#future(oc)

Nikolai is actually one of my favorite OCs (yeah, I know, they all are) but he never gets any attention. In fact, this is my first time ever drawing him.

Nikolai is the youngest of three siblings born to the wealthy Levine family. The story he exists in is set in the future, with a lot of sci-fi elements. Nikolai was always the disappointment of the family. Advancements in genetic technology mean wealthy families can practically engineer the "perfect" child. But with "perfection" being commonplace to the spoiled rich, any minor error or fault is criticized to an outrageous degree- any error as small as a single mole on a child's face.

Nikolai's life is torn between trying to compensate for his every minor flaw and an utter lack of interest in proving himself "worthy" of his family. He's reclusive and often rude, avoiding the fancy events his parents are so insistent on him attending. Despite this, he maintains an almost positive relationship with his old brother, Raymond, who is both the eldest child and the pride of the Levine family. He's handsome, charismatic, smart- perfect. Instead of Nikolai resenting Raymond for this, he finds himself grateful that Raymond takes everyone's attention so he can continue doing as he pleases.

Nikolai's only "flaw" wasn't just the mole on his face, either. He was a mild medical nightmare, and with the technology of his day being what it was, nothing was left to chance (whether Nikolai liked it or not). He had vision problems, so one eye was corrected with surgery and the other was replaced with a cybernetic. He had mild scoliosis that his parents "insisted" on correcting with surgery. He had to have his appendix out at age 13. Finally, when he hurt his arm in an accident with one of his projects (which I'll get to later), his parents paid to have it "upgrades" with advanced (albeit experimental) technology. Overall, Nikolai is almost as much machine as he is man.

Which suits him fine, as he's an expert with technology. Nikolai spends most of his time tinkering with gadgets old an new. He knows everything there is to know about modern technology, but is also fascinated with the past (with a special fondness for WWII era). He has an impressive collection of war memorabilia, including an army jacket that he's especially fond and exceedingly protective of.

Another large portion of Nikolai's time is spent in the extensive virtual world that exists in the story he belongs to. He can access it directly from his implants and has sometimes spent days in the virtual world while his body lays in bed. His siblings often tease him for spending more time in the virtual world than the real one, and they may not be entirely wrong...