#Ship: Mephistea

[nemo-in-wonderland]

There's such a sad love Deep in your eyes a kind of pale jewel Open and closed Within your eyes I'll place the sky Within your eyes

There's such a fooled heart Beatin' so fast In search of new dreams A love that will last Within your heart I'll place the moon Within your heart

As the pain sweeps through Makes no sense for you Every thrill is gone

Wasn't too much fun at all But I'll be there for you-ou-ou As the world falls down

Falling As the world falls down Falling Falling in love

"AS THE WORLD FALLS DOWN" - Labyrinth

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

SO.

I was listening to some very perfect music a few days ago, music that ended up fuelling this VERY self-indulgent Mephistea Artwork and of course, as it always happens when I listen to music, the brain starts working and branching out with ideas would go very well with an idea that has been brewing in my brain ever since I drew the whole " sudden proposal" from Mephisto to Aranea.

And my brain cannot stop thinking that Mephisto's corruption of Aranea would start VERY early on.

Like, we are talking "as soon as Aranea is done with her vengeance" early on.

So, between the moment when Aranea signed her contract with Mephisto and the moment she exacts her revenge for Halim's death, I calculated it would pass around 5 years, that Aranea would spend in Cania to study *directly* underneath Mephisto himself (it was one of the clause of the contract that she herself had put. She reckoned that her soul would be lost anyway, so, in for a penny, in for a pound).

During those 5 years, Mephisto would start taking an interest in this curious Warlock of his, who was SO hyperfixated in acquiring as much power as possible to destroy the people that had taken Halim from her in the cruelest way possible.

Like, I love to imagine that in those five years, he saw in Aranea the same kind of focuse, obssessive need that often pervaded himself as well; the same kind of relentless mania; the same fury and ruthless ferocity that he felt deep within his soul each time he tried to overthrow Asmodeus.

And this left him quite enrupture with Aranea.

So, I like to imagine that, sometimes after Aranea was done with her vengeance, he would actually start to plan his moves to have more than just her soul.

He wanted to corrupt her in her entirety, so that she would match his soul completely.

AND THAT'S WHEN REALIZED THAT "AS THE WORLD FALLS DOWN" WAS JUST *PERFECT FOR THEM, AT THAT STAGE OF HER RELATIONSHIP.

The lyrics, the music, the whole scene was *precisely* how I imagine Mephisto would behave with still innocent Aranea (which is why I drew her with shorter hair and a bit younger than how I usually draw her).

How he would organize a ball for the sake of parading his prized warlock around, when, in truth, he started his seduction of her, his call toward his darkest side, with him whispering in her mind while she constantly looking for him through the crowd, moved by something she cannot, for the love of her, understand nor explain.

And well, if you know this part of Labyrinth, then you know precisely what the atmosphere would be!

And by the gods, these two have me by the throat fml.

I adore them so much. SO MUCH.

Also, fml, am living for their height difference and I like to imagine that Mephisto gave her one of the heaviest dresses possible, so that the only way she could dance if she is dancing with him.

That being said, now I will go to sleep a bit because I was up until late to finish this and I am *tired*.

But I hope you will like it anyway! <3

--Nemo

[nemo-of-house-hamartia]

HELLO NEMO!

First of all, let me give you coffee and second of all, long time not written so buckle up for my usual novel.

I absolutely adore the “you are my peace” kind of trope(?) it just hit the spot and I love how you fitted it with Mephistea (and I think it also fits especially well the assassin’s creed franchise main protagonists (and some maybe more than others but I digress) but of course every traumatized/tragic backstory bbg blorbo also fits well within this trope) But omg do I love the way Mephisto looks at Aranea in that post!

For that epiphany of yours : it was brilliant.

For the Hellion Family idea : it’s perfectly chaotic and do you think there would be as much chaos when Cleric!Dottie is first introduced to them ? (I’m talking about everything is on fire in the room and that one guy arriving with pizza level of chaos if you understand the image I’m referring to) Also, can we say that Jacob pestering could also be linked to being the middle child and this seeking more attention ? And is everyone in the Hellion Family comfortable being/going along their day naked ? (And how did Jacob even convinced(seduced really) poor poor Cleric!Dottie to even join the chaos) Maybe someday Jacob would somehow notice how exhausting and taxing his family energy is for Dottie (who was just so trying to escape/hide from some of the chaos) and maybe built a calm safe space just for her (and also hoping to butter her up more to his case lol) I’m also really happy that you could finally tie the quote that inspired the monicker “morning star” to Dottie !

and listen telenovela Hellions Family would be something I would watch religiously cause the chaos is unmatched lol

I also feel that Mephisto would need a really stiff drink to even try to counterbalance the headache his children induced and maybe(hopefully) let him keep his glorious mane intact for a couple of hours before he inevitably needs to spend another eternity on his hair care routine. Oh ! And Do you think that haircare could be something Mephistea do together to unwind ?

And I’m really excited to meet Ravenna (and to know from what corner of the virtual universe Lucanis comes from too)

And I also thought about Mathias and Dottie while listening to the song “Je l’aime à mourrir” by Francis Cabrel and I just thought the lyrics fitted them so well with all the trauma and torment both went through. I can just imagine Dorothea learning guitar in secret and then singing this sweet sweet of a potato Mathias and maybe this could become a song he (and she) could then sing to their children to describe how much love they have form them and each other. (Here is a link to the song with English translation of the lyrics : https://youtu.be/iXPJA_3zNZE)

I also had a thought about Fedelucia, since she likes to read so much, I thought that Lucia could transmit her love for reading to Petruccio so he could then discover the world in his own way through books. As for the feathers, maybe Lucia helped Petruccio make something out of the feathers Ezio brought him in order to gift them to Maria. If Federico hears about it, he might gift his youngest brother something with an eagle feather, maybe just an eagle feather tailored to write and some paper with a note saying something along the lines “so you can board on your own adventures” and thus maybe inspire Petruccio to write his own stories.

Hope you have a good day xx

HELLO THERE, "HELLO NONNIE"!!

(so many hellos to give around!!)

FIRST OF ALL, DEAR GODS, THANK YOU FOR THE COFFEE (goddamnit, I truly needed it so much. Woke up far too early to run all errands, and now I got one heck of a headache, so this coffee is HEAVEN SENT)

lemme reciprocate with a good croissant

SECOND OF ALL, IT'S SO LOVELY TO SEE YOU BACK, omg lemme just dive into this poststopper of a ask (my favourites lololol)

Lemme answer you paragraph by paragraph (so buckle up, this is going to be an equally long answer!!!! like, truly long olololol)

I absolutely adore the “you are my peace” kind of trope(?) it just hit the spot and I love how you fitted it with Mephistea (and I think it also fits especially well the assassin’s creed franchise main protagonists (and some maybe more than others but I digress) but of course every traumatized/tragic backstory bbg blorbo also fits well within this trope) But omg do I love the way Mephisto looks at Aranea in that post!

Ngl, the whole "You are my peace" trope, combined with an artwork of my favourite couple soundly asleep in each other's arms is probably, without doubt, my most favourite thing to draw AND write. Combine that with the soothing atmosphere of a nearby lagoon, with the light reflecting onto the water and scattering around, and you got my personal Paradise and safe space, because it honestly helps me calming down a lot, especially during my bout of anxiety, when I cannot keep it under control When I drew that for Mephisto and Aranea ( but truly, for Jottie, Mottie, Ardynia etc. etc.), I just loved to imagine all sort of tender emotions that their black hearts could still feel, at least for one another, because they truly are each other's peace and safe space, when the world outside is just too much to face. And you are right, it fits SO MANY characters from AC as well!

For that epiphany of yours : it was brilliant. For the Hellion Family idea : it’s perfectly chaotic and do you think there would be as much chaos when Cleric!Dottie is first introduced to them ? (I’m talking about everything is on fire in the room and that one guy arriving with pizza level of chaos if you understand the image I’m referring to) Also, can we say that Jacob pestering could also be linked to being the middle child and this seeking more attention ? And is everyone in the Hellion Family comfortable being/going along their day naked ? (And how did Jacob even convinced(seduced really) poor poor Cleric!Dottie to even join the chaos) Maybe someday Jacob would somehow notice how exhausting and taxing his family energy is for Dottie (who was just so trying to escape/hide from some of the chaos) and maybe built a calm safe space just for her (and also hoping to butter her up more to his case lol) I’m also really happy that you could finally tie the quote that inspired the monicker “morning star” to Dottie !

I KNOW, RIGHT??? Like, my brain birth all kind of ideas all the time, but this one actually STRUCK ME LIKE A FREAKING LIGHTINING, BECAUSE HOLY HELL (no pun intended), HOW DID I NOT THINK ABOUT IT FIRST???? Jacob and Dorothea as Cambion and Cleric????

I am still reeling into the thought of it, because it opens up to so many fun/sensual/soft possible scenarios for them! And also, I get to *FINALLY* play Dorothea's more impish and straightforward side - aka, how she would be had she not received a very strict Victorian education from her mama and papa - and let me tell you, she is a toughie. Like, her and Jacob in this whole BG3/DnD AU are the true definition of "Looks like he could kill you: it's a cinnamon roll" (Jacob). "Looks like a cinnamon roll: she could kill you" (Dottie).

And omggg YES.

IT WOULD BE PANDEMONIOUM, WHEN DOTTIE IS BROUGHT DOWN TO CANIA. A WHOLE ASS PANDEMONIOUM. Precisely as the image you were describing lololol, which is why, I think, Jacob would try to steer clear of his family knowing about Dorothea for as long as he could, because OH GODS, he would never hear the end of it, especially from Zaynab and Raphael (to say nothing of Mephisto, though he would be more amused by the fact that his own son is actually following in his steps more than he likes to admit lolol).

AND YES. Nudity is not that big of a deal among the Hellions (the reason being because sometimes I am just too tired to draw them clothed tbh. If I draw them all naked it's because I don't have the energy to draw their overlycomplicated garments lol) but there are varied degrees of nudity they are willing to show, so to speak. Like, Mephisto and Aranea usually are naked when together, but they do not go around Mephistar stark naked all the time. In general, they are all big on seduction and temptation, so they all live up to whatever they imagine would elicit a reaction into the object of their obsession.

BUT YES, IN GENERAL THE HELLIONS' FAMILY IS NOT BIG ON CLOTHING LOL. (expect when they have special occasion. Then they go the opposite direction and POMPOSITY BECOMES THE KEY WORD). So, yes, I like to imagine that poor Dottie, while equipped with the divine blessing of Lathander, has a hard time actually withstanding all the chaos in Cania, and Jacob would take notice of this and try to create a safe abode for her (which, I like to imagine, was suggested to him by Aranea herself, since it was exactly what Mephisto did for her when he brought her to Cania after she signed his contract), where she can just rest away (and be the victim of Jacob's clumsy attempts to actually seduce her into signing his contract - gods, the man is persistent lol).

AND OMG YES: Jacob's own pestering behaviour DEFINITELY stem (in this AU) from the fact that he literally is the middle child, so he was kinda overseen, what with Raphael's theatrical personality, and Zaynab and Karim being the only children born out of the love Mephisto harboured for Aranea. (good gods, my poor bebe Jacob, I need to draw him a sad cambion blorbo and Dorothea comforting him😭😭😭)

AND YES. I HAD THAT QUOTE HANGING ON MY HEAD EVER SINCE I CREATED THE NOIR!AU (where Dottie is actually a fallen angel), BUT I NEVER GOT THE CHANCE TO USE IT ON SOMETHING THAT I SHARED HERE!! so when I drew the artwork, the other day, I was like OMG YES. THIS WILL BE PERFECT.

P-E-R-F-E-C-T.

and listen telenovela Hellions Family would be something I would watch religiously cause the chaos is unmatched lol I also feel that Mephisto would need a really stiff drink to even try to counterbalance the headache his children induced and maybe(hopefully) let him keep his glorious mane intact for a couple of hours before he inevitably needs to spend another eternity on his hair care routine. Oh ! And Do you think that haircare could be something Mephistea do together to unwind ?

HONESTLY. I wish I was faster/the day had more hours/I had more hands/was a better artist to be able to bring more artworks about the Hellions. HECK, I WISH I WAS ABLE TO DO ANIMATION, SO THAT I WOULD MAKE CINEMATIC OF SOME SORTS.

OMG THAT STIFF DRINK, YES.

Poor Mephisto, whenever I think of him, all I can think about is that gif of Scar from the Lion King, because that's his default face whenever his children are around lol

Because despite his children being all adults by now, they are all very childish between themselves, especially the youngest three ( I do headcanon that, while Raphael is supposedely around 5000 years old, given or take, Jacob, Zaynab and Karim (and Azriel as well, if I settle to make her the youngest of Mephistea's children) are much younger and comparatively closer in age (like, I hc that Jacob is around 300 years old, while Zaynab and Karim are around 150 years old), which means that they are the more prone to actually cause trouble. Also, Jacob and Raphael do have a sort of rivarly in terms of who will succeed their father - if ever- so they are constantly stuck in constant competition.

Regarding Mephisto and Aranea sharing their hair care routine to unwind, the answer is YES.

I can definitely imagine Mephisto just sinking into his mattress, while massagging his temples because THE PERSISTENT HEADACHE WON'T LEAVE HIM ALONE.

Cue to Aranea just coming into the room with soft pace and humming and old Zakharan song, bringing all that she needs to just take care of her husband's glorious leonine mane.

And she would gently brush his curls, sometimes humming, sometimes chatting with low voice about all things related to the two of them, so that Mephisto can just unwind and ride out the whole sensory overload that his progeny has caused him with their shenanigans (because between the two of them, I do think that Aranea has a higher threshold of tollerance, compared to Mephisto, so I think she is the one that usually initiate the unwind for him, and once he is anchored back into tranquillity, he takes care of her with naked cuddles and soft love making).

And I’m really excited to meet Ravenna (and to know from what corner of the virtual universe Lucanis comes from too)

I am still in the process of learning Dragon Age lore and whatnot, so for now all I have is just some initial ideas for both Ravenna and Lucanis. BUT. for what I am envisioning for now, she is a spitfire, he is on the quieter side and he is very much his wife lololol Like, I am leaning toward much more sweetness and smluffness, so to speak! I kinda need it, to counterbalance the angst (which, I am sure, will be plentiful once Dragon Age The Veilguard comes out lolol).

And I also thought about Mathias and Dottie while listening to the song “Je l’aime à mourrir” by Francis Cabrel and I just thought the lyrics fitted them so well with all the trauma and torment both went through. I can just imagine Dorothea learning guitar in secret and then singing this sweet sweet of a potato Mathias and maybe this could become a song he (and she) could then sing to their children to describe how much love they have form them and each other. (Here is a link to the song with English translation of the lyrics : https://youtu.be/iXPJA_3zNZE)

HOW DID YOU FIND THIS SONG????? IT'S PERFECT.

PERFECT FOR THEM. OMG I HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO IT WHILE ANSWERING THIS ASK, AND IT'S JUST SO PERFECT????? THE LYRICS FIT THEM TO A T, and dear gods, the thought of Dorothea learning how to play guitar just so that she could serenade Mathias (WHO WILL MELT FROM ALL THE LOVE HE HAS FOR HER FML)....

AND THEN, THEM SINGING IT TO THEIR CHILDREN, SO THAT THEY TOO WOULD KNOW HOW MUCH THEIR PARENTS LOVE ONE ANOTHER???

oh my heart.

MY HEAAAAAART.

Like, Sophie, Valerie, Rosaline and Sebastién would ABSOLUTELY be sitting there and drowning Papa Mathias and Mama Dorothea with questions and whatnot, while I can so imagine Léonie and Lucien just rolling their eyes and saying EWW LOVE COOTIES NOOOO. PAPA MATHIAS, TELL US STORIES ABOUT KILLING TEMPLARS IN PARIS.

Absolutely adore this whole concept, omg it melted my heart, THANK YOU FOR SUGGESTING IT.

I also had a thought about Fedelucia, since she likes to read so much, I thought that Lucia could transmit her love for reading to Petruccio so he could then discover the world in his own way through books. As for the feathers, maybe Lucia helped Petruccio make something out of the feathers Ezio brought him in order to gift them to Maria. If Federico hears about it, he might gift his youngest brother something with an eagle feather, maybe just an eagle feather tailored to write and some paper with a note saying something along the lines “so you can board on your own adventures” and thus maybe inspire Petruccio to write his own stories.

OK, FIRST OF ALL YES.

YES. YES. TO EVERYTHING.

OMG I READ "PETRUCCIO" AND MY WHOLE HEART JUST WENT OUT OF THE WINDOW.

THAT SWEET KID. I ADORE.

You know, in my version of the story, he ends up marrying Fiammetta, Lucia's own sister? Like, the Auditores in my AU cannot seem to resist the Barbarigos' daughters lololol. Now we need to combine a matrimony between Francesco and Claudia, and they are all settled!

BUT I AM DIGRESSING. BACK ON TRACK.

BECAUSE OMG YES. YES. I CAN SO IMAGINE LUCIA READING TO PETRUCCIO, DISCUSSING STORIES WITH HIM, BRAINSTORMING AND WHATNOT, AND ENCOURAGING HIM TO ACTUALLY WRITE DOWN ALL THAT HIS IMAGINATION ALLOWS HIM TO.

And I am just melting at the idea that Lucia would help him create something out of the feathers Ezio brought him, and Federico would take note of it and of the fact that books have become a passion for Petruccio, and he would gift him an eagle feather to write his own adventures.

Gods, Petruccio would actually cherish it for all time, and I imagine him being so hesitant to use it, because it would become such precious gift and memory of his eldest brother. And I imagine that, when eventually Lucia and Federico get married, he would compose something for them to read on their wedding day, as a thank you for all the love they showered him with.

GODS I LOVE THIS. APPROVED. IT'S CANON NOW.

Nonnie, thank you SO MUCH for this ask! I had so much fun answering to all your point, and truly, thank you for allowing me to blabber about it all and infodump.

It made me so insanely happy, it felt like the best cup of coffee in the world <3

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

TRULY THANK YOU! <3

[nemo-in-wonderland]

I am sorry, but I needed to share this.

Like, I was scouring through Pinterest as I always to do hoard on images that I might be useful for me in the future.

And I kid you not.

This is what the home page gave me when I opened it.

AND I AM LIKE.

MEPHISTO.

WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO PISS OFF ARANEA THIS MUCH THAT SHE IS GIVING YOU THE "RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY SALAD" LOOK?

AND WHY THAT HINT OF A SMIRK BEHIND THAT GOBLET???

So now I am utterly convinced that Aranea, after a few decades, decided to go back to Ajayib, in Zakhara, to check on her parents and see how they were faring ever since she left for Faerun.

So, I imagine that she is having dinner with her parents, recounting them about what she ever since she last saw them (all lies, because despite her already being "heartless" at this point, she could not bear to actually let her parents know the kind of monster that she has become and see the sadness in their eyes), and all of sudden, Mephisto in his mortal form shows up, all smirky and charming, and introduce himself AS HER HUSBAND(not as Halim, mind you, but as her new Husband, which, of course, he was not, at that point. Considering the timeline, their relationship was still very much Patron&Warlock rather than Patron/Warlock, but Mephisto was already starting to harbour feelings for her and was already making passes at her without even being that subtle about it).

So, because Mephisto can be a HUGE little shit with Aranea, and he LIVES to get under her skin, starts conversing rather amiably with Aranea's parents, effectively behaving as if he was her husband.

AND OF COURSE.

Because he is in Aranea's mind, he KNOWS that she doesn't want her parents to know what she has done. HE KNOWS THAT, without her having to give him the death glare.

So, OF COURSE, he starts insinuating all sorts of things,

like

"This is my first time here in Zakhara, but even I, as a foreigner hailing from Neverwinter, have heard of the Great Fire of Huzuz, that claimed more than a thousand people, including the Caliph. And they never found the perpetrator." he clicked his tongue in disappointment and turned to look at Aranea, a glint of impish mischievousness in his clear eyes. "I wonder who might have been so ruthless to kill all those poor unfortunate souls. Right, my dear Zil?"

Cue to Aranea wishing she could just Eldritch blast him out of the house, which Mephisto would actually sense and just cause him to burst into laughter.

And the whole dinner would just continue on the same line, with Mephisto throwing jabs and Aranea dodging them and using BOMBASTIC SIDE EYE GALORE learned from the Master of Cania himself.

So yeah, now you see why I need to be careful when I go around on pinterest/youtube/etc.

I just opened the website and saw the two pictures of Aranea and Mephisto's faceclaim together, and THE BRAIN WENT BRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

But how I love these two.

They are SO PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER.

Their bickering gives me life.

LIFE.

--Nemo

[nemo-in-wonderland]

My reaction when I managed to capture THE EXACT MOMENT Mephisto realized that all his scheming and corrupting to get Aranea's soul for the sake of it has, indeed, turned into actually wanting her to LOVE HIM.

LIKE. I AM SHARING A WIP BECAUSE THE FINAL PIECE WILL HAVE A KISS BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM. (like,the pose will not change that much but still).

ARANEA, YOU HAVE BROKEN THE LORD OF CANIA, HE CANNOT EVEN THINK ANYMORE.

OR RATHER, NOW HE HAS ONLY ONE THOUGHT IN MIND.

HE IS GOING IN HYPERFIXATION MODE NOW.

Honestly, I think I will just add this in the corner, with a teensy bit of dialogue and then showcase the rest of the kiss.

I am so in love with the way he is looking at her.

Seriously, one of the softest look ever.

OK, NOW I GOT MOMENTUM AGAIN, I NEED TO GO AND FINISH IT (but fml, the absolute restrain that I had to put on myself from drawing his curls. It feels still SO WRONG to have his hair straight. SO WRONG.😂😂😂😂)

(I won't have it ready for tonight, I am afraid, but fml it's coming out at least AS I ENVISIONED IT. OMG, THE BREAKDOWN WORKED).

[nemo-in-wonderland]

Ngl I am kinda living for the idea of Jacob getting *increasingly* frustrated because no matter what he does, he cannot, for the life of his, get Dorothea to sign THE contract that would bind her to him for all eternity (homeboy completely lost his head for her, and I love that for him).

Like, homegirl is devoted to Lathander and whatnot, and her faith is STRONG (though, she is not as zealous as Shadowheart, that's for sure), but she would be willing to give him a chance IF HE WASN'T THAT PESTERING.

Like, ngl, if Raphael can be a bit of a brat, Jacob's own brattiness is multiplied tenfold, and I hc that it's caused by the fact that Mephistopheles sired him later in life - much earlier than Zaynab and Karim, but definitely much later than Raphael (fucking hell, I made Jacob the middle child).

So, I imagine him just travelling down in Cania one day, just stomping in his father's laboratory and asking him HOW did he manage to get Aranea to sign his contract and be with him in Cania.

To which, I can see Mephistopheles give him a long look (veeeeeery long look, because he is weighting if sending that son of his out with a kick in his butt for interrupting in his experiments or just answer him with a roast of his own).

But I can see his heart mellowing a bit for the "romantic woes" of his son (damn Aranea for softening his heart and having him invested in his children's romantic life like a telenovela), so I can see him reply to him something along these lines:

"Son, Aranea signed her contract with me because she came willingly to me."

IT'S THIS WHAT YOU TELL YOURSELF, MEPHISTO????

BUT NEVERMIND THIS IS ACTUALLY ONLY HALF-TRUE, AND HE SWEATED LIKE A DOG BECAUSE ARANEA WOULDN'T GIVE IN.

But still, Jacob kinda got the message, and would reduce his pestering a good 5%, which was a great improvement since, much like dear old dad Mephistopheles, Jacob as well suffers from the same codependency needs lolol

OK, NOW THAT I BLURTED OUT EVERYTHING, LEMME GO GRAB A COFFEE, AND LET ME MARINATE THIS IDEA BECAUSE I AM DIGGING IT.

and honestly, this has opened up my brain gates to develop Zaynab and Karim as well.

I just love how sometimes one single character can be the catalyst to a whole waterfall of new ideas.

[nemo-in-wonderland]

So we know that the terms of Aranea’s contract say that if anyone thaws her heart, boom, contract done, which begs the question of what happens if *Mephistopheles* is the one to do it?

MARGRID.

SUCH JOY TO SEE YOU HERE <3

lemme just give you the biggest batch of cookies and coffee that I can find. LEMME JUST FIND THEM.

SO.

ONTO YOUR ASK.

It is indeed true: if Aranea's heart were to thaw because she fell in love - deeply, utterly, completely- with anyone, her contract with Mephisto would be considered done, she would lose all her powers and her soul would belong to Mephisto to do with it as it pleases him.

BUT.

What needs to be kept in mind is that Mephisto created this contract BEFORE he started to harbour any kind of romantic feelings for her, and verily, when he initiated his plan of charming and corrupting Aranea, he was partially motivated by that particular claus. Also, being the creator of the contract, he knew about every single possible loophole and whatnot present in it.

Now, with this in mind, we also need to remember that Aranea's heart was frozen and taken outside of her body of her own volition with the specific intent to mute every single emotion connected to love (think of it like Aranea having a thick transparent wall that cannot be penetrated in any way), so for Mephisto this rendered the whole challenge even more intriguing.

However, what Mephisto didn't take into account, when he started to pursue Aranea, was how deeply he would actually fall for her, how this whole challenge ended up becoming his most profound obsession: how immensely frustrated he was when he saw that nothing he did moved Aranea closer to him, how much he missed her whenever she went on her journeys to reap souls for him, how much he actually yearned for her; not just her body and their physical encounters: he missed her company, her mind, so similar to his own, her thoughts and her counsel and her sense of loyalty that he never experienced before.

One night, while she was asleep, Mephisto actually found himself pondering about her lack of response to his attempts to woo her, trying to find the actual source of the problem. And it was then that his attention found its way again to her whole heart situation.

Keeping her in his arms, close to him as he did each night where they joined as one, he realized that he couldn't feel her heart beating against his chest.

Nothingness dwelled there. And so long her frozen heart was outside her body, she could never feel anything again, and as his mind run through each section of his contract, he remembered that if she were to fall for him in the same way he had fallen for her, her heart would thaw and she would be lost to him.

And it was in that moment that he realized he could never be parted from her, ever, that she was his and that she had invaded his thoughts in a way so deep, he couldn't even wrap his head around it without getting an headache to be honest (it's a first for him, so he needed a few moments to process the realization).

And then, he had an epiphany and found a loophole inside his own contract.

If she fell in love, if she felt love again in her heart, her heart would thaw, and it would be lost forever.

But what if she were to feel all that love through another's heart?

What if she were to feel all that love through...his own heart?

So, by sharing with her half of his heart, Mephisto managed to have Aranea feel love once more, without running the risk of HER heart thawing and rendering the contract done.

So yeah.

Aranea carries half of Mephisto's heart in her chest (which created all sort of things afterwards, as it was expected lolol), while Mephistopheles keeps Aranea's frozen heart in his religuary, far away from indiscreet eyes, because if anyone were to get their hands on it...well, let's say it's a liability. For both of them!

SO.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS ASK.

I was truly *dying* to share this particular detail, but never had the proper occasion! and your ask brought it to me!!

THANK YOU! <3

[nemo-in-wonderland]

Honestly, I am already imagining the interaction between Raphael, Jacob, Zaynab, Karim, Aranea and Mephistopheles (aka The Hellions Family, as I am going to dub them all from now on) and dear gods, I am lolling like an idiot by myself.

like.

INDULGE ME FOR A MOMENT.

Raphael and Jacob would just go like this:

Zaynab would MOST definitely be like:

Karam, the most peaceful in a family of degenerates, would be like:

Aranea would probably be like this, trying to bring peace:

Mephistopheles, already nursing an headache because of his progeny:

And poor Dorothea would be

LIKE OMG I AM ROFLING. ROFLING.

[nemo-in-wonderland]

Areana is an elf, does she need that mutch sleep? Don't she go into a four hour trance? And if she does, is she just lay on top of Mephisto? Listening to his breathing and heart beat, pretending to sleep, so he can relax?

Hello Nonnie, and thank you for you ask <3

I truly appreciate you indulging me, I truly do!

here, have some tea with me, while I answer your ask.

So, according to the lore, Aranea wouldn't truly require to sleep, since she is a full-blooded drow, and with sleeping comes dreams and nightmares, something that she would probably wouldn't want.

But, I am known to homebrew and modify the lore to suits whatever I need, and this is true even in this case.

So, when on the surface and in Material Plane, Aranea does go in trance, a state of deep meditation that allows her to communicate with Mephisto in a much clearer way while also remaining vigilant of her surrounding.

However, at least for my own story, I like to think that this is not the case while she resides in Cania.

Infact, I headcanon that in Cania (and in general in Baator), the energies shifts differently compared to the Material Plane, and they tend to drain whichever living mortal that actually happens to find themselves there.

And this includes Aranea!

So, while in Cania, she actually needs to sleep, and to actually recover all her energies, she needs to go into the deepest of sleeps, something that would however leave her most vulnerable to external threats.

And this is one of the reasons why Mephisto, especially after he started to fall in love with her, often rest with her with his wings ALWAYS wrapped around her in a "defensive position".

BUT, I have to be honest with you.

I LOVE the idea you had of Aranea just entering in her trance and resting on top of Mephisto, pretending to sleep so that he also can take a break from all his machination, while both of them just enjoy each other's presences and proximity. It's something that I can see Aranea doing when Mephisto is particular restless or nervous.

And honestly, I ADORE this.

Thank you so much for this ask! <3

I will go to sleep soon with this beautiful thoughts in mind! :D

--Nemo

[nemo-in-wonderland]

So, my brain is solidly back into BG3 land, with Aranea, Mephisto, The Hellions, Asra, Hiraeth and all the merry company that I have created for them.

And while I was working on some graphics yesterday, I had youtube going in the background.

And I stumbled upon this small video from GOT, s6 e1

And bloody hell, all I could think about was "fml that's Aranea".

This is Aranea talking about Asra with Halsin, just before taking the decisions to leave them, so that they could be safe from Mephistophele's intrigues and plans.

She didn't want them to fall victims of his machinations just because they were dear to her.

Timeline-wise, this happened *before* she took her heart out, so she is still feeling every single emotions at this point.

Which is the reason why I can see her stopping one moment, before going through with her plan, and reflecting about how her daughter is nothing like her, nothing at all, and that Asra is indeed all the goodness that Aranea had to offer to the world, and all the regrets she feels in having to leave her behind, because there is no way in hell she is going to endanger her.

I feel like Aranea didn't give herself a true choice on the matter, because even if at the time she was not with Mephisto yet - they were not even in the parkball of sentimental stuff, only obsession on his side at this point - she still had sold her soul to him, and she knew that he would come collect it, no matter what (at that point, she had lived in Cania long enough to know Mephisto and his character and to know that there was no loophole she could use in her contract to escape his grasp).

Plus, she knew that if he were to know about Asra, he would use her small baby against her, in one way or the other. Aranea has a limited ability to keep Mephisto out of her thoughts, but if he were to truly pry, there would be nothing stopping him from seeing EVERYTHING she keeps inside.

I think it was when Asra was born, and while she was with her and Halsin for the first 6 months of the bebe's life, that Aranea realized how much she fucked up in her wrath and the hastiness that the grief for Halim brought with it, and that the decision she took of summoning Mephisto and asking for power would always be that one choice in her life that she could never take back.

So, because of this, and because of the pain she basically inflicted herself, I like to imagine that she disappered from Halsin and Asra's lives, leaving behind just her shawl for Asra and a letter where she wrote that no matter what, she loved her little one entirely, but to never look for her, for the dangers would be too great.

Trying to remember all the knowledge she learned from Halim himself, Aranea would then head for Zakhara to find a rose of forgetfulness, so that she could extract a specific elisir from its oils and erase - with her heart even more broken than it already was - all the memories of Halsin and Asra from the moment she met him.

I like to think that this was a further step she took in her descend toward darkness, and how she essentially believes that it's just inevitable for her at the point.

She believes herself impossible to redeem, and thus embraces what she believes to be the only choice she thinks she has.

[nemo-in-wonderland]

I found THE PERFECT faceclaim for Aranea.

BUT.

the colouring are (obviously) all wrong (didn't expect to find anyone with the colours of a Drow, let alone someone with the same ears I give Aranea).

AND I DO NOT HAVE THE PATIENCE IN ME TO ALTER EVERY SINGLE PHOTO SO THAT IT MATCHES ARANEA'S PHISIOGNOMY.

BUT.

Please tell me that if I were to make moodboards with Aranea and Mephisto, it won't matter even if the colouring of the actress doesn't match Aranea.

I beg. Endorse this idea of mine lol.

(also, fyi, the fc I chose for Aranea is Carice Van Houten as Melisandre. It just feels so right for her, and it goes *perfectly* with my FC for Mephisto)

I MEAN.

JUST LOOK AT THEM.

LOOK AT THEM AND TELL ME THAT YOU DON'T SEE MY MEPHISTEA RIGHT THERE.

I DARE YOU.

*THE PERFECTION*.

Gods, I didn't know if it was possible for me to just fall more in love with my own pairing, BUT YOU BET THAT IT HAPPENED.

FML.

The sheer amount of inspiration and brainrotting these two are causing. IMMENSE.

I am living.

LIVING, I SAY.

(this is me going down the deepest rabbit hole of my life. Do not mind me, and if you don't see me coming back from it, just remember to water my basil, otherwise it's gonna die in 2 days lol😂😂😂😂)

[nemo-in-wonderland]

ONE DAY I WILL OWN "NEVERWINTER NIGHTS" AND FINALLY HAVE ARANEA MEETS MEPHISTOPHELES IN NEVERWINTER, FML.

ONE DAY.

For now I have so many games I still need to play, I will be content to go around with Aranea in Pathfinder lolol

ALSO ALSO.

While working on Aranea and Mephisto yesterday, I was kinda miffed at myself that I didn't give Aranea the "traditional" Drow Colouring, and now all I can think about is that I need to see her with those colours, because if I don't, MY BRAIN IS GOING TO FLIP THE LIVING SHIT OUT OF ME.

Also, fucking hell, part of me wished that she was also raised in the Drow society, because she would have made one hell of a boss, and her and Minthara would have been besties, whenever they were not to busy trying to stab each other.

Also, I just need a reason as to why she would have those colouring and how Mephisto would react to that (because lololol, I am just curious).

Also Also, I need to go back to my Hellions, because they have been calling to me like syrens. I am just crossing my fingers that my husband will choose BG3 for the console for me to play (so that I can finally play without any lagging, gods, you have no idea the frustration I had while playing with my potato laptop) so that I can go full immersion again and play the game AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN.

Because I miss the way the game would just flood me with ideas!!

[nemo-in-wonderland]

GODS.

NOW I NEED MEPHISTO AND ARANEA ALL DRESSED UP IN RENAISSANCE ATTIRE (and how, how Aranea hates them, and very much prefer more flowy and dare I say "revealing" dresses) AS THEY NEED TO ATTEND SOMETHING IN NESSUS (and you can bet your hat Raphael would be there to add insult to the injury)

AND THEY MIGHT POSSIBLY NEED TO DANCE.

ALLEGEDLY.

Listen, I need Mephisto to lead Aranea in a dance in front of the entire court, because fml I need that.

I need this to be A HUGE middle finger to Asmodeus too, since with Belphegor gone, he has NO ONE to spy on Mephisto *directly*.

(Mephisto and Ara being *twirl, twirls again, lifting in the air, casquet and middle finger to Asmodeus from upside down*)

(Plus Asmodeus knows quite well he cannot fucking corrupt Aranea, she is loyal to Mephisto to a fault - and oh, how this is going to bite Aranea in the ass after her resurrection *rubs hands together and eyes at the artwork that I need to finish, fml).

And I also need an excuse to draw my fave power couple with matching garments.

Because you know damn well they would wear matching garments.

ALL THIS TO SAY.

I HAVE A MIGHTY NEED.

[nemo-in-wonderland]

I know - because I just know - that each time Aranea and Mephisto have an arguments of any kind, and Aranea flees Cania, he watches her walking away like this, from the heights of Mephistar:

The man cannot tolerate for her to be away from him, he cannot. Sure, to see her fleeing is a huge blow to his ego, but he also knows how his own temperament becomes when she is not around. And let's be honest, the fact that he HATES to see her go is because he knows that he is going to miss her like crazy, once the anger subsides. He misses her because she understands him, and is actually not afraid of him, and he actually finds her sense of humor endearing.

She is spunky, fierce and as unapologectic as they come.

And what I love the most about Aranea and Mephisto is that they both know that if he wanted to, he would have the power to do whatever he wants to her. She knows it.

HE knows it.

He knows he has the power of making her stay, even against her will if he wants to, but never -NEVER- exercise those powers on her, for one very simple reason: he sees no victory -no gratification- in taking something by force, especially from Aranea.

He prefers the challange she offers, the apparent taming when, in truth, Aranea is just as selvatic as a stray cat when she wants to, so if she gives in, it's because she wants to.

Plus, they both know that she will be back to him, eventually, because they are as entwined as the ivy is to her oak.

But who is who, it is hard to say.

And after all.

What would be Cania without its Queen?

[nemo-in-wonderland]

What would Mephisto and Arena do if a paladin was standing confusied in the middle of the throne room? I mean she just aperd.

My tiefling paladin was raised by a nobel family in Baldur's gate. But does not know who her father is, (not Mephistopheles), so she helped a cleric of Shar (not Shadowheart). Got her angry. Got send to Hell. Now ahe is just confusied to where the hell she is.

HELLO HELLO THERE!! WELCOME WELCOME TO THE MY INBOX!

Please, do partake with me in some afternoon coffee and some sweets

SO, ONTO YOUR QUESTION.

I think that Mephisto and Aranea's reaction would depend on WHAT they are busy doing and who is present when that were to happen.

Like, Mephisto is generally not truly interested in mortals, unless he has some kind of plans for them, so he probably wouldn't spend much time wondering why a Paladin is there, especially one that looks confused or uncertain as to why they are in Cania (Of course, he would quickly assess if the Paladin can constitute a threat or not, and once he sees that they are not, he would probably resume to do what he was doing- experimenting or scheming, hidden away in his laboratories-or tormenting his kids and their love interests for the sake of it lol)

Aranea, instead, would find interesting to see another mortal in the middle of the throne room, and would be intrigued by the fact taht a tiefling was there, and would probably ask Mephisto to spare the Paladin because she wants to hear their story first (it happens so rarely for her to actually meet mortals in Cania, especially mortals that have not come to either challange Mephisto to something or that might need favours from him). After hearing her story, if the story tickled her curiosity, she would probably start meddling into the Paladin's life and take an interest in the mortal's businesses (and this would probably prompt Mephisto to go with Aranea because HE KNOWS she has the tendency to just put herself in troubles more often than not lol).

I like to imagine that if the Paladin where to meet her AFTER Aranea has become a Devil herself, she would greet the Paladin like so

because YES.

Thank you so much for this ask, this was fun to ponder over!

--Nemo

[nemo-in-wonderland]

What would Mephistopheles do if any of the other archdevils (with liquid curage) flirted with Arena? (Zariel wants to play with the mortal girl)

(lemme take some own liquid courage (aka coffee) for this, because sweet baby jesus, the whole inferno that's going to just erupt in Cania if something like this were to ever pass).

Whoever decided that it was a good idea to even try to make a pass to Aranea must have been either : 1) DRUNK (as you suggested) 2) OUT OF THEIR GODDAMNED MIND 3)IGNORANT (in the sense that they ignore who is Aranea´s Lord Husband.)

Like, let me be frank.

Mephistopheles is a genius with one heck of a brain, cunning to boots and immensely suspicious, so he would always be on guard.

But with his temper, his being overly neurotic and paranoid and his unehealthy codependence with Aranea, he is not the most cold-minded when it comes to her.

And let's not forget it.

He is naturally jealous in all aspects of his life, so OF COURSE, he would be jealous of Aranea.

So, if someone were to openly flirt with her, his first reaction would be that of pure fury

He would ABSOLUTELY LOSE HIS SHIT and possibly go COMPLETELY FERAL.

He would be going full on Chernabog on the fool that actually tried something like that.

Like, imagine him, transforming into some sort of Ascended form, that has nothing of the charming ,handsome form that he usually assumes around Aranea, and instead he goes full on like this:

The man (Archdevil) is not exactly the most sound of mind when it come to his Aranea. She is his love, that is true, but she is also his obsession and he DOES NOT appreciate when others come "sniffing around his garden", let alone with the intent to pick HIS flower (and if you know in lore how Mephisto has the tendency to act when he gets distracted during his hypefocues obessions, then you can imagine how he would react if something like this were to happen with Aranea involved).

(and good gods, he already cannot stand Zariel because he finds her too aggressive and mercurial -the pot calling the cattle black- but he would be SO PISSED if that renegade of a Solar were to try to make a pass on Aranea.)

But if Aranea actually managed to calm him enough not to unleash hellfire and cause a War for something so little, you can rest assured that he would STILL very much swore to himself that he would come up with a way to get his vengeance for the slight that had been done to him, and would not rest until he actually carried it out (in this sense, he and Aranea are just the perfect match).

And I think, he would be in a bad mood for quite sometimes, afterwards, and it would take a while (and a good deal of soft smooching from Aranea) to calm down and get back to normal again).

SO there you have it, Nonnie!

thank you for your ask!! <3

Here, bring with you some tea and cookies!

[nemo-in-wonderland]

I find absolutely hilarious that Aranea looked *exactly* like her BG3 version in a period of time that preceeded the events of the game by more than 200 years.

I know it always seems that I put great emphasis on the appearance of my characters in general (and Aranea in particular), but having a real clear idea of how she looked like in a certain period of time truly helps me visualize her growth.

Like, in the artwork that I shared yesterday, she looks *exactly* like the base Warlock Tav in the Character Creation section of the game, because in my brain, between 1269 DR and 1295 DR, Aranea was precisely that: a Warlock under pact with Mephistopheles, with no emotional connection to him (Mephisto was already playing his game, but Aranea was not having it. Yet.) while doing his bidding around Faerûn.

Even the hairstyle reflect that: Aranea is still in mourning, despite having taken her heart out already, and she is still keeping her hair short to reflect that. She would not start to grow her hair out until Mephisto actually shared half his heart with her (as I mentioned in a previous ask reply), because only at that point she would truly start to feel feelings again, and only at that point she actually starts somewhat to heal (with huge emphasis on the "somewhat". She still would never let go of her grief, and instead of trying to process ALL that happened to her in an healthy way - what Halsin tried to help her with, invain I'd say- she fed into that grief until it consumed all that Zil was and until only Aranea remained).

All this to say that, if you see me working a lot on Aranea's appearance, it's because I am working through all the different stages of her life 😅😅

Anyway, enough of my early morning blabbering, I got a cup of coffee to get now!

--Nemo