couple things before we get into it! my take on Nico is that he’s outwardly a really chill guy, but internally he’s kinda emotionally repressed. not in a patton “i have to be happy all the time forever don’t worry about it” kind of way, but more in a “i probably have a bunch of mental issues but i have a job so i can’t really worry about that right now” just, ignore it pilled lock in maxer. he lets himself be more loose around Thomas tho. he’s still generally chill tho, he’s just got a few things to work out with himself.
so. let’s get into it :]
Nico has five sides; Ingenuity, Mores, Sentiment, Knowledge, and The Operator.
Ingenuity
Ingenuity is something of a mix between logic and creativity. he’s the imaginative, problem solving side of Nico. he works with what he’s given and tries to make the best of it. leads most of the conversations, he’s about as close to being “in charge” as any facet can be.
and while he is essentially the “creativity facet”, he hasn’t really created anything for a while (burnout is a bitch). though he has had some more inspiration as of late ;]. he’s also the holder of nico’s physical attraction, and when given the opportunity, he is an incredible flirt.
he has sort of a bard aesthetic, but it’s more like. bard light, basically. his main instrument is a baritone guitalele (aka the instrument yaelokre uses), however he also has an ocarina, and a conductor’s baton (think the wind waker). his name is Apollo.
Mores
Mores (as a word) refers to moral attitudes and manners. Mores (the facet) is in charge of social behavior and morals. he’s the part that tries to keep a straight face no matter what’s going on in front of him, whether that be an obnoxious coworker, a troubled guest at the front desk, or an overly loud and emotional facet.
presentation is very important to him, and he tries to present himself as good and tolerable as possible. a lot of it is an act but not from a place of disdain for others. more so, he believes that everyone deserves better, so he tries his best to give people around him the best version of him/Nico, even if that requires pushing aside emotions, logic, or even his own health/self (though there is someone to keep him in check for that last one).
he’s a people pleaser at his core, and does fall to peer pressure quite easily unless it’s something he’s extremely against. he’s constantly anxious and can be a bit overbearing when it comes to getting Nico to do the “right” thing, but really he’s just trying his best to do his job.
He usually presents himself in a version of Nico’s work uniform (he works in a hotel at the front desk), mainly because that’s where he’s normally put to use. he also has small horns, but those are mostly covered up by his hair. He didn’t have a name bc he didn’t think it was allowed, but a little while after he realized it was, he chose the name Malmo, or just Mo for short.
Sentiment
Sentiment is their resident heart! as the emotion core, he’s the holder of a lot of things; feelings, passion, romance, impulsivity, optimism, the ego, and a very strong sense of justice. While Malmo focuses on the feelings outside of Nico, Sentiment is more about internal feelings, or feelings that relate directly to Nico, which can cause him to act in a way that may come off as selfish to others.
not that he doesn’t care for other people but Nico’s wants/emotions will always come first. Nico is the most important thing in his mind, so he wants him to enjoy himself as much as possible. however, Nico’s living situation being what it is (as well the fact that Nico is a bit emotionally detached from a lot of things), Sentiment doesn’t always get a say in what Nico does, and is often forced to the side. with Thomas in the picture now however, he has gain much more of a voice.
he’s also very blunt and straightforward when it comes to what he thinks. he’s at odds with Malmo for his more self indulgent views, as well as the fact that they are brothers (they also split from each other).
he dresses pretty kidcore, a striped shirt over a fox hoodie. foxes are a big part of his aesthetic bc they’re Nico’s favorite animal (specifically culpeos bc they’re cool af (his second favorite animal is snakes btw). he’s also one of two facets that doesn’t wear his glasses. his name is Elio, and is actually the first of the facets to choose a name for himself!
Knowledge
Knowledge is, well, knowledge. every fact, memory, piece of media, date, basically anything Nico has ever experienced is kept and stored by Knowledge. he also holds Nico’s internal clock, and curiosity. he likes learning new things, good or bad. all information has value in his eyes.
Knowledge is more of a utility guy in the Facets. he’s mostly here to contribute information to the conversation to whoever needs it, and very rarely contributes to an argument (think Logan’s Lowdowns except he was there in person, his contributions were genuinely wanted and he liked doing it).
he’s honest almost to a fault, and will say exactly what he’s thinking if you don’t stop him in time (which is part of the reason he and Elio are the closest out of all of them. blunt boys <3). also, since he hold onto everything Nico has ever known, he has just a bunch of stuff memorized from past fixations and fandoms, and is also really good at keeping up with memes and slang words (and just vocabulary in general (Apollo often consults with him when it comes to writing)), which allows him to be a menace when he wants to be (which Elio loves). vocal stims galore.
he takes the role of a librarian, but he refers to himself as a “cool librarian” (everyone is actually in agreement on that). his name… well, that’s the thing. no one actually knows what his name is. he kinda just says “Guess! :)” but no one has gotten it right so far. Apollo calls him Sage, Elio calls him Lyli (lie-lie), and Malmo calls him Nolo.
The Operator
and lastly, The Operator. he’s Nico’s self preservation and survival instincts. his main goal is to keep Nico alive and safe, and the way he does that is by scaring him away from shit that he believes could potentially kill/harm him, occasionally through intrusive thoughts (though this has backfired in the past). inciting fear is his greatest skill and he takes pride in it.
if he doesn’t deem you a threat, he’s chill, if not a bit off putting at times. the guy is an expert on the macabre, so much so that one might even forget he’s terrified of it himself. if he does consider someone or something a potential threat, he will do anything to get Nico the fuck out of there. fighting, lying, even using/manipulating another facet to get Nico to do something for “alternative” reasons, there is nothing he won’t do for survival.
this protection can also extend to people who are close to Nico, but it’s not a guarantee. he also essentially functions as Malmo’s “boss”, any order give to Malmo from The Operator is near impossible for him to disobey. while not everyone agrees with his tactics (Elio especially hates him because he’s often the one that keeps him locked away during certain situations), they do know that he is just doing his job and he does do it well. most of the time. there have been Moments.
he dress like a plague doctor, though he doesn’t wear his mask if he’s not on the job. his face is painted(???no one actually knows if it’s real) to look like a skull. his name is Orion. only Malmo and Apollo knew that for a while.
it should be note that none of them are “dark sides/facets”. that concept doesn’t really work with them. Even Orion isn’t necessarily outcasted by the others (Elio’s grievances aside). they’re all important in their own right and they all know that. it’s all about finding a good balance.
so yeah these are my version of the Flores Facets. i’d think about them. a lot, and i finally got most of their lore down, so feel free to send more asks about them!!! :D
my yapfest #my yapfest <3
oh, yeah, and Orion just calls Knowledge by his title.
In the Escape the Mind Palace AU, does Nico know about the sides before everything happens or is the only information he has on this just that someone who is Not Thomas is in charge of being Thomas?
Also how does Remus react to finally physically existing and not being able to conjure things or yell without risking a noise complaint?
he knows absolutely nothing about the sides at the start. he just shows up at thomas’ house bc they made plans to hang out that day and all of a sudden he’s acting really weird and creepy (not really in a bad way tho? maybe he’s just feeling funky). and eventually it gets to a point where nico’s thinking ‘man, thomas usually isn’t this… forward… and he keeps talking differently too. it’s like i’m with a whole other person… wait a minute-’ so yeah the latter
eventually he gets a very loose explanation of who the sides are from remus (and later a slightly more accurate version from thomas himself).
as for the second part of your ask. HOOOOOO BOY GUESS WHAT A HUGE CHUNK OF THIS AU IS ABOUT :D
his first reaction to physically existing is mostly just “what the fuuuuuuuuck” just. general shock. and he takes a very very long time understanding that his actions now have consequences and also a lot of things hurt way more than he’s used too them hurting???? like what do you mean his fingers won’t comeback if he chops them off?????
i have so many fun bits in mind but for now have a doodle
au where thomas learns about deltarune and roman immediately attempts to create a dark world, it fucking works somehow and they all go questing around the dark world version of thomas’ house. each side is gets linked to an item inside the house and are darkners.
except for patton, and purely because the soul in deltarune is heart shaped and patton is thomas’ heart, he’s in his room in the mind palace playing as thomas. who is currently not in control of himself at the moment (bc of yknow. the heart possession lol)
i’ve kind of been in a “weird shit happens to c!thomas and he suffers a little bit” mood recently
bonus points if nico’s there and he’s bard themed. shout out to bard!nico, roman cooked with that one.