𝗅𝗎𝗇𝖺𝗍𝗂𝖼 𝗋𝖺𝗒.

— BUT YOU CAN'T KILL YOUR OWN FATHER ! — IT'S TRUE . YOU'D NEVER RECOVER FROM THAT .

#HYSTERIK. INDEPENDENT, PRIVATE & SELECTIVE LADY OF CAPCOM'S DEVIL MAY CRY FRANCHISE ... GAME & HEADCANON BASED, DRAWING ON THE PREQUEL MANGA + STUDIO MADHOUSE ANIME + INFLUENCES FROM INDONESIAN ACTION & HORROR CINEMA . COVERING THEMES OF : HEROIC BLOODSHED, REJECTING DIVINE PREDESTINATION, LIFE ON THE OPEN ROAD & HOLLOW VENGEANCE . WRITTEN BY NADIYA . EST. 2019 + REVAMPED 2025

SPOTIFY + PINTEREST + SIDEBLOG .

“ my, uh ... what? ” she's caught herself stuttering like some blushing babe, both because riley's way with words always finds a way to make her lose the ability to speak, & because her friend's found herself a really nice leather piece. one of those tops that clings to the skin, showing off just enough to entice, while hiding away any noticeable unpleasantries. unlike a certain demon she knows, riley doesn't have the leisure to wear as much or as little as she likes. they're going somewhere with plenty of people with eyes like peeping toms. cool as a devil in the audience might be for tonight's crowd, lady's not in the habit of drawing attention, not with this side of her life anyway.

it's all her fault, as are most things that come with a free invitation to an underground concert. props of being a whiz with pyrotechnics, you get in for free when you edge close to putting the performers & the crowd in danger. she happens to be one of the best in the business, even if she limits herself to local circles & smaller bands that play only in derelict warehouses. the more graffiti the better.

she grunts a little just to get her foot back in the conversation, “ i don't know what that word means, but it sounds cute. i-i'm not some groupie, alright? ” not today at least, even if female-lead death metal is her jam. “ i work with these people. ” it doesn't pay very well, but it's always fun to watch the sparks fly, to see the stage set alight & look at all the attendees, dressed down in anticipation of the flames. “ as long as you got some leather on i'm sure nobody will mind. ” & damn, riley got it right on the first go around.

this is an issue with nico's notes in DMC5 as well, where she states that lady doesn't hold romantic relationships with men nor does she seem to do much beyond devil hunting, that she's kind of messed up, but it's a little more excusable because it's an incidental, optional file & not a scene within the main story itself. this is also a hint in lady's moveset, with the kalina ann sporting attacks named hysteric & paranoia + the quote in my pinned, as well, being the clearest indication of how arkham's death at her hands left lady a fundamentally broken person, & while lieutenant arkham isn't at that stage of her character arc yet, what would improve her portrayal would be to forego the hallucinogenic gas entirely & have blood red visions of arkham plague her throughout the show, & maybe tie her change of heart regarding the makaians to her own broken family. threatening the father in front of his child as a parallel to her own past, almost becoming the very thing which set her on this course in the first place & robbing an innocent child of their parents.

although my personal politics do prohibit me from viewing netflix's mary as anywhere close to sympathetic, even despite whatever future, more game-accurate direction they might take her character because, to quote frankie boyle,

bold  what  applies    ━    italicize  sometimes .

fights honorably  /  fights dirty    (  applying to encounters with other humans,  there isn’t really a code of honor to follow when devil hunting at a disadvantage  )

prefers close - quarters  /  prefers range    (  walking arsenal,  baby !  but we’ve seen her rely on the bayonet of the kalina ann & i like to imagine she sports a carbon steel machete  +  a garrote,  y’know,  just in case  )

chats during  /  goes silent

low pain tolerance  /  high pain tolerance

attacks in bursts  /  attacks steadily

goes for the kill  /  aims to disarm  /  fights defensively  /  strikes first

is provoked easily  /  provokes their opponent  /  teases

gets visibly frustrated  /  shouts while attacking

uses strategy  /  focuses on the battle  /  experiences conflicting thoughts during battle    (  regarding strategy,  in her first encounter with trish you’ll notice she approaches carefully,  displaying a degree of basic military training regarding engagement :  moving from cover to cover,  checking every blind-spot in a room,  etc.  )

rushes in recklessly  /  tries to read their opponent before engaging

fights wildly  /  fights calmly  /  fights apathetically  /  fights with anger  /  fights with excitement

fights because they have to  /  fights because they want to

fights without regard to wounds  /  runs away when wounded  /  hides wounds  /  takes a blow to protect another

prefers a blade  /  prefers a gun  /  prefers hand to hand combat  /  prefers a bow  /  prefers a shield  /  prefers a personalized weapon  /  prefers magic alchemy or spells

their greatest weakness is physical  /  their greatest weakness is mental  /  their greatest weakness is emotional

transforms for battle  /  fights as they appear

relies on strength  /  doubts their strength  /  relies on speed

uses everything they have  /  proceeds with caution  /  hides their full potential

exhausts quickly  /  has high stamina

behaves arrogantly  /  brags after landing a hit  /  belittles their abilities

uses psychological tactics  /  uses brute strength    (  luring a demon to the place they kill humans & hide their bodies ?  i’d consider it a psychological tactic  )

avoids civilians  /  strikes down civilians

damages surroundings  /  avoids damaging surroundings    (  her main deal is explosives,  let’s be real here  )

signature fighting style  /  makes it up as they go

mastered skill - set  /  learning their skill - set

fancy footwork  /  sloppy footwork

messy fighter  /  elegant fighter

accepts defeat  /  refuses defeat  /  begs for mercy

compliments their opponent  /  insults their opponent

uses unnecessary movements  /  moves efficiently  /  barely moves   (  it’s devil may cry,  showmanship is necessary  )

prefers to dodge  /  prefers to block    (  if the kalina ann can withstand a direct slash from the yamato,  it has to be made of some pretty sturdy stuff,  regardless of what percentage vergil is currently operating at  )

defends their blindside  /  has no blindside  /  leaves blindsides vulnerable    (  with trish at her side,  there is no blindside  )

uses all available advantages  /  strictly uses one main method

plays around  /  holds back  /  fights ruthlessly  /  shows mercy

waits for an opponent to be ready  /  strikes when opponent isn’t ready

fears death  /  fears pain  /  fears killing

has ptsd  /  avoids fighting

has lost a fight  /  has won a fight

has killed  /  refuses to kill

wants to die standing  /  would succumb slowly .

BASTARD stupid

swears are your language and crime is your profession. your reason for doing just about anything is because you could, no matter how stupid it was. why did you set that fence on fire? to watch it burn. why did you put that bug in your mouth? to see what it tastes like. why did you teach that kid to say fuck? its funny. keeping you around is like housing a cartoon villain but at least you know how to pick locks so that's a reason to let you stay