ooc; I’m low-key on semi-hiatus. I’ll be more active Friday through the weekend up until Monday. I’m within my last month of the semester so yeah. I’ll be checking on my blogs though. Any day within that interval I’ll probably just be lurking. I’ll be around more once I get past my finals around… the start of May-ish???
People all over are waking up and smelling the coffee—and it’s a steaming cup of don’t-vote-for Wretched Tooth.
I’m endorsing Deborah because she has all of the qualities crucial in a leader: vision, integrity, and honesty. Most important of all, she has stability.
Renowned climbing gear designer and Deborah-endorser Ghastly Peterson said it best:
The enthusiasm unmatched by any candidate on social media! Please, contribute to talk directly to make a tough fight, and why we've seen grassroots enthusiasm unmatched by any candidate on social media! In the gap in the ground to pull ahead in this election. We've built a contribution before a huge contributions to win this election. The polls are building something unprecedented. Our team has enormous economic and demonstrate the polls and state polls!
It’s hard to deny the power of such stirring words.
Do the right thing. Vote for Deborah.
Thank you for your support,
Riptidereune
#DeborahIsTheOne
#TimeForDeborah
ooc; Gonna chill with the 30 days of character development thing. I’ll definitely pick it back up soon. For now though, I’ll be putting little links around Niko’s about page to the posts I have.
What are some of your character’s more notable merits and flaws (including physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, etc.)? How did they develop? How has this helped or hindered them in the past?
For this question, I’ll focus on some of the personality traits I outlined in his about page, but go more in-depth.
Mental/Emotional
amicable -- Niko is incredibly friendly, almost unnervingly so. He’s very trusting, generous, and kind towards essentially everyone he meets, whether he knows them already or not. He’s naturally outgoing and comfortable socializing with others. He’ll find ways to connect with people. His friendliness has always been a part of his personality ever since he was little.
supportive -- When he does connect with others, Niko acts very encouraging to those around him. He likes people to feel better about themselves, and he likes even more to help other people. Niko grew to be more supportive and selfless after his parents disappeared. He doesn’t like to see other people unhappy, especially not in ways that remind him of how he felt when they were gone.
light-hearted -- While quite a genuine person in supporting and being friendly to others, he can be quite the jokester. He’s very relaxed, and maintains a sunny disposition. It makes him feel happy, and it’s even better when others find it infectious. He was always sort of rambunctious and fun-loving as a child, but as he grew older, he mellowed out a bit more. He exhibits this trait in ways that a teacher or another authority figure would be less likely to scream at him for.
optimistic -- He’s an idealist at heart. Quite uncomfortable with viewing the worst-case scenario, he tries to make the best out of whatever situation he’s in. This trait is a double-edged sword that developed after his parents disappeared. It’s a coping mechanism that prevents him from being consumed by negative thoughts, but it also prevents him from seeing harsh truths to a situation (primarily his). It’s viewed more of a merit, though, because it allows him to cope with certain situations quite well.
open-minded -- Being a bit of a deviant himself, Niko doesn’t have a reason not to be accepting of others. As he grew to understand that his powers were what distinguished him from “normal people”, he didn’t have a hard time accepting others who might be different in the same, or other ways. If anything, it made him more curious.
wishful -- this is relevant to his optimism acting as a double-edged sword. When at his worst, Niko will fall back on wishful thinking. Since he has a hard time coping with harsh realities or huge consequences, he’ll often have adamant thoughts like “this couldn’t possibly get any worse” or “that can’t be true”. Such a narrow-mindedness that occurs to him in this state is only worse on him if the situation can in fact get worse or contain an undeniable truth that he tries to protect himself from. This also makes him quite gullible in wanting to trust everyone. Developed when his parents disappeared.
escapist -- when optimism and wishful thinking fail him, Niko loses his sense of responsibility. He’ll do anything to remove himself from harsh confrontations that he fear could hurt him, whether that be physically run away or lie to himself. He may be oftentimes lighthearted, but he definitely doesn’t have the thickest skin. When his parents were trying to hide him away from the rest of the world, he sooner ran away than argued with them about it.
irrational - He can be quite impulsive and make rash decisions when panicking. Sometimes he simply cannot control his emotions.
indulgent - Not necessarily self-indulgent. It’s more so that he’s such a people-pleaser that he can sugarcoat certain things when doing so isn’t the best idea. He’s quick to give into other people’s demands and play along with them rather than immediately think for himself and challenge something that could be wrong. His desire to avoid the pain of rejection definitely manifests into this.
Physical
Powers (strengths) -- Hydrokinesis, providing the control of any state of water, grants Niko incredible versatility. Water’s lack of a definitive shape allows for Niko to be creative in its usage, and when used right, this power can be quite forceful.
Powers (weaknesses) -- First of all, a major shortcoming in Niko’s powers is the fact that he can’t conjure water out of nowhere; he needs a source, preferably one that is visible and easy to take from. He also has to be able to move. He gestures so that the water may move. He can barely move it at all if he were restricted.
Lack of experience -- Niko has been in fights at school, but if he were to ever be put in a situation where he had to fight against someone using solely his powers, he would most likely lose. He’s never had to use his powers on someone else for combative purposes; he tries to find reasons not to since he’s sure he could easily hurt someone. Since he’s never had to use it in such a situation, he has little to no experience in his power’s more practical uses.’
Athleticism -- Being someone who exercises regularly, Niko’s strength, sense of balance, and stamina are decent. However, he lacks flexibility. He’s also not a very good runner.
Niko lives in an apartment in one of the suburbs of Long Beach, California. After doing some research on that, I would say the most plausible neighborhood would probably be Alamitos Beach. His backstory and roleplay canon incorporates regular trips to the beach, and that community is right along the coast-- walking distance.
Why did they choose it, and how did they acquire it?
Niko wanted his own place to live in. He didn’t want it to be overly extravagant or big-- he wanted it to be enough just for him, and he felt that he didn’t need much. It is certain though that he was afraid to leave Long Beach. The world is so big to him, and the amount of options overwhelmed him. Also, since he believes his parents are still alive, he feels obligated to stay in case of their return.
Initially, Niko did not care for things such as location, but as suggested by others, he decided to find a place relatively close to the beach-- a place within walking distance. Niko’s apartment had more space than he knew what to do with, but he liked the freedom it provided. The subtle elevation of the apartment provides him a great view of the ocean as well. How could he deny those things?
Niko planned to raise enough money to buy his own home at least two years prior to actually being old enough to move out. His feeling like he burdened Esmeralda and her family was what ultimately compelled him to make this goal. Between working a few odd, extra jobs in high school, his permanent job at the store on the boardwalk, starting to gig, and the financial support of those that knew him, Niko eventually had enough to get the apartment consisting of one bedroom and one bathroom.
How do they handle intruders (graciously? violently?)?
He’s capable of being a very responsible person, so he almost always locks up properly. However, should someone break in, Niko will try to scare them out. While not innately confrontational in the slightest, Niko knows how to make himself look intimidating. He can raise his voice and look threatening if put under a lot of pressure. He prefers, though, to get creative with warding them off. Perhaps make use of the water from the plumbing system, for instance, and freak out the intruder without actually showing himself. He’s very passive aggressive and would sooner sabotage them and call the police rather than actually hurt the person himself.
Describe the space.
Niko’s apartment, located on the first floor of a two-story building consists of one bathroom, and one bedroom. That description alone makes it sound small, but he has a spacious living room and balcony. The layout looks a lot like this:
**The only notable alteration I would make to this is that he would have his own laundry machinery. Probably in a small alcove somewhere between the bathroom and corridor by the front door.
He decorates quite modestly, and since he likes having other people over, he keeps the space (with the exception of his bedroom at times) clean and orderly. The hardwood floors, ample natural light, and simply-designed furniture leaves his living room, hallways, and kitchen an air of humility and comfort. A person has the room to do whatever they pleased in these places. In the living room, Niko has a large couch and a cushioned chair facing a TV. He also stores his surfboard in the walk-in closet found in the corner of the living room.
His bedroom contains a queen sized bed, directly across from the door and runs parallel to the wall in which the door belongs. The west side of his room (which would be on the right side of the bedroom on the floor plan above) would have a large window facing the ocean. The wall, across from where the bed faces is a wide closet (not a walk-in in one) that is opened by two, simple sliding panels. The rest of his walls aren’t dominated by a window, and are instead covered by posters of his favorite bands. A small desk takes up the east wall of the bedroom. Next to the small desk on one side is where he keeps his guitar, and the other is a small shelf for things like books, magazines, CDs, and video games. The bedroom is decorated notably more than any other place in the apartment. If it’s ever messy, it’s because he’s slacked with doing laundry.
His balcony, unfortunately, doesn’t entirely face the ocean. It only does so on the smaller, west side of it. Nevertheless, he left a comfy lawn chair outside for when he does want to admire the view from such a spot.
Why do they have their resources? How long have they had them, and how have they served the character over time? (Ex. Contacts, money, political power, fame, etc.)
All of Niko’s resources all came into his life like an avalanche. What ultimately caused it was the treatment and disappearance of his parents.
When Niko’s parents tried to lock him up, Niko constantly snuck out and explored the town. He’d wander into shops and widely populated areas unattended by his parents. A kid who wasn’t going to school and was instead constantly messing around without any guardian in sight certainly caught the attention of many. A few people, such as the former owner of the boardwalk shop (the one Niko eventually worked at), family friends, and a few others decided perhaps it was best not to confront the parents. When they suggested forcibly taking him back, Niko was quick to react negatively. Instead, they decided to shelter him and get to know him behind the backs of his secretive family. The owner of the boardwalk store had a large family within which Niko met a lot of its members. When his parents disappeared, Niko stopped visiting until he started striving for independence in his later teens. The family recognized him and were the ones to offer him a job that would help him scrape by.
His good relationship with his music teachers provided him a resource for advice when he struggles creatively. Any other people he associated with when he was younger likely supported him by hiring him to perform at cafes and bars or told others to support his endeavors so that he could afford getting his new apartment-- a success..
Esmeralda’s family qualified for foster care, and they supported him emotionally and instrumentally for a very long time. While they provided such a variety of modes of support, Niko felt like he was burdening her family (Esme was the subject of verbal abuse by her step-father, and Niko very likely witnessed it and felt responsible) and that’s why he eventually left to find his own home shortly after high school.
― White Bird in a Blizzard (2014)
Kat: I just need to know! Please, I don’t care what it is. I just cannot keep living my life in the dark just, like, fucking wondering!