Gotta Travel On

[Stefan Spencer]

Stefan O. Spencer
Staff Writer

Today we are interviewing Niko Gallo. Hello there handsome. You work out much?
Hello to you too! *laughs* Yeah, sort of. I helped out my grandmother all summer with her house and garden, but I keep up with it now that I'm stateside.

So handsome, if I were to take you out, what kind of drink should I buy you?
Well... if we were in Germany or Ireland, I'd go for some mead or a really dark porter. But, uh, I'm not old enough here yet.

Okay, no drinks then. Well what’s your ideal date? Dinner and a movie? Or something more intimate?
*gives Stephan a skeptical look* You know, it almost sounds like you're hitting on me. *grins*

What if I am?
*laughs* Wow, I didn't think you'd come right out and say it! It's cool man, I'm not gonna flip out on you. I've just never really thought about guys that way. *grins* If you gotta know, though, I'm happy just having a cup of coffee and chatting with someone. Making something into a super formal, capital-D "date" seems like way too much stress. Going out should be fun, you know?

Yes. I agree. So other than blessing us with that smile of yours, what other hobbies do you have?
Yeah, a few. I like drawing buildings - you know, like churches and town halls... stuff like that. My Baba even sent me on a trip around Europe so I could see more of the stuff. Pretty cool, right?

I hear you’re fluent in Greek? Say something romantic.
Yeah, actually. Something romantic, huh... Oh, I know: äῶò ìïé ðᾶ óôῶ êáὶ ôὰí ãᾶí êéíÜóù. It means, "Give me somewhere to stand, and I will move the earth." Nifty, huh? Babba said that Granddad told her that when he proposed. Guess that's as romantic as you can get. *laughs again*

So word is you enjoy also gardening? Is that something you learned from a family member or is it all your own? Growing anything else beside the regular “herbs”?
Well... *scratches back of head* I don't know if I enjoy it really. I was helping my Babba out around her house. Mostly it was just weeding and stuff. But I can make a game out of just about anything. *laughs* Anything can be fun with the right mindset!

”Anything can be fun with the right mindset.” I like that. Couldn’t agree more. So you're pretty close with your Babba? What can you tell us about her? Do your good looks come from her side of the family?
Well, she's a meta, like a lot of my family. She lives in Greece kind of out in the middle of nowhere, and she's a pretty spy lady for someone over sixty. *laughs* But we're all pretty close to her. As for the good looks... well, I dunno. I guess I look more like her than Cassi, but I don't think there's any real comparison coz she and Eric look like our dad.

Speaking of family how is your relationship with your siblings? How are you like or unlike them?
Oh we get along great. At least, as great as most sibs do. I'm not as much of a ladies' man as my brother Eric, but I can't complain. I just like people, so if anyone talks to me outta the blue, that's cool. And Callie... well, she's got different tastes, I guess.

A question for our younger readers, when the zombie apocalypse happens, where will you be?
Probably at Hammel with my bro and sis. That place is home, man. We'd never let it get taken over by zombies! *whispers* Besides, zombies with our powers? How scary would that be? Teleporting or phasing through walls?? Jeez!

Yes, Hammel would be a great place to defend and launch a counterattack. So, you were at student at Hammel? How was your time there?
Yeah, both Eric and I did. Callie is still there. I had a pretty good time; studied like I was supposed to, controlled my powers, even graduated on time. My folks were pretty impressed, to be honest. *laughs*

My folks had a similar opinion on my school career. Do you use your ability much in your daily life?
Nah, not really. Sometimes I use it to leave rooms when people are blocking the door or to scare my sister senseless... *chuckles at that* But mostly I just have to make sure I don't slip through a floor or something.

So as of now you're unemployed? Do you have any plans for a future career? Or just looking for a part-time job now?
I'd really like to be an architect at some point, but math really isn't my strong suit. Plus, I don't really feel like going back to college anytime soon. So... freelance or part-time is definitely cool by me. I just want to see the world a bit before I get stuck in one place for too long.

Have you traveled a lot? Where is your favorite vacation spot? Ever take a special someone there?
Yeah, I traveled around Europe after staying with my grandmother in Greece for a year. I think the place I stayed the longest was Istanbul - you should see that place! It's like taking a trip back in time!

I’ll consider that an invitation. What were your reasons for moving back to Pilot Ridge?
This is going to sound kinda cheesy, but I missed my sibs. I wanted to get back and see them in time for Christmas and Thanksgiving, maybe take them on a trip for the holidays. Besides, I'm not really shy about my powers, so Pilot Ridge is a better place for work than most cities stateside. Way more tolerant here.

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And a few questions for Kallisti

How is Niko different and/or similar to your other characters?
Niko is a really energetic and likable guy. He laughs easily and is a total flirt. In a way, he's a lot like me! Most everyone else I play tends to be more serious than he is, and he tends not to have a temper like they all seem to.

Do you see any of yourself in Niko?
Oh yeah. *laughs* We have a lot in common, aside from the fact that we're different genders and I don't speak Greek. We're both flirts and social butterflies, and we laugh really easily. We're also both artists of different types, and I love looking at old architecture. Something about pretty churches just makes me smile.

Can you tell us how you developed the character? Did you find a playby, power, personality, etc first?
Actually, Niko was posted as an ad by Neon and Ed. I thought he sounded nifty, so I used their PB and a few references of him in their bios for Eric and Calliope to start on a personality type. Everything just sort of flowed out from there.

What made you want to adopt Niko from the Wanted Ads? Anything in particular?
Well, it was actually cuz Ed, Neon and I were talking about him in the Cbox. They weren't exactly sure how they wanted him to act or who to ask to play him so I stepped up. His PB made him look like a really fun guy, so I made him that; a guy that wants to have fun and walk the world for a long while.

Favorite thread with him so far?
For Fear of Making Small Talk is currently my favorite thread with him. I haven't played him much at all, but the ladies seem to like him a lot! *winks*

Do you have any plans or goals for Niko’s future that you’d like to share?
There have been a few mentions of him beating up or intimidating a bf/gf of Callie's, but nothing really concrete. Mostly, he's a fun character that helps me relax and smile. Everyone else is kinda stressful sometimes. xD

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Thanks to Kallisto for the wonderful interview! Don’t forget to check out Niko’s bio here and hit up Kalli's Characters if you want to thread with him!