Nikki Nakajima's Progress

Nikki Nakajima

BASIC INFORMATION

Vigilante alias: Iron Maiden
Player Name: Jessie
Faceclaim/Series: Tifa Lockhart / Final Fantasy
Age: 19
Gender: Female
Affiliation: Civilian
Height: 173cm
Weight: 58kg / 500kg (Quirk)
Hair/Style: Long, very dark brown hair, often messy. Metallic with quirk.
Skin/Scars: Heart complexion, battle scars here and there. Metallic with quirk.
Eyes: Magenta, large but a little dull and cynical. Metallic with quirk.
Notables: When she uses her quirk, she looks like she’s made of metal.

APPEARANCE AND PERSONALITY

Appearance:
A tall and robust young woman just on the cusp of adulthood, Nikki Nakajima is an attractive young woman with dark hair and striking eyes that are crimson in colour, giving her a somewhat exotic and mysterious appearance. The face of this fine femme more delicate than one might expect given how aggressive and confrontational she is in personality, she has slender features and large, vividly coloured eyes that are quite noticeable to others. Burning with a bright red colour as if her irises are made from the same materials as rubies, while at times they can look a duller brownish tone when the lighting isn’t good, the eyes of Miss Nakajima gleam with scarlet colour in good light and this tends to be especially apparent whenever she uses her fiery magic.

Hearty of complexions for the most part and gifted with a rather ample bust which she is quite proud of, one would note that her Italian heritage gives her a slightly more curvy and ‘thick’ build than your average Japanese girl, giving her a slight sense of stockiness to her appearance but not in an overly noticeable or unpleasant fashion. Gifted with a large bust and broad hips, perhaps some of her potential voluptuousness seems to have been diminished by the lean cut of musculature, and she has noticeable definition in her arms, legs, and pretty much across her body, with the woman’s stomach showing a high degree of flatness and tone that she often highlights with a nice show of her midriff.

The dark features of this dishy young woman only enhanced by the rich and lustrous colour of her hair, the long and at times scruffy looking locks of Miss Nakajima are only a shade or two away from being fully black, being a deep shade of brown in colour but easily mistaken for the colour of the night in dim conditions or when it gets wet. Letting the magnificent mane she possesses growing rather long indeed, when loose the tresses of this temptress reach her backside and she usually shows a limited degree of concern for restraining them, at best tying them in a loose ‘dolphin tail’ bunch behind her to keep her silky strands from her face when she’s busy. Keeping her fringe shorter than the rest, she styles her bangs to hang just long enough that they can obscure her eyes and favours a simple part to let her locks hang over here eye in a functional fashion.

In terms of personal style the choices that Nikki goes for actually more modest than the designs she wore as a teenager, while she prefers to maintain a revealing ‘bad girl’ image, the dark fighter enjoys a little function in her fashion. Certainly far too much of a tomboy to ever wear proper dresses with any degree of frequency away from a ‘club scene’ at least, she is fond of miniskirts so long as they have enough ‘give’ to not impede her motions, and enjoys tank tops and other items. Not a brightly dressing beauty by any stretch of the imagination and the favourite colour in the apparel of this feisty young woman the colour black, she tends to focus on this mostly with highlights in the form of white or rich tones of red or occasionally blue.

Fond of her physique and happy to flaunt it, Miss Nakajima likes to show off her impressive chest by wearing tight and revealing T-shirts, tank tops and crop tops, she also enjoys wearing rather scandalously short skirts and hot pants to highlight the fullness of her thighs. Sometimes mixing items like thigh high socks and arm guards into her usual repertoire if she feels the need, the girl likes large and chunky looking ‘rocker boots’, often in more striking colours to really emphasize when she does a high kick or something of the sort.

Activation of her quirk providing her with a noticeable change of her image, while the basic features of the femme remain the same aside from becoming a little sharper looking in places, the skin, hair and eyes of Nikki all look metallic in composition, as if she has suddenly become a fully mobile statue of herself. Depending on how recently she polished herself, this metal colour can vary from a striking silver like fine cutlery to something dull and more grey like old pewter.

POSITIVE
✔ Confident, Determined, Down to Earth, Empathic
NEGATIVE
✖ Vulgar, Cynical, Impatient, Reckless, Tempestuous, Defiant
LIKES
✔ Drinking, Fights, Leather, Hotties, Bikes, Freedom, Sass
DISLIKES
✖ Criticism, Orders, Tight Spaces, Preachy people, Sickly Sweetness

Personality:
On her best days someone who is witty and courageous but on her worst a woman who is belligerent and volatile, Nikki Nakajima is the kind of soul who some might see as full of surprises, though others might fear for her hot-headedness and aggressive temperament. This overall seeming to contribute to a character who can be somewhat bombastic and at times unpredictable, this dark diva is a good friend to those who get close to her and a fierce enemy to those who make the mistake of crossing her.

Certainly not the sort that is afraid to make her thoughts or feelings known when she wants to, Nikki can be something of a loudmouth who likes to vent her emotions through slang and swear laden outbursts, and isn’t afraid to be blunt or frank in her opinions. Certainly lacking a little bit for manners given how rude she can be at times and even seeming to casually see no problem with breaking social conventions and even some laws as she goes about her business, this dark haired beauty is a somewhat bombastic soul that might seem somewhat simple at first glance, but is far more complicated than she seems.

Initially presenting the kind of image of a person who is impulsive and driven by her feelings more than anything, while this is certainly true about Miss Nakajima, it is far from the whole truth. Not quite as open about what she feels as she would have you believe or at the very least far more guarded about the more sensitive areas of her emotional spectrum, whilst aspects of her psyche such as excitement, anger or base desire are readily apparent, she can have a habit of hiding and bottling up her more complicated feelings.

A girl who prizes her independence and laden with no shortage of abandonment issues given the torrid affair that was her life growing up, while in a good mood Nikki can be engaging, friendly and flirtatious, she is rather terrified of committing to people on an emotional level. Guarding her need for intimacy quite carefully and taking some time to show any level real of trust in people, this jaded young woman rolls with the punches and throws a few of her own, feeling it’s better to put up a tough front than let people know how much things get to her. Lonely but unable to admit it to people because she would feel too vulnerable and ‘weak’ to ever ask for the attention and affection of other people, despite her fiery nature she can be somewhat reluctant to show much warmth toward people and tends to panic and get defensive if she feels she is becoming exposed.

In a good mood the type of person who can be playful if rather dry witted and even somewhat flirtatious with the right people, Nikki can take time to bond with people and even when she has done can be somewhat flippant, seeming to communicate more through bravado and banter than honest expressions of her feelings. The cheeky sort who expresses her fondness for people with teasing comments and somewhat masculine mannerisms, she would hope any ‘friend’ would see that the warmth she shows in these things conveys her affection far more than the potential offense in her words, and in her heart would hate to hurt the feelings of anyone she viewed as important in her life.


Certainly the cynical sort, Miss Nakajima tends to show a jaded and somewhat pragmatic attitude toward the situations she encounters, sometimes coming off as a little lacking for thoughtfulness in regard to the beliefs of others. A realist, she tends to favour material needs and concerns above lofty ideals, prioritizing things like income and stability over high minded ideals and dreams though in this regard has softened just a little bit.

Very firm in the beliefs she has in herself and rather assured of her own mind and abilities, she has learned long ago that idealism only gets a person so far and has somewhat of a ‘might is right’ kind of mentality, believing that only people strong enough to protect their ideas and interests are going to get anywhere. However, there are times when she does show just a hint of envy toward folk that have a more idealistic approach at life, sometimes regretting her own cynicism especially when she

Not quite as heartless as she might seem and occasionally moved by her sympathy and desire to be ‘better than she was’, while she still struggles with the ingrained impulses toward more deviant behaviour, Nikki tries to be a more positive figure than she knows she was in the past. Sentimentality creeping into her heart thanks to certain influences upon her across her life, there are times when this fiery femme can show kindness in somewhat begrudging and reluctant fashions, though part of her awkwardness stems from the fact that she doesn’t like seeming like a saviour or ‘meal ticket’ to others.

Truly sympathetic toward those who are suffering or have nothing to cling to since she too has felt that way at times in her life, while she isn’t the best at cheering folk like that up, Nikki is fiercely protective of such people and not the sort who can ignore these kind of problems in front of her. This seeming to loan her a charitable and somewhat honourable side, even when she worked as a criminal Miss Nakajima disliked and avoided taking things from people who were as bad as or worse off than she was, adopting something of a personal ‘code’ even while committing acts that broke the law.

HISTORY

A girl whose life began much like any other, Nikki Nakajima, or rather Reiko Kanahara as she was born, was the daughter to a Japanese father and a half-Italian mother, and for her young life was quite happy. The happiest she has ever been in her life, really.

Growing from a baby to a young girl, her quirk manifested at the age of three years old when she was mischievously trying to reach for something that had been placed out of her reach by her mother on a book case, and ended up pulling the whole thing down on her. Mia rushing in and horrified to see her baby girl buried underneath a piece of furniture, to her great relief she realized the girl had instinctively activated her quirk to protect herself and was shocked, but OK.

Heading to school as most children do, little Reiko was a somewhat precocious and energetic child who was daunted by almost nothing. Perhaps instilled with a sense of safety and security by her quirk, she was the type to climb up trees and hit the boys who pulled on her pig tails, and was on the whole something of a tomboyish little girl, but she was happy. Oh so happy. It was a shame that it wouldn’t last.

The blissful beginning of her life coming to a nasty end when Miss Kanahara was caught up in what she found out later was a villain attack in a mall when she was nine years old, she and her parents ended up in a shop as the building was ruined and collapsed on top of them. Reiko ‘lucky’ as she was distracted by a puppet show, she was a ways away from her parents and thanks to her quirk only suffered a few quirks and bruises as the structure buckled but her family wasn’t so fortunate and were killed as a result of the incident, shattering the life of the little girl.

Sent to live with her Japanese aunt and uncle after this had happened, even though they tried to understand and care for the girl to try and help her recover from things, Reiko never really seemed to heal fully after what had happened. Filled with anger, and this seeming to fuel her rebellious streak even more, she felt smothered by the attention of her foster parents and unable to properly channel and process her feelings.

This not all, she was also afflicted with an increasing sense of insecurity thanks to the fact that she was now effectively the ‘sister’ to her cousin, she couldn’t help see the happy relationship between this family and compare it to her own loss, feeling envious and inferior because of it. Miss Kanahara’s Aunt and Uncle certainly making the effort to make her feel included but deep down the girl never really feeling like she belonged here, all these factors seemed to frustrate her and drive her down an angry and defiant path because of it.

Seeming to want to stand out from her cousin and define herself differently the tomboyish streak that Miss Kanahara possessed only growing bigger because of this, and she ended up falling in with a bad crowd from school, no matter how much her family tried to prevent this. The duo despairing at her outrageous behaviour, by the age of fourteen she was already drinking alcohol and joyriding, and even broke into the bōsōzoku scene despite her young age, while her cousin was a prep school ‘princess’ who she felt could do no wrong. A perfect contrast to herself, really.

Everything boiling down to a moment where her uncle slapped Reiko across the face in despair because of her behaviour and attitude, something inside her just snapped and she responded instinctively, hitting the man back hard enough that she knocked him out and left him looking quite hurt. This horrifying both the man himself and her aunt and cousin, not only did this lead to a great sense of guilt immediately but also terror for Miss Kanahara that she would be rejected and worse arrested or something, and so she fled her home immediately after because of this.

Choosing to live for and look out only for herself after this, while life as a homeless teenager was not an easy one, her tough attitude and desire to survive helped her in this. Acting like a petty criminal as she did so, Reiko would intimidate and rob down wealthy looking folks for money to survive at first, then got ‘in’ with a drug dealer who gave her a job moving his product and beating payments out of reluctant addicts.

Turning up at music venues and concerts and passing out all kinds of things, Reiko even got into the scene herself and while she was smart enough to not take anything too hard, developed a fondness for drinking and using recreational ‘supplements’ in her own time. This quite the disheartening period for her on the whole, while she did not feel wholly comfortable with what she was doing the girl felt like she had no choice if she needed to survive and live on, however she ended up finding ‘help’ out of this life from a rather unlikely source.

Perhaps her ‘boss’ at this time getting a little bit cocky and intruding into Yakuza territory as he tried to expand his business, Miss Kanahara ended up facing some thugs sent to shut down their operation for good, and surprised them by giving as good as they gave her. It taking more than a handful of goons from the crime gang that went after them to get the better of the foul mouthed girl who fought like a lioness, though she was eventually subdued and likely looking at being executed to make an example of their defiance, the boss of the gang seemed to decide to spare her instead which surprised Nikki.

Apparently the old man known as Eiji Ishikawa liking her grit and taking a shine to her despite the damage she had done, he offered her a choice between having his men finish the job or joining his group, as he felt she would be an asset to him. This something of an easy decision to make really, while part of Reiko wanted to deny him simply to be defiant perhaps some part of her wanted to ‘step up’ her game and get a better life, and she accepted the offer of the boss.

Given money and a roof over her head as a result of their deal as well as the promise from the big man she would face no repercussions for what had occurred Reiki started working at first as a low level enforcer for Eiji Ishikawa, though some were unhappy at having a ‘little girl’ as part of their gang her impressive quirk and unexpected experience in violence proved an asset to them, and gradually the girl started to earn respect and her place in the group.

Taken under the wing of the man in charge, the brassy and unassuming attitude of Miss Kanahara seemed to impress the gang boss and several of his habits and beliefs seemed to rub off on her. The Yakuza a complicated culture to understand, Eiji very much embraced their odd codes of chivalry and outlaw compassion, while he was far from the most law abiding citizen the man was regarded as a force for good by some. Always seeming to use his influence and the power of his gang to create a feeling of peace in across his turf, he was respected by civilians and villains alike, and most folk knew it was much better for everyone to keep him happy than risk his wrath.

The girl very much representing the side of his fury, she proved herself an able fighter in turf wars despite her young age, and began to steadily approve of his more peace-minded approach. Tempering her passion somewhat or at least directing it against useful sources all while showing a genuine affection and encouragement toward her, some might have seen him as a strange role model but his acceptance of the girl forged a bond between them that grew strong and some seemed to feel threatened by the ‘outsider’ the boss seemed to favour so much.

Discontent seeming to grow with some in the gang, the boss’s eldest son Daisuke seemed to be far more ambitious than his father was, and also somewhat impatient. Seeming to want to expand their operation rather than trying to maintain a status quo with limited prosperity, he conspired with another gang leader to have a meet go bad, and end in Eiji’s death. Everything going horribly wrong however and the foolish boy underestimating his supposed allies, not only was the boss killed but all too quickly the group he had allied with attacked the weakened group as a whole, with only a handful of their people seeming to survive the resulting turf war.

Reiko among these, her relatively low position in the group meant that she wasn’t targeted as heavily as some of her peers within the Ishikawa group, but she was left devastated much the same by what had happened. Once again faced by the death of someone she saw as a parent, unlike when she was a little girl the lass opted to do something about it, and led a single handed fightback against the enemy gang and most importantly its traitorous leader. Possessed by the spirit of revenge and embarking on a reckless challenge of them that almost led to her being killed, she unleashed her brutality like never before and drove her nemesis into hiding, spreading rumours of the ‘Raging Oni’ that punished the wicked in the neighbourhood. However, this was not enough for her.

Eventually chasing the man down to a safe house in Hokkaido and beating him nearly to death, Reiko has no idea why she never finished the job, but instead left him to be picked up by law enforcement and face the music for his crimes. Perhaps remember the lessons of temperance that Eiji had taught her or preferring the idea of making him live as the ‘broken thing’ that she had made him more than giving him the easy way out of death, the girl succeeded in her mission, but found herself rather lost in the aftermath.

Unsure of what she should do with her life after this, while she was tempted to return to her aunt and uncle in the hopes of seeking some form of forgiveness, she chickened out of the idea and set off as something of a lone wolf in the world. Managing to distance herself from her former crimes by getting a new identity, Reiko Kanahara became Nikki Nakajima and began a new life as a new woman.

Trying to stay away from her criminal past in order to not draw too much attention to her, initially she tried to take on more ‘normal’ jobs to make ends meet, but struggled with them. The options she had limited due to her incomplete education and faked backstory, she worked various jobs such as cleaning, driving a taxi and even in convenience stores but did not get along well with most. A bit too rough and rude in her attitude for service jobs, while working as a cleaning maid in a hotel seemed to work out best for her she felt no fulfilment from it and found her new life boring and frustrating for the most part.

Almost literally stumbling across an opportunity to add a little more ‘spice’ in her life when she happened to punch out a guy in a bar who was coming on too strong for her liking, all too quickly some other fool was sent into a panic as his so-called ‘prize fighter’ was taken out of commission, and Nikki couldn’t help but show a kind of passing curiosity on the subject. Finding out that the handsy idiot had been an underground cage fighter, on a whim Miss Nakajima offered to take his place and his pay check, and found herself thrown into a ring against someone big, nasty and ultimately, kind of exciting to battle.

Managing to get the better of him despite numerous disadvantages by using her quirk, though the action got her disqualified it earned her some interest, all too quickly she was getting offers from interested parties about finding something a little more appropriate to her abilities. Shrugging off the requests of criminals to be a bodyguard or a man on their team due to her desire to do better for herself but accepting the opportunity to make some money for herself by taking part in something a little more exciting than working as a cashier or a cleaner, she quickly found herself in a cage again but this time it was far more of a ‘no holds barred’ type of concept.

Earning a living by taking and dishing out beatings in an illegal gambling operation where she would clash with other ‘gifted’ individuals, Nikki was given the nickname of the ‘Iron Maiden’ due to her quirk and her status as a rare female competitor in these sorts of events, and gave as good as she got and managed to earn a better slice of the proverbial pie for herself while she did it as well. Often underestimated due to her gender and that making her a good draw for the bookies, she could be given long odds and win out, and became a popular fighter.

Not even adverse to taking a ‘dive’ now and then either for a bigger payday, ultimately Miss Nakajima was more concerned with her payday than the rep she built, and managed to make some decent money with what she was doing. Still not quite managing to lose that feeling of being ‘lost’ even with her new career however, the lifestyle she keeps now perhaps reflects that most heavily as she hangs around in dive bars, often drowning her sorrows or trying to otherwise distract herself from the restlessness she feels within her…