Deviation Actions
Description
FULL NAME: Nichelle “Nikki” Williams
DATE OF BIRTH: December 12
AGE: 32
ZODIAC SIGN: Sagittarius
THEME COLOUR: Green
LIKES: Martial arts, cooking and Janet Jackson
DISLIKES: Vengeance, immaturity and racism
ABILITIES: Expert martial artist, trained in edged weaponry; fluent in English and Japanese
FAMILY: Christie Williams (sister)
RELATIONSHIPS: Toshiro Otaka (mentor, deceased), Hideo Otaka (ex-lover), Tai Childs (friend), Melissa Carter (friend), Jennette Topaze (friend)
PROFESSION: Bodyguard
PERSONALITY: Nichelle is a calm and articulate woman whose passion for martial arts makes her a formidable warrior. She is a natural detective with excellent deductive reasoning. While she is extremely logical, Nichelle leads with her heart. This makes her a trustworthy and understanding friend. Above all else, Nichelle lives by a strict moral code. She doesn’t believe in vengeance and adheres to a no killing rule.
HISTORY: Growing up in the shadow of her talented older sister Christie, Nichelle left home after high school and ventured to Japan.
Taking up residence in Okinawa, she followed her love of the martial arts and trained for years under the tutelage of Toshiro Otaka at the Emerald Dragon Dojo. For a time, she enjoyed a passionate love affair with her mentor’s son Hideo. In the end, Hideo’s jealousy over his father’s preferential treatment towards Nichelle poisoned the relationship.
Some time later, a band of mercenaries invaded the dojo and assassinated Toshiro Otaka. Angry and seeking answers, Nichelle followed a series of clues that led her towards a mysterious statue.
Travelling back to the States, Nichelle contacted Femmes Fatales Investigations in order to help her with the investigation of her mentor’s death.
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After drawing my character Andie, I opted to post Nichelle next. This mistress of the martial arts is one of the lead characters in my as-yet-unpublished novel "Femmes Fatales." A favourite of some of my watchers, Nichelle is characterized by her reputation as a badass and her appropriation of Japanese culture. She's also an extremely talented chef, something which isn't emphasized early on in the series.
For those who are familiar with my series, you'll remember that I've always consistently drawn Nichelle with straight black hair with bangs. I'd imagined her as wearing wigs and, sometimes, weaves. After watching Poetic Justice with Janet Jackson, I was really inspired to eschew white girl styles in favour of embracing Nichelle's heritage as a strong African-American woman. There's something really chic about braids and it's something I wanted to try on for Nichelle. I really liked the result and I feel it helps her to stand out. Figuratively speaking, Nichelle would go between wearing her natural hair and wearing it in braids or twists. For the rest of the piece, I ended up taking inspiration from a piece my dear friend Chalaya drew of Nichelle. I owe the overall pose to her drawing. If you're curious, you can find (and fav!) her piece here: fav.me/d5o0f1m.
As always, I appreciate comments and feedback. Feel free to drop a comment below.
Enjoy! 
