• application

[trulygifted]

Player Information
Name: Pearl
Age: 29
Contact: scry | PM to this journal
Other Characters: N/A

Character Information
Name: Nicoletta "Nico" Goldstein
Canon: Devil May Cry
Canon Point: Mission 13 • After giving Dante Dr. Faust
Age: 23
History: Here

Personality:

Nicoletta Goldstein is a classic Type A personality with a cocky streak a mile wide. She's driven, creative, ambitious, and isn't in the habit of suffering fools, to the point where she might even be thought of as abrasive because of her habit of speaking her mind. Her peers have Nell Goldstein (her adoptive grandmother) to thank for her self-assured nature: Nico was raised to be a survivor in a world designed to swallow people whole, which shows both in her determination to be taken seriously but also the fact that she considers herself no-one's inferior. She's vocally opinionated and proud of who she is, and she'll be damned if she's going to let anyone tell her that the sky is the limit. Nico is aiming for the stars: her dream is to one day be the finest weaponsmith in history, and in her not-at-all humble opinion? She's already well on her way.

While it's true that her dreams are big, it's also true that she's an inherently practical person when it comes to achieving them. Nell brought Nico up in an environment that fostered her genius and gave her the tools with which to express it: she has an incredibly strong work-ethic as well as a problem-solving mind, which beautifully lends itself to how creative she can be when inspiration strikes. As such, she's the kind of person who doesn't really consider challenges challenges, but rather necessary parts of a process that will move her from A to B. She was positively businesslike when it came to tracking down Nero—she extracted the information she needed and then went to him directly in search of a job—and from there she's only continued to demonstrate that kind of strong-stomached pragmatism. Nero needed a new arm, so Nico figured out how to engineer him a new arm and then some—she now supplies him with devil breakers. Demonic energy enhances them, so she has Nero bring her left-over bits and pieces of demon whenever he takes down a particularly nasty-looking one. All in a day's work, right?

This no-nonsense attitude also bleeds over into her personal life. Nico appears to be able to compartmentalise like the best of them: when Nero brings up the fact that they're going to save Dante, the man who killed her biological father, her response is both offhand and steeped in easy logic. Agnus left her and her mother for dead in the pursuit of his alchemy, therefore he isn't worth shit in her books, but he did happen to leave behind a wealth of research that has proven beneficial to her. Scientific genius seems to run in the family, and Nico's disparaging feelings towards the man weren't enough to stop her from using his work to enhance her own. In her mind, she no doubt sees it as the very least he could do for her.

If Agnus were still alive she'd make a point of telling him so, too. Nico is an incredibly opinionated individual and doesn't let people get away with poor behaviour: she's the friend who'll call you out if you're acting like an asshole with some tough, necessary love. We see this levelled at Nero fairly regularly. Sure, he's her best friend in all the world but Nico expects a great deal of him, with priority given to respecting her work, paying for her services, and not giving her lip on the occasions when she comes close to mowing him down with the van. Interestingly, she offers a much more cocky version of herself when faced with someone she doesn't particularly care about. When Griffon dares to question the validity of Nico's art she responds as though putting voice to such nonsense is an offence in itself, and even goes so far as to playfully threaten to whip up a pot in which to cook him.

The moral of that story? Don't question Nico about her abilities. It won't end well.

There are, however, moments in which that hard shell is shown to soften a little. She can be endearingly awkward around people she admires, which manifests in stumbling over her words, expressing herself poorly, and letting her enthusiasm get away with her. When she meets Dante for the first time he hurries through an introduction before awkwardly offering him a gift, then cheers him on when he "tests it out" by breaking into a short dance routine. When she offers Nero her newest devil breaker, on the other hand, it's with a clipped comment about cash first—although it has to be said that there's a fond smile on her lips when he turns around and walks away.

That she usually only shows traditional fondness—or indeed, any of the more vulnerable emotions—when no one is looking is another important point to mention. Nico has a tendency to keep reactions that don't match her badass persona strictly to herself, with the only real exceptions being when she genuinely can't stop herself from being a little goofy. When she nearly takes Nero out with the van she then gives him an earful as though it's somehow his fault, but when he's left she lets herself sag as real worry flickers across her face. In the same vein, she also ends up a little flustered when she's caught admiring Lady's body, all of which suggests she places genuine value on being seen as someone with no exploitable weaknesses. It isn't necessarily true, but it's the persona she's cultivated to survive, and it helps her hold her own with Nero for all it's likely that he knows.

Unfortunately, her coping method isn't without its drawbacks. All that compartmentalising? The bravado she uses to navigate her life? It's left her with a bit of a deficit when it comes to being able to actually deal with emotions, and she isn't particularly good at knowing what to do when someone comes to her with them. When Nero asks if she thinks he's a demon, for example, Nico could have used that opportunity to reach out and connect with him, but she wrapped up the fact that she cares for him with humour and silliness instead. It doesn't mean that she cares for her friends any less, it just might take a while for people to realise that "caring" looks a little different on Nico than usual.

Once you're part of her inner circle, however, it's fair to say that there isn't much chance of escape. Nico finds it easy to get along with everyone but she chooses her close friends very carefully, if only because her loyalty once earned is something that she takes incredibly seriously. Yes, she shrugs off the sappy stuff, and she's more likely to punch Nero in the arm than pull him in for a hug, but she's also given her whole life (and creative intellect) to supporting Devil May Cry to the best of her ability. She would follow him anywhere, drop anything to jump in the van if he or Kyrie needed her help, and that level of trust and respect isn't something she extends to just anyone.

In sum: Nico is a loud-mouthed disaster who thinks incredibly highly of her work, her friends, and Devil May Cry. She's happiest when she's being provided with a steady supply of cigarettes (and frequent nods to her genius), and as long as she's given the space she needs to tend to her art? Chances are there won't be any problems!

Abilities & Skills:

Engineer • Nico is first and foremost an engineer—and a genius one at that. The speed with which she's able to create a fully functioning, weaponised, prosthetic arm for Nero is testament to her skill, and speaks of extensive knowledge of both engineering and cybernetics. With the right tools Nico truly believes that the sky is the limit, and it seems there's nothing she won't at least try to create when given a challenge.

Gunsmith • Nico was taught the art of gunsmithing under Nell Goldstein, her adoptive grandmother, who in her opinion is the greatest gunsmith that ever lived. Her craft is also her passion: Nico loves nothing more than creating a new weapon from scratch or giving a piece a Goldstein upgrade. She's also an excellent marksman - gotta know how to use the products, after all!

Alchemist • For all she hated her father Nico did find his avenue of study incredibly interesting, and studied his notes and diaries recovered after his death to become a self-taught alchemist. She uses left-over demon pieces in her work to imbue her creations with a wide variety of demonic abilities, and is incredibly (not to mention vocally) proud of her work.

Inventory/Companions:

Tool belt:

• 2 x large pliers
• 1 x small pliers
• 1 x crosshead screwdriver
• 1 x flathead screwdriver
• 1 x hammer
• 1 x small bottle turpentine
• 1 pair protective gloves

Choice: Witch

Reason:

Nico is best suited to the role of a Witch because her values in life revolve around expanding her knowledge, honing her skills as an inventor-cum-alchemist, and using every resource available to her to support Nero and Devil May Cry. She's an exceptionally dedicated student (for all she tends to prefer doing things her own way), and joining the Coven to learn actual magic will be a fantastic challenge for her. She'll sink her teeth into it right away!

Sample: 4th Wall event top-level!