umbraportation: (is what sets me free)
Nico di Angelo ([personal profile] umbraportation) wrote2022-06-27 05:38 pm

Application for [community profile] deercountry

Character Base


• Character Name: Nico di Angelo
• Age: 15 (though he spent 70 ageless years in the Lotus Hotel)
• Canon (Date/Year Released)/Canon Point: Camp Half-Blood Chronicles (2005) | Tower of Nero (2020): Near the end, before Rachel's prophecy heard by Nico and Will
• Items Coming Along:
☠ 1 set of clothes (black jeans, a black Camp shirt rendition, shoes)
☠ 1 black Stygian sword
☠ 1 silver skull ring
☠ 1 bag of ambrosia - x6 pieces
Content Warnings for Character:
Child/teen death, child manipulation, emotional abuse, claustraphobia, self-destructive mentality, Greek gods & goddesses being Greek gods & goddesses, parental abandoment & neglect

Character Background


• History: "Why would you want a son of Hades in the same room with people you're trying to heal? Why would anyone want that?"
• Core Relationships:

Percy Jackson
Percy was the first demigod that Nico ever met (other than his older sister), and honestly, he thought the guy was awesome. The dark-haired male carried a sword and fought monsters, even saving Nico and his sister. It wasn't long before Nico asked Percy to take care of his sister who had gone on a dangerous quest. Unfortunately, that went so wrong. After her death, Nico had such complicated feelings about Percy - not only did he blame the other for a time, but he actually developed a crush on the heroic demigod. This crush went unspoken for several years, driven so deep that Cupid had to force those emotions to the surface as it was sending Nico into a dangerous spiral. Since then, he's let go of those feelings and moved on. But Percy was a defining factor in the growth he experienced over the last few years.

Bianca di Angelo
Another defining individual was his sister Bianca. While he only has very vague memories of their childhood, Bianca was the only person he really had left. Nico felt betrayed when she joined the Hunters of Artemis and left his ten-year-old self to the mercy of a camp filled with strangers. Then she died shortly after, a death Nico felt from the other side of the States - the first death he could recall feeling. Trying to bring her back to life sent Nico into a downward spin, leading him to trust a ghost that manipulated him and almost led him astray. It felt even more like a betrayal when he was finally able to contact her spirit only because Percy was there. When she told him to give up, Nico felt lost for a time - unsure of what to do next. Luckily, it seemed to be exactly what he needed to move on and help someone else.

Will Solace
This is Nico's significant annoyance - AKA his boyfriend. He didn't have much interaction with Will until recently, when the guy basically Doctor'd him. Nico was all set to leave the Camp after stopping the Roman-Greek war, feeling as if no one wanted him there, but Will set him straight. Also told him to stop using his Underworldly powers and end up fading into the shadows he so frequently traveled. For Nico, Will is kind of like the sun (adequate considering Will's father is Apollo), a light shining into the shadows of his life and something he seriously needed. Someone who draws him out of the darkness and actually tries to get to know other people, also to be more careful with his powers.

Hazel Levesque
Hazel is Nico's half-sister who got used by a terrible enemy and ended up dying young for it. When searching for Biance to remove her from the Underworld, Nico found another sister among the Fields of Asphodel. He set her up at the Roman camp as she came from the Roman side of their father, and visited her often. They were close enough that Hazel went on the mission to save him when he ended up a hostage. Once she went back to the Roman camp, Nico missed her but talked to her whenever possible.

Hades
The god of the Underworld, someone Nico is actually quite similar to in many ways. There's an odd relationship between the two as once Hades said he would have preferred Bianca to be alive, but then has come to help Nico many times. Even saying that should Nico die, he'd have a room in the palace. It's an odd back-and-forth they have, quipping with each other one minute and then getting along the next. Still, it's being a child of Hades that has somewhat shaped his life - having to fight a little harder than others to find a place among them. To feel as if everyone isn't afraid of him or looking at him as some kind of negative presence.

Reyna Ramírez-Arellano
He first met Reyna when he brought Hazel to the Roman camp, as she was the Praetor there. They didn't have much of a relationship then, preferring to keep it to business. That all changed when he took Reyna and Coach Hedge across the world to deliver a statue. She protected him when he was vulnerable, lent him strength, and he was witness to part of her painful past. When Reyna's life was threatened, Nico lost his head and killed that person, causing a great deal of fear. He was certain both her and Hedge would be scared of him, abandon him to finish the quest - yet she stood by him. This became part of the building blocks Nico used to create a different life for himself, the trust she had in him and strength she carried made him feel more secure.

Jason Grace
Nico was certain that Jason was uneasy around him at first, yet that didn't stop Nico from calling the guy out on an adventure with just the two of them. The Roman demigod was witness to one of the roughest moments of Nico's life - Cupid drawing out his feelings for Percy. It wasn't a great time and Jason saw some of those moments Nico experienced. Afterward, Jason accepted Nico's sexuality, making attempts to become friends. Nico did his best to keep that arm's length distance, while also testing how trusting Jason could be. A test Jason passed. He became one of Nico's best friends, and the death of his friend was felt across the states.

Iapetus/Bob
A Titan that was once Nico's enemy until all of his memories were washed away and became his friend. The Titan now named Bob was given a janitorial job at Hades' palace thanks to Nico, and the young demigod often went to visit him. It was their friendship that cause Bob to go to Tartarus and sacrifice himself to save Percy and Annabeth. These days, Nico insists someone is calling him from Tartarus and he's certain it's Bob, though whether it's real or a bout of madness has yet to be confirmed.


Character Personality Through Key Moments


(2+) Positive Experiences:

Kind

While Nico may seem like a grumpy emo kid at times, there is a part of him that cares a great deal for the people in his life. Even when he was upset and angry at the loss of his sister he still didn't allow his emotions to physically lash out at the person who promised to keep her safe or seek revenge. He even accepted a half-sister and gave her a second chance to live, caring for her just as much as he cared for Bianca. When Nico befriends someone, he does everything in his power to protect them even if that means risking his own safety and even gets angry on their behalf. Despite feeling like an outcast everywhere, he crossed half the world to stop a war between two groups and went so far as to not kill anyone. Nico is the sort of person who cares about the people who get discarded just as much as he cares about those who are his friends.

Willpower

For someone so young, Nico has faced horrific things alone and yet still kept his sanity. Even others have commented on how mentally strong he must be to have endured traveling through Tartarus and not going crazy or how much pain and suffering he carried with him was more than an entire Roman Legion. His mental fortitude is extremely strong so long as it's only his life in danger, and he's capable of surviving the most trying of situations even if he doesn't always come out the other side without some damage. Even though Nico knew that he was at risk of fading away like a shadow, he was still willing to keep using his power for the sake of others. It did mean he developed a dislike for darkness but didn't stop him from using his shadow-travel ability again in the future when lives were on the line. Nico is also determined enough to talk his own father into lending a hand in a war he intended to sit out of.

Intelligent

As a kid who spent seventy years inside of a casino and never aging past ten, Nico's general education is severely lacking at times but he's quite intelligent in other ways. After learning about his Greek demigod status, he took it upon himself to find a way to learn as much about it as possible. He utilized his powers to summon the dead in order to learn to control them, discovered everything about the Underworld and was able to help others with his knowledge. Not only does he speak both English and Italian but also learned Ancient Greek and even a few Roman phrases after being introduced to the other demigod camp. There is much he doesn't know but Nico makes up for it by absorbing as much knowledge as he can whenever possible. Once upon a time, Nico was one of those kids who would have asked endless questions and still has that craving for knowledge.


(2+) Negative Experiences:
Emotional

Being a teenager is a rollercoaster of emotion at times and Nico has had it rougher than other kids his age. While he tries to downplay most of his feelings there is a side of him that's in pain and he can have something of a temper. For someone with his powers, he has to keep a tight reign on his feelings otherwise bad things happen such as him turning another demigod into a ghost and then banishing them into the Underworld for eternity. Or plants die or the dead rises from the ground. Once his sister told him that it's dangerous for a child of Hades to hold a grudge and Nico has proven that true on many occasions. Normally it's his negative emotions that have the most impact on his powers and he has a great deal of negative emotions. Once, an enemy pissed him off so much that Nico lost control and turned that person into a ghost - essentially killing him and sending him to the Underworld to face judgement for his crimes. Upon waking, he had completely forgotten the incident and had to be told by Reyna.

PTSD

After traveling through Tartarus, getting captured by giants and nearly suffocating in a jar there's understandably some damage done. He now has a strong dislike for the dark and likely even severe trauma in the form of nightmares or memories. It is something that has been getting better and Nico surrounds himself with people who keep him from getting too lost in his own head but he is only a fifteen year old kid who's seen horrors normal kids don't. While he's sometimes successful in pushing aside the trauma, it's usually in times of urgency when there's a more pressing matter to deal with. For a time, Nico didn't talk about the things that troubled him but a few individuals have helped him open up to the point where he can talk about it. Considering the times he grew up in, he also had trouble admitting that he had feelings for another boy but has since come to terms with that even if Nico still won't use the actual term 'boyfriend'.

Stubborn

Nico is absolutely stubborn to the point of being reckless, pushing himself beyond the boundary of what his body can possibly handle. He knew the risk of using his abilities too much and yet he still did it until someone had to put a stop to it. It isn't just his own personal safety that Nico is stubborn about but he even felt as if there wasn't a place for him and he pushed away anyone who wanted to become his friend for several years. That is something he's working on but it isn't perfect yet and Nico has a ways to go yet. Sometimes he can be stubborn in the right or positive ways or just to be a little onrey, but he has been known to fixate on certain things to unhealthy extents at times. Even after seemingly accepting his sister's death, he tried to bring her back to the world of the living when given the opportunity - though only to find her to gone already. He's one of those people who is not easy to sway after his mind's made up.


Deer Country Attributes


• Canon Powers:
Nico is one of the children of the Big Three gods - the son of Hades who rules the Underworld and has far more training with his abilities than most of the other kids of the Big Three. Even more training then the heroes of heroes, Percy or Jason - though it would be a tough fight with Percy. When any of the kids of the Big Three fight, disasters can happen.

You are children of the three major gods. Who could withstand your combined power?
–Persephone to Thalia, Nico, and Percy in, The Sword of Hades


Geokinesis: The ability to manipulate rocks, either levitating them and making them black, deadly and sharp or creating fissures in the ground to trap enemies in the Underworld. He can cause powerful tremors that can even shatter stone pillars.


Necromancy: Control over the dead and creatures that exist in the Underworld is one of Nico's main abilities. Even the guard dog, Cerberus, listened to him.

Power over the dead: Nico can reanimates skeletons, Skeleton Warriors and also put them back to sleep or destroy them. He can control large armies of the undead at a whim though summoning too many at once can leave him fatigued. When angered, he can even destroy undead warriors that aren't under his control at all. He even has a personal zombie chauffer at his beck and call.
Summoning deceased souls: With a ritual containing digging a pit, filling it with food (or animal blood) and chanting in Ancient Greek he can summon ghosts of the deceased. He can even permanently banish them to the Underworld.
Releasing souls: He can release souls of individuals who should have died but managed to cheat death.
Telepathy with the dead: He can radiate certain vibes that ward the dead away from him or even others.
Sensitivity to death: Nico is capable of sensing death as it happens or when it's coming; when someone close to him dies, it sounds like a bell ringing in his ears. He's strong enough to even sense when an immortal being is dying. Not only that but he can sense when someone is being judged in the Underworld. He could even sense when Percy and Annabeth were close to the Doors of Death within Tartarus - literal doors not figurative.
Life aura: Capable of sensing someone's life aura - or essentially how much death is around them. He's seen someone come close to dying and could tell that Apollo had become mortal by the thick possibility of death around him.
Power over ghosts: He's been given the nickname Ghost King because of his ability to physically manipulate ghosts, such as taking hold of them or silencing them with a gesture.
Ghost transformation: The last power he has directly over death is the ability to force beings to become ghosts - whether they be mortal, demigods or even legacies. He can then force them into the Underworld for eternity. However, this power is extremely draining leaving him both weakened and fatigued in more than just physical aspects.
Skeleton transformation: Nico turned a living human into a skeleton, the process appearing similar to a decaying body with skin shriveling, hair falling out, and flesh and clothes falling away.


Osteokinesis: The manipulation of bones, not reanimating but simply moving them like weapons and even summoning hundreds of them to trap enemies for a few minutes.

Death Trance: With the help of Persephone's pomegranate seeds, Nico can put himself into a Death Trance which means he doesn't require as much oxygen or energy or even food. Essentially, he's like the dead when in this state.

Umbrakinesis: Control over darkness and shadows for various reasons.

Shadow travel: Nico can use shadows to travel long distances and even take others along with him so long as they have a hold of him. With three people (himself included) and a giant statue, he can travel about three hundred miles at a time unless hopping over an ocean. However, prolonged or overuse can be extremely harmful to Nico as his molecules will begin to fall apart until he turns into a shadow and loses himself. At one point, he overextended himself to the point of ending up in a "shadow coma" and wasn't allowed to use shadow travel for three days or he'd become a shadow.
Shadow absorption and dissipation: He can dissipate or absorb shadows with his sword generated by others, even dark auras they put out.
Darkness Generation: Capable of shooting bolts of darkness and surrounding enemies in pitch-black clouds of weightless space.
Darkness shields: Solidify darkness into shields.
Invisibility: Mainly uses this to cover himself (or others) in shadows and make them invisible.
Unbrakinetic Healing: He is capable of healing minor wounds usind darkness.


Thermokinesis: He can generate extreme temperatures from his body, though isn't yet in control of these particular abilities.

Cryokinesis (limited): When Nico is infuriated he generates an aura of cold, making the temperature around him drop and even frosting the surrounding area.
Pyrokinesis (limited): He can cause flames to shoot up from fissures in the ground.


Hypnokinesis: He can navigate the dark dreamscape better than most other demigods, even being somewhat surpassed by the actual demigod children of Hypnos. He has the ability to control his dreams or astral project his consciousness, entering dreams of other demigods. Nico can even sleep like the dead at times, being near-impossible to wake up - especially when fatigued from using other powers. There is even a point where he puts several demigods to sleep by sending deep dreams their way.

Phobikinesis: Like his father, Nico radiates an aura of fear and death though it's not nearly as powerful as Hades. It is strong enough to repel monsters to a point. This aura stems from his nervousness and it can cause the grass around him to turn brown and wilted as if the ground was poisoned. Even weak and emaciated, Nico has frightened other demigods with this aura.

Summoning: He has learned to summon his sword out of seemingly nowhere.


Other Noteworthy Traits:
ADHD/Dyslexia: Most demigod children are born with either ADHD or Dyslexia and Nico has both. The ADHD gives him supernatural battle reflexes and sense that allow him to analyze a fight. As for the dyslexia it means that his brain is hard-wired to read Ancient Greek, though he isn't shown to have too much of a problem reading or writing normally.

Fighting: Intially Nico had more skill using his powers than he did a blade but through training he can wield his sword with great accuracy. Even capable of fighting alongside Percy and Thalia against a Titan, though being the first to be wiped out. As the series progresses, Nico does get better using a sword - even capable of holding his own against Gaea's forces in Tartarus alone for a time. He even overcame six Roman legionnaires single-handedly with his blade and protected Will, all despite being weakened from excessive shadow travel. Nico hadn't even been fighting to kill but instead aiming to knocking his opponents out and still keep going to fight monsters. Nico is far more skilled with his abilities but is a fierce warrior even without them.

Mythomagic: Once upon a time, Nico was a master of a game called Mythomagic. Knowing stats and skills of each individual in the game. He has since abandoned it but his knowledge has come in handy in actual fights.

Languages: Nico is actually multilingual, capable of not only speaking, reading and writing English but also Ancient Greek and Italian. His understanding of Italian allows him to somewhat comprehend other languages such as Spanish and even Portuguese.

Will Power: He has intense willpower seeing as how he was able to survive Tartarus on his own and all of it's horrific insanity. Even a protag like Percy (who had Annabeth at his side to help) wondered how Nico managed to escape with his mind intact enough to keep going.

Pain Resilience: He's capable of enduring immense amounts of physical and mental pain, even when certain wounds burn like acid. It was enough to gain the respect and amazement of one of the leaders of the Roman demigod camp.

First-Aid: Having spent a few months around a healer, Nico has picked up on some basic first-aid skills.

• Blood Type: Darkblood
• Omen: American Goldfinch
• Blessed Day: October 31st
• Patron Pthumerian: Cloverfield
• Blood Power Manifestation:

Reality Manipulation/Reality Rips: This power will allow Nico to open small "rips" that him can reach through in order to take or leave something that is located within his residence - allowing him to leave his sword at home, but capable of grabbing it whenever. The rips will start relatively small, allowing only his hand to pass through and nothing any bigger than that. Then advance to allowing him to grab medium-sized objects, before human-sized, and so on. It could potentially work so Nico can snag something from anywhere, so long as he's seen the other location and item.

Telekinesis: Nico will struggle with this, as a son of Hades his powers tend to be earth-based so lifting things off the ground and into the air will be hard. The best he'd be able to achieve with this is lifting things smaller than him, or catch someone falling in mid-air just to lower them to the ground. These will still be something he would have to practice hard before using it to save someone's life.

Time Manipulation/Time Condension: This will be a power that only works when Nico uses his demigod powers too much and ends up passing out. For everyone else, time will move freely, but Nico's power naps will be sped up. It will start small, reducing a several hour sleep to 1/3rd of the time. Then cut it down by half, until finally an 8-hour power nap can all happen within an hour or so. Though should he use his powers so much that he would have been out for days normally, he will need several hours of condension.

Writing Samples


One: here
Two:
[ He's going with text because it seems easiest. It's nice that this communication device isn't tech and he probably won't attract any monsters. Probably. ]

My name is Nico di Angelo, a new arrival here and I'm interested in finding some sparring partners. Fighting monsters at The Gate is fine, but it's different from fighting against someone who has a weapon or powers. I typically fight with a sword, but wouldn't mind working on my hand-to-hand skills.

Also, I'm wondering what people do here for fun. I guess I should ask what teens do here for fun, as I'm not old enough to visit any bars.
[ Technically, anyway. ]

The other thing I wanted to ask is kind of morbid, as I'm looking for answers about death in this place. If anyone's willing to talk about it, let me know. [ Considering the subject, Nico will just let people come to him. ]

Anyway, that's all for now. Bye.

[ Not being used to this form of communication, he keeps it short. ]


The Player


• Player Name: Xae
• Player Age: 30s
• Player Contact: [plurk.com profile] Tsukeru
Permissions: Here