becalmed. so there’s a point in Nina’s canon story where she goes off on her own for a period of several years, hunting/chasing down the gas-masked man. during this period, she’s jumping from world to world, utterly alone except for Zero. those of you who’ve been following me for long enough can probably guess the kinds of effects that has on her. Nina eventually returns to her home world - it’s where the final battle takes place - && by the time she does, she’s changed (( Milk is one of the first people to see her upon her return, && she’s horrified when she sees said changes )).
- first off, her teeth. they’re more, they’re bigger; she has more rows; they’re no longer neat && regular. they’re sharper && more monstrous, && there are more of them than it seems like should be able to fit into Nina’s mouth. her mouth is wider than it should be, its corners cutting into her face, && her lips are almost nonexistent. she now can && frequently does unhinge her jaw. her teeth line her mouth all the way down into her throat.
- her claw-like nails have become actual claws that have melted/fused into the fingers themselves, creating a seamless whole. they’re marked with vein-like fissures that, unless Nina makes a conscious effort to halt it, constantly leak a glowing, acid-green liquid - a combination of Zero’s energy && Nina’s blood. this goes for feet as well as hands.
- the eye patch is gone, && her exposed socket constantly exudes a bright green substance that most strongly resembles smoke made out of light.
- look there’s no way to pussyfoot around this but she is naked now. Zero’s energy burns extremely hot, && even though Nina’s clothes were military-grade resistant to fire && heat damage, they were soon burned && melted completely away, leaving only her body. after a certain point in her wanderings, Nina just got fucking sick of always replacing her clothes. so she stopped.
- her body is inscribed with constantly-shifting patterns of Zero-colored light, && there’s a same-colored inner light to her, as if her body were a hollow lantern lit from within. this isn’t all that far from the truth. don’t look at the patterns for too long, because eventually you won’t be able to look away, && prolonged staring can drive people to madness. these lights almost (( but not completely )) overwhelm Nina’s natural bioluminescence.
- her body temperature is higher than ever, && she will start burning her surroundings if she remains stationary for too long.
- her presence is nuclear, in a way that promises hellfire && wastelands. at this point in canon, Nina has destroyed two universes && far more planets (( the vasts majority of these are mercy kills delivered to worlds afflicted by the gas-masked man )), && this capability for destruction is broadcast loud && clear by her aura.
- also she’s literally radioactive
- there’s a certain look to Nina’s body; a projected, surface-only look. it doesn’t flicker, it doesn’t glitch, it in no way fades or falters before the eyes; but it gives the impression of not being entirely real or there, of not being fully substantial. almost more a flesh hologram than a real body. it’s the closest human eyes can get to perceiving what Nina && Zero really are, or it’s a form created by the real Nina/Zero as an interface with the physical world, or it’s the impression their presence leaves on the world like a ghost in reverse, or it’s the last vestiges of Nina’s humanity barely covering up something huge && monstrous, or it’s a fake that draws the eye away from the real thing like the light of an anglerfish in deep-sea darkness - or it’s all of these && none of these at once.
