Nicolai (1796)

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Other Details:

Pronouns: They/them
Gender: Astergender

Burning Fuse Elemental Description:

The stamen of Nicolai's flower burn down over time like candle wicks or fuses. When the flames reach the inside of the flower, an explosion of fire erupts out from it. The flower smokes in the aftermath while the stamen regrow, and then they catch alight once more. Negative feelings like stress, anger, resentment, or fear, make the stamen burn a lot faster, but under normal circumstances it would take a long time for a blast to occur.

The rate at which the stamen burn and the intensity of the explosion are weaker the further Nicolai is from their boundary. Outside of their boundary but within their biome, the stamen smoulder but have little to no fire. The elemental does not manifest outside of their biome as their nature feature is not present.

Habits:

Original Form:

- Flitted between jobs
- Went to music concerts
- Attended protests
- Avoided commitments

Pre-Ebb and Flow:

- Kept an eye on children within their boundary
- Tidied up after the students
- Kept other esk at arm's length

Post-Ebb and Flow:

- Avoids the Developed biome
- Wanders aimlessly

Personality
Reserved, Polite, Elegant, Mild, Intelligent, Distant

Nicolai comes across as gentle and practical, with a strong sense of duty towards their university and its inhabitants. Beneath this kind veneer lurks disdain towards others and themself, and deep feelings of entrapment. They try to hide from this through emotional detachment and self-deprivation, but they cannot truly escape it.

Permissions
Gift art is allowed and appreciated, but please ask first if you wish to put Nicolai in literature.

Backstory

Nic used to be a lounge singer, but felt bored and resentful of the daily grind. They eventually decided enough was enough and left the country, never to return. They travelled about Europe for a small while, but their apprehension led them to settle back down, taking up a job at a university. Nic tried to convince themself that they were content there, but the monotonous lifestyle ate away at their soul. They grew despondent from the denial of their innermost desires. They lost their love for life, their rebellious energy, and their sense of self.

They were transformed by Rosette while wandering near the edge of the university grounds.

Original Form | filler text

The Story Since Then

Over the course of the Autumn Lights event, Nicolai stumbled into a town from their past life and met Adan, a shy and wistful esk who was far too keen to stick around them. They felt a strangely heightened spite towards this clingy stranger, but remained, bitterly, in their company throughout the night, as the pair encountered various familiar objects and spaces that they couldn't quite remember.

During the Soulsong event, Nicolai explored the Temple of Silence. They were faced with their feelings of disdain and inadequacy, and with the conflict of the beliefs that they projected onto themself and the world against the feelings that they stamped down to try and match that perception of reality. They saw who they once were, before and when they were lost, and how similar they feel now.

Then they saw memories of a man they eventually realised to be the past form of Adan, who fell in love with them when they were both human and wanted to run away with them, but was ghosted and transformed into an esk that night. They felt deeply ashamed, but weren't able to face this, instead channeling their feelings into a destructive rage.

After the events of Soulsong, the swelling tension within Nicolai manifested in the form of an explosive fire elemental.

Autumn Lights Event | Soulsong Event

Change on the Horizon...

Haunted by the pressure of their stress, disdain, and regrets turned manifest as an everpresent magical time bomb, Nicolai was in a state of constant dread. It became harder and harder to tolerate the nuisances and stifling mundanities of the university, and they struggled to act as a guardian of the premises knowing the threat they posed. Things came to a head when their elemental burst, burning down a wing of the university. They fled the scene, running all the way to the coastline, where they then participated in the Ebb and Flow event, shepherding an assortment of objects and creatures about the ocean at the behest of some unknown spiritual force. They were more than happy to have the distraction. 

At the end of Ebb and Flow Nicolai left not to return to their boundary, but to go far, far away. They could not return to the university and so they were left adrift--without hope, purpose, or belonging.

Ebb and Flow Event

Old Refs:

GP Log/Gallery:
Total GP is now found in the linked spreadsheet at the bottom of the log.

2018-11-17		+Base Score: 4 GP (Shaded Illustration)+2 GP (Full Body)+2 GP (Abstract/Minimal Background)Total GP per submission: 8GP	Masterlist Image
2019-04-22	https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dSplQDA8s5CNi1OwzHpKwD5lx7QlkLVW7cYyRAag3kE/edit?usp=sharing		Link to spreadsheet for future scoring.

GP log dates are ± a day due to timezone variation.