STROMSTATT, NIKOLAI

TWENTY-ONE

MALE

HOMOSEXUAL

MEDIA

ACTOR

ARMS

The spotlight is on one of the up-and-coming young actors in the Delta Sector's Media Board, Nikolai Stromstatt. Please hold your applause 'til the very end, would you? Nikolai is attractive, self-assured, and charming—quite a doll, really. He seemingly has it all—the job, the fame, the money, the parties, the hot boyfriend—all of these material things to keep him content. Although he’s not so sure the message that he's sending through his job is the right one; he’s caught smack-dab in the middle of a moral dilemma. Romanticizing (and sometimes dramatizing) life in the Biome to keep the masses happy is like selling your soul to the devil (or in this case, the government.) Sure he could look on the bright side and see that he makes life in the Biome a little more bearable for the working class, but isn't this idealized portrayal only serving to perpetuate the government control?

The choice between remaining sycophantic to the government or attaining the freedom to live as they please through renouncing their position is a recurring conflict among the characters in Biome II. I can take multiple approaches in order to break Nikolai. Despite the warning that being a good character shouldn't hinge on being a potential, I think it would be interesting to see Nikolai perhaps finding out he’s a potential and having to hide the fact away from the world in order to save face. Of course, he would eventually get fed up with hiding it and come out on live television. Then he would have to become a fugitive and wander the Void or something along those lines. However, being a potential isn’t necessarily a requirement for this outcome. He could potentially get involved with a controversial new television series that challenges the government. Whatever the method, I hope to ultimately chronicle a rising star’s disastrous and scandalous fall back to Earth.

The actor is accustomed to performing in all kinds of situations. Every day — no! — every moment is a chance to entertain an audience. He is the masquerade maestro, the master dissembler, the authority on facades. Persuasion is the name of his game—Nikolai always has the right words for any given situation. He's adaptable and unpredictable, a force to be reckoned with. Nonetheless, once he works himself into a veneer to the point of essentially becoming the mask (dun-dun-duuuun) it's rather difficult for him to return to the genuine young man inside.

Well-educated at a prestigious school in the Alpha Sector where he was born and raised by his doting parents, he's rather fascinated by the intricacies of language. The most hopeless of the romantics, it's not uncommon for him to be seen writing poetry. Common motifs he utilizes in his writing include nature (avian creatures, in particular, are a favorite of his), death, oblivion, and human folly. The pen is mightier than the sword, in his case.

Just getting into the acting business, Nikolai gives off a certain degree of je ne sais quoi (literally French for "I don't know what")  that separates him from the rest of the crowd. He's shameless and glamorous—the makings of a real luminary. Now applying all that inherent charisma into something productive is the mark he really needs to hit. Before settling into a monogamous relationship with his spiffy new boyfriend, he was a regular party-goer who was sorta-kinda promiscuous (exploring his sexuality and all that jazz.) Not to say that he has debilitating commitment issues, he just doesn't like to bind himself to any one endeavor for too long.

The stage was set. They had rehearsed the interview several times to get it just right. This time was the picture that was going to be transmitted to citizens across the Biome. Brilliant stage lights illuminated the backstage corner Nikolai was standing. A person backstage pushed the actor on stage; it was his cue. “Our second guest today is one talented young man who all of Biome II is cheering on the sidelines for to reach stardom. If you would please welcome with a warm round of applause...Nikolai Stromstatt!”

A voluntary smile smeared across his lips, he strutted his long, slender legs center stage towards the woman dressed in ostentatious neon colors. A smile appearing almost uncanny, she gave the actor a firm handshake. "Sit, Nikolai." Locked hand-in-hand, she simultaneously pulled him down into the cashmere loveseat while seating herself. “So tell me, Nikolai, is it true that you’ve never been interviewed on live television before?”

The actor looked around for verification because the talk show host didn't seat him the last few times. They took that out. There was a nervous hiccup in his response, “That’s co-rrect.”

She cupped her hand and stage whispered to the audience, “Oh my, we’re his first.” She paused for the audience to laugh as they always had. Then, because the next question was a tad more serious, she gave a slight frown, “What do you feel like is the hardest thing about being famous at such a young age?”

An unnecessary pause preempted his words, “I would probably have to say the paparazzi. They’re so persistent and...bloodthirsty.” Now it was time for him to crack another joke, something Nikolai wan't too fond of; he preferred more serious roles. “I have about as much privacy as an animal at a zoo, and I’m telling you that isn’t a whole lot.”

The talk show host chuckled along with the audience, “So Nikolai, can you tell me how all of this attention makes you feel?”

The actor rolled his eyes and sassed, “Well Nora," The crowd went hysterical, "While I think that there’s no point in denying that I like all of the attention, I don’t feel like the whole Biome should be able to see my more private moments.” A rehearsed shush swept over the audience at the delivery of this comment.

Placing her finger on her lips, she inquired, “Private moments? You mean like dates with your boyfriend, don’t you? Remind me, how long have you been together now?”

Nikolai shifted uncomfortably. His boyfriend was watching. "It’s only been three years..." If the talk show host could make a faux pas, he figured he could as well. The actor added rebelliously, "...although I must confess that sometimes I feel like I’ve been with him all of my life. We’ve been apart for some time though since I’ve been in the Alpha Sector filming this new show.”

The smile dropped from her face. “Three months? Why, that’s like an eternity in celebrity time!" A discourse of this nature could cost the both of them their jobs. The following lines came through the talk show host's clenched teeth, "I’m so sorry to hear about the long distance relationship. May I ask what this new show is about?”

Playing games with people was one of his favorite pastimes. Nikolai flashed a cocky half-smile, “It’s aptly called ‘The Surgeon’s Assistant.’ I play the main character who happens to be the surgeon’s assistant, of course.”

The talk show host seemingly snapped back into her peppy persona, “Well duh of course! Sounds like the name of a juicy thriller. What is your character like?”

The actor loved to talk about the characters he portrayed. He explained, “Well he has this morbid fascination with death and the human body, and he wants to challenge the rules of the hospital he works in by experimenting with the cadavers of surgeries gone awry." A joke he didn't mind telling came next, "I really can’t give away too much, or my producer will have my head in a basket.” He smiled sardonically at the audience.

“Oh...how funny." A crew member signaled to her from off stage, and she wiped a sweat droplet off of her forehead. Her face was a kaleidoscope, shifting from boiling red to ghostly white in the blink of an eye. "Well looks like we’re just about out of time. Good luck with the new show, Nikolai!”

MADE BY KIROUKO OF GANGNAM-STYLE