagonist growing as a person (and in power) by befriending different people that helps them grow as a person. Each party member and important NPC is represented by a Tarot Card, signifying the type of journey the protagonist (The Fool) "embarks" with that character. There is growth in both the protagonist and that characters.

Again, this is ambitious to try and pull off... but it's in the back of my head. I'll focus on it once I've cleared some other stuff.

Sugar Sweet

A somewhat short-chapter series reader fic... of a surgeon/doctor!reader (barely 30 and good at what you do) who often saves the lives of shady people (e.g. mafia) because you care about saving lives, not the politics. But you do make good money out of it. (Hey, you gotta be at least a bit morally ambiguous if you're going to deal with devils.)

You meet one mess of a young mercenary named Dante, who is totally not human and deals with things like having bullets healed into his back, and he can't reach them to cut them out.

Dante doesn't care about bills for his office, or a lot of the debts in his life. You don't know where his money is going, or if he even makes much money at all (for the kind of specialty work he does? Money's going somewhere, but that's none of your business.)

You won't pay Dante's bills, or his debts, but he will accept pizza and ice cream. And new parts for his jukebox. And maybe a motorcycle. Or a new coat. Or a new car...

And you might complain to him about your dumb patients. Or just listen to him talk about his job. Or you two watch a movie together.

And this just continues. For years.

Tokusatsu DMC fusion/AU

So. First thing's first: I'm a big fan of Sentai/Tokusatsu. What is that, you might ask? It's a Japanese genre, and if you're familiar with Power Rangers, that's derived from Sentai.

Basically: Masked heroes with transformation gadgets, sometimes with motorcycles, fighting against evil. ("Magical girls" but strictly the opposite, a lot more physical combat involved, may involve upgrade gadgets, and not strictly limited to male heroes though mostly a male cast. Also not strictly for male-only audience. Girls like the eye-candy, too. :eyes-emoji:)

Why am I thinking about this?

Because I have found out that: Vergil's VA, Dan Southworth, was the Quantum Ranger (WHICH WAS RED). Nero's VA, Johnny Yong Bosch, was a Black Ranger and a Green Ranger.

...And Dante's VA, Reuben Langdon, had a role in a Japanese Toku show as "B-Fighter Yanma" forever ago???? (HE WAS BLUE!!)

What am I going to do with this info? I'll let you know later. But my Sentai/Toku-loving little heart is about to burst with hyperfixation overlap.

If I ever write this out, expect it to be just as cheesy as an actual Kamen Rider show. Or, at the very least, expect some art. I love Kamen Rider stuff!

Family Fantasy MMO

Snow introduces Dante, Vergil, Nero, and Kyrie to Final Fantasy 14 (because that’s the MMO I play) for family bonding. Yep. Mainly for silly indulgence.

Stardew Valley Visit

Post DMC5, Vergil and Dante accidentally end up going on a vacation when they try to leave Hell. No pairing with the farmer, but instead just a relaxing and somewhat introspective moment of the boys being stuck with most of their power temporarily sealed, learning how to take care of a farm, and maybe do a bit of healing by interacting with the townsfolk while they try to find out where their swords went and how to get home.

Re-Colourize

Otherwise what I would call the “re-colour of Nero and Snow” AU.

What if Vergil was found by Kassy’s family and raised among them? What if Dante ended up briefly in Fortuna and then convinced Sera to run away from the island?

What if we have a Nero who, though brash, is outwardly more soft and open-hearted, and has red-orange and gold colours instead? What if we have a Snow who is named Chiyuki, who wields her katana more like Vergil does, and has a more ice-queen aura about her, and has a teal and blue colouring about her?

This is my excuse to switch up the pairings, but also write Vergil being taught to fight more like an assassin.

Raised by the Blade

Imagine: Yamato, cracked, broken, and separated from her Master... desperately searching for a way to get back to him, and ended up washed up on the shores of Fortuna. Humanoid, but clearly not if anyone saw the cracked, broken, and no-normal look of “shattered” in her torso, that she would have to keep covered.

Made from the power of Sparda, she is pale with white hair... and she finds herself drawn to the orphanage...

Where she finds the toddler that is Nero.

Devil Hunters’ Podcast

Nico “accidentally” finds entertainment in recording the Sparda Family arguments as they talk about hunting; after all, they all share one braincell.

Ascended Monochrome

A white angel remains by the side of Nelo Angelo. Mundus was not pleased by the behavior of his second creation, from the human woman that he had picked up with the treacherous Son of Sparda. But he later discovered that by using her, he could keep Nelo Angelo complacent. Eventually, underestimating love will be his downfall.

Fall to Royalty

A story of where Vergil wins against Mundus the first time, and takes the throne of Hell. But what is he to do next? Eventually, ruling Hell seemed meaningless when there was no one by his side, so he goes to seek out the Lady Knight that he had vowed to never think of or go back to unless he had obtained the power he sought.

Doppelganger Woes

So, I heard Capcom retconned Gilver to be some sort of imitation created by Mundus. I’m all for this! And I’m going to DO something with this.

Side-Project: DMC Tarot List

I started on this maybe months ago; and I have a tentative list oh what characters go with what card and a few detailed descriptions. I think I should confer with

@harlot-of-oblivion

at some point about this, and anyone else interested in, well, Tarot stuff.

#devil may cry #fanfiction #Project Update

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gii-heylittleangel · 4 years

Text

slides in silently and awkwardly, looking around Hi! I know, I know, this should've been posted twenty days ago but I had no time nor mind to do it. And, as we'll only have another ep next month, I didn't want to rush a coda out and post something horrible for you, peeps. I hope you can forgive me makes puppy eyes

Thank you @babybluecas for betaing this for me! Love you <3

Alright, go ahead and enjoy yourselves!

Read it on AO3

The war room was silent and Dean could only stare at his half-empty beer bottle. He didn't have any courage to raise his eyes and look at the others; mostly out of fear of what he would find. Dean wasn't even able to look at Jack without a small feeling of guilt bubbling up. He didn't know how Jack felt and his expression didn't let Dean figure out anything; Jack had a permanent deadpan expression on his face and his eyes were hard.

Sam actually spoke after a few minutes but Dean only half-listened to it; Sam asked something about how Jack had ended up in the Empty and what Billie had said exactly to Jack. Jack's description of the Empty didn’t seem so bad in Dean's eyes: nothing but an endless sleep that you didn't even know was happening. It sure was better than Hell and maybe a little better than Heaven because there weren't any dick angels to worry about.

When he did raise his eyes, Dean met a weird expression on Cas's face; Cas seemed worried, hands grasping anxiously at his beer, ripping the label, and his guilty eyes stared down at his hands. Dean frowned until he remembered Cas had spent a while in the Empty as well—Cas had never talked about what it was like but Dean knew it had to have been awful for him; Cas could barely do anything if there weren’t any lights on for a while after he got back. Listening to Jack talk about it and thinking how long Jack had spent there, probably wasn't something Cas enjoyed either.

The room fell silent again. Sam with his tablet as he looked for something, bottle untouched and forgotten by his side. Jack seemed interested enough in his own beer, not caring much about the silence; he never really did so it wasn’t anything new. Dean, on the other hand, couldn’t stand it, so he downed the last gulp of his beer before placing the bottle back on the table and standing up.

He squeezed Jack's shoulder softly, giving him a small smile. "Good to have you back, kid."

Jack smiled at him, looking like the kid he once was for a second before turning back to his beer. He seemed quite older in Dean's eyes and there wasn't anything from his old childish look anymore; not even his face had the same boyish look anymore. It hurt Dean to see him like that, even though he also knew how it felt to have to grow up so quickly.

He left the war room without another look, his footsteps echoing throughout the hallway until he got to his room. It was mostly a mess, clean and dirty clothes laying around together, some of those being Cas's, countless empty beer and whiskey bottles, bags from take-outs that.

But Dean just pushed everything off his bed before collapsing on top of it and closing his eyes with a heavy sigh. He wanted nothing more than just sleep for a full week but he was one hundred and twenty percent sure that it would never happen; something would come up, or someone would come knocking, or the whole bunker would catch fire—Dean was lucky like that. Although, to be fair, Dean wasn't sure he would even be able to actually sleep that much; getting more than three hours was almost a miracle already.

There was a knock on the door after some time and Dean groaned; he really didn't want to deal with anyone right now. That didn't stop the person from opening the door and turning the lights on. Dean opened his eyes to see Cas standing at the door, staring worryingly at Dean with one hand on the doorknob.

Dean waved him in, sitting and adjusting himself on the bed so he could give Cas space on it. Cas closed the door softly and walked to sit by Dean's side, kicked his shoes off before stretching his legs in front of him as if he owned the bed—which he kinda did. Their sides touched slightly and Dean couldn't help but think about all the times they were like this, each reading their own book, but always smiling at each other whenever their gaze met.

They stayed quiet for a while, Dean keeping his gaze on the ceiling as he waited for Cas to say something. He knew there was a reason for Cas to be there and that he wanted to talk; Dean could see it in his eyes and in his posture, Cas's mouth opening and closing a few times, but never speaking up.

In the end, Cas seemed to settle on the simplest. "Are you okay, Dean?"

Dean exhaled heavily, picking at his nails. "Same as always. You?"

Cas shrugged. "We have Jack back, so I think I should be okay?"

Raising a brow, Dean turned his head to stare at Cas. "You think?"

"Yes. I'm just… not sure how things are going to go. I'm happy Billie brought Jack back but not knowing what is going to happen was never something I liked."

"Yeah, me neither."

They stayed in silence for a few seconds more and Dean moved his eyes to stare back at his hands. He could still feel Cas's eyes on him but Dean didn't have it in him to stare back; the tension between them was still there, not as strong as before, but still enough to be a burden.

"What did you and Sam have to do in Alaska?"

Dean chuckled humourlessly. "We looked for some place that could give us our luck back." Cas raised an eyebrow at him, looking worried. "Me and Sam, we were too… normal. Our guess was that Chuck decided to take away our privileges as the protagonists of his story."

Cas nodded thoughtfully. "Any luck?" Cas had a small smile on his lips and Dean couldn’t help but smile back as he rolled his eyes.

"We found Fortuna there and we hustled pool to get our luck back. Sam tried to hustle her for everyone's luck in there but he lost, so we got ours only."

"So, you two are not… normal anymore?"

Dean sighed dramatically with the corner of his lips quirked up. "I don't think so. But, before we left, she shut the whole place down and sent everyone back home. The girl that worked there said to us that Fortuna thought our kind had gone extinct."

Cas frowned with a weird look. "Your kind?"

“Heroes; she said we are heroes and that she thought they had gone extinct." Dean shrugged. “She also told us not to play his game, to make him play ours. Whatever the hell that means.”

After a few moments of silence, Cas seemed to be thinking about something, one hand scratching his stubble, and then he talked again, "Do you think she was right?"

Dean shrugged. "No idea, but it would be good to have a goddess on our side. But I don't know, man, there's Billie's plan. Where would Sam and me even fit in it as heroes? Shouldn't it be Jack?"

Cas shook his head with a sigh. "You still don't see yourself as you should, Dean. Jack's powerful and I do believe he could kill Chuck, but I don't think he'll be the one to actually defeat him."

"Why not?"

"Because everything started with you and Sam. Other versions of you two, sure, but still you. For some reason, all of Chuck's universes seem to circle around you; different choices you made in the same or different situations, or even what would happen to the world without you. I think you and Sam have a much bigger part to play in this story, still. A much bigger part than Jack has."

Dean groaned, head falling back. "Great, 'cause that's just what I want; be part of another story that Chuck can manipulate."

Cas placed a reassuring hand on top of Dean's. "I know you dislike it, Dean, but I think this is the one part Chuck won't be able to manipulate and that’s why you’re going to win."

" Why we’re going to win, Cas. But let's hope you're right." Unconsciously, Dean turned his hand to fit it with Cas's. "What about Jack? How did you find him?"

Cas's thumb ran along Dean's hand softly, Cas's eyes glued at their hands. "An officer called, Jeb Evans, to talk about it. I think Sam had asked him to keep an eye out for Jack some time ago and he got footage that showed Jack breaking into a doctor's office." Dean's eyes widened and he almost opened his mouth to ask. "The doctor was a Grigori. So I went after him until I managed to track him there."

Dean nodded, letting Cas trace the lines on his palm. "And then he told you about Billie's plan?"

Cas hummed in agreement, gaze still on their hands. Dean, instead, stared at Cas, at how concentrated he seemed on tracing the exact lines on Dean's palm, his expression somewhat relaxed. It had been quite some time since he and Cas had actually stayed like that, close together and not fighting. Dean had missed it.

After a while, Cas stilled his hand on top of Dean's and broke the silence, "Do you think Billie's plan is going to work?"

Dean shrugged. "Not sure how much I would trust one of her plans. I mean, her least plan was to get me locked in the Ma'lak box and then throw it in the ocean. Not exactly what you would call a nice plan and not sure how well it would've worked."

Cas nodded, letting his hand rest on top of Dean's and raising his eyes to meet Dean's gaze. "I'm not sure it will either. Not that I don't trust Jack but we don't know what could happen to him if he did kill Chuck. Or to the world. After everything Sam said he saw…"

Dean sighed, letting his eyes fall closed and his head hit the wall behind him. "Yeah. I have no idea how much of what Chuck showed him it's true. The whole Mark thing I believe because I know what it can do to someone. But me and Sam turning into monsters and killing our family and friends? Hell no.”

“Yes, that really didn’t sound like something you nor Sam would do. But I still don’t know if the monsters taking over the world would really happen.”

“Yeah, well, no use crying over spilled milk, right? No way we can get another one of those blossoms for another spell.”

Cas agreed, sighing and closing his eyes as well. A comfortable silence fell upon them, their hands still linked together, their sides touching, and, if they weren’t in a fight against God himself, Dean would be more than happy to be like that. At the same time, although it seemed like nothing had changed, Dean knew it had and he could feel it; it was how they still seemed to keep a certain distance between them, an angry and hurt kind of tension around them, and how hard it seemed to just be together. Dean didn’t know how to fix it but he hoped he and Cas were going on the right path; Dean’s prayer had certainly helped and he was sure Cas knew it had been nothing but honest.

It would be slow but Dean was sure they would get past it. Now, the only thing Dean wanted was a resemblance of more normal times, so he linked his hand with Cas’s and snuggled just a little closer to him, their heads resting together and the calm silence around them almost peaceful. Even with the end of the world, God with a capital G against them, and the fear of what could happen, Dean was already happy with having just that moment.

#littleangelwrites #destiel coda #spn coda #spn spoilers #spn 15x11 #spoilers #15x11 spoilers

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octagoncalibrator · 4 years

Text

Some thoughts of Heart of Deimos.

I made a reddit post but I thought I might repost it here and see if the response is any different. Mild spoilers for Heart of Deimos, the most recent Warframe update, under the cut.

First off, this is a bit of an effortpost, and it will be quite meandering and confused, sorry about that. We are now two days into Heart of Deimos and I had some thoughts I wanted to put on paper as it were. There's a TL;DR at the bottom.

The Bad:

In all honesty, taking into account the usual DE release-then-fix cycle and the quick patching they've already done to things like the Son token costs, there's very little about this update that I think is objectively bad. Deimos might be the single best open world release of the set, lack of a catchy musical number aside. It's not any buggier than any other release, which may say more about DE's QA than anything, but I have fallen through the map a few times, and host migrations have broken multiple vault runs.

The combined token system is a pretty big departure from the other open worlds, and I found it very confusing initially. Without the prior context of using Ticker for bonds in Fortuna, I think it would be really opaque, particularly for new players who aren't already up to speed on how the open world resource loops are expected to work. Alongside the complex token system, it's also understandable that people are frustrated with the expectation that they -must- participate in mining, fishing and conservation to get the tokens, since these don't really leverage the well developed aspects of gameplay.

The initial quest was lackluster from a storytelling perspective, with some really nonsensical events, a lack of development for each individual beat, and a frustrating lack of building on the already existing lore in favour of introducing new lore. It was pretty blatantly a tour of the zone mechanics, though maybe we'll see a more engaging plot when the equivalent of the Profit Taker and Exploiter bounties are introduced over the next year. The new warframe being dropped in by Mother as an afterthought, without a scrap of context, almost felt worse than the way previous quests have just given us the blueprint with no explanation at all. Protea's quest felt a lot clearer so it's disheartening to see them taking a step back there.

Finally, prior to finding the Albrecht lore I thought the playable content of the update was quite short and uninteresting.

The Good:

The Family voice acting is really, really good. Some of the writing is a bit iffy in the classic overwrought DE sense (which IMO is charmingly earnest anyway) but the delivery is fantastic, and while initially I was put off by the characters being shallow, I came around on it - I will go into more detail under 'The Ugly'.

With regards to the grind: even though the resources from the open world minigames are mandatory, participation isn't - so far I've run conservation exactly once, for about an hour, and I am clear for the third rank up with the Entrati. The world drops and bounty loot are more than enough to cover the vast majority of other costs, which is honestly fantastic. For all the complaining, DE has definitely learned from PoE and Fortuna with regards to letting people dictate their own playstyle without handicapping their progress. You can focus down specific requirements with specific minigames, no trouble, or you can just play bounties and run and gun your way to incidental loot. The combined token system was really confusing initially but combined with the incidental drops it makes progression quite organic without forcing you to spend your time on any particular task (looking at you, pre-Thumper PoE). There also seems to be a pretty solid spawn chance for tokens in the caves of the open world, and since the rank ups are now 1 of each kind of token instead of 10, this is possibly now a feasible way to skip the conservation grind entirely.

With regards to the lore: despite my earlier complaint about narrative quality and disconnection, DE does seem to be tying Parvos, the Entrati and the Glassmaker together, which is interesting. Prior to finding the Necraloid area and hearing the excellent Albrecht Vitruvian lore (seriously, mad props to the writers and the VA, the fourth log gives me powerful Darkest Dungeon narration vibes) I was ready to drop the game until a few patches and more content was added, but now I'm fully willing to grind for a couple weeks to hear the rest. I'm curious to see where they will go with the Heart and the Man in the Wall, particularly in regards to stuff like the reliquary drive and how it relates to the Necraloids and pre-warframe Orokin technology in general.

The Ugly:

The Family are the ugly, get it? This bit is mostly just because I want to talk about the new characters and the themes of Warframe as a narrative.

There's a kind of tension around the family that I initially found offputting - here we have a family of immortal alien gods who made their name ripping secrets from the flesh of reality, literally sprouting from the meat flowers of an infested moon... and they act like the cast of Arrested Development, switching between lofty poetic proclamations and petty squabbling that wouldn't be out of place on a sitcom. At first it seemed like it was just bad writing. Over time though, with exposure to the wider plot and the various deeper interactions, I started to warm to it. It's really interesting how DE has juxtaposed the deformed appearance of the Entrati, their perfect-marble-statue-like Orokin aesthetic, the pulsating infestation, and this very human, very relatable behavior. It really pulls back the skin on the Orokin as a people and uses a bit of clever metanarrative to show us that even the Tenno remember the Orokin as being more than human, when they were just as flawed as anyone else.

The individual characters felt very shallow at first, like cardboard cutouts of the typical family transplanted into a blob of writhing meat, but the pleasant surprise of the relationships mending between Entrati rank-ups and the subtle undercurrents you start to notice when interacting with them over a longer timeline really turned that on its head. There's some really excellent combinations of writing and delivery that add subtleties to each character, like the Daughter's undercurrent of thirst for either the Tenno or for butchering mutant fish, or the animalistic yearning of the Son and his bleeding heart hidden under the callous and cruel facade.

Family, parenthood and belonging are arguably the core themes of Warframe's narrative - the Tenno are orphan children clinging to a single parental figure who herself is a stolen child, while their allies like the Ostrons and the Solaris are people who cling to their human connections and their shared culture despite outside forces, and draw their strength from each other. The grand enemies of the setting are collectivist empires who have shredded their humanity in pursuit of strength and profit respectively. Then you have the Orokin, whose grand flaw is hubris in isolation, and a deliberate abandonment of shared humanity in pursuit of impossible perfection. The entire Parvos questline related to blood, with Nef wanting to abuse it for gain and Parvos denouncing him. Even the Sentients, arguably the only alien culture in the setting, love their families and oppose the Orokin and by extension the Tenno largely in defense of their people.

DE has leaned hard on quite creepy, quite -relatable- strangeness to give the Family depth, which helps reinforce that they're demigods of a dead empire, even if they are also quite friendly and personable. It lends some real weight to the way the Orokin have been depicted as cruel, hollow people, since we now have direct evidence of how their culture and the expectations of their various roles tear at those interpersonal connections. There's a lot of heart and clear work put into developing these themes, and I think that it's a bit sad that the quality of the writing is frequently overlooked in the broader Warframe community in favour of focusing on the flashy mechanics and cool new novel features. DE's writers are some of the best in mainstream video gaming currently, and even with my complaints about the main quest earlier, this consistent ongoing thematic cohesion and the variety of individually good beats more than make up for incoherent feature-driven storytelling.

TL;DR:

Despite some teething issues and bugs Heart of Deimos might be the best open world update so far, the way DE presents the Family and develops on the overarching themes of the story are pretty excellent, and I am excited to see where they go with it. Thanks for reading my incoherent and largely irrelevant thought-spew. Have a good one.

#warframe #heart of deimos #rambling diatribe #I have no qualifications just many opinions

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thephantomporg84 · 5 years

Note

[REDACTED] be complaining reg. the reactions of having "placed the cultist island Fortuna off the coast of Florida" while having the gall of "It’s the story & the way it’s told that should fucking matter" & "Who cares? It’s fictional geography, you idiots." Feels a bit like failing World-Building 101. I mean, Red Grave based on London would also be a callback to Dante's early concept of being a Brit.

Someone already sent me the whole post of hers that I’m pretty sure you’re referring to lmao. I’m in a particularly cunty but pleasant mood rn, and analysis is kind of my thing, so lets’s break it down, shall we?

Maybe someone can send this her way and… learn that tiny little brain of hers a thing. 😉

It’s fictional geography called world building, you idiots Karen after the cut:

‘I love how a number of shitheels have screeched amongst themselves on this hellsite about how I had placed the cultist island Fortuna off the coast of Florida or somewhere around the Gulf US states (re: the fanfic & project link in my header), whining that it should’ve been in Europe, namely Italy.’

An admission to stalking profiles is not exactly the best way to start a self-righteous rant or advertise your… magnum opus, but go off, I guess.

‘Not only that, but they whined about “plotholes and inconsistencies” without elaborating on what the latter are. The asshole who made the rant was annoyed when I used a poem as a spell in the story (“if I heard that, I’d turn off my PS4.”), but I’m sure she didn’t bitch about the cutscene before the last Agnus boss fight in DMC4.’

Like the movie The Room (2003), it’s just easier to say “all of it” is bad because “all of it” contains plotholes and is inconsistent in tone, has terrible half-baked ideas and plot threads that remain unresolved and/or do nothing to further the plot, is rife with poor + inconsistent characterization, has a lack of any knowledge how the medium it exists in is made, and in general makes me wonder how much pottery enamel you’ve been huffing to think any of this was a good idea. Howeverrrr, in contrast to you, Tommy Wiseau is kind of odd and weirdly charming both in general and about his terrible movie — he’s found glory and success in its terribleness. You, in contrast, remain a miserable cunt with delusions of grandeur.

Dante and Agnus’ Shakespeare bit is actually a pretty well known trope called Ham-to-Ham Combat. Dante and Agnus are both ridiculous Large Hams in DMC4, and when two Large Hams meet, in general, they are likely gonna try to ‘out-over dramatic’ each other. This can lead to a scene becoming either really funny or really corny (or both) really fast. If things go too far — and they do, in this case — the scene can become a Hormel Event Horizon.

‘…but they LOVE the plotholes & inconsistencies if Capcom makes the latter, and writes a terrible story! And Crapcom’s canon for DMC is as straight as a paperclip or a dog’s hind leg. Hypocritical pricks.’

Subjective opinion is not, and never will be, objective fact. People are, as of when I checked again in the last ~5 minutes or so, absolutely able to enjoy whatever media they want regardless of what the general consensus on the quality of that media is.

As an example, I enjoy The Room (2003) despite its terribleness and it never fails to make me laugh, while your magnum opus makes me want to huff pottery enamel so the pain will stop despite you thinking it is the work of an idiot savant.

‘They were also mad that I wrote Dante as a wiseguy who is a little more low-key about it due to the circumstances— instead of being a pathetic manchild airhead that tries too hard.’

You didn’t write Dante.

You wrote Reboot!Donte — a fucking terribly out of character version of him, at that.

‘I was primarily concerned about moving the story along. I didn’t care about where a fictional island is supposed to go.’

You literally had one (1) job, Karen.

‘…Meanwhile, not a single character in DMC4 had an Italian accent, so uh, why should I give a flying fuck where I put it?’

Haven’t you been like… shitting on the DMC staff… for terrible writing… this enti— You know what? You’re obvs way too dumb to notice that contradiction, so I’ll let it slide.

Just… a word of advice, if I may? Don’t ever watch dub TV shows. That last brain cell would fuckin’ just burst all over your carpet.

(Actually, don’t watch subtitled shows either. An extremely popular anime that was set in Italy just wrapped and all the characters — le gasp! — spoke fucking Japanese. You would shit.)

‘I wasn’t paid to write any of what I wrote, but be my guest & send a PM if you want to throw money at me. By all means, do that.’

Oh, thank fuck, because they would have been ripped off, big time.

[ btw, you sound p. jealous of people that write/do creative work/commissions for ko-fi/payment tho. Not a good look tbbh. If it’s any consolation, though, I don’t get paid for making fun of you and/or analyzing your dumb bullshit, either. :( ]

‘The pricks at Capcom didn’t even bother giving us a proper DMC4 and it was a half-assed game, with the latter half being hasty filler material. The “special edition” they coughed up in 2015 was just glorified overpriced DLC.’

Ya know, you gotta be pretty far up your own ass to think this much of your opinion. And I’m saying this as a person that’s pretty far up her own ass like 85% of the time.

‘And another thing, Redgrave City in DMC5 seems to be in England, yet no survivors speak with English accents or slang/dialects.’

Pretty sure no survivors had speaking roles.

If you played the game you’d know this.

‘Meanwhile, Dante and Vergil had lived there when they were kids (until age 8), but they both have ordinary American or Canadian accents. Furthermore, how did the twins make it to the USA or Canada? According to the little booklet in the DMC1 game case, Dante’s office is in modern America.’

You know that invoking the imagery of a specific place without naming your location is normal and standard practice, right? Overwatch even does this (For Ex: Byōdō-in (平等院), Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan is the inspiration for Hanamura, Château de Duingt, Duingt, France for Château Guillard, etc.)

Furthermore, you know the original DMC was a rejected first draft of Resident Evil 4, right? This is what retcon is for. You at least know what retcon is, right?

‘…That information isn’t very important, but I’m bringing it up to illustrate a point that being a fucking pedant about geography in a fantasy game is idiotic, even if the setting is akin to modern Earth.’

So is freaking the fuck out and sending death threats over a fantasy game but you didn’t let that stop you either lmfao.

It’s actually super important to establish your scenery and the way your world operates, especially in a written work in which readers are dependent on your vision and your descriptions, and if you were a decent writer, you’d know this.

‘It’s the story & the way it’s told that should fucking matter.’

YOU HAD ONE (1) JOB, KAREN.

‘What US states are the Arklay Mountains located in?’

General description puts them in the U.S. Midwest. Raccoon City itself is stated to have a population of ~100,000 at the time of outbreak, and the only city in the Midwest that matches that population in 1998 is Springfield, Missouri, with a pop. of ~110,000.

Springfield is on the Springfield Plateau of the Ozarks region of SW Missouri. So they’re part of the Ozark Mountains.

This all took less than ~3 minutes to google, btw.

‘Where is “Zanzibar Land?”’

I actually just wrote a comprehensive answer to an ask a few weeks ago about this. It’s actually stated to be in Tselinoyarsk (Целиноярск), the (fictional) area of the former USSR in which Big Boss carried out the Virtuous Mission/Operation Snake Eater in 1964. Tselinoyarsk itself is heavily implied to consist of parts of Kyrgyzstan and/or Tajikistan. If you played MGS3 you’d know how important the setting and the varied environments/climates are to the game mechan-

oh yeah wait you believe in segregation of story and gameplay mechanics. I forget you’re completely tone deaf sometimes lmao.

How far is ‘Salem’s Lot or Derry from Bangor? Who cares?’

Stephen King does, quite a bit. He even has a map on his website of ‘his’ fictional version of Maine:

My disappointment is immeasurable, Karen.

#anonymous #replies #porg drama #derelict-stranger #derelict stranger #dmc #devil may cry #dmc5 #devil may cry 5 #dante #dmc dante #dmc fanfiction #dmc meta #writing #ao3

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diminuel · 4 years

Text

15x11 rewatch! Let’s go! It’s again, very long, so read below the cut!

My recap of last week to orient myself: We’ve seen Sam and Dean struggle with issues that they usually don’t have. Garth’s theory is that they are now faced with “normal people problems”, things a writer glosses over when it gets to their heroes because it slows down the story. However, they aren’t only faced with lactose intolerance but also suddenly find that they have trouble with all skills they used while hunting - they can’t open locks (at least not with make shift tools and when they’re stressed), they cannot fight against monsters (that are vastly overpowered while they just have human abilities), etc.

At the end of the episode Garth suggested a magical fix to their issues and we see them decide they would head to Alaska. Meanwhile, Cas is glaringly absent on a not further specified mission to Heaven. (*rolls eyes*)

Now, on twitter I said that if Sam and Dean went to Alaska to find a magic fix it for their issues without talking it through with Cas first they are “embarrassing dumbasses”. Spoiler alert: they are embarrassing dumbasses.

Now we start the reaction. I will bundle this sections since there are two plots that progress 98% independently of each other.

A: Misadventures in Alaska

- I know that Cas is absent, but I wish the Winchesters would have waited long enough to dicuss the issues with Cas. Sam does afterall talk it through with Eileen. And he must have talked to other people about it because he knows that it’s not in the lore and nobody else ever heard of it apart from Garth. But waiting for Cas to discuss with him was too much of a hassle...?

- Dean might not be able to digest cheese now, but he knows how to help himself. Like a normal person. (Well, I’m a normal person too but I just risk it and then suffer the dire consequences.)

- Okay, so they are in Alaska already. Don’t you have to cross through Canada to get to Alaska? If yes, how did they manage to cross the border with all the weapons in their trunk and without valid ID?

- I love Sam’s bewildered reply to when Dean claims that he was playing pool since before Sam was born. “What, between nap time and snack?”

- I was constantly worried that Dean was too cocky about his pool skills considering he had lost some other skills and that he would get into this game without even making sure that he still had the necessary skills for it. However, this episode isn’t the kind of silly overkill like last one was. Pool is a skill Dean and Sam developped over years and years, so of course they should be able to do it. (It’s not the same as lockpicking with a random nail)

- Dean “baiting” the other players wasn’t super elegant for someone who’s hustled pool for years *lol* But it was cute I guess?

- I like that Sam tries to talk to people and make them leave before it’s too late.

- Fortuna’s a dick, not winning any parent of the year awards...

- I like how Dean’s sure enough of himself to know that he’s much more complex than a “sexy but skimmable beach read”

- I think that usually the villains agree to Sam and Dean’s demands far too easily even though they have nothing to bargain with. So I assume Fortuna not agreeing to Sam’s terms falls under Sam and Dean no longer having their god given hero bonuses.

- I really appreciate the explanations we got on how Gods and all the other gods can exist at the same time. Humans/ human needs creating gods has always been my headcanon.

- Fortuna called Sam “little minx” *lol*

- Hero’s luck is a thing independently of Chuck then, but still granted by a divine being. But what makes a hero a hero is not their luck - but their choices and their attitude. Fortuna recognized that in them: bravery, the willingness to risk it all for others.

- I’m not sure yet what “don’t play his game, make him play yours” means. Though it’d be interesting if the same thing that happened to Metatron (who tried to play God) happens to God. God as “one of them”. Give him a soul and the weight of it, so he experiences the story and creation differently. I don’t know. I feel there aren’t enough episodes left for such a “remind God of the beauty and value of his creation” kind of plot.

B: Agent Lizzo

(I think this story line is more interesting than the monster of the week case and should have been given more screentime)

- “CASS”. Sam, that’s not how you spell his name. And why did you write a note instead of texting him? Also, they explained nothing.

- Jack’s “Wanted by the FBI” picture is pretty cute. I wonder who took it.

- I like how Cas now frequently has a very visible reaction to things; he pulls the phone away from his hears, his expression changes, he has to breathe, before he manages to regain his composure. (Like the phone call he had with Dean while they were still seperated)

- Cas is so cute sitting at the desk with his laptop

- Why Jack. Why do you just sit down in the office to eat the heart?

- We usually saw Jack heal instantly; can’t he heal now or doesn’t he bother to heal his wounds?

- How many Grigori hearts did Jack eat...?

- Jack’s “dark” in ways he wasn’t before. The kind of dialogue he has comes across as very Winchester/ Cas like. I’m also trying to figure him out. He looks to the side at one point, before the Grigori takes his sword, which I assume means he saw Cas? His next expression is hard to describe; his nostrils flare, his calm expression drops. Is he shocked (I doubt it), is he angry (why would he?), is he trying to get out of the ropes to help or run? During the time it takes for Cas to defeat the Grigori, his expressions calms again and he lowers his head again. Maybe I’m just reading too much into it. I’m not very good at reading expressions anyway...

- The hug was nice but I really wish Cas and Jack would have actually spoken to each other. :/

TFW back together

- Dean and Sam are given the “little extra” that Dean wanted: Jack and Cas are back.

- I wish Sam had a bit of a more profound reaction. It’s the kind of welcome back reaction that would have been appropriate if Jack had just come back from a trip to the Swiss Alps where he tried to find himself among the cows and mountain spirits. Not when he came back from being killed by God.

- Dean’s reaction on the other hand was more impactful to me. Here we see that there’s tension there, some unspoken things. But still, he touches Jack the way that Bobby used to touch him. It’s a fierce look, but a gentle, parental touch. At the same time, this scene also addressed how much has changed (for the better!) between Dean and Cas. Dean seeks out Cas for conformation. I’m very soft about that exchange. (I think it also again presents Cas and Dean as an unit, especially when it gets to Jack.)

- I do hope Jack and Dean will hug eventually because the scene switch was a bit too fast for me. A bit more talk would have been better, or guiding them over into the next scene a bit gentler... Too many fanfic gaps here, even though the gaps are small!

- Sam and Dean acting like Jack ran away from them...? Sam: “You could have called.” Really, Sam...? When Jack says he couldn’t even though he wanted Dean says: “why not?” Why not, Dean? Do you really need to ask? And then Jack addressed nothing of what had happened and just brought up the current reason (staying hidden from god). Dude! You killed their mother, they wanted to trap you, then they wanted to kill you! I mean, come on.

- If Grigori hearts are the beginning, then what is next? Grigori are some of the “failed” creations of God that, according to Cas, should have been wiped out by the Flood. So maybe there are other things that God didn’t like for some reason or another that he wanted to get rid of. Grigori wiped out, Leviathan locked away, Nephilim forbidden... Hm.

- From S11 we know that you can’t kill God. Killing God is not an option... (I also don’t really want it to happen. If the ending is literally creation being wiped out and there is nothing but a black screen at the end then I will have a panic attack.)

New things going forwards:

Dean and Sam are heroes, no matter what Chuck says. Maybe they are no longer the heroes of his story (here I remember Metatron’s words again “you’re not the hero of this story, you are the villain”). But they’re still heroes. Fortuna rewards them for that alone with hero’s luck, which might give them back their bonuses to a certain degree. But the fact is that Sam and Dean are ordinary humans who become heroes because they are compassionate and brave and while they receive no reward for it, no “great recognition of their deeds”, they matter to the humans they saved. They matter in the smaller scheme of things, in the ways that Chuck disregards. Here I’m thinking of what Cas realized when he became human: that there is dignity in what he does, even if there is no divinity in it, even though it’s meaningless and “below him” even by Dean’s standards. But it mattered to Cas. He hurt, but it was meaningful and he wanted to live his life anyway. Chuck doesn’t see that. Chuck doesn’t see the dignity and meaning in the small things of human life. Because they are nuisances to him, they don’t make stories. Just like Sam and Dean doing the laundry all day don’t make stories for him - but they do for Becky.

So I think this episode reaffirmed what early SPN established: it’s the story of humans and how they save people, even if the odds are against them, and that makes them heroes. And not the other way around.

Some general comments: This is totally subjective but I feel there were some extra scenes that could have been cut (some pool hall stuff, the Grigori thing could have been slimmed down a bit) to give more space to things which I found more relevant like Cas/TFW’s reunion with Jack. I know that fanfic will fill the gaps eventually, but I wish we had to do a bit less work, you know? *lol* I mean, how did Cas and Jack’s conversation go, how was the drive back? How long where they in the Bunker by the time Sam and Dean came back from Alaska? What did they talk about? What conversations were exchanged in the scene break between TFW reuniting and them sitting at the map table? So many scenes to fill.

#Supernatural #spoilers #15x11 spoilers

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riddlesandqueries · 5 years

Text

Excerpt

A brief roleplay scenario with @darcimasonusb and @enterthecocoon concerning conspiracy, crime, and damsels in distress.

Though many criticized Drury’s taste when it comes to fashion, he thought it was a smart Idea to wait in casual clothes that had reminiscent qualities to his Moth suit, waiting in an orange jacket, purple pullover, and green trousers, all toned down to more moderate levels as too bright colours would attract unwanted attention swirling around him. People really were just like Moths.

Someone who wasn’t looking for Killer Moth wouldn’t recognize him, so only his fellow rogue Edward Nygma, A.K.A. the Riddler, would be aware of his true self- and hopefully be persuaded to let him be part of whatever his grand plan is. Asking around in the darker parts of this city, Drury wasn’t even able to pick up on any rumors of what he may be planning - but there is always a calm before the storm and no doubt the only reason the Riddler would be silent for so long was because he was busy with preparations - whatever he may be preparing. He took a final sip of the milkshake he bought at the Hill street cafe, placed the empty glass on the table and stood up. His potential collaborator should be here any moment. He looked around: no sign of him yet.

Hoping that Mr. Nygma hadn’t forgotten about their meeting - or even worse, purposefully stood him up, he took out a Star Wars comic that he recently bought out of his jacket to diminish the waiting time while reading it. Perhaps following Jedi Knight Ki-Adi Mundi on his journey through the desert planet of Tatooine would bring him to less self-deprecating thoughts.

Conversely, dressing down for Edward was simply a matter of adjusting style. There was shifting colour to match the season, more deviance from the standard pallet, but there was never much mistaking, for those who knew what to look for, who he was.

Precisely on time, Edward closed his pocket watch as he strolled in, and pocketed it as he looked about. Ah, there. No mistaking the brand: obtaining a quick coffee to go, Edward meandered over to Drury. “Mr Walker?”

“Ah!” Drury recognized him, closing his comic book to put it back in his jacket and politely holding out his hand. “Mr. Nygma!”

Taken, shaken. “What were you reading?”

After shaking Edward’s, Drury led his hand back to the pocket and pulled the comic back out, the cover displaying a wise-looking old man with a white beard weilding a magenta-bladed Lightsaber, posing in front of animals and bandaged characters that Edward may have recognized as Banthas and Tusken Raiders respectively. Above the characters, the title of the comic was presented: Star Wars: Outlander The Exile of Sharad Hett - Issue 5. "Oh, it’s just a little comic I read to pass the time. It just came out today, so I picked it up on the way here.“

"Oooo, new one. I’ll have to catch the new issue on the way back, I’ve been way behind.” he chuckled, wiggling his coffee. “No spoilers, hm?”

“Oh, you’re reading it, too?”, Drury asked. “I mean, if you’ve been behind, I could borrow you some of my comics. The story is getting a lot more interesting than the first arc and ties better into the new Movie.”

“Reading, no. Have yet to begin, yes.” he admitted. “Now…what’s all this about, Drury?”

“That’s what I’d like to know.” Drury responded. “You’re planning something big, aren’t you? I’d like to be part of it.”

Edward paused for a beat, brows raised, and then sipped his coffee with a smirk. “How’d you guess.”

Drury smirked back. He thought this a sign of admittance. “Your silence spoke more than a thousand words. You’ve been too quiet lately. And whenever I think "I sure wonder what the Riddler’s up to, I’ve not heard from him in a while”, the next day’s papers report on you trapping Commissioner Gordon in a virtual reality game. Or taking over a toy company. What’s it gonna be this time? I’d love to get involved!“

Edward’s smirk never moved, even at the mention of The Incident. Note to self, destroy newspaper archive. "You would, huh? I have to say, I don’t usually take on any accomplices.” he frowned, casually peering into his coffee, as if it had some counsel for him on the subject. “I confess, I’m a bit of a lone wolf about my affairs, and I think this one might be somewhat out of your wheelhouse, Walker.”

“C-come on, I’m sure I can be of help somehow!”, Drury interjected. “I can show you how useful I can be! We could look around if we see the Cops chasing some crook, I could make sure they don’t get them!”

“You think so?”

“I know so! Saving crooks from the cops is my modus operandi!”

How is that meant to match up with mine, I wonder. “Perhaps I need a demonstration.” offered Edward, having another sip. “To see what would actually be at play.”

Drury placed down his milkshake. “Should we go out and look for some criminal running for the cops? Shouldn’t be too hard to find in this city.”

“Sure~” Why not? It’d give him time to think of a polite blow-off.

“Excellent!” Drury got up and opened the door of his car. “After you!”

“Thank you~” he smiled, sliding in. This should make for a fun afternoon, looking about for mischief with a D-lister. But bothering the cops? Might want to start a little smaller. “I have an idea, Walker.”

An ecstatic “Oh? Yes?”, came out of a grinning Drury, eager to impress another rogue.

“Instead of hunting out those dunderheaded police, why don’t we raise the stakes a bit?” he offered slyly, smiling in clear conspiracy. “And pursue a criminal instead. Someone bright enough to think like us? That’s a challenge.”

“Oh…of course! Not quite my style, but I think I should be able to do it!”

“Not a sincere catch, mind you.” he chuckled kindly. “Just enough to shake up some street-level mugger, have a little fun.”

Drury placed his hands on the steering wheel and started up the engine. As if Killer Moth couldn’t handle a common crook. “Consider it done!”

Darci had a straightforward, however tame, day ahead of her. Take in the surroundings. Learn the area. Make note of any signs or signals that may cross her path. Street Smarts.

For this occasion, she wore a maroon coat over a black and white patterned pencil dress. Something autumn to get used to the times. The idea was to just walk around town and don’t look suspicious. And surprisingly enough, she was succeeding! Until she left the bustling crowded streets, that is.

Meanwhile, for the small-time crook known as Clyde, this had been a day of realisation. He was starting to notice how poorly thought-out his tactic of driving around the emptier streets of the city and robbing whoever walked around alone was - no one with a decent amount of money ever came to this part of the city, and the places they did come to were too crowded to pull anything.

But as if fortuna herself had heard him, he spotted a dainty, easily-overpowered young lady walk around the streets. Putting his mask on, he parked in front of her and got out of his vehicle. “Hello, lady.”, he said. “That’s a nice purse.”

Darci took a second to recognize the situation. She knew exactly what was gonna happen. Oh and what fun it would be. “Hello, person.” she replied. “That’s a nice mask.”

“Why, thanks.” he said dryly, taking out his gun. “I bet the purse’s contents are nice, as well. Show me.”

“Oh nooo.” she said in a rather monotone voice. “Whatever shall I do?” Darci walked up to him, with a funny sort of smile. She looked straight down the center pin of his revolver. “You know, you also have a nice gun!” she laughed. One hand crept onto the barrel like a spider while the other tucked her clutch behind her back. “It’s a darned shame isn’t it?” She had a solid grip.

Clyde became somewhat unsettled at the blonde’s reaction. Was she too foolish to realise the situation? Or perhaps, it was he who didn’t know what he was dealing with.

————

Meanwhile, looking for crime through a pair of binoculars on top of a building, Drury Walker’s sight fell upon the robber and his uncooperative victim. “Hey, Edward.”, he said, handing him the binoculars. “Isn’t that girl there being robbed?”

The drive to a random building and the consequent climb up the fire escape was daring enough, but now, Edward wondered, as they scanned the area in broad daylight, was this the very picture of the Dark Knight’s moonlighting? Or, in this case, is it daylighting..?

Reverie interrupted, Edward calmly peered down to the scene in question.“Looks like it, Walker. What’s the plan?”

“We track the crook, incapacitate him and get the poor lady’s belongings back. Can you make out his license plate?”

“Not from here, but you know, we could probably catch up. Looks to me like they’re arguing.”

“That gives us more time! To the Mothmobile!” he exclaimed, despite knowing full well that the car they travelled with was not said Mothmobile. Edward followed, swift on Drury’s heels.

—–

Clyde just stared at the lady’s confused reaction. Was this some sort of self-defense strategy? “Hands off!” he shouted, trying to rip the gun from her grasp.

Darci was more than calm with an iron grip. “What’s the matter? Are you…” she lifted the gun out of his hands and held it like a cigarette. “Nervous?” Her deviance had shined through. Darci taunted him by fiddling with the gun. “Getting a closer look at this really makes me appreciate the craftsmanship… I think I’ll be keeping it!”

Then, in a rush she got a brilliant idea! It wasn’t everyday she could get to do this you know.

“Oh and! Let’s not forget all the trouble you put me through!” she dramatized the past minute “I’ll accept your jacket as payment!” She pointed the gun at Clyde, smiling as if to say ‘pleasure doing business with you!’.

Tapped, Clyde slowly pushed the sleeves off of his shoulders. “Didn’t know you were another crook…”

“Yeah, well, when you assume it makes an ass outta you! But you already did that when you pulled up here, didn’t'cha?” Darci held her aim steady, watching his move.

He carefully handed her his jacket, then raised his arms up.

“Good! Good! Now get outta here ya rascal!” she laughed, lowering the revolver. A job well done :). Darci folded the jacket neatly over her arm.

Carefully, the robber stepped back to his car, his hands kept up.

“Halt! I have seen everything!” came a voice from the side, and as they followed its sound their eyes met a tall, muscular man in a full, overly bright Moth costume. Clyde wasn’t sure what to make of this. A new addition to the bat family? The red eyes of the bugman laid onto the Robber. “Worry not, fair citizen, for today, the Killer Moth seeks to bring justice. And you…” He now looked upon Darci. “Taking some poor, innocent soul at gunpoint and stealing his jacket…you should be ashamed of yourself!”

“Ack!” Darci jumped up in surprise and pointed the revolver at Killer Moth. Her hands were shaky. The tacky uniform. The overly enthusiastic voice. The oddly muscular body. It all set off alarms in her head. It’s obvious this is one of Schott’s toys.

“Damn you! You think you can just take me to em’ that easy? Yeah, I don’t fucking think so!”

Is this how Crooks usually react to being caught? Moth wondered. No wonder Batman is always in such a bad mood.

He returned by aiming his cocoon gun at her and having the other hand ready to start up the Wings on his back. “Resistance is futile! Drop your weapon.”

How long did he take to make this guy?

“Funny! I was just about to say the same thing!” she fired the weapon at Moth’s left wing and attempted to dodge behind Clyde’s car. Whatever his gimmick was, she didn’t want to see it in action.

Taken aback by the Gunshot, Moth tried to dodge by ungracefully leaping aside, landing on his arm and unwillingly shooting a blast of cocoon substance, revealing his gimmick. Having saved his wing in the process, he began to hover up in the air and surprise her from above.

“Oh Jesus fucking Christ!” she blurted out. The gunk from his gun looks like it immobilizes the target. Right.

“So that’s what you do! This bootleg action figure trick is getting old, actually.” she walked backwards and aimed again. “What is this? The third time he’s made someone like you? Jeez.”

1. 2. 3. Fire! She shot the cocoon blaster.

The bullet pulled the gun out of his hand, having it hit the street. Moth reached to his utility belt for a new weapon. Frightened by the shot, Clyde took away in his car. He didn’t care about these freaks killing one another, but he did not want to be involved anymore.

“Bootleg? I am the original! I never copy anyone!” Moth insisted, searching for a new weapon in his utility belt. Not that he was too worried: his suit was designed to tank a bullet or two.

Not wanting to hear his spiel, she tried to fire again. Click! “…” Clickclickclickclickclickclickclick! She threw the revolver to the side. “…” There’s no way you’re winning this fight, Darci.

“Well, it’s been a fun time playing with you, but I really gotta go!” she secured her other items in her arm and skid underneath Moth to find ample means of escape.

“Oh, you’re not getting away that easily, you simple crook!”, he said, flying up behind her, grabbing her by the waist and flying upwards, though she did struggle a lot more than he had expected her to. Furthermore, she felt somewhat strange for a human being, much colder and harder. “What are those? Abs of steel?” Steel?

This scene, as it had played out before him, had been terribly amusing for Edward in the same fashion as a slapstick comedy, but that woman was just too familiar, and steel, of all the words, clicked it all together.

Strolling out of the alley, Edward waved at the pair. “Darci, hi! Is that you?”

Moth sat up and readjusted his helmet. “Edward, you’re here already? I’ve been trying to catch this crook, like you ordered!”

“You mean the crook who was robbing her and got away?”

“Edward!!! Hello!! :D!!” Darci lit up to see her good friend, and hastily wormed her way out of Moth’s arms with ease. That was simpler than I expectedbut oH MY GOD FRIENDFRIENDFRIEND!!! She leapt towards him.

Moth was visibly confused. Did he mess up again? “But…no, wait - she was the robber! I saw her hold the guy at gunpoint and took his jacket!”

Edward opened his arms and embraced Darci with an audible grunt at the impact, settling in with a suppressed cough. “Nice to see you again, sunshine. Drury, this is my friend Darci, she’s no robber. You yourself saw her being held up when we got off the roof: don’t you think it’s sensible to hold someone up when you get the upper hand on them?”

“I didn’t make out who was holding whom up, but..uh…” He took off his helmet and put his face in his hand in shame. “I messed up again, didn’t I? Darci, I think your name was, I’m really sorry for all the trouble I caused you!”

Darci turned to look at Drury. She took a minute to analyze his laugh lines and other distinguishable facial features. He’d be a very clean cut man if he didn’t have a bad case of helmet hair. “No, no you’re alright. You were just trying to do your job…and, hey, sorry about the whole 'bootleg’ thing. I thought you were someone else.”

His facial expression turned just a little less shameful, he reached out his hand. “It’s fine. Wanna start over? My name’s Drury, Drury Walker.”

She slowly let go of Ed and walked in to shake Drury’s hand. “…Darci Mason.”

“Heh, like the Doll?” he asked, then realised this may offend her. “Sorry, you must get that all the time. It’s just that my daughter loves collecting these.”

She gave a well-meaning smile, but her face crinkled into a worried expression. “Yeah, like that. It’s alright.” Darci let go of his hand. Change the subject to something else. Anything else.

“I hope you’re not hurt or anything…have you seen which direction my Cocoon Gun flew in?”

“I’ve seen worse days. Mm, it went…” retrieving 102899.MP4 After a brief pause:“That way.” she pointed southwest from where Drury was facing.

“Are you all right?” asked Edward, checking her over. “That mugger didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“I’m fine!” she laughed. “I even got some loot out of it! I think it’s a Nautica Jacket…”

“Ah, there it is!”, Drury said after finding the gun. “Thank you, Miss Mason, you’ve got a pretty good eye!”

Edward laughed softly, quite amused. “Nice score. Walker and I were on a hunt for criminals, just to see how they operate. He spotted you while you were getting mugged, so he came in to try and stop it.”

“So that’s why!” She snapped her fingers. “That sounds exciting!”

“It’s been fun so far: didn’t think we’d actually run into anyone interesting, so this is a real treat for me.” he nodded proudly. “Walker’s not aiming to hurt you, I promise…At least, as far as I know.”

“I’m not! I promise!”, Drury threw in defensively.

“There, see? Silly mistake~. We rogues can be such goofs.”

"Hmm.” Darci circled around Drury a couple times. Putting her hand to her chin and audibly saying “mmhm” more than a few times with a look of playful suspicion. After a sustained pause… “I’ll give him the Charles Atlas Seal of Approval!” she clapped!

#enterthecocoon #darcimasonusb #long post #roleplay #dcau askblog #gun tw

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sethrine-writes · 5 years

Text

Daughter of a Devil - Ch. 12

Main Characters: Father!Dante & Daughter!Reader

Words: 1377

Warnings: Light Angst

Summary: Being a parent wasn’t easy, nor was there such thing as being perfect at it. Good news for Dante, seeing as how he doesn’t have the slightest idea in hell what to do with a child. Sometimes, he was certain that fighting off a horde of demons was a far better match than keeping up with his own daughter. Well, at least he wasn’t going down without a fight.

A/N: The second part with Nero has arrived!!

Fun fact - This fic is roughly 8 years old, and it was around the time that I was just getting into the 4th dmc game. It’s why I have about 5-6 chapters that follow the plot of that particular game. Fresh in my mind, and all.

------

Chapter 12 - Open Up the Heart (19 yrs.)

“You know, my Dad used to tell me this story about when I was younger. He said a man who had been corrupted by a demon took me from him and carried me away to this dark, demonic tower that had risen out of the ground.”

Your eyes roamed over the looming castle and all its cold, icy glory, fully aware of Nero’s clear blue gaze watching you with a careful expression.

It was strange for you to be so open with something so personal that it had taken Dante many years to get over the incident and even longer for him to even tell you what had happened. Regardless, Fortuna Castle had brought your father’s words to the forefront of your mind, and you couldn’t quite stop the story that tumbled from your lips.

“I was only about a year old, then, and my old man had been hiding me away from the world, afraid he was going to lose me after my mom died. Didn’t really work, I guess, ‘cause I was used as bait to lure my father deeper into the tower in order to complete some demonic ritual or something. Funny thing about it was that the one who had taken me was ordered to by my Dad’s brother, my uncle.”

You paused then, sighing and shaking off a shiver as you continued forward, kicking up some of the snow layering the ground.

It had been so long ago; part of you wished you could have been older so you could remember everything that happened. Dante had been through so much while you were very young, so much pain and distress over you and your mother’s safety, only to lose her and very nearly losing you. Part of you wished you could have been older so that you would have been able to comfort him when he needed it.

He may have played the tough-guy act and knew that persona well, but you knew so much more behind the mask…

“How did that end, for the both of you?”

Surprised, you looked over at Nero who was still focused on the castle ahead, but his tone held interest over what you had told him. You had somehow pulled him into the story; it was only courteous of you to finish what you had started.

“Well, apparently the ritual had been completed after a few false starts of which opened the portal to Hell. Turns out the lackey that took me had planned on betraying my uncle from the start and had used him and my father into gaining entrance to the demon world in hopes of attaining the legendary Sparda’s power. I, at this point, had been stowed away somewhere safe in the tower. My uncle may have been obsessed with obtaining power, but there was a part of him that still cared for family.

“Anyways, my father had to stop this demon of a man, and while he did so, there was this woman who had been after the lackey because it was her father, a whole other story, mind you. In the end, she was able to find me and keep me safe while my father battled both the demon lackey and my uncle, as his goal had been the same.”

Stopping in your tracks, you looked over the castle for a long moment, contemplative.

“My dad won, in the end, but even winning has its prices.”

You paused once more, looking up at Nero and giving a sad, yet bright smile.

“I’ve never known my uncle, because, on that day, my Dad sealed him away beyond the gates of hell.”

Nero frowned at the almost empty look your once glowing eyes had shown. It was obvious the topic, though not embedded in your memory, was rather touchy and a story better left in the past. Despite that, you had continued and told him the whole thing as if it were nothing. You were a much stronger woman than he had initially made you out to be, despite how the both of you had met.

Wind, harsh and biting, blew past suddenly, and you, having already zipped up your coat and lowered the arms that had been rolled up to your elbows, were still affected by the bitter icy touch that found its way through your clothes. You tried to force back a shiver, but your efforts were unsuccessful as the tremor wracked your form.

A burst of warmth engulfed your body without warning, and upon looking up, you were surprised to find Nero much closer than before and without his coat. You wanted to give it back, but he didn’t seem as bothered by the cold as you were.

Well, he certainly was a gentleman.

“I was an orphan when Kyrie and her family took me in, gave me a home. I wondered, for a time, why my parents never wanted me. I figured it was because I was…too different for them to handle.”

He gave an almost shunning look to his right arm, the arm you had noticed he had been trying to hide from your view since having met. It wasn’t too hard to notice, but the way he attempted to keep you on his left, ensuring you didn’t have any view of his right side as if he were afraid it would somehow scare you spoke a lot about his character as well as how he was raised.

You reached out and took hold of his arm, holding steadfast as Nero gave a severe flinch and tried to pull away. You gave the half-demon a determined though calm look and, with a gentle tug, pulled the red sleeve of his hoodie out of the way to reveal the dimly glowing red and blue swirled hide of his arm.

With gentle strokes, you traced the glowing blue lines that seeped into smooth, almost leather-like skin tainted a deep red color. You had known from the start that he was quite different than those demons that had been running rampant throughout the city. He was special, in a sense, and despite what he may have thought of himself for having something others may have feared

“You may be different, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. We all have something that we hide, Nero. But hiding what’s essentially a big part of you…well, it will ultimately be your downfall, and it will never bring you happiness. Embrace what makes you different, and screw the assholes that can’t see you as the person that you are.”

You gave him a smile that bordered on a smirk, completely catching him off guard at the sudden fire that had found its way back to your eyes.

“If that’s the case, then what are you hiding?” Nero asked, his voice shaking ever so slightly.

Once again looking over the scene of the snow-covered Fortuna Castle, you gave a small sigh of apprehension.

“Well, I’m-“

A horrible screeching sound reached both your ears, causing you to flinch and turn toward whatever was making the sound. Just behind you, a cluster of five Frosts had gathered together, seemingly forming for a group attack. You gave a frustrated sound, both from being interrupted and from the intense cold that surrounded you.

You were definitely a summer person, not a winter, and at that moment you just wanted to get this stupid mission over with and be warm in your bed back at home.

“Tell ya what, whoever kills the most Frosts can have the first hit on the bastard we’re after. You game?”

You looked over at Nero who now sported an excited sort of smile that was well on its way to being a full-fledged smirk. You had already given him the first strike as part of your current deal. However, his current challenge was too good of a chance to pass up.

With a smirk of your own, you pulled out Rein and twisted the gun in your hand a few times, catching it by the handle and setting yourself in a fighting stance.

“Time ta rock!”

In the end, you still didn’t have the first hit on your dear old man. As long as you had the last one, you didn’t mind.

#dmc #dmc4 #devil may cry #dmc4 nero #reader #reader-insert #devil may cry 4 nero #dmc4 dante #dante sparda #dmc dante #Daughter of a Devil

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