Name: Nikolaus
Nickname(s): Niko
Age (Appearance Wise): Appears in his mid to late twenties.
Age (Actual): 4 years
Personality: "In order to gain something one must let go of something first. If one wants to become a great artist and create great works, the one must give up time and other trivial out worldly things."
That was a rule his father, the one who adopted him in, did his best to drill in to his head, and it is a rule Niko always remembers, not by choice, but because of that fact that his father did too good of a job drilling it in to him. These days Niko no longer has much use for the rule because of the fact that he is no longer deemed worthy of being an artist. As far as his father is concerned Niko is useless. He is a total disappointment and no longer worthy of being taught the art of art. Just like the rule, his father makes a point of reminding him of his disappointment each and every day.
Socially inept:: Being a total disappointment wouldn't be so bad for Niko if he hadn't given up so much in order to try and gain his father's approval. Time wasn't the only thing he gave up on order to practice and learn. No, Niko also gave up learning the basics of even having a life. He gave up interacting with the city people and other book children [besides Olwen], which meant giving up developing basic social skills within the city. This in turn basically means Niko is socially awkward in a sense. Maybe not exactly awkward, but just dense, or blind to how the outside world works.
Besides his "conversations" with his father, trading notes and small window meetings with Olwen, and his job as errand boy to the man, Niko gets little social interaction. When on errands, yes, Niko has to deal with being surrounded by people, but he has a choice as to if he wants to talk to them or not, and all of the time he chooses not to because he does not feel comfortable around the people of the city. When he delivers or picks up an item, yes, he has to talk to people, but it is usually small talk that he can just play off with simple one word answers.
Basically, Niko just doesn't know how to bond with people. He does not know how to hold and carry out a conversation, or take any real interest in others. He does not know how to pick up on signs that say where someone wants to lead small talk, or if someone is hoping for a certain question to be asked, or topic to be popped up. He cannot tell when something he says has struck a chord with someone, and thus he is left confused and wondering why the other person got mad all of a sudden.
Niko is just a social mess...
Blunt:: Nikolaus' dense and blind behavior can also be attributed to the fact that he knows no better. Living with a man who is cold and blunt, and knowing no one else other than him for years, Niko was left to pick up on some of his traits and see such behavior as nothing more than normal. Just like his father, while he may not actually be cold-hearted, though he does come off his such with his emotionless air and denseness, Niko is very blunt and to the point.
His father never sugar coated anything for him, or tried to lie in order to make him feel better about something. There was no need, because if Niko was going to learn, then he needed the truth no matter how much it hurt him. If it did hurt him, then a simple "Get over it" was told and he was pushed to continue on.
Never knowing sugar coated words, Niko does not hold back from telling people the truth, or pointing out what others may have worked to avoid pointing to that person.
The person may get mad, but so what. Niko isn't one for comforting others, especially since he doesn't know how to comfort another person. Instead, being the blind boy he is, he will simply point something else out, tell the person to get over it and accept the truth, and earn his slap in the face like a true man!
Easily frustrated (ﾉಥ益ಥ）ﾉ ┻━┻ :: Everything in life must be earned one way or another. Knowledge is earned by dedication and time. Friends are earned by time spent getting to know one another and by building a bond. Niko, however, finds that to be nothing but annoying crap due to his short temper which causes him to be easily frustrated by things he cannot grasp.
He wishes things would just fall in to his lap, and just go his way. He wishes he could understand what he wants to learn with the snap of his fingers, but he knows that will never be, and thus, it just ends up frustrating him even more.
While he is anxious to learn new things, and put certain things to the test, he is bothered by the fact that some things just aren't so easily learned. Some things take time to understand, and require more in depth knowledge, but Niko just doesn't have the patience for such things. He just wants things to be understood during the first go around. He does not want to waste time reading and researching the same thing 50 times over just to understand the basics of it all, which ends up being his own downfall for his quest for knowledge.
Sometimes he will flip a table and walk away never to return. Other times he may swallow his frustration and go back for another go only to head desk when he finally does get it.
Easily swayed:: There is no doubt that the guy can be unintentionally cold-hearted and seriously stubborn at times. And there are times when he is intentional with his harsh words, but underneath it all is a shriveled up layer of kindness. Sometimes at can be brought up, other times it gives the finger and does back to its untouched depths.
While Niko may not enjoy his title as errand boy, and does not enjoy being surrounded by the people of the city, though they do intrigue him, there are times when he does feel pity for a chosen few. Some determined poking, a sob story, maybe some puppy eye looks, and he will give up his time to help with out with this or that, even if it does annoy him and he is left grumbling about how stupid it is.
::Little quirks::
Studious in his own way [like a creeper]:: In order to learn more about the outside world and how people interact with one another, Niko people watches. Whether it is outside his bedroom window, taking a seat on the streets, or creeping along the roof of a shop, he has to get his studying done somehow. Still, his studies have a long way to go since Niko still can't make heads or tails of how conversations are played out, and he is still unwilling to find out by firsthand experience.
His first and only friend, Olwen ["Snow White"], also gives a hand at trying to teach him to be more social and open with the other people of the city. It's safe to say that with his stubborn and short tempered nature that most lessons don't really get far, but at least technically he gets to walk off with more information, even if it is with no experience.
I like sharp things:: ...He likes sharp things, like knives, screwdrivers, shanks, ect ect...
Who is this Olwen you keep mentioning!?: As stated above, Olwen his Niko's first and basically only friend. She is the only one Niko is willing to be the slightest bit social with, and accepting of because he trusts her and feels comfortable with her. She was there when he woke up with the forest to the point where he was even adopted in to the Artist's home. She was even there during his studies and breakdowns [she got adopted in to the house next door, so haha, no choice there], and continued to keep in contact with him via messages sent by clockwork creatures, and window meetings. Being just as stubborn as he is, if not more so, Niko gradually accepted her in to his life as a friend and as his sole piece of comfort.
Thoughts on the Forest: While Nikolaus respects the rules to stay out and keep away from the forest, lest he never wants to return to the city and been seen again, he can't help but hold a slight curiosity about what secrets it hides. Why is he never allowed in? Why are the guardians so protective of it? Why didn't he try to find these answers when he was actually allowed him when he showed up? No, that would have been bad and he would have never been seen again. Pity.
Thoughts of Book Children: He isn't sure what to think of them, because besides Olwen he has never met another child. He is slightly curious of them though, and what stories they have to share about their own experiences with being brought to this place, and what "memories" they have of their own story book tales. He can't help but feel they won't be any less annoying than the city people though, but at least one of them has to be tolerable, right? Besides Olwen anyway.
Thoughts on City People: Niko holds a silent fascination towards the City People, and all their hard work. Not to mention, their openness toward Book Children like himself, though he knows not all of them are so nice and open. He can't help but question why they have to talk the way they do though. He finds it very annoying and shocking when the bubbles pop up out of no where and nearly slaps him in the face.
The Book Child does try to his best to learn and accept the City Peoples' ways. It took him long enough just to understand a few basic "words" and learn to at least decipher a few things here and there via hand movements and gestures. He can't imagine how long it will take to fully understand the language of the city.
Physical Appearance: Premade. Look to the left.
History: Monotone shades. That is all Nikolaus saw when he awoke within the Paper Forest. It was sort of amusing to him since it made him stick out like a sore thumb, a prime target for whatever threats may have been prowling around. However, he wasn't alone. While the guardians most likely knew of his presence, there was one other. A girl. One whom he had a feeling he knew, yet didn't. She was a stranger, yet she brought him a stranger air of comfort.
While she might have looked sweet and dainty, when she finally woke up Niko saw first hand that her looks where far from her attitude. Just like himself she was stubborn as hell, maybe even more so than himself.
No matter what he tried to do, not matter how far or fast he ran, no matter how loud he shouted and protested, he could not lose her. He could not run from her attempts to make him stay with her, to be her explorer buddy, body guard, person, whatever the hell she wanted out of him. Eventually, Niko was worn down and gave in to Olwen's demands.
He would watch over her, protect her, be her little traveling companion as they worked on finding out where they were and why. They did not expect to get their "answer" out of a giant monster looking beast though. If the guardian had been watching the whole time, then it must have gotten quite a sight from their run around antics. Gently, the grand beast nudged them toward the direction of the skyward city where they would eventually find their place.
Even in the city, a place where he thought he could part ways with the loud girl, he was proven wrong once again. Though Niko was taken in to the city of Eyncastor and adopted by an artist whom mainly works with painting and sculpting, he soon found out Olwen, the stubborn girl from the forest was also taken in to the same layer and town, and was now his neighbor...
Thus was the start of a 'beautiful' friendship...
Hobbies: Doodling, people watching, day dreaming, sharpening his knives, and reading.
Birthday: Sometime at some point during some month of the year... [December 26th...]
Favorite Things: His knives and furs, his collection of self made miniature sculptures, silence.
Hated Things: Loud noises, alcohol, drunks, disrespect.
Story: Snow White
Favorite type of Ending: Light tragedy. Not really a sob story, but not really an overly happy ending where everyone skips off in to the sunset.
