saw a pic of a piece of pizza with bones in it on twitter today and i was very inspired to make a dumb little comic about it ft. the dmc gang. just a very normal gang of people finding out that thereâs bones in their pizza đ
Hello everyone! Iâm finally happy to announce that Iâm opening commissions!
This is my first time ever doing something like this and Iâm very excited to finally be able to experience new stuff!
For starters I want like to say that my decision to start this new project is because I would like to start making my own money by myself and be able to support myself financially.
I know Iâm young but I would like to start soon.
For any questions feel comfortable with asking me in the DMs whenever you want and Iâll always be open to reply.
They are very silly! Look at poor Mathias, he can't do the Vulcan salute! Meanwhile, his boyfriend James is absolutely making fun of him, showing off that he's a complete natural; pop off king!
James and Mathias are awaiting your asks everyone! Get to know them better and get even more silliness about them :}
the people who think vergil is some emotionless chad who exists purely to âaura farmâ or whatever the fuck actually piss me off i cannot STAND that side of the dmc fandom.
another rant nobody but me cares about but lorddd i gotta type this out somewhere. also wanna preface this by saying itâs about pgr vergil, but also just vergil in general, and directed at the people i mentioned above.
firstly â no itâs not âout of characterâ for vergil to show vulnerability or emotion, he is a deeply emotional person. he feels deeply, he sees the world deeply, and he hurts so deeply that his motivation centred around being able to prevent himself from being harmed any more. he just isnât (wasnât) good at expressing that without violence pre-dmc5.
punishing grey raven did a really great job of capturing his post-dmc5 maturity, and itâs cohesive with the additional information we got in Visions of V regarding vergilâs inner thoughts. we simple havenât seen enough of vergil outside of battle to be able to fully grasp how heâd act when he is free of chasing an ultimate goal, and is in a domestic, (mostly) relaxed situation.
itâs the people whoâve played approximately 5 hours total of ONLY dmc5, who then see clips of vergil in pgr that act all disgusted and get offended that vergil is actually capable of emotion and/or affection, who are the problem. theyâre why vergil has been memed so much that people genuinely, honest to god(s) believe that he hates dante, he hates nero, and never cared at all. he gave nero his HEART, his book that he sees as an integral part of himself. the symbolism of him stating he wanted to be loved and protected, and then giving his âheartâ to be safeguarded by nero is so poetic (pun intended)!!! he literally trusts his son â after being with him while he was V, and fighting him as vergil at the qliphoth â to protect him.
vergil is capable of trusting, he is capable of affection, and he wants to be able to. it is in fact NOT out of character for him to express that (even if he sucks at doing so and is generally horrifically awkward about it. love the guy).
now donât get me wrong â vergil is not a good person, and iâm not implying he is. he isnât benevolent or kind or selfless, and he struggles (falls flat) at being empathetic to people he sees as more fortunate than him (such as dante, who he resented for being âbetter offâ), but that doesnât mean heâs incapable of experiencing varying degrees of love. for godâs sake, bury the light literally describes him as having âsecret love, bloodline yearns.â vergil is the pinnacle, the definition of emotionally constipated.
he was a total shithead and a real prick in dmc3. he was also a total shithead and a real prick in dmc5 (i mean that affectionately. but donât get me started on urizen LOL) but he is as childish as dante is. he banters and holds silly grudges and competes with his brother like a teenager with something to prove. he calls dante an idiot for still saying âjackpotâ and then turns around and says it himself, because he secretly loves to.
and holy fuck that was a LOT longer than i intended this rant to be and i should be studying for my EngLang exam but oh well!!! shoutout to whoever reads this entire block of drivel.
HELLO! So i don't write usually, but I've had Sparda marinated in lore and spinning on a spit over a low fire for weeks and weeks, so this is the result of that. Aka, these are some headcanons. If you like anything in here, feel free to use it (maybe give us a little credit) and if you don't like something in here, last i checked my name is not Hideki Kamiya creator of devil may cry, and you can do whatever you want. I definitely took inspo from other headcanons in the fandom, i tired to credit what i could remember but i'm sure missed a few sources (sorry).
BIG shoutout to the blender (if you know you know), especially
@whitebeakedraven, this is basically a peer reviewed paper now.
This will also be posted to Ao3 - Right here!
The Demonic Knight Tribe
A tribe or clan of devils, notable for not just striving for their own personal power, but for devoting themselves to a lord/king or oath.
Sub tribes are scattered around hell, often bound by lineage, as Devil Knights are highly adaptable and known to spread out due to their instincts and culture.
Territory
Knights are very territorial, like many demons and devils. They form nests, which become heavily guarded as they keep expanding their territory in the name of their tribe. Knight are highly skilled, and often choose to display trophies (like Devil Arms, demonic heads /hides, etc.) in their nests. They are also intelligent and hoard knowledge, create wards, smith weapons, or develop other skills as they age. Matured Knights may leave their territory in the pursuit of oaths, but joining another demonic court means abandoning their lineage and starting fresh under their new lord or king.
Nests are built in strategically defendable areas of a tribe's territory, sometimes with smaller outposts scattered nearby. Nests have one large entrance leading to a "main hall" and a handful of hidden exits. the main hall is where large gatherings and ceremonies are held, as well as the room where trophies are displayed to show off the strength of the tribe or lineage. Nests can be small, containing a main living area and sleeping areas; or expansive, with hearths, nurseries, training areas, forges, libraries, etc⊠all depending on the size and strength of the tribe.
Nurseries and Nestlings
Unlike baser demons, Knights take raising their young very seriously.
A devil's spawn are incubated in the mulched up flesh and blood of prey, where they begin to pupate. This is the most vulnerable stage of life, and the young must be fed blood, kept warm, and guarded at all times. Once pupae emerge, they are soft and feral. It's common for newly hatched nestlings to immediately attack their siblings, so Sires watch over the infighting, sometimes letting runts be killed to weed out strong individuals (baby gladiatorial combat.) Some Sires are more honorable and prevent infighting (sometimes by stuffing their little faces with food), or at the very least prevent older clutches from picking on the younger ones. Once the surviving nestlings have calmed, they're brought out to the main nest to be named and become Pages.
Pages and Naming Ceremonies
Names in the underworld hold power. Nameless devils are without power, and demons that share a name are weak and beastly. Higher devils distinguish themselves and their strength by having names and gaining titles. Knights have a rigid structure to how and what will earn a young devil a title. After being named, a devil is now considered part of the lineage, and their strength is the strength of the family or tribe.
Nestlings are presented, and names are chosen for them. They are then given to a senior Knight (frequently their own Sire or a sibling from an older clutch) to become a Page. The now named Page will be taught basic skills, and will follow their senior to watch them hunt, study, and train with other Pages. At this stage, it's seen as distasteful to let Pages kill each other, as a named devil now represents their lineage.
Esquires and Proving One's Self
Eventually, a Page will become an Esquire. Esquires (or squires) are already close to reaching the end of their training, they can hunt on their own and are strong enough to help their Sire/Senior Knight in combat.* Esquires are disciplined, and are expected to start thinking about what their knight's oaths will be.
*thx raven
Note: Though Pages and Esquires will mature into full fledged Knights, Sires will instinctively view their Heirs as nestlings no matter the age. Devils are long lived, and seniority is always acknowledged in family dynamics.
To earn a title, a Squire must defeat a higher devil (usually bringing back a trophy, like a Devil Arm, head, or hide). Rarely, a Squire may earn a title by completing another great feat, like expanding the territory of the tribe, defending their Sire/nest, and occasionally usurping a senior Knight (though this may also get them kicked out of their tribe)
Oaths and Dubbing Ceremonies
When the Squire has proven themselves, they are dubbed with a title before their tribe and presented with a Devil Arm (either one they claimed in combat, or a forged arm. More on weapon smithing later.) A dubbed Knight must come up with an oath to devote themselves to. Oaths are personal and can change throughout a devil's long life.
Oath examples:
Sworn to the Knight's tribe
Sworn to a lord/king of hell (ex: Sparda to Mundus)
Devotion to a craft, like spell casting, swordsmanship, or smithing
Sworn to abide by virtues, like not killing (uncommon)
Sworn to protect the human world (ex: Sparda and Dante)
Sworn to rivalries
Sworn to vengeance (ex: Vergil and Dante)Â
Note: Devil Knights are not dissimilar to Cerberus devils, who also devote themselves to guarding things, like the Temen-ni-gru or Qliphoth.
Oaths are what make Devil Knights notable from other devils and demons. Most devils strive for personal power, serving or being recruited by other devils usually through pacts, threats, defeats, or other enticements (food, protection, etcâŠ). Similar to how a devil gains power from their name and title, a Knight may receive a boon from staying loyal to their oath.
Note: To a lord/king, being served by a Demonic Knight was seen as a great blessing (ha), as Knights were a perfectly loyal and devoted asset. Sparda's betrayal of Mundus was unheard of, and tainted how all Demonic Knights were viewed in the underworld henceforth.
Forging Devil Arms
There are 3 main categories of Devil Arms:
Devil Arms, claimed as a trophy when a devil is defeated (ex: Cerberus, Nevan, Agni and Rudra)
A devil may submit willingly, or could be forced to become a weapon after death from it's remaining power (ex: Beowulf)
Artificial Arms, where materials are grafted to a pseudo-soul (ex: Artemis, Cavalier(debatable))
Forged or Bound Arms, weapons imbued with the will and power of their wielder, said to be semi-sentient (ex: The Sparda, Yamato, Rebellion)
A very simple breakdown is that a Devil Arm has had its will bent or broken to that of their wielder, an Artificial Arm lacks a will, and a Forged Arm is an extension of the wielder's will.
Smithing is an art more commonly practiced with Devil Knights than other species, as imbuing a will into a weapons is a difficult skill to master. The weapon acts as an extension of the knight and a receptacle of power. Forged Arms are said to be semi-sentient and closely tied to the soul of the wielder, calling back to the old saying "the blade is the soul of the warrior." The breaking of such a weapon is akin to the breaking of one's will, or the shattering of a part of the soul, and so is extremely painful.
Note: The process of a Forged or Bound Arm gaining sentience may have ties to the concept of Tsukumogami (soul tools.)
Forged Devil Arms are another typical arm to be bestowed at dubbing ceremonies, either passed down from master to apprentice, or a blade forged by themselves. Among Knights, the swapping of a Forged Arm to another of the same lineage is common, like a Sire down to their Heir or between siblings (especially twins, more on that later), usually in the heat of battle. However, an outsider claiming or wielding a Forged weapon is seen as a transgression or violation (get your sticky nasty fingers off of my soul).
Note: Sparda was well known for forging of not one, but three blades: The Rebellion, The Yamato, and Force Edge/Devil Sword Sparda.
Twins
Twins are very rare in the underworld. It's already distasteful for a named devil to kill its own kin, and its doubly so for twins. Slaying one's kin is seen as betrayal of the family, a potential weakening of the lineage, but those power-grabs aren't unheard of. However, twins are seen as two halves of the same soul, so slaying one's twin would be seen as a betrayal of your own soul and power. Although twins may be at odds and fight, ultimately, claiming superiority by erasing the other half of your soul would be a contradiction, and unthinkable in devil society.
+"Only the lowest and dumbest of beasts kill their own kin."
- The Straightforward Path by Oblivian03
Note: Mundus' orchestration of the Sparda twins' fratricide was renowned for its cruelty, and word of it spread throughout the underworld, even after his defeat by Dante's hand.
Should a twin fall, it's instinctual for the surviving half to take on all the strength they can from their sibling, to continue their fight. May it be the fallen twin's Devil Arm form, their bound weapon or other means of power, the remaining half will see it as their sacred duty to claim it. Impeding this instinct most often carries violent consequences.
It is also natural for the surviving half to seek vengeance on whoever felled their twin.
- WhiteBeakedRaven
Notable Knights
The Legendary Dark Knight, Sparda
Master Smithy
Previously Mundus' favorite general (until his betrayal)
Master to Baul and Modeus
Defeated and sealed both Mundus and Argosax
Separated the demon world from the human world
Sworn to protect the human realm
Sire to Vergil and Dante
Baul
Apprentice to Sparda (taught swordsmanship and, presumably, smithing)
Older twin brother to Modeus
Entrusted with Sparda's strength (pre-rebellion)
Baul swore to overcome his master's strength, dedicated to swordsmanship.
Slain by Dante
Modeus
Apprentice to Sparda (taught swordsmanship and, presumably, smithing)
Younger twin brother to Baul
Entrusted with Sparda's will (pre-rebellion)
Modeus swore off of swordsmanship, becoming something of a pacifist
When Baul was slain, Modeus took up his brother's sword to defeat Dante
Slain by Dante
The Dark Slayer, Vergil (half-devil)
Elder son to Sparda
Older twin brother to Dante
Wielder of the Yamato
Sworn to vengeance against Mundus
Raised the Temen-ni-gru
Raised the Qliphoth and ate it's fruit
Sire to Nero
Previously Nelo Angelo, slave general to Mundus
The Legendary Devil Hunter, Dante (half-devil)
Younger son to Sparda
Younger twin brother to Vergil
Wielder of the Rebellion and Devil Sword Dante
Sworn to defend the human realm
Defeated and resealed Mundus
Defeated and slew Argosax
Pizza connoisseur
Nero (quarter-devil)
Son to Vergil
Wielder of the Yamato (briefly)
Destroyer of the Savior
Slew Goliath and Malphas
Entrusted with protecting the human realm
Everybody's favorite white boy :)
Anatomy and Adaptation
Like many higher order devils, a Devil Knight's appearance varies greatly from individual to individual. Generally, they are humanoid, with a mix of insectoid and reptilian traits forming scales, plates, spines, wings (sometimes multiple sets,) and armor. The older and more developed a Knight is, the more heavily armored they become, often resembling actual plate armor. Demonic Knights also drape and fold their wings to resemble cloaks or coats. This follows them into their human forms/guises, though it's not known if they fold their wings to intentionally mimic coats, or if they subconsciously seek clothing that mimics their wings at rest. The particulars of an individual Knight's appearance has a lot to do with their personality and combat preferences (ex: broader vs shorter wings for a more powerful flight vs a more agile one.) Though we do not have many points of reference, Knights from Sparda's lineage all have horns.
Note: Sparda's helm sports a third "eye" or jewel. This is probably a nod to his past king, Mundus. It's likely lords and kings added aesthetic embellishments, or brands, to their Knights to claim them as part of their court. A Knight should be recognizable as an agent of their lord while doing their bidding.
It's theorized that Knights in the underworld are mesotherms, similar to some shark species:
The biological structure responsible for this internal warmth is a dense network of specialized blood vessels called the Rete Mirabile, which translates from Latin as the âmiraculous net.â This anatomical feature functions as a highly efficient heat exchanger, preventing metabolic heat from escaping into the cold ocean water. The Rete Mirabile is strategically located near the sharkâs central red muscle mass, which generates heat through continuous activity.
As the red muscle works, the venous blood flowing out becomes warm. This warm venous blood travels through a parallel arrangement of vessels alongside the cold arterial blood, which flows in from the gills after being cooled by the water. This arrangement facilitates countercurrent heat exchange, where heat is passively transferred from the warm venous blood to the cold arterial blood.
The vessels are closely intertwined, ensuring the thermal energy in the outgoing vein blood is transferred to the incoming artery blood before it leaves the body. This mechanism conserves the heat generated by the muscles and returns it to the bodyâs core, effectively recycling the thermal energy. By minimizing heat loss through the gills and skin, the Rete Mirabile enables the shark to keep its core muscles significantly warmer than the water.
- Excerpt on mesothermal sharks https://biologyinsights.com/are-sharks-endothermic-how-some-sharks-stay-warm/
This would allow for greater adaptability when going from warm to cold environments, and the conservation of energy without sacrificing performance. Interestingly, hybrids are observed to be fully warm-blooded even in their triggers. This may be because their human half is already warm blooded, or because the presence of human blood allows for the higher metabolic cost of being fully endothermic.
A devil's appearance can also be affected by their climate. Knights in colder areas of hell grow insulating fur between plates of armor, a recycling of the vestigial trait that is nestling fuzz. (Fuzz designed to keep newly hatched Devils warm while their bodies can't thermoregulate, and protect their softer flesh from hardening spikes and plates.)
Nestling Devils also have a form of camouflage. Thicker plating grows along the shoulders, forearms, and shins, with lines and patterns forming between the plates. When curled up, this not only protects their more vulnerable underbelly, but also mimics rocks and certain plant pods found in hell. By the time a nestling is an Esquire, those traits will reshape into proper scales and armor.
Note: Knights sometimes supplement their diets with underworld minerals, absorbing metals found in their environments and adding them to their armor, resulting in tougher plates with visible metallic sheens or ornamentation.
Hybrids and Devil Triggers
The Sparda lineage is notable because it's a union between a powerful high devil and a human, which resulted in uniquely strong hybrid offspring. Not only that, but their demon and human halves both support and feed off each other, making for particularly strong and resilient beings. The main drawback they face is the amount of energy needed to support their demonic forms (devil triggers, or DTs), giving them something of a time limit on how long they can maintain it.
In the case of Vergil and Dante, their younger demonic forms seem to take influence from what Devil Arm they are using. This may be a kind of crutch, borrowing power from their weapon while their own demonic cores continue to develop. As they aged their forms stabilized, no longer relying on their weapons, sporting glowing power-lines in the fissures between scales. Notably, Vergil's DT was further along than Dante's, since he triggered far earlier than his twin. This may exaggerate the instinctual difference in seniority between their devils.
Demonic cores in hybrids are very interesting. There's a common misconception that the core is synonymous with their human hearts, and although individuals like Dante do seem to concentrate their demonic energy in their chest, a half devil can be stabbed in their heart without destroying their demonic core. Even more extreme, a total destruction of the core seems to not do them in either if the human body can still live (at least in the case of quarter-devils). Nero, who's demonic core was originally located in his right arm, had it fully removed when it got ripped off. Instead of dying, he managed to regrow both his arm and his demonic core when he unlocked his full DT (now no longer located in his arm). Interestingly, other devils wouldn't acknowledge or submit to him while his core was missing. This may have been because without it, he didn't register as a devil to submit to.
Nero's earliest Devil Trigger wasn't a full body transformation. As mentioned before, young DTs at least partially rely on their Devil Arms to manifest. While tapping into the Yamato, Nero manifested a spectral demon over himself that mimicked his movements. It's very likely he was using Vergil's leftover will and power remaining in the blade, a kind of ghost of his father. Curiously, while Nero is left handed, his spectral DT is right handed, further lending itself to the theory.
Sin Devil Triggers
Vergil and Dante also unlocked another phase of their Devil Triggers, by eating the Qliphoth's fruit and absorbing Devil Sword Sparda respectively. Sin Devil triggers (or SDTs) embody overwhelming power, with similarities and differences in both forms. The transformation itself is similar to an explosion, which could explain the "exhaust points" scattered around their bodies. Visually similar to spiracles in insects, these points would provide a way for built up heat and pressure to escape without literally exploding (see steam explosions.) Dante's are more spread out across his body, while Vergil seems to concentrate his output to "jet streams" along his forearms and horns, which he can turn on and off at will.
Physically, SDTs have exaggerated skeletal features, resulting in armor plating mimicking the rib cage, spine, pelvis, and hips, as well as a skull-like face. This is not to say they are skeletal, since their body mass increase significantly from their human forms (nearly a foot in height not counting horns or armored plating.) Both have 2 sets of wings, though only Vergil's SDT has a tail ending in a mace-like spike. This might be a remnant of his time as Urizen, as he had similar vines growing from his back used for grabbing and goring.
Inspo
Medieval knights and their ceremonies
https://www.worldhistory.org/Medieval_Knight/
Tales of Arthurian knights
DnD paladin mechanics
this is just silly :) https://youtube.com/shorts/v9FnPDUQSxU?si=gUbNF4NwuOASFvt
Samurai shit, especially their swords
Greek heroism vs Roman heroism,
Fantastic fic by Cielle_Etoliee73 that touches on it â https://archiveofourown.org/works/83133271
Alchemy, specifically Paracelsus' theory on how to make a homunculus (which is disgusting btw)
Insects and their biology, like beetles
Social animals, like lions and wolves
Sharks and how they thermoregulate
 https://biologyinsights.com/are-sharks-endothermic-how-some-sharks-stay-warm/
WhiteBeakedRaven (thank you bestie đ)
Oblivian03's fic The Straightforward Path
https://archiveofourown.org/series/5180401
Bits and pieces from my own Baby Devil Trigger designs (fuzzy bug ;-;)
edit: THIS POST breaking down the DTs and SDTs https://www.tumblr.com/prototypelq/731887527330480128/to-start-off-on-a-high-and-very-shaky-note-i?source=share
It just hit me that Vergil doesnât have friends.
Or specifically, he (currently) doesnât have any form of connections with anyone else who isnât family.
Like- Dante has friends, or an equivalent to them, such as Lady, Trish, or even Morrison. (You could argue that theyâre more of work colleagues than friends, which honestly, sure.)
He also had Nell and Gru⊠at least, until before their deaths.
He also has Patty, who isnât exactly a friend, but a younger person heâs attached to in a more protective manner.
Basically, Dante has a variety of other relationships with people who arenât Vergil. (Iâm not saying that Vergil is less important in anyway. Itâs just Dante has (overall) significant relationships with his brother, friends, nephew, and a girl he once protected)
But⊠Vergil? He only has Dante and (most likely) Nero.
And that makes sense because heâs been detached from other people for so long. He was also somewhat arrogant and callous, so itâs not easy for others to like him. So, during his young adult years, he had very few interactions with others. Then there were the years with Mundus⊠obviously he wasnât socializing with others then.
Vergil in his entire life, in canon, has had maybe less than or only 3 significant relationships with those who arenât family.
One is actually that old man whose house he often visited when he was younger. Itâs heavily implied that he had a good relationship with that man.
When Vergil waits outside of his house, he isnât surprised to see him. His reaction is:â You ran away, again?â
This is not the first time heâs seen Vergil in this type of context.
The old man also knows about Dante, so Vergil mustâve talked about him at some point (or most likely, complained about him).
Vergil doesnât get defensive or offended when asked about his brother (which is personal info) and actually answers him honestly. He was willing to share personal information and thoughts with this man, so he trusts him to some degree. (Also, he tried to take the manâs tea, which means heâs comfortable enough to act a bit informally around him. You wouldnât try to take a strangerâs drink, would you?)
The man also notes Vergilâs reading Blake again. Which implies heâs seen what types of books Vergil reads, so again, the two are actually quite comfortable with each other.
Enough so that the man was willing to let Vergil keep the book after realizing that he liked it a lot.
I wouldnât be surprised if the old man was Vergilâs first friend (or equivalent) apart from Dante.
(Thatâs just extra evidence that Vergil has an old soul, ha)
And the second? Well, that has to be Neroâs mom. We donât know much about her, but⊠they made Nero. Letâs leave it at that.
And the third.
Griffon. The bird.
Griffon was probably the first source of support that Vergil, or specifically V, had in a long time.
He was always there for V. Always. And he adapted himself to fit whatever V needed.
In the beginning V was not an easy person to work with because he was very arrogant. But Griffon kept on answering his questions and helped him find the other nightmares. And even if V refused to take Griffonâs advice on dealing with Phantom or Nightmare, he stuck around. Eventually, the two figure out how to work together.
Later on, Griffon was constantly teasing V or cracking jokes, which is actually a sign of emotional awareness. Vâs current situation was stressful and somewhat depressing, and Griffon tried to make the mood lighter through jokes and teasing, which likely helped V in subtle ways.
But when it was needed, Griffon was the one to pull V out of whatever emotions he was overwhelmed with.
V wasnât truly alone with Griffonâs presence. He had a friend who gave him many moments of levity and when needed, the push he needed to continue forward.
V(ergil)âs first ever friend in decades happened to be a rare individual who was a âride or dieâ type.
And Griffon actually died for him. Which is even more impactful bc the whole reason why Griffon teamed up with V was so he wouldnât die. But he eventually cared for V so much for that he chose to.
Maybe itâs just me, but it just seems a bit sad because Vergil will never have a friend with that type of loyalty ever again.
(From another perspective, Griffon raised the bar way too high)
And this might be a very silly, insignificant thing to ask for, but honestly, I hope that if Capcom ever decides to continue the story, Vergil makes a friend.
I think that itâs great that Vergil has made a lot of progress and is rebuilding his relationship with Dante (and hopefully one day Nero).
Familial relationships are important (duh) but sometimes having someone outside of your family to talk to is good.
And I donât think itâs would be out of character for Vergil to have a friend. While he might be stoic and a bit of a loner, heâs just as human as everyone else- we need the company of others.
Like- Dante has Lady and Trish. And Nero, who has been described as a âlone wolfâ type, eventually found a friend in Nico.
I can mathematically prove that Vergil and Nero's mom were NOT a one-night stand.
I see many people dismissing the LiR/Nero's mom x Vergil as just a one-night stand due to a moment of weakness or impulsiveness on his part. But I can disprove this with statistics.
So, if you are a LiR/Nero's mom x Vergil truther, you can disprove the Verlir deniers with the following reasoning:
1. Biological Foundations of Human Fertility
Human fertility is constrained by a very narrow biological window. Although ovulation itself only lasts 12-24 hours, viable conception can occur during a broader timeframe due to sperm survivability.
Key Biological Parameters:
Ovulation window: ~1 day
Sperm viability inside the vagina: up to 5 days
Effective fertile window: Approximately 6 days per cycle.
Pregnancy can only occur during this limited fertile interval. Assuming a standard 28-day cycle, only 6 out of 28 days (â21.4%) allow for viable conception.
However, in reality, the percentage is actually lower because those 6 days do not have the same probability of resulting in a successful pregnancy.
2. Probabilistic Assessment of Single-Act Conception
From Google, we can assume that the following average probabilities of conception per unprotected intercourse:
During ovulation: 25â35%
1â5 days before ovulation: 10â20%
â„6 days before ovulation: <1%
After ovulation: ~0%
Across the entire cycle, the mean per-act conception probability for intercourse occurring on a random day is:
đâ0.04â0.07
For the following mathematical modelling, I will use the mid-range value of p = 0.05 (5%)
In simpler terms:
Probability of getting pregnant from a single encounter -> p = 0.05 (5%)
Probability of NOT getting pregnant from a single encounter -> 1-p = 0.95 (95%)
This is a very low-probability event.
3. Cumulative Probability for Multiple Sexual Encounters
As you might be aware, pregnancy becomes significantly more likely when intercourse occurs repeatedly across the menstrual cycle.
So... how many encounters would Nero's mom and Vergil have had, to realistically, have created Nero?.
For independent events, the probability of not conceiving across n unprotected acts is: (1âp)^n
Thus, the probability of conceiving at least once across n acts is:
P(Pregnancy) = 1- (1-p)^n
As you might have already noticed, the probability is exponential, not linear. But let me show it to you with the math. n = N° of unprotected sexual intercourse.
n =1:
P=1â(0.95)^1 =0.05 (5%)
n = 3:
P=1â(0.95)^3 =0.143 (14.3%)
n = 5:
P=1â(0.95)^5 =0.227 (22.7%)
n = 10:
P=1â(0.95)^10 = 0.402 (40.2%)
n = 20:
P=1â(0.95)^20 = 0.642 (64.2%) -> Only after the 20th encounter does it start to become an actual possibility for someone to get pregnant.
n = 30:
P=1â(0.95)^30 = 0.785 (78.5%)
After the 30th encounter of unprotected, penetrative sex, it becomes extreamly likely to produce offspring. However, we can take this further...
In probability theory, the expected number of independent Bernoulli trials required for one success is:
E = 1/ p -> Given that p = 0.05, the expected number of randomly timed unprotected encounters required to produce conception is E=20
What does this mean? On average, around 20 unprotected encounters are required for conception when intercourse is not timed for fertility.
Which means, Vergil and her must have seen each other at least 20 times. Of course, without mentioning that this only counts for penetrative, penis in vagina sex, not other forms of intercourse -> And also assuming that Vergil has the weakest pull-out game known to mankind
We can also do inverse logic using a Bayes-adjacent reasoning.
A = pregnancy occurred
Bâ = conception from one act
Bâ = conception from n acts
đ(Bâ ⣠đŽ) âȘ đ(Bâ ⣠đŽ)
That is, the posterior probability strongly favours multiple encounters once pregnancy is known to have occurred.
Thus, within the narrative, the existence of Nero is itself statistical evidence that Vergil and his mother were engaged in more than one sexual encounter.
4. Conclusion for my lazy bastards who cannot be bothered to read all that.
Both biological reality and mathematical modelling indicate that:
A single unprotected encounter has a low probability (~5%) of resulting in conception.
Multiple unprotected encounters dramatically raise the likelihood of conception (to 20%, 40%, 60% and beyond).
The expected number of random-cycle encounters needed to achieve pregnancy is approximately 20 or more.
Therefore, it is statistically improbable that Nero was conceived during a one-night event.
Authors Note
This was for the funsies and the funsies only. I'm 100% certain that the developers and writers at Capcom were not applying probability theory to Nero's conception.
I'm sure that Capcom itself doesn't even know who Nero's mother isâ they purposely left her identity and relationship with Vergil ambiguous. So, if they choose to reveal it someday, they have the flexibility to say it was either a one-night stand, a situationship, or a fully fleshed-out relationship.
Furthermore, one could argue that Vergil is exceptionally unlucky, hilariously so. I mean, my man hasn't had a day of peace since he was born. Given his narrative tendency toward misfortune, it is conceivable (pun intended) that he could fall into the improbable 5% scenario of impregnating someone in a one-night stand, purely out of the writer's spite, of course.
This has been a semi-hot topic in the tags the last few days, but
When it comes to Vergil raising Nero, I'm sure many are fully aware he'd make a terrible father. However, there is a key aspect to his character that I do enjoy picking at every so often, and it's Vergil's incessant need to be seen as the more mature and knowledgeable older sibling. For anyone who grew up with siblings, this tends to be a phase at least one of them gets into, and sometimes they never leave it.
So taking this into mind, if Vergil was given the opportunity to learn about Nero and âđœ was interested in satisfying that more mature role as a default, I could get more self-indulgent with the idea.
Not because I imagine Vergil kissing Nero's booboos or becoming a kind person. Absolutely not. No, it's because I would enjoy it if fatherhood mentally and emotionally destroyed Vergil in a way that being brainwashed and tortured for years just doesn't do for me.
I want Vergil to have to look into baby Nero's smiling face, and come to the realization that everyone will look at this infant as a horrible monster. That he brought life into this world condemned from birth the same way Sparda did. I want him to earnestly believe killing baby Nero would be a mercy to prevent the hard future ahead for someone with human and demon blood. Yet, never going through with it because the act of killing a defenseless child would put him on the same level as the mindless grunt demons who go on killing sprees, and Vergil has too much pride to debase himself like that.
I want Vergil to have vague enough memories of his own childhood as Nero reaches each development milestone. I want him to stab into the emotional wounds from his parental loss for any knowledge that will help raise this kid until Nero is suddenly the same age as Vergil was when Eva died. Which would leave him with nothing to go on going forward. A terrifying unknown to haunt him each day.
I also want each of Nero's development milestones to make him question what kind of child he was during those stages, and what his parents saw in him. The weaknesses he had, the strengths he possessed, and for him to remember all the parts where they failed as parents and how it scarred him.
I want him terrified of how much of his humanity, the thing he's been fighting and denying for all his life up to this point, shows when he handles Nero. I want him caring of Nero, but resentful of the lack of care he himself didn't receive.
I want little Nero to scrape his knee, have Vergil put a bandaid over it, and for Nero to look at Vergil like his father holds the world in his hands. And I want Vergil to see that look and hate himself for such an ideal not being the truth. An ideal he's still unsure of whether or not was truly ever achievable.
And I want Nero to end up the same way he does when we meet him as a teenager in DMC4. Rebellious, watchful, cocky, and full of self-hatred. So that when Vergil looks at his son, he tries to understand where he could've messed up. He knows he didn't make the same mistakes his parents made. It's true, too. He didn't make the mistakes Sparda and Eva had. He made his own different mistakes, and Nero got scarred all the same.
It gets me teary-eyed every time. Nero meets a stranger in his dream â but we know who it really is. And despite the coldness in his eyes and voice, there's still tenderness and softness there.
A father looks at his child⊠with tenderness. He speaks to him⊠gently. I just can't take it. It's too muchâŠ
And after all that, will anyone still dare to say that Vergil doesn't care about his son?!
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