Deerington App (April 2019)

[fifthproverb]

IN CHARACTER

Character Name: V
Canon: devil may cry — 5
Canon Point: during mission 17 (the end of his character arc; so many spoilers)

content warnings here
opt-out here


In-Game Tattoo Placement: given that V is canonly heavily tattooed to start with, I would love to have his antlers tattoo over his upper chest to become more visible when his familiars are summoned (which, depending on the familiar, portions of his tattoos temporarily disappear.)
Current Health/Status: weakened; in mission 17 his body is extremely weak. I expect he will be in one piece, but heavily fatigued.
Age: that is a difficult question! non-spoilery answer: not directly stated, seems to be above 21, below 30. (spoilery answer: he's been in existence for about a month and a half...which complicates the answer even more. clarifications below.)
Species: human


History:

Your friendship oft has made my heart to ache: Do be my enemy for friendship's sake.

The game setting happens primarily in the canon's 'human world'/version of earth, specifically a game universe-specific location called Red Grave City. V does give referential information to the Underworld, meaning he at least has knowledge of it, if he doesn't have any actual connection to it (which, looks promising, given his abilities both as a character, and speaking on in-game mechanics.)

While there is a lovingly crafted wiki page that can speak on canon references in game and otherwise, it's a bit shoddily put together...and extremely massive. Lets do the drive-thru version.

Little is immediately known about V, who is referred to by game meta as 'the mysterious one.' He appears to be human with the power to call upon demonic familiars, whose origins are unknown and unspoken about.

V appears shortly before the rising of Urizen, a powerful demon set to wreak genuine hell on earth and claim himself a kingdom of demise. V comes to Dante, legendary demon hunter hitting some tough times, to alert him of the impending event and incentivize him into stopping Urizen. By the time they're cementing plans, a gargantuan and ominous demonic tree has sprouted up in the middle of the city, and it doesn't look good. Shortly after Dante rolls in with fellow fighters Trish and Lady, V decides they'll need backup. He leaves and collects Nero, a fellow demon hunter having just sustained the weirdest theft possible, of his entire (demonic) arm, by an unknown man. V leverages Nero's interest with an opportunity for revenge, when he tells Nero that Urizen is the one who stole his arm and Yamato, a portal-opening demon sword that had been in Nero's possession.

The Gang Gets Their Butts Handed Back To Them Promptly.

Urizen proves impossibly powerful. Lady and Trish are swiftly incapacitated and end up kidnapped, and Dante maxes out, unable match the demon's capability. V and Nero, who are underpowered in comparison, end up retreating. Dante is left trapped in the demon tree, or, presumably — the alternative is, presumed dead.

Demon Lord, 1. Good Guys, 0.

Their exit precedes the demon tree attacking the city with large monster-roots that seek blood. The more they drink, the more they grow, and with it they take more of the city — and there is nothing V or Nero can do to stop it. They don't have a plan, but they need more power to stop it. V warns the have one month to do what they can to level up and come back.

In the month's time between May and June, V splits up from Nero to stay in Red Grave, too weak to leave and resolute to stay. He tells Nero he will stay to learn more about the Qliphoth (depsite knowing all that they need to stop Urizen.) Nero escapes to Fortuna — and they all rendezvous bright and early back at the devastated city a month later, with what tools and tricks they could scrape together to try to stop the calamity. The 'live' events of the game occur on June 15, over the span of the day, with a hell of a lot of flashbacking and back-and-forthing for story-telling effect.

Onward to the more specific history on V — ***spoilers, my condolences, RIP*** — he was summoned to life only on May 1 (specifically, two weeks before the failed attempt at the demon tree) as a product of Vergil, Dante's twin and lifelong antagonist, after surviving the control of Mundus, the King of Hell. Through some desperate measures up to and including stealing Nero's demon arm and returning to his dilapidated childhood home to perform some demonic sword swallowing — Vergil splits his demonic half from his human half, forcing the two apart. V comes away as the carved-out humanity, while what remains comes wholly consumed by the demonic remnant, Nero's arm, and the absorption of Yamato, used to cut himself in two. The result: Urizen — mad, bad, and dangerous to know. V, while human, at least possesses some amount of capabilities afterward, to summon demonic creatures from his memories of the past as familiars.

At the point that V explains this in game, he seems to have full knowledge of everything going on, but small clues through the story show otherwise. V seems to struggle with his memories as Vergil, from cues taken in Red Grave City — the sight of his childhood home, or an encounter with a particular memorable antagonist. He can speak of the demon tree by name, the Qliphoth, and detail acute aspects of the Underworld, yet when presented with his childhood home, he has an outward realization, remembering details live before Nero. It isn't clear cut, what all V remembers or understands.

By the time June 15 rolls around and they return to Red Grave City, it unfolds through the day that V's body is at its limit, weakening and slowly demanifesting, telling V that there isn't much time left for him to see what becomes of Urizen, and Red Grave City. V seems to have an intention in mind, something that rings with the same personal depth as Nero's revenge, yet, he refuses to share it with anyone.

CRAU History and Impact:

Personality:

He who desires but acts not, breeds pestilence.

Unfortunately, 'mysterious' is an apt descriptor, despite being quite vague and not exactly original. Withheld, aloof, quiet, calm, quite a difference from typical DMC antagonist behavior of being reactive and flamboyant. A man of few words, which half the time don't immediately feel relevant when they're William Blake quotes. Beyond that, V's first impression may come off as dark and broody — but this is a new era of Devil May Cry, and our edgelords have more than just bizarre tastes in fashion. V is capable of mirth and amusement, with a style of dry humor and reactions to displayed antics. Secretive and almost smug in his smiles, sassy in his taunts, he is confident when he knows his standing. He certainly carries the new-classic DMC style of not taking something too seriously — up to and including reciting poetry, playing air-violin, and merrily dancing like nobody's watching during explosive fights. Classic art and music are big with him, because all Hot Topic goths are OG.

He also exhibits his own brand of stubbornness, as well as knowing his limits. Acknowledging being weaker in body than Nero in the face of monsters that out-rank him, he still presses on to the Qliphoth despite literally falling apart like Thanos' first finger snap wasn't quite enough. 'I have a duty to see this through.' With his mind set on returning to Urizen himself, V cannot be convinced to give it up. Where Vergil was irrationally prideful, V is not. Ego doesn't drive him, but something equally passionate, or perhaps desperate. Whatever it takes, it seems, he will do. (Might explain why, in the visual novel 'Before the Nightmare,' V apparently straight up assaults a man and robs him of his money, knowing that Dante's services are for-hire, and believing his contact guy Morrison will require payment to be convinced to put them together. Guess there wasn't time for a GoFundMe.)

V demonstrates being aware where Vergil previously was ignorant, expressing regret for the mistake of separating demon from human and what it has wrought for himself and others. As an isolated aspect of Vergil now, V stands no longer drowned-out and repressed, which more openly showcases now that V is more emotional, opposed to Vergil's coldness. He speaks desperately to Nero in a late-game mission — 'I wanted to be protected, and loved,' speaking clearly from his standpoint as Vergil, presumably early in Vergil's life. There is a vulnerability tied in with his obsession of returning to Urizen and, eventually, Vergil. The book he carries, filled with poetry he continuously regards, is a relic from Vergil's childhood that he maintains as V. It seems he comes with a wider scope of being cognizant than Vergil, who seems singularly fueled by tempered rage. (Which remains in Urizen.) He does still seem to hold a bittersweet trinket of his power-struggle in subtle ways canon has shown, including feeling powerless in helping the citizens of the city being ravaged by the Qliphoth.

There may, arguably, still be some fragments of Vergil left in V, as well. Upon confrontation with a specific set of antagonists Proto Angelo and Scudo Angelo, he is momentarily struck, agitated and seemingly overwhelmed in may be the first time V is ever angry, before an in-game battle commences. It's not touched upon in-game, frustratingly enough, but it appears as a callback to Vergil's time as Nelo Angelo, something that is not regarded for him positively. It could be argued as a continued instability given V's deteriorating form, but still noteworthy. There seems to be equal parts awareness and dissociation from V concerning Vergil. The biggest bonus is appearing to discover the necessity of his human side, given that is where most of his consciousness lies, his reason; he develops sensitivity and awareness and wants to return to himself again, desperately, before he can lose the window of opportunity to return all of himself that he has awoken to after a lifetime of stifling his human qualities.

Overall, V is a level-headed, steadfast cohort, using cohesion, knowledge, and command to make his effects. (Present in how he convinces both Dante and Nero to become involved in the calamity with leverage and his unique information, and in his play style as a summoner of familiars in battle.) He's an oddball with a yen for art, something that lies between entertainment and a comfort, and he does what he is most capable of, resourceful to make up for his disadvantages. He plays his cards very close to his tattooed chest, but it comes from a place of calculated strategy, and caution. There are depths that exist, reconciling emotion and passion without rage and pride to choke it all out. Now, he has a time limit to return to himself, or lose himself entirely, which seems to be his drive throughout the game, as well as learning to balance a life of striving for power, while being made thoroughly powerless. When it comes down to it, he won't relent on something that matters deeply to him, but he isn't above enjoying himself despite the dire situation. Plus one to morale — it's only the apocalypse, after all.

Abilities/Powers/Weaknesses & Warping:

As a man is, so he sees. As the eye is formed, such are its powers.

On the physical strength scale, V is demonstrated to have enough stamina to run at a dead sprint, climb, and sink an entire sword-length's cane into something's body. Which is probably only slightly above the average person. Not super special, but it's something.

Where he makes up for in being quite so mundane for a DMC protagonist is in demonic powers. Aside from being quoted as using them to hold his body together (not detailed, but referenced), he summons from a selection of three different demonic familiars of notable monster classes or bosses in prior games. Griffon, the main and only seemingly intelligent one in sentience, wields attacks of a ranged and electric variety, as well as being a mobility assistance to V (double-jumping and gliding.) Additionally, Griffon makes for a great discount Iago to deliver comic relief.

Shadow is a standard-sized panther that can shapeshift to land its physical attacks, appearing as various sorts of weaponry — taking on bladed, tendril, or piercing shapes. Additionally, Shadow can travel in an immaterial shadowy form, and is known to carry V swiftly to dodge or travel.

Nightmare is a rarer and more devastating familiar, a goliath cyclops with both capabilities of clobbering enemies, and using its singular eye to detonate the landscape in explosives. Nightmare does not adhere to commands — only shows up to deal damage mindlessly.

I would like to defer to the mods for how to de-power the familiars! I would like to keep Griffon and possibly Shadow, as they can fight, but are far from omnipotent. In the source game, Griffon can hardly carry V for longer than a handful of seconds, and can't reach any impressive height carrying a grown man through the air. If they need to be de-powered further, by all means. (I would love to keep Griffon, if Shadow has to be currently nerfed; I'm plenty happy to use the Blessings Basket or points system through the game to possible advantage in the future anyway. Working to gain back his familiars is something I'd be interested in doing for him.)

For power warping, seeing as the familiars are meant to attack for V and keep him at a distance from assault in a fight, I've contemplated having V be even more connected to his familiars, by having him experience any inflictions and pain that the familiars sustain. Putting them into he fray of any confrontation will have a whole new risk for him.

I would like to find a way to warp Devil Trigger for potential occasional plot device, but I don't know what is too game-breaky! Devil Trigger only extends to temporarily put V's familiars into a hyper-state, or summoning Nightmare, which is something I can definitely live without in the game, or use for plot. This could go to negatively effect his familiars, perhaps temporarily warp (literally) his familiars in a horrific way, rendering them out of commission for a time. Additionally, instead of summoning Nightmare, that trigger can negatively target V himself, perhaps something literally nightmarish (hallucinations, and/or body horror. I would be excited to explore both.)

Mods, do let me know what works best within your game parameters.


Inventory:
+ one (1) set of clothes, on his person
+ one (1) bladed cane
+ one (1) anthology, The Written Works of William Blake, hardcover
+ five (5) coins, of a non-local currency and therefore likely useless, medium sized, fits in one pocket

Writing Samples:
Deerington April TDM (top level)
Deerington April TDM (tag in with acidwashjeans)
PSL; text-to-prose
Population: You original writing samples (3, horror-inclined)

OUT OF CHARACTER

Player Name: ghoulette
Player Age: 28
Player Contact: dearlybeheaded, crybaby#8643

Other Characters In Game: n/a
In-Game Tag If Accepted: v: ghoulette
Permissions for Character: ~ link
Are you comfortable with prominent elements of fourth-walling?: yes and especially for dragging this guy, as much as anything else you have planned
What themes of horror/psychological thrillers do you enjoy the most?: existentialism, fire-forged cr, facing one's own faults/failings/weaknesses, allusions to mental illness (when it's difficult to tell if it's spooks, or in your own deteriorating mind), vulnerability
Is there anything in particular you absolutely need specific content warnings for?: just a head's up for anything involving pregnancy + birthing would be appreciated, if it occurs? chest-bursters: fine. the miracle of life: not a fan.
Additional Information: I will try to play V as spoiler-free as possible, I am moreso interested in developing him as a character than pseudo-playing Vergil with a different played by, which I think this game will be really great for doing. additionally, I have added a prompt in my permissions post for anyone to drop a comment to let me know if spoilers are okay, or should be avoided.

Comments

content warning / opt-out

[fifthproverb]

content warnings

V, and his entire canon, feature content not suitable for quite everyone. a list of possible content warnings while encountering V in game may include:
horror themes, religious themes, violence, demons/monsters, references to exsanguination, illness/failing health, trauma, weaponry, dad issues, body modification, use of dark magic, and death.

list will be updated as more possible content warnings are discovered. you can find the opt-out below/here.