Chike Okafor

"I want to learn. To see the world from every angle. The secrets of the universe are right there, if only we choose to search... They say that knowing how something works ruins the magic, but really, magic and science are two words for one grand, beautiful thing. -Chike, explaining why he made Olivia."Chike Okafor is the adopted son of Linh, Niru, and Aylanur, the creator of Olivia, and the third member of the Obsidian Trio.

Biography
Chike Okafor was born to Axitu and Lerato Okafor, an unmarried couple living in southwestern Ursisa. He had a happy childhood while his mother was alive, though his mother was a tad overprotective and tended to grate on his father's nerves. Lerato died shortly before Chike's seventh birthday, which sent his father into a depressive spiral for several weeks, leaving Chike alone to be cared for by family and friends.

From that point on, his father's insecurities and vices amplified. He would routinely leave his son alone for hours at a time and eventually pulled him out of school. He became paranoid, often checking his son's possessions and room in case he was hiding something. This grew worse and worse, and soon enough his father became physically abusive with his son, at one point shoving him into a campfire, which severely burned Chike's arm and led to a loss of feeling along the forearm.

At some point in his early teens Chike stood up against his father's abuse, calling him out for the pain he had put him through; this resulted in his father snapping and beating him senseless, breaking several bones and suffering head trauma that led to him going deaf shortly afterward. The neighbors called the police, and Chike was placed in the hospital while his father was imprisoned. The following police investigation implicated several family friends for their willful ignorance of the abuse going on, and Axitu was convicted for twenty years on child abuse, battery, maiming of a child, and negligence of duty.

While Chike's injuries could have healed with minor scarring, the surgeons at the hospital ignored Chike's insistence that something was wrong with his feet. This proved to be a near-fatal mistake, as Chike had developed gangrene in his feet, and it had spread up to his shins. Princess Minerva happened to be visiting the hospital a week after Chike was admitted, and when she learned that Chike had been ignored she demanded that a surgeon she trusted be the one to take over his treatment. The doctor was able to save Chike's life, at the cost of his legs below his knees. The doctor worked with Chike for several weeks, teaching him all the basics of VRK before handing him off to someone who knew the language better.

While Chike was initially a Ward of the State for the first few weeks of his post-father life, the fact that Princess Minerva kept coming to visit him meant that he was soon coming to visit the Royal Family on a weekly basis. When Queen Niru learned what he had been through, she eventually convinced her wives to adopt the boy. This was met with enthusiasm from Minerva and hesitant acceptance from Duc.

After several years of living with the Royal Family, Chike got it into his head to make a synthetic person after reading Frankenstein and taking away the message that a parent has to take responsibility for their child, no matter how they receive that child, rather than the intended message of not playing god. He spent several months learning to code, especially how to program artificial intelligence, and after several failed attempts involving burning half his skin off and a severe concussion, he finally managed to make a thinking, feeling robot, who he dubbed Olivia. This earned him a great deal of derision from those around him for not thinking this through, but Olivia was eventually issued a birth certificate and made a full citizen of Ursisa and the legal ward of Chike, though she is currently unable to inherit the crown.

Personality
Chike has repeatedly been described as too clever by half. He's impulsive and quick-witted, often bouncing from one project to the next without thinking about the repercussions. While he's well-intentioned most of the time, his blunt and to-the-point manner of speaking has often gotten him into worse situations than he needed to be in. Those around him have learned that he rarely takes care of himself when working on a project and that he will not respond to soft words- the only way to get him to eat, sleep, and stretch is to force him out of whatever he's currently working on, and he doesn't catch onto innuendo or subtle hints.

His mothers
Chike has a close relationship with all of his mothers, though he's particularly tight with Niru. While he remembers his birth mother fondly, he considers Lihn, Niru, and Aylanur as his "real" mothers, and any attempts to tell him otherwise will be met with violence.

Minerva
Chike has an affectionate relationship with his older sister. The two often snark at each other with insults that would make a sailor blush, but when someone outside their social circle tries to insult one of them, the other will quickly jump to defend them. Chike also feels a sense of traditional chivalry towards his big sister, often defending her honor against tabloids, and growing angry with those who would invade her privacy. When she suffered from a stalker, he worked tirelessly to root out the man and expose him.

Duc
Chike enjoys mocking his brother, mostly because Duc is so uptight about everything. He feels like his brother doesn't take him seriously despite his intelligence, treating him like a child who gets into trouble. Part of the reason Chike created Olivia was to prove that he was capable, but Duc only saw a project that got out of control. Eventually, the two reconcile, with Duc promising to treat his brother more evenly and Chike promising to think his actions through clearly before acting.

Olivia
Duc and Olivia have an odd friendship. While he originally created her to be an independent being, capable of learning and discovering things on her own, Olivia found that she preferred being with Chike, and spends most of her time being an aid to him in his lab. He's confused by many of her mannerisms, but supportive, and will craft her improvements and modifications when she asks. The only times when Chike denies Olivia something is when it would be too costly (such as rocket shoes, which he insisted would force him to rework her entire chassis) or would be dangerous to her or others (such as a mimic nervous system, as he was afraid of her experiencing mental illness or suicidal tendencies).

Dazsha
Chike is deeply in love with Dazsha, who serves as his bodyguard and friend. Dazsha acts as a voice of reason, and was the only person that Chike confided in about his creation of Olivia; Dazsha kept the secret until Chike revealed her existence. While Chike would have healed regardless of Dazsha, his boyfriend helped curb some of his nastier tendencies and was a pillar of support. Chike would give everything to Dazsha, and looks forward to one day starting a family with him.

Trivia

 * Chike is currently the second disabled member in the cast, after Arusa and before Maia. In addition to being a wheelchair user, Chike is also Deaf and is fluent in several Sign Languages.
 * While Chike can technically use prosthetic legs instead of a wheelchair, he prefers being in a wheelchair due in large part to the expectations of those around him is that he should conform to what makes them comfortable when his chair is much more versatile and mobile than prosthetic legs.
 * Chike and Olivia have a messaging system- any messages she sends to Chike appear as texts on his phone, while she receives them in her robot brain.
 * While Chike does miss some aspects of hearing, he is content with where he is, and has rejected the offer of a cochlear implant.
 * His favorite color is forest green, his favorite book is The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, and his favorite food is honey candy.