#nero. / visage.

[thegoddessgarden]

Continued from Here

Nero smiled as she watched the silver-haired woman approached. Male, female, futa, it hardly mattered to Nero so long as her partner was a good lover. “Oh-ho! It seems the first volunteer has stepped forward~” The emperor took a few steps closer toward the futa. “Come then. Explore and admire my body, and let it excite you~” She noted that the silver-haired woman was still flaccid, but surely she wouldn’t be for long...

@canopys-well-feared

[blightcd]

wait i show u all the neros coms to be annoying about my surana ignore the bad croppin of the first one

[hohuios]

Tag drop: 2/2

[fragmentm]

tag dump 2 /

[mariocki]

Il terzo occhio (The Third Eye, 1966)

"I'll stay. Under one condition."

"Yes, yes."

"I want to be your wife."

"My wife?"

"You're sick, Mino, and you know it. You also know that you'll never get better. It's pointless deceiving yourself. You'll always be looking for new victims. Only a woman who shares everything with you can understand you and help you. I'll be an understanding wife, for better and - above all - for worse."

[greekmythcomix]

Fantasy Odyssey cast

I’m working on the choose-your-own-path Odyssey book/game today, and I thought a good way of trying to write a bit faster (and stop being distracted by the fact that I have a day off from the world to do with as I like and I’m spending it stuck to the computer) would be to visualise the characters as actors I like. Or at least work out whom I have been visualising all this time. I’ll add to this list as I write other sections.

NB: I live in the UK, was a child in the 90s, and like comedies and dramas, so these are probably going to end up all British and aren’t necessarily going to be very exciting choices! Please feel free to make your own suggestions.

PS: I know there’s a film coming out with Ralph Fiennes as Odysseus and Juliette Binoche as Penelope coming out in a year or so, but that casting is just too serious for me (and Binoche is forever Antigone to me after using her NT run to teach the play for coursework, so…)

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

Odysseus:

Michael Sheen

Odysseus is complicated. Apparently he looks like a country boob, but has a voice that commands all and speaks words like falling snowflakes. He can lie at a second’s notice, but is also loyal and magnetic enough for his wife to have wanted to wait for him all this time. The role needs Sheen: the sheer *range* of the man, who can be sweet *and* prickly inside one sentence. His Nero is terrifying yet also somehow vulnerable. He also looks excellently the part - stocky, sturdy, with a woolly beard and hair (perfect streak of weathered white through the front). He’d be captivating.

Telemachus:

Alex Lawther

I’m a bit sick of portrayals of Telemachus making him a total one-note whinge bag (you know which portrayal I mean in particular) and in the text he’s angry yet well-behaved and does a lot of growing up. He’s been brought up by only his clever mother and her loyal servants/enslaved people so he should be a little soft but sharp around the edges (the suitors are almost all the same age as him give or take a handful of years), and he also takes after his father - Homer really paints that comparison on thick - so he should be clever too.

That’s Lawther in a nutshell.

And, if you look at photos of a younger Michael Sheen, there’s a lot of similarity there, so that works too. (And they’ve both played Hamlet, so that would be fun to talk about)

Menelaus

Brendan Gleeson/ Brian Gleeson

The film Troy rather ruined this one, as Brendan Gleeson played Menelaus rather perfectly for me. Only I’m imagining he gets a lot nicer once he gets Helen back. However, he's rather aged out of the part, but his son Brian is almost old enough to play him (yes, nepotism). In Frank of Ireland he’s a lil bit daft and that’s how I’m seeing Menelaus in Book 4, all memories and wrapped around his wife’s littlest finger.

Helen

Right now, possibly Emilia Clarke, but I’m not certain (see below)

Helen is a confident trickster. She’s effectively been abused her whole life, treated as a prize and a sexual object since childhood, can’t trust anyone, and is now leaning into it (see Book 3). But all she wants is stability. It’s probably a choice a little influenced by Clarke’s former roles, but her apple-cheeked visage and winning smile suggest she can get herself out of trouble by getting men to fight eachother for the privilege.

EDIT: wait wait wait... let's go left-field and get Natasia Demetriou. Her Helen would be manipulative, dismissive, sometimes incredibly sweet and naive but only on the surface. She'll dope you to make sure you don't ruin a good time. She's in charge. Oh yes.

Penelope

Nina Sosanya/Olivia Colman

Our Penelope is so sassy, totally on it (Odysseus-in-disguise praises her as a ‘king’, the highest era-appropriate compliment on her rule he can give), but willing to make way for her son. She’s clever, no-nonsense, totally in love but also a realist. I couldn’t pick between these two brilliant actors so I’m picking bits of them: Sosanya’s needliness and Colman’s ability to dismiss you kindly and both of their wit.

Athene

Ruth Wilson

Calculating, sexy, kind of ruthless. Enough said.

Diomedes

Kayvan Novak

He’s not in it for long, though there’s potential for plenty of flashbacks. Diomedes is pretty serious, businesslike, a bit meat-headed, deadly as a sword between your ribs, and while Novak is a lot funnier than that I think he could pull off the character without being unlikeable.

Antinous and Eurymachus

Timothee Chalamet and… TBD

Ok so technically Chalamet is a teensy bit younger than Lawther rather than older, but it’s within tolerance. I think he could pull off older and haughtier, full of insouciance knowing how much he’s worth compared to the rest of them, and properly intimidating and manipulative. The murder plot the suitors attempt against Telemachus becomes a bit of a dark peer prank, with Chalamet as the leader of a group of obnoxious rich boys who only have one impediment between them as suitors and one of them as king, and I can see a face-off between Chalamet-Antinous and Lawther-Telemachus with Ruth Wilson’s delighted Athene bobbing between them.

Eurylochus and Polites

Simon Farnaby and Jim Howick (Ghosts, Horrible Histories)

Obviously these two need bigger roles than in the original text, so they pop up in the alternate storylines. Eurylochus is smarmy and annoying, and Polites is an adorable yes-man. At one point Odysseus wonders whether or not he should actually cut Eurylochus’ head off, and I can see Farnaby and Sheen facing off in my head. And there have to be some comedic characters in here to relieve the tension.

More like 20 years, amirite?

Eumaeus

Not sure yet. Eumaeus is such an important and underrated character, earnest and loyal to the last, but with the bearing of a prince (as he once was before becoming enslaved). I’m fluctuating between Idris Elba, Riz Ahmed and David Tennant, which is a bit mad, but I’m getting back to writing this bit soon and I may have a better idea after they’ve sat down for an interminable amount of time to eat roast piglet. But, now I've seen Good Omens 2, maybe just Michael Tennant with heart-eyes for Odysseus is pretty accurate.

I am desperate to get Matt Berry in here somewhere. I think he’s going to be Medon the herald, who has covered himself in an ox-hide and is hiding under a chair during the suitor-slaughter. BUT WOULDN'T HE BE BRILLIANT AS AGAMEMNON???

Proteus, god of the Sea

Proteus is both king of Memphis in mythology, but also a sea-god (like Nereus) who shepherds seals and cannot lie. I've made them different characters, but I think they could pull off being played by the same actor. Proteus of the sea is a shape-changer, changing into a lion, snake, water and fire (!), but is often thought of as being half-man-half-seasnake.

Hello Sir Derek Jacobi, I love you but am also very cross with you right now, be a seasnake-seal-shepherd.

I’ll edit this post when I think of more.

[blueiskewl]

Ancient Roman Bust Purchased for $35 at a Thrift Store is Repatriated to Germany

Currently on view at the San Antonio Museum of Art, the sculpture will be returned to the Pompejanum in Germany later this year.

Five years ago, an eagle-eyed thrift store owner named Laura Young picked up what turned out to be an ancient Roman bust at a Goodwill in Austin, Texas. Now the sculpture is headed back to Germany, from where it last came.

The marble bust is believed to have been created in the late 1st century B.C.E. or early 1st century C.E. Though Italian in origin, the last-known record of the piece traces it back to the Pompejanum, a full-scale replica of a Pompeii villa commissioned in the 1840s by King Ludwig I of Bavaria.

Located in the German city Aschaffenburg, the Pompejanum faced heavy bombing during World War II. The site was restored and reopened in the 1960s, but by that time, or perhaps shortly after, the bust had disappeared. Some suspect it may have been taken by a U.S. soldier stationed in the area.

For the last year, the sculpture has been on view at the San Antonio Museum of Art, which has worked with Young and the Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces to return the piece.

The bust will be removed from display on May 21, after which time it will be repatriated to Germany. “Upon its return, the portrait will either go back on display in its original location at the Pompejanum in Aschaffenburg, or at the Munich Glyptothek with the rest of Ludwig I’s collection,” a spokesperson for the museum told Artnet News. The representative declined to comment when asked whether SAMA or the Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces will pay for the sculpture’s shipping and insurance.

“It’s a great story whose plot includes the World War II era, international diplomacy, art of the ancient Mediterranean, thrift shop sleuthing, historic Bavarian royalty, and the thoughtful stewardship of those who care for and preserve the arts, whether as individuals or institutions,” said Emily Ballew Neff, SAMA’s director, in a statement last year.  

She called the museum’s work with the Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces “a wonderful example of international cooperation. This is another critical way in which our art museums participate in diplomacy around the globe.”

Young, who operates a company called Temple of Vintage, paid just $34.99 for the bust at Goodwill, but even then, she suspected it may be worth much more. That inkling led her to get in touch with University of Texas scholars and auction house experts. After four years, Young finally confirmed the artwork to be authentic.

By that point, though, she knew she had to give it up.

“My husband and I were on a road trip when I got an email from Bonhams confirming the head was indeed ancient Roman, but without provenance they could be of no further assistance. Soon after that, Sotheby’s got in touch,” Young recalled. “There were a few months of intense excitement after that, but it was bittersweet since I knew I couldn’t keep or sell the [bust].”

Who exactly the sculpture is meant to depict remains unclear. Experts have suggested that the visage belongs to Sextus Pompey, a military leader who fought and lost to Julius Caesar before being executed. Others believe the bust was based on the Roman politician Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus.  

“Either way, I’m glad I got to be a small part of [the sculpture’s] long and complicated history,” Young continued, “and he looked great in the house while I had him.”  

By Taylor Dafoe.

[sonicasura]

Fierce Deity's True Form?

Random thought but do you guys think that Fierce Deity isn't in his true form? I seen posts where people headcanon him looking completely different either as half Interloper/Twili, demon to even an eldritch abomination. The mask and form he takes upon being worn is just a mortal visage.

I honestly want to play around with the idea as the Fierce Deity Mask is called the 'Oni Mask' in the Japanese translation of Majora's Mask. Fierce (Valion as I call him) could look like anything really. Even more so for the people who headcanon that he's actually First (Skyward Sword prequel Link) or Sky (Skyward Sword Link).

Whatever turned them into FD completely change their true form in order to become accustom to their godly powers. The human/Hylian visage is just out of pure comfort so the respective Link wouldn't forget who they once were. Plus you can imagine them getting banished to Termina since neither like forced godhood.

As for their 'true appearance', the category of chaos, violence, abnormality and wrath would definitely fit. Mainly chaos since it is neither good or bad just like darkness alongside a polar opposite to order. Some examples in the eldritch department would be Digimon's Proximamon or Omnimon Zwart Defeat. The latter being his true form withering after not be able to transform back for so long.

Furthest from what any entity ever seen in either Hyrule or Termina. One whose power can potentially eat away the existence of those that dare to stand against the Fierce Deity's true monstrous visage.

Or what it would be some kind of unrecognizable beast such as Monster Hunter's Lunagaron and Ushio and Tora's Tora (Azafuse). A Beastkin who holds voracious primal instinct yet also the knowledge of man but also gods. Whether Fierce acts man or beast depends on who approaches him.

A dragon that wouldn't fit the normal LoZ depictions such as Pokemon's Walking Wake/Paradox Suicune, Bakugan's Leonidas, and Specteobes' Daigyo. Visage of otherworldly power fit for a deity like Fierce. One that further isolates him from any other sacred dragon.

Or even a cross between man and monster like Yugioh's Draco Berserker of the Tenyi to Devil May Cry's Devil Trigger Nero. A form which bears a ferocity even greater than devils but will never fit in with any creature. This fact is often used as a test so Fierce can gauge the character of those who seek him out and act accordingly.

It makes you wonder especially if the mask ever broke and the deity locked inside comes out completely different. Fierce Dadity would definitely lean to more animalistic territory in both mannerisms alongside instinct. He is less man when taking on his true visage after all.

Expect a Link to get carried by the scruff of their shirt or getting a tongue bath like mother cats do to their kittens. Fierce would be a purring mess as he nuzzles those he views as his cubs and have the zoomies later since he been locked inside that mask for so long.

That's what I think anyway.

[thegoddessgarden]

Nero stood on the porch of her estate (because of course the emperor had gotten an entire estate for herself in the Garden), scanning passersby in search of someone that might be able to help her with this project she was working on. After several moments, her grassy-green eyes settled upon a promising figure. “You there! The fox!” Nero strode right up to Ash. “I am Emperor Nero Claudius, and I have a task for you!”

@theashen-fox

[flashbic]

Leur premier duel! Avec un petit bout de one-shot/machin sous le read-more, for funsies

“Monseigneur, est-ce que je ne pourrais pas plutôt m’entraîner avec d’Argenson?” Louis du Châtelet sourit, frondeur. “Ce serait plus aimable de laisser un nouvel élève combattre d’abord quelqu’un de moins expérimenté, peut-être.”

Le comte de Mansur, qui pourtant avait l’habitude de considérer avec intérêt les propositions de son élève le plus doué, rejeta cette demande d’un simple petit geste de la main. Préférant ne pas insister, Louis alla donc rejoindre le nouveau, de fort mauvaise humeur et anticipant déjà un entraînement sans le moindre intérêt. Jaugeant du regard son coéquipier, peu impressionné par sa mine blafarde et sa carrure mince, il dégaina son épée et salua.

“Tu as un nom?”

“Nero Falconi,” répondit le jeune homme d’une voix qui s’éleva à peine plus haut qu’un murmure, et il salua à son tour, ses longs doigts pâles se crispant sur la poignée de son arme. 

À cette réponse, Louis fronça les sourcils. Il ne s’agissait pas là d’un nom de noblesse. Ce nouveau venu, contre toute attente, n’était qu’un vulgaire roturier. Comment le Comte pouvait-il le juger digne de mettre les pieds à son école? Digne d’affronter la plus fine lame parmi tous ses apprentis? C’était là un manque de respect, décida Louis sur-le-champ. Nero Falconi, qui qu’il fut, n’avait rien à faire ici.

“Très bien, Nero,” répondit-il, prononçant ce nom ridicule avec dédain, “Ne t’attends pas à ce que j’y aille doucement pour te laisser une chance.”

Falconi lui répondit d’un simple signe de tête, ses yeux noirs fixés sur Louis et observant le moindre de ses gestes avec une froide intensité qui le laissa mal à l’aise. Son visage anguleux avait quelque chose de dur, et Louis comprit soudain que ces silences et cette voix douce n’étaient pas indicateurs de crainte ou même de nervosité, mais bien de confiance. Cet imbécile croyait avoir la moindre chance. Cela aurait été risible si sa situation n’avait pas été aussi pathétique.

Alors que Louis se mettait en garde, imité par son adversaire, il résolut d’en finir rapidement avec tout ceci. Il attaqua donc le premier, réduisant en un instant la distance entre lui et Falconi en s’avançant d’un pas, étirant le bras en une fente impeccable qui visait le cœur de son adversaire…

Avant même qu’il n’ait eu le temps d’ajuster son geste, la lame de Falconi déchira l'air et dévia la sienne. Le coup fut sec et si inattendu que ses réverbérations dans le poignet de Louis lui firent presque lâcher son arme, et c’est de justesse qu’il bondit en arrière pour éviter d’être touché par la pointe de l’épée de Falconi. Ce dernier, pas désarçonné le moins du monde lorsque son attaque ne toucha rien, se contenta de charger à nouveau, multipliant les coups et les parades avec une agilité qui laissa Louis déconcerté. 

Il se ressaisit et riposta, mais sans parvenir à retrouver son aisance habituelle, forcé à rester sur ses gardes jusqu’à ce que, enfin, Falconi s’avance en une fente rapide qui le laissa vulnérable. Saisissant cette opportunité au vol, Louis attaqua à son tour, exaspéré par ce combat qui s’était révélé plus long que prévu, prêt à en finir.

Leurs épées s’entrecroisèrent et, avant même que Louis ait pu saisir ce qui s’était passé, son attaque fut déviée et il se retrouva avec la lame de Falconi sous la gorge, pantois. 

Falconi eut l’audace de lui adresser un sourire victorieux. Louis se promit de le lui faire regretter.

[blightcd]

BABY ACQUIREDDDDDD LOOK AT MY BOY!!!! NEROS MY BELOVED!!!! commed from dove!!!!

[diabolus1exmachina]

Lamborghini Reventon 

Number 20 of only 20 produced, this Lamborghini Reventón is among the most exclusive, radical automobiles the company has ever built, the boldest of statements coming as it does from the folks who brought you the Miura, the Countach and the Diablo.

Based on the extraordinarily successful Murciélago LP640, the Reventón departs with all-new exclusive composite carbon-fiber body panels, inspired by the F-22 Raptor fighter jet, over its carbon-fiber and steel main structure. A prominent central peak and large forward-facing air intakes dominate the car’s visage, the latter ensuring optimal airflow to the front carbon-fiber brake discs and black 6-piston calipers. In the classic Lamborghini fashion established by the legendary Countach and a feature of every 12-cylinder Lambo since, the doors open upward. Another pair of large air intakes dominate the Reventón’s side sills, the driver side feeding air to the engine oil cooler and the passenger side channeling air beneath the floor to the voluminous rear diffuser. A longer tail and a larger speed-activated rear spoiler add to the Reventón’s aerodynamic edge over the Murciélago. Like the F-22, there is not a single flat plane in the entire shape, but a series of angles that emphasize the car’s high-speed mission.In addition to its swoopy body, the Reventón’s machined billet aluminum fuel-filler cap, exhaust outlet, bi-xenon/LED headlights, LED tail lights and gloss-black wheels with carbon-fiber blades all contribute to the Reventón’s extreme exclusivity.

The Reventón’s interior is every bit as unique, showing off Nero Perseus leather and Olive Verde Alcantara upholstery covering carbon-fiber seats, and a new instrument cluster made of carbon-covered billet aluminum and sheltering three aircraft-style Thin Film Transistor screens in place of analog readouts. These can be configured to show all driver information in two different layouts, one patterned after contemporary aircraft design and another using round analog-style readouts for those who prefer more conventional instrumentation. Distinctive arrow design patterns are punched into the Alcantara inserts in the seats, carpets and headliner, a motif repeated in the tail-light design. White thread decorates the black leather upholstery and is used for the Reventón logos stitched into the door panels and the Lamborghini insignias decorating the headrests. Other interior surfaces are trimmed in highly polished carbon fiber as standard fitment, namely the dash inserts, steering wheel lower rim, console plate and passenger grab handle.

Bold styling always leads the way in designing the latest raging bull, but no Lamborghini is complete without a brilliantly engineered drivetrain and chassis, and the Reventón lives up to its unique status in both categories. Visible beneath the Reventón’s arrow-motif back glass, its 6.5L V-12 engine comes straight from the Murciélago, but a dash of tuning has raised output by 10 ponies to 641 HP. Mated to the paddle-shifted E-Gear 6-speed transmission, the Reventón’s V-12 accelerates the car to 60 MPH in 3.4 seconds on the way to its 211 MPH top speed.

[matchheadz]

Host of Seraphim Chapter 11: Don't Ruin It

Secret update! Hopefully it makes up for the absence a little bit. I had some extra time on a flight during a mini-vacation so I figure I might as well. We're getting to the juice now, amico mio. ;)

Chapter 11 is called Don't Ruin it. In this one, Vergil grips onto the present. Dante's dream comes true. Nero is exposed. There are no real warnings for this one, just know that Vergil sort of struggles with keeping a small flashback at bay, and his IS jumpscared by a mini one that Dante accidentally gives him.

Here's a small spoiler-free snippet!

"Okay, but if Infernal, Daedric and Abyssal are all languages of demons, why don’t we know all of them instinctually?” Nero huffed, sliding backward into the rubble. Vergil hummed, his eyes narrowing as he watched Dante swoop in with a hoot. His arm extended in some flurry of blows where Nero once was, before tricking out of the way of Nero’s responding cry for blood. Dante shattered his stance with a swift hit with the butt-end of Devil Sword Dante. Nero landed with a rough exhalation and the shattering of stone. “As I’ve said before, think of Abyssal as a root language. Infernal and Daedric, while useful in spellcasting, are more like dialects. They were created by demons with certain specialties.” Vergil brushed the rock from his coat. “Your over-reliance on your left hand is making your follow-through unpredictable. Fix your grip, or your defense will suffer.” Nero growled in frustration, kicking the remnants of his kiss with his grandfather’s abandoned visage off his boots. “You think your old man would be okay with this?” Nero commented half-heartedly, throwing a free thumb over his shoulder. Vergil smirked. Dante hollered loudly, rolling his shoulders out as he planted his feet in preparation for a Drive. “Okay with it? He’d be rooting you on right now!” That was just the right thing for Nero to hear, apparently. He smirked, leaned into the oncoming red waves and twisted into the air. He disappeared and reappeared in flashes of black smoke; every appearance slightly closer to his target. As Dante swung his last Drive, he braced as Nero reappeared above him in a spinning flurry of metal. It pushed him backward, grunting as he lost his balance and stumbled. Nero landed with the edge of Yamato slicing into the dirt, before he pirouetted backward into a slice at his uncle’s sternum. Nero’s reach wasn’t quite enough, however, and he merely whiffed the air in front of his chest. He growled in frustration as Dante whistled at him like he would a dog, patting his thighs and clapping. “You don’t need to account for the weight of your own sword. Put your concentration into maintaining your footing on the backspin.” “I am!” Nero barked, shaking his head in frustration, and kicking out his feet. “I’m pointing my feet forward I just can’t reach him with in backspin.” “Yes, you can,” Vergil returned flatly, “You cannot be fearful of the centripetal force. Use your core for balance, fix your footing and continue the momentum into more than one arc.” “I still think abjuration isn’t entirely useless in this situation.”

Vergil grunted disapprovingly. “C’mon Nero! I want the bull! Where are the horns?” Dante lunged.

[elliewiltarwyn]

FFXIV Write 2023 | Prompt #14: Clear

TIL i use clear as an adjective and adverb way too much

-1164 words

----

“But do not think I reserve all of my scorn for Cid nan Garlond… adventurers.”

Nero tol Scaeva curls his gauntlet in front of his masked face. “Certainly, that Lord van Baelsar desires him at his side stings. Indeed, the thought that he would desire any such fool, one who has also made clear their lack of interest in ruling this blighted land, rankles.” And then his masked visage turned slightly to Elilgeim’s right. Towards Mia. “And you, traitor, are no exception.”

What? Elilgeim blinks rapidly, curling her fingers tighter around the haft of her cane. Traitor?

And then Nero moves, faster than any of them expects—it may be because of jets or boosters on his armor, but Elilgeim can’t see—and slams to a stop right in front of Mia, his gauntlet crackling with levin and glowing with energies, and he curls his fingers and delivers a fierce punch to the direct center of Mia’s brow; she cries out and staggers backwards onto her knees, clutching at the struck spot with her left hand. “Mia!” Lilyana shouts, and Elilgeim focuses her energies and slams a small blast of wind forward; Nero’s still too quick though, and he jets backwards, the blast flying by harmlessly. Lily capitalizes, lunging forward with knives bared, but he raises his hand and an electronic signal emanates from it, just before a massive jet-propelled iron hammer slams into the floor between them. Lily yelps and skids to a stop, and Elilgeim focuses again, drawing upon her curative spells this time—then stops herself, confused.

Mia’s not actually injured—from a solid punch to the face. How in the…

“When were you going to tell them?” Nero demands, grasping his hammer and hefting it over his shoulder. “When were you going to let your Eorzean allies know you hail from the very nation attempting to stomp them out… Maia jen Asina?”

Time itself seems to stop as Elilgeim—and Lilyana too, judging by the way her ears flatten against her head—processes what he means. Then she snaps her gaze over to Mia, who remains on her knees panting through clenched teeth and glaring at Nero with eyes blazing with fury. Underneath her hand, still resting over the spot where he struck her, is a strange shimmering wave that bends the light and warps the air. It takes her a second to narrow down that it’s the sort of phenomenon that appears over entities or clothes when a glamouring spell is cast upon them… or removed. But as far as she can tell, Mia looks the same…

“If you think… that means anything… about my allegiances… about what I fight for…” Mia exhales one more breath and curls the hand on her head into a fist. “Then you’re even more ignorant than I thought, Nero tol Scaeva.” And as she rises to her feet, she finally lets her hand drop, to two-hand her blade and level it in Nero’s direction. There’s a small black pyramidal object upon the spot, emanating the waves, but it finally fades away to reveal a small, pale, pearlescent orb, directly where Nero had struck—embedded directly in the middle of her forehead. Elilgeim’s heart stops. The Garlean third eye.

She’s pureblood Garlean.

And then she thinks about it for one split-second further and turns to slam a spell of Stone upon Nero’s head. He shouts in pain and swings his hammer wide, but Lily ducks underneath and strikes at his side, and it’s clear the battle has engaged. But even after everything Nero had already laid bare, he still isn’t finished somehow—

“What is it that draws his attention!?” he demands as Mia charges forth, slamming her shield against his hammer’s head before stabbing from behind her guard with her sword. “What is it about expatriates, heirs to the legacies of the most brilliant engineers in Garlemald’s history who deliberately spurn those legacies and turn their back on him—why does he give a whit about their loyalties, and not mine!?”

“Do I look like I care an onze?” Mia growls gutturally, just as she forces the hammer aside and lays into him with a hard slash. Elilgeim catches up to her right side at that moment, Lily on her left; and Elilgeim’s shocked by the look of consternation and contrition on her face. Her eyes flick to Elilgeim’s, then to Lily’s on the other side, and she freezes, paralyzed by uncertainty and doubt all of a sudden.

“Do we?” Elilgeim mutters with a bemused smirk.

Mia blinks at her, then back to Lily, who’s side-grinning fiercely at her. She takes in a deep breath, looks at Nero with clear resolve swelling within her, and charges forward once more to meet his attack.

The battle is short and furious—and so is Elilgeim when the power is cut, and he vanishes into the darkness, cackling. That they had been forced to slay Rhitahtyn and Livia, but let this one escape… She regulates her breath and clamps down on her rage as Cid breaks back in over the linkpearl, and she quickly updates him on their situation. In turn, he updates them on the other moving parts of Operation Archon. It’s all coming to a head—their final duty is set before them. As she lowers her hand from her ear, she glances back up at Mia; the other woman gulps, nerves settling in and wrinkling her brow around the little grey stone.

“I… I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to— I mean, I was hiding it, but… I was afraid that—”

Elilgeim claps a hand on her shoulder as she walks by. “Seriously: it does not matter even a little bit.”

“Huh?”

“We’re working with Cid Garlond, in case you haven’t noticed,” Lilyana says slyly, and as Elilgeim casts her gaze back she watches Lilyana gently nudge Mia’s other shoulder with her fist, that cheerful grin ever-present. “You’re literally not the first defector from Garlemald. You’ve also led the charge on fighting the primals and investigating for the Scions and a thousand other little things.”

“But—those things Nero said—”

“Does not matter,” Elilgeim repeats, rolling her eyes and shaking her head in bemusement; she crosses her arms and taps her foot, and jerks her head over her shoulder towards the giant funicular elevator behind them. “Do you seriously think we’re the sort of people to judge based on homeland? Nero’s amorality, Gaius’s madness—they’re not remotely because they were born in the same country as you. You’re annoying and you’re preachy and stupidly purehearted—”

“Elilgeim!” Lilyana snaps, her eyebrow arching sharply in indignation.

“—but it’s been clear from the beginning: you hold no love for the Empire and its ways and ideals.”

Mia blinks, meeting Elilgeim’s gaze. “Now are we getting on this lift or not?” Elilgeim says impatiently, a little quirk at the corner of her lips.

Lilyana rolls her eyes, squeezes Mia’s shoulder, and sprints past Elilgeim towards the console in the corner, and a small smirk of disbelief slowly grows on Mia’s face.

[ardenssolis]

@tenkoseiensei said (inbox):

nerofest. even for a doppelganger, it wasn't cheating to rise through matches and various brackets so long as it remained by one's own power, shouldn't that have been so? nothing could possibly have disqualified him, distasteful as some others might have found it. accompanying the pharaoh for a dozen rounds, building trust as none other than an otherwise absent arash, who alone held every excuse and reason to withhold his self-annihilating phantasm, the likes of which not even yan qing could replicate. he's kept himself hidden like this all the way up until their current final round, wherein he winks and smiles at the other. ' i've got your back as usual,' he says, and yet the instant ozymandias has turned about, the doppelganger's fist lands a shocking blow so hard, it whirls the pharaoh right back around. rictus spreading, elation plain on his mimic features, yan qing can't help but laugh. ' just kiddin', just kiddin' ~ ! surprise, yeye! it's not exactly chivalrous, but it's better than bein' shot in the back an' through the heart with an arrow before things have even gotten started, right? ' setting into martial posture, shamelessly allowing his shape to rearrange and reveal himself, the soft returning jades of his eyes glimmer with realized mischief - and a fresh enthusiasm. ' let's do this right an' have a good one. we've helped each other along this far, but now it's my turn! hope you're ready t'feel more than just one measly bruise on your skin, old man! '

     WHEN ‘ARASH’ HAD APPROACHED him desiring a partnership, there wasn’t much thought placed on the ‘why’ from Ozymandias’ end. Who was he to refuse that bright smile that radiated warmth? Certainly not even he could turn down that Archer down. Rare was it for them to be on the same side, fighting for similar goals and the like, thus, one would have to forgive Ozymandias for being over-the-moon with excitement towards the very prospect of once again, fighting side by side. As one would expect, they rose through Nero’s little event rather quickly, easily becoming two of the top fighters as a result.

     ‘I’ve got your back as usual.’

     Those were the only words that he had needed to hear for guard to completely drop and attention to focus on the foe before him. ❝Heh, let us win this and show who the greatest warriors a--- ❞ His sentence was abruptly interrupted by the blow to his back as he stumbled forward. Mouth agape with both betray and confusion, upon hearing that rather familiar speech pattern, it didn’t take much to put two and two together. ❝Tch, using my favoritism towards that Archer to your advantage, I see.❞ They could have turned into anyone, but pointedly chose them. Quickly he turned, then, staff summoned into hand without another moment of hesitation. ❝You did rather well, I admit. Not once did I sense anything was remiss. And you…❞ he smirked, head tilting – all usual haughtiness back in place despite his rather embarrassing stumble not even a couple seconds ago, ❝just casually were able to make your way up with thanks to my incredible efforts.❞

     Shameful!

     But to be expected. A sound strategy, he supposed, albeit a monumental headache to deal with. ❝I will not go easy on you, you know. If anything, because you utilized that hero’s visage, that means I must crush you even more.❞ He pointed his staff at the other, light gleaming off the cold metal as his lips curled into a large smirk. ❝Come, then, Assassin. Do not hold back on my account…for I have little intention on doing the same.❞

[2vil-miss-fight]

[Headcanon DMC5] Comment ils réagissent si tu te fais draguer par quelqu'un d'autre ?

Nero :

Si tu es en couple avec lui :

🌵 Il rougit instantanément de colère.

🌵 Il arrive directement derrière toi et passe ses mains autour de ta taille et pose la tête sur ton épaule en demandant ce qu'il se passe.

🌵 Au regard que Nero lance à ton assaillant, il sait tout de suite qu'il vaut mieux laisser tomber.

🌵 Tu ressens sa colère quand il te serre un peu trop fort contre lui.

🌵 Il ne va plus te lâcher de la soirée, au cas ou un autre essaierait.

🌵 Après la soirée, en tête à tête, il va s'excuser d'avoir été aussi possessif. On peut lire la honte sur son visage. Mais il explique que c'est plus fort que lui.

S'il crush sur toi mais que vous n'êtes pas encore ensemble :

🌵 Il rougit toujours de colère. Il se dit qu'il aurait dû tenter sa chance plus tôt.

🌵 Il sert les poings pour se contrôler un maximum.

🌵 S'il voit que ton assaillant est très insistant et que tu n'en veux pas, il viendra te demander si tu as besoin d'aide.

🌵 Il va répondre de façon agressive aux autres, tant il a du mal à se contrôler.

🌵 Il ne s'en ira pas, il restera pour observer et garder un œil sur l'assaillant.

🌵 Intérieurement, il a déjà tué l'assaillant 10 fois.

🌵 Une fois qu'il rentre chez lui, il explose un ou deux objets pour se calmer.

🌵 Une fois calmé, il se résigne et se dit qu'il ne te possède pas. Il est triste et déçu mais s'efforcera de ne pas le montrer.

🌵 Il va tenter de prendre ses distances le temps de se faire une raison ou que tu te décides à aller vers lui.

V :

Si tu es en couple avec lui :

🎻 Il se rembrunit, en serrant sa canne. Une colère froide s'empare de lui, mais il ne dit rien dans un premier temps.

🎻 S'il voit que tu traînes trop à envoyer ton assaillant sur les roses, il finira par sortir de ses gonds.

🎻 Il viendra t'attrapper par le poignet, sans rien dire et te traînera à l'extérieur.

🎻 Il marmonne "little wanderer" le temps de sortir. Il veut que vous rentriez immédiatement.

🎻 Devant ton refus, il te plante là et rentre seul.

🎻Quand tu rentres plus tard dans la soirée, il n'est pas tout à fait calmé, il marmonne encore dans ses dents.

🎻 Il essaie de t'expliquer maladroitement qu'il n'aime pas quand on te drague, surtout sous ses yeux.

S'il crush sur toi mais que vous n'êtes pas encore ensemble :

🎻 Ce qu'il voit ne lui plait pas du tout, mais il sait qu'il n'a pas le droit de dire quoi que ce soit.

🎻 Il serre tout autant sa canne pour se contrôler.

🎻 Il va essayer de penser à autre chose en discutant avec les autres, mais son regard revient toujours sur toi.

🎻 Quand il sent qu'il va vraiment s'énerver, il préfère partir. Il va érer dans les rues avant de rentrer.

🎻 Il va attendre que tu rentres pour être sûr que tu vas bien et il se sera calmé.

Dante :

Si tu es en couple avec lui :

💋 Il est plutôt joueur.

💋 Il va prendre un malin plaisir à venir t'embrasser devant ton assaillant.

💋 Il va faire remarquer à tout le monde à quel point SA partenaire est jolie.

💋 Va retourner les compliments faits à sa partenaire vers son aissaillant pour le draguer.

💋 Il va essayer d'impressionner sa partenaire pour récupérer son regard sur lui, en faisant le malin à une partie de billard par exemple.

💋 S'il parle avec quelqu'un d'autre, il va parler plus fort et rire exagérément pour attirer ton attention.

S'il crush sur toi mais que vous n'êtes pas encore ensemble :

💋 Poker face ! Il fera comme si de rien n'était, et ne montrera aucune émotion.

💋 Soit il se retire de la situation et fuit, soit il attend simplement que ça passe.

💋 La seule mimique que tu verras est sa mâchoire serrée.

💋 Selon à quel point il est amoureux, il rentrera au Devil may cry et se saoulera pour ne plus y penser.

💋 Il pourrait intervenir seulement s'il voit que tu n'es pas réceptive et que tu essaies de fuir la situation ou si tu cherches sont aide du regard. Alors il se placera entre vous deux.

💋 Il se montrera alors plus menaçant, même si son ton reste joueur.

Vergil :

Si tu es en couple avec :

🩸 Son sang ne fait qu'un tour, il se précipite vers vous.

🩸 Si tu as le temps de le voir arriver, retenir son bras et lui parler peut le calmer, même s'il faudra quelques secondes pour ça.

🩸 Si tu n'as pas le temps de le voir arriver, le pauvre gus sera collé au mur, tenu par le col, avec Vergil exigeant qu'il te laisse tranquille.

🩸 Une fois qu'il est calmé grâce à toi, il culpabilise, non pas de l'avoir épinglé au mur, mais d'avoir réagit aussi vivement vis-à-vis de toi.

🩸 Il ne s'excusera pas pour autant, il te fera des cadeaux pour te le montrer.

🩸 Bien évidemment, si ça arrive encore, il recommencera.

S'il crush sur toi, mais que tu n'es pas encore avec lui :

🩸 Il ne dira rien sur le moment. Il ne te le fera même pas remarqué.

🩸 Il attendra de coincer le gars pour l'intimider et le dissuader très fortement de retenter sa chance.

🩸 Il a bien évidemment pensé à le tuer, mais il se retient un minimum.

🩸 Il finira par se dire que c'est injuste, que lui n'a droit à rien et pourrait possiblement retomber dans ses anciens travers.