93. What is your oc’s preferred learning style? Observation, hands-on, instruction? Do they take notes or memorize?
niko is a very hands on learner! growing up he got into mechanics/engineering bc he would help his dad fix up his mining gear and later down the line he became the town smith's apprentice and helped to forge and create new tools for miners around town :)
98. Is your oc the type to have a lot of fairly good friends, have a small group of close friends, have one or two best friends, or have no friends at all? Who are they closest to?
niko has always been a very closed off guy and he's somehow maintained 2 friends his whole life! astralsi's mona and sojutrait's miloš :,)) for lifers (literally im sorry) he's.. decently friendly with the rest of the crew but those two are his closest friends and then there's literalite's sunny <3 teehee ahahhahaah
99. What is your oc’s morning routine usually like? What do they eat for breakfast (if they have breakfast)? What time do they usually get up in the morning?
since niko is a shitty sleeper he doesnt have much of a set routine? he wakes up or.. decides its time to restart his day and he does quick rounds of the engines and reactor and just.... goes to eat. he keeps breakfast simple with like eggs or toast.. honestly whatever pace is offering in the caf that morning and then showers if he needs to then its back to the grind :,))
16. How affectionate is your oc? How do they convey their affection? By being touchy, or through more subtle ways?
niko is very.. blunt and monotone in the way he speaks but he is very caring (u know this OUGH) one of the ways he shows affection to his loved ones is giving their heads a little kiss be it in passing or during a hug etc etc.
29. If a perfume was to be made to represent your oc, what sorts of smells would be included in it?
cinnamon is a huge note for him.. he's very spice/woody yknow? i'd imagine fir in there too.. other than that i cant think of anything PFF cigarettes but that shouldnt be in a perfume LMAO
45. How is your oc around animals? What about children?
he's so careful... he's scared to hurt or scare them? he's a huge dude so its understandable. he loves them tho ;-;
2. Do you think you would get along with your oc if you could meet them? What things would you talk about?
i think we would kinda just.. stand there.. not talking but wanting to nerd out.. we're built the same. its the capricorn tendencies :///
9. How easily does your oc trust others? Any particular reason why? How trustworthy are they themselves?
it is insanely hard for niko to trust 😭 he has a select few to start with.. the x-3996 trio <3 but one really has to pick away at him to gain that trust. niko himself is very trustworthy once you get to know him. he's a ride or die kinda guy.. and i cry about it every day
13. What is your oc’s confidence like? Are they self-confident to the point of being arrogant? Are they terribly self-deprecating?
... ur a sick freak for this one... he loathes himself 😭 he doesnt talk about it PLEASE DONT ASK. he's always felt like a let down to his family, friends, people, etc.
24. Is your oc a romantic, or are they grossed out by the simple mention of anything romantic?
to put it in the most simple terms.. yes. 💀 he has one tough shell to get thru but he would lay his life down for you ngl he's very knightly for lack of a better word OIGHHIREG
Turns out I have this template from forever ago that's still pretty applicable as a shorthand version of characters that I put in a box and shook around a lot to inspire Niko's character.
This is the placeholder where I'm going to babble about Important Niko Lore, along with a brief timeline.
Current status: pre-ARR and ARR timeline synopsis (mostly) complete. HW partially complete.
BIO
Name: Niko
Age: 21 in ARR, 25 as of DT
Birthplace: North Shroud
Current Location: Tural
Current Profession: adventurer, Warrior of Light
Jobs: Black Mage, Dark Knight, White Mage, Dragoon
Romantic Status: engaged (G'raha) post-6.5, Arneis timeline Niko is married to Arneis post-4.0
Other Family: mother and aunts in N.Shroud and Gridania, Count Edmont (his dad in all the ways that matter), biodad (MIA, deceased), 2 siblings (deceased)
Timeline
6th Astral Era
-16 years pre-Calamity. Niko [birth name redacted] is born in a small Moonkeeper village in the North Shroud. His mother is the village’s resident healer, trained by Gridania’s Conjurer’s Guild, and his biodad (who only visits occasionally, per tradition) is a traveling gleaner from Sharlayan’s Dravania colony.
-11 years pre-Calamity. The Sharlayan colony’s exodus begins, and a small contingent of Moonkeeper refugees (those not included in the move to Old Sharlayan) move from Dravania to the North Shroud village, bringing many stories and tomes with them.
-12-6 years pre-Calamity. Niko’s closest friend growing up, until her family moves away, is Nashu Mhakaracca. Niko and Nashu are also tasked with minding Niko’s younger siblings (twins) and Nashu’s younger sisters (varying ages) while their mothers are busy. Niko and Nashu, enamored of stories about Sharlayan mages such as Louisoix, get into many shenanigans.
-6 years pre-Calamity. Niko learns basic hunting skills from his aunt. Nashu’s family moves to a different part of the Shroud to evade accusations of her mother poaching.
-5 years pre-Calamity. Niko’s younger siblings are killed and partially eaten in a vicious diremite attack. Niko barely escapes with his life.
-3 years pre-Calamity. Niko begins training with the village’s resident mender, in preparation for becoming a traveling tradesman. Niko’s mother additionally teaches him basic first aid and healing in hopes of him deciding to learn conjury instead, but Niko also begins studying forbidden magical theory for offense purposes behind his mother’s back, using tomes lent to him by a couple of the villagers from Dravania.
-0.5 years pre-Calamity. Louisoix returns to Eorzea. Niko’s biodad and several villagers formerly from Dravania declare their support and follow him to Gridania. They do not return and are MIA as of the Calamity.
The Calamity
-Niko witnesses the Calamity from Fallgourd Float. The shard of Dalamud landing nearby and the ensuing fires awaken his Echo and he hears Hydaelyn speak to him for the first time.
-Niko’s village burns to the ground, and everyone is forced to move further northeast of Hyrstmill to rebuild. Niko relinquishes his savings and delays leaving home for 5 years to aid in the reconstruction effort.
7th Umbral Era
-5 years post-Calamity. Shortly after his 21st nameday, Niko leaves home for Ul’dah to become a thaumaturge, against his mother’s wishes for him to formally study conjury.
-Due to a miscommunication stemming from both Niko’s strong Keeper accent and Ul’dahn immigration conventions, Niko’s traditional Keeper name is recorded as Niko with the Ul’dah Adventurer, Thaumaturge, and trade guilds. He goes along with it for various reasons.
-While on a mission to escort a disguised Nanamo, Niko fights to defend her from a voidsent, and Thancred appears to help. Defeating the voidsent triggers Niko’s Echo, and he obtains his first/main Crystal of Light. After a second Echo incident some time later, Thancred takes Niko to the Waking Sands to meet Minfilia, who convinces Niko to join the Scions.
-Niko and Thancred investigate plans to summon Ifrit, but Niko gets kidnapped as a sacrifice to be tempered, and fights and defeats Ifrit by himself.
-After the defeat of Ifrit, Niko joins the Maelstrom, the Lancer and Conjurer Guilds in Gridania, and the other trade/gathering guilds in both Gridania and Limsa. A-Ruhn-Senna writes to Niko’s mother about his white mage training and they become penpals.
-Niko meets Arneis, Owain, V’anilla, and other adventurer friends while honing his combat and trade skills. Niko also meets Y’mhitra and Meffrid while helping the Scions and Students of Baldesion. Niko also meets Tally through the Mist dating scene and offers him a job as his retainer after Tally quits/retires from the Bloody Executioners.
-After the attack on the Waking Sands, Niko and Cid are found by Alphinaud in Drybone. They travel to Coerthas, and Niko meets Haurchefant. Niko, Alphinaud, Y’shtola, and Yda rescue the rest of the Scions from Castrum Centri, and Niko promises Minfilia that he will save Thancred from Lahabrea.
-Niko and his adventurer friends carry out their mission to destroy the Ultima Weapon. After its destruction and Gaius’s presumed death, Niko confronts Lahabrea, is killed by Lahabrea and is subsequently revived by Hydaelyn for a rematch, and ultimately kicks Lahabrea out of Thancred's body and escapes with Thancred.
7th Astral Era, 2.x
-Niko finishes the rest of his crafting lessons. He keeps the Ixal balloon secret by lying to Miah Molkot a lot about pretending to visit his mother.
-Niko finishes the rest of his dragoon and white mage training.
-Niko helps the Students of Baldesion investigate the Crystal Tower and meets G’raha. They start dating. G’raha seals himself inside the Tower to sleep.
-Niko reunites with Nashu and meets Hildibrand. Godbert reveals he was the mysterious goldsmith at Bronze Lake that Niko met before he fought Titan.
-Niko explores the Coils with Alisaie and Alphinaud.
-Niko becomes a deputy postmoogle. He kills a couple wood wailers near the Shroud-Thanalan border, and Lendenel pretends not to know about it.
-Niko meets Ysayle and fights Shiva. Ysayle directs him to Midgardsormr. Midgardsormr confirms he’s the dragon whose skills Niko’s been using on drg (weird soul crystal resonance stuff goes here) and seals Niko’s soul off from hearing Hydaelyn.
-After the Bloody Banquet, Niko and Alphinaud escape to Coerthas, where Haurchefant offers them shelter.
3.0
-Niko, Alphinaud, and Tataru begin living in Ishgard as wards of House Fortemps.
-Alphinaud and Tataru are arrested for heresy. Niko (in full drg armor to prove a point) and Alphinaud prove their innocence via trial by combat. Haurchefant confesses his feelings to Niko after the trial and gives Niko the black chocobo, which Niko names Midnight. Niko watches Fray's body get carried out of the adjacent trial chamber and follows him to the Brume. Niko takes Fray's soul crystal and sword and meets Esteem, who he calls Fray. Niko and Fray kill a bunch of temple knights and Niko dumps the bodies near the Congregation. Aymeric (who does not know about the bodies yet) takes Niko to meet Thordan.
-Niko trains with Fray to be a dark knight. Fray loses his temper at the Moraby Drydocks. Niko and Haurchefant start dating. Niko and Fray have a confrontation in Whitebrim Front. Niko accepts Esteem/Fray as part of himself. Niko meets Sidurgu and Rielle and agrees to help/train with them.
-Niko travels with Alphinaud, Estinien, and Ysayle to visit Hraesvelgr. Niko and Alphinaud agree to practice tanking and healing as a team together. Niko and Estinien kill Nidhogg together.
-Ishgard celebrates Nidhogg's death. Edmont commissions portraits of himself and his sons, along with a second portrait of Haurchefant, Niko, Alphinaud, and Tataru. A week later, Aymeric confronts Thordan about the origins of the Dragonsong war and gets arrested and held captive in the Vault. Niko, Haurchefant, and Alphinaud storm the Vault to reach Thordan while Lucia and Estinien rescue Aymeric and Hilda and Ysayle create a distraction outside the city walls. Zephirin murders Haurchefant and Thordan leaves to find Azys Lla. Estinien and Fray have a conversation about Haurchefant and Alphinaud while Estinien escorts Niko back out of the Vault.
-Niko misinterprets Edmont's desire for space to grieve Haurchefant and moves himself, Alphinaud, and Tataru out of Fortemps Manor and into rooms in the Forgotten Knight. Niko trains with Sid and Rielle. Alphinaud meets Sid and Rielle, but does not train with them.
-Aymeric asks Niko to kill Thordan, and Niko agrees. Kan-E-Senna and Y'mhitra help pull Y'shtola out of the lifestream. Niko, Alphinaud, and Y'shtola travel to Dravania to get help from Matoya to upgrade Cid's airship to reach Azys Lla. Niko learns that the Thaliak charm given to him by his biodad is from the Sharlayan colony in Dravania and realizes the origin of the other refugees from his home village was also that colony.
45. How is your oc around animals? What about children?
answered here >:}
26. How does your oc sleep? Do they move around a lot? What position does your oc normally sleep in? What are their typical bedding arrangements like?
niko tends to not sleep.. like at all 😭 he tends to get nightmares about the revolution and theyre very vivid so he avoids sleeping all together if he can yknow like he stays up and works n stuff.. if he does sleep its for very short amounts of time and he faces a wall if he can. doesnt want to see anything that may lurk next to him. he tucks his cot in the corner or the engine room, all hidden if he can :,)
13. What is your oc’s confidence like? Are they self-confident to the point of being arrogant? Are they terribly self-deprecating?
answered here IM SORRY
6. How much thought does your oc put into what they wear/look like? Any reason why?
he hardly thinks about it. he goes for functionality and workwear kinda? (not in a normal au he's emo as shit we know this) but anything that can get dirty and it doesnt matter? perfect for him. black is the best color for him UGEEHUG
64. Which of the seven deadly sins does your oc fall under most? What about the seven heavenly virtues?
