Character Spotlight -- Nikki Holliday
by Doug Elder
With Artwork by Kyryn and Revel
Name: Nikita-Holidae.
Birthdate: March 10, 1985 Earth time (due to the different speed of time
progression that exists in her birthplace- 1 Earth year equals 300 Concordance
ones- Nikki is approximately 1500 years old. In human form and identity
she appears to be about twenty-eight).
Aliases: Nikki Holliday, reporter for ABC.
Background: Nikki is a powerful and benevolent, yet young
and naive, silver dragon from the plane of Concordance. She came to Earth
in late 1989 out of curiosity about what our place was really like. Her
mother, a silver dragon named Nikaita, had visited Earth as an explorer
in the Dark Ages and was involved with helping the Illuminati banish most
of the Unseelie Court to the Lower Planes during her time here. She then
went back to her home plane of Concordance, where she bore and raised Nikki
by herself after her husband was killed in the ongoing wars between the
dragons of Concordance and their cousins from the neighboring plane of
Tarterus. Nikki originally was trained as a chronicler of her kind, a sociologist
who when grown and fully trained would record the history of the dragon
race and keep their archives of knowledge. However, Nikki soon felt the
urge to have a more exciting lifestyle, craving to become an explorer like
her mother. Both Nikaita and Nikki's friends did all they could to encourage
her to follow the explorer path if she so desired, but Nikki felt too committed
to her studies as a chronicler to abandon them. Still she continued to
hear stories of the places her mother had visited, especially of Earth,
and became more curious to see the places for herself as time went on.
When her mother did of a wasting disease at the same time Nikki finished
her studies and graduated, she reminded her daughter with her last words
of Nikki's true desires and told her to follow her heart.
After brief consideration, Nikki decided to
comply with this directive, giving in to her long-dormant desires to seek
new experiences and adventure. She then told the dragon king and queen
of her choice, but they disagreed with it and strongly opposed her wish
to change her career (or so she thought). Under advice from her friends,
Nikki then decided to act on her own and leave Concordance for Earth through
a magical portal that opened from a Concordance cave into a New York alleyway.
Arriving on our planet, Nikki assumed human form and was surprised by how
much everything had changed from her mother's stories. Fortunately, one
of the first humans she met was Liz Traherne, a young security guard and
fan of fantasy and science fiction who was well-equipped in terms of psychology
and resources to teach Nikki about this world. The fact that Nikki saved
Liz's life by turning into dragon form and defeating a group of thugs assaulting
the other woman also quickly endeared them to one another. Nikki since
acquired a false identity for herself with the aid of Chris Holt, a computer
hacker Liz knew, and then got her GED and studied journalism at Empire
University after learning much about the way the world had become since
her mother left. Today, still maintaining her human disguise, she works
for Manhattan's ABC station and has recently come into contact with the
gargoyles on a few occasions during her work. She has also become friends
with a few humans they know, especially Matt Bluestone, with whom she shares
a barely concealed infatuation neither is willing to easily admit. While
Nikki has not really met or encountered the gargoyles themselves yet, and
the only living human who knows her true nature is Liz, either situation
may soon be changed.
| Description: In her true dragon form, Nikki is a large slim-built
reptilian creature about seventy-five feet long from the tip of her snout
to the base of her tail, with another thirty-five feet for the tail itself.
Her body features four five-fingered limbs tipped with sharp claws, wings
with a span of about forty feet, and a head on the end of a long neck with
kindly somewhat catlike features dominated by shining blue eyes and surrounded
by long silver-blonde hair from which protrude a pair of five-foot tall
slightly curved hornes. A saillike ridge extends from her tail and all
the way down her spine, the tail itself tapering to a point, while Nikki's
entire body is covered with brightly gleaming silver scales that make her
almost resemble a metal sculpture. Her natural dragon ablities allow her
to shapechange into other forms as well, but the only other form in which
she is currently comfortable is that of a human, which she uses to disguise
himself and walk among us. In this form she is about 5'11" tall with pale
white skin and a slim fit build. Her face is attractive, showing the emotions
of kindness and curiosity as well as a beautiful smile to most with whom
she speaks. Frustration, worry, and other emotions can easily be evidenced
on it as well. Silver-blonde hair surrounds the face, flowing to about
shoulder-length. The face itself is still dominated by Nikki's silver-blue
eyes. Generally she likes to dress in dark denim jeans and a grat button-down
shirt or blouse with a red or navy cardigan frequently draped over the
latter. In either form she has the natural abilities of X-ray vision and
strength (though not constitution) greater than that of a normal human
her size. Only in her dragon form can Nikki fly or use the full extent
of the special magical and breath weapon abilities she has inherited by
virtue of being a dragon. |
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Personality: Nikki has three things dominating who she is- friendliness,
curiousity, and fear. The first of these grows out of her upbringing, in
which she was taught to use her powers to aid and protect others by all
the dragons around her. Nikki was also taught to preserve things- life,
knowledge, friendships, etc.- during her youth, and continues to live by
these lessons even today. Kind and helpful, she will gladly assist anyone
in need, as long as it does not involve needlessly injuring others or great
danger to herself. Sometimes she'll help anyway even if the latter is present,
due to her extremely high sense of honor and the needs of the situation,
but generally such instances have not arose that often. This good nature
has allowed Nikki to not only easily survive among humans, but also make
deep and lasting friendships with many of our race, though only two have
thus far learned of her true nature (and one of them died of a heroin overdose
in 1992). Nikki is also very intelligent and wise, but due to her youth,
she is naturally very curious and naive about the world. This is what motivated
her to originally come to Earth, and it has served her well in learning
about this planet and carrying out her duties as a reporter. It also helped
motivate her to become a chronicler originally, but when Nikki realized
she was more interested in the discovery part of being a historian, not
the cataloguing one. The curiosity is also tempered by a stubborn streak
a mile wide that frequently motivates Nikki to stick to a line of work
for a long while, though her good nature keeps her from becoming too curious
about some things. As a reporter, she is of the old school and cares more
about honesty and truth in her stories than how much information she can
find and what sort of story it will make. Honesty and integrity matter
very much to Nikki, though she is not the type to sternly insist that others
live by them. She is more interested in watching how people and relationships
develop by themselves over time, holding out hopes for a good outcome even
as she does so. This especially applies with people she considers her friends,
who are many and varied. As a dragon, she is naturally inclined to hoard
treasure for herself, but is much more interested in keeping what she earns
than taking what she feels should belong to her (the same applies with
making friends). To a small degree, she is also wistful and occasionally
she makes a joke, though it never seems to get across quite right.
The one main thing that has held Nikki back
in life thus far is her fear. The same youth that gives her her curiousity
has also made her very naive and frequently she encounters things that
confuse, frighten, and frustrate her to various degrees. This has happened
more and more frequently during her life in this world. Some examples of
it include how she generally feels threatened whenever faced with a gun
(she was shot shortly after arriving on Earth and this soured her view
of guns in general, as have the many instances of people hurting each other
with guns she's observed); despises drugs of sorts and refuses to even
drink coffee (the fact that Chris Holt, one of her first human friends
in this world, who helped her learn to survive in disguise here, died of
a heroin overdose has contributed to this); and how she is frequently unable
to understand such things as discrimination, religious fanatacism, or politics
despite her frequently encountering them on her job (she's mostly frightened
of such things because she can't relate to them, and because she's seen
and read about many instances of them causing trouble for people, including
those about whom she cares). Some things, such as technology, she's become
able to overcome her confusion and fear towards. Thus she has learned to
rudimentarily use computers, cars, and other devices in the way any normal
human can, though her ability with them is not great by any means. About
more things though, she continues to be fearful and confused, especially
those that seem more often than not to cause some form of violence. Naturally
peaceful and not inclined to hurt others, Nikki tries to avoid combat as
much as possible unless she and her friends are faced with highly aggressive
enemies. She is also only confident of her ability to fight and win when
in her true form as a dragon, and even then if she meets up with a foe
who is clearly a match for her or worse (like another dragon) she becomes
increasingly fearful and needs the help of others to effectively defend
herself. Thus she is concerned about violence in all its forms, and more
afraid of it than anything else. People who indulge in violence easily
she can befriend, but never will Nikki do the same herself. Overall, she
does not easily overcome her fears in situations where they arise, and
thus relies on the help of others at such times to get through. Fortunately,
her natural curiousity keeps her from having a fear of the unknown.
Throughout her life, Nikki's character has
developed more in relation to how she responds to the things she encounters,
not in terms of gradual changes in her own personality. Her extremely long
natural lifespan and her upbringing as a developing person with much potential
for learning and great works rather than someone who was naturally inclined
for such things have helped her continually develop this way as well as
become the person she is. Her friends have always been of varied natures,
in both her life among her own race and the time she's spent living with
humans. Currently her three best friends are Liz Traherne (who is perpetually
bossy, flamboyant, mouthy, brash, disrespectful of authority, and sometimes
bothersome, but nevertheless fiercely loyal to her friends and very resilient
to the degree that no weirdness can stun her for long, especially when
related to Nikki), Bob Page (a cameraman at her job who is very much the
nice and quiet type), and Matt Bluestone, who she's only recently met and
fallen in love with, though neither quite realizes it yet or would be that
willing to admit it even if they did know. Her main nemeses are Gary Parker
(the most sensationalist reporter at her TV station and a former tabloid
junkie who frustrates Nikki almost every time they talk), and the evil
dragon Jadriel (whom she has encountered only once but became very frightened
of in the process). All have affected Nikki's response to humanity to some
degree, though only Liz knows she's a dragon. Nikki will probably continue
to keep what she is hidden from the other two and the rest of humanity
for as long as she can, due to her knowledge of how most people would respond
to the existence of dragons (this hasn't stopped her from going out in
dragon form and assisting those in need in a way similar to the gargoyles
a time or two while on Earth, but she only does it when she can easily
keep herself from being seen). One of her greatest worries is how people
might respond to her if they knew she was a dragon, and this has motivated
her to keep herself hidden as well. Sooner or later, though, she may have
to drop the disguise.
Nikki has enjoyed love once in her life, with
another dragon named Rialtos, though they did break up when she had to
leave Concordance and he didn't think he should go with her. She has not
gotten romantically involved with anyone since, though she has had many
dates, and she and Matt Bluestone are becoming close friends.
Education and Abilities: As mentioned above, Nikki has been trained
as a chronicler by her own kind and in journalism (to the master's degree
level, her thesis being on the place of integrity in reporting) by the
human college Empire University in New York City. Having been exposed to
much of the things in this world through her friendships and her own curiosity,
Nikki has studied much and learned many lessons. She is able to easily
recall and quote most of what she knows chapter and verse due to the photographic
memory she was forced to develop on Concordance when her teachers graded
her through intense oral exams. As a reporter she is very skilled in interview,
investigation, and other techniques that aid her in getting stories, and
can easily use computer programs, notes, and cameras to help record information
as well. Jobs she has held range from the student newspaper of her university
to USA Today and currently ABC.
As an immigrant to this world, Nikki has learned
how to use most technology- VCRs, microwaves, showers, and cars all hold
few puzzles in terms of operation for her to face. She is still learning
to use computers, though her job and college have made her familiar with
many forms of software and operating systems (the hacker Chris Holt did
try to teach her more about computers, but she took to it like a fish to
breathing air and both their frustration motivated Chris to give up). Because
of magic spells she has cast on herself to better survive in this world,
Nikki can speak and understand any language, and is completely immune to
all forms of disease, poison, and elemental hazard (cold, lightning, hot
lava, and the like) though the same does not apply to similar effects produced
by other dragons' breath weapons or spells. She can also cast other forms
of magic, though outside of dragon form she is limited to the simplest
illusion and transformation cantrips. In her pocket she carries a magical
pouch of infinite accessibility and capacity which holds a vast hoard of
valuables, but she spends few of them so as not to attract too much attention
to herself. Other magical items, including a crystal flask that is forever
full of healing potion, are also concealed within.
In combat, Nikki is not as powerful as she
might seem considering her true nature. This is mostly due to her low self-confidence
and fear of violence, though an overweening concern to protect herself
and others above all else also plays a role. In human form she has been
taught rudimentary methods of self-defense by Liz but like most women who
learn never really had a need to use them. In dragon from she's not much
more skilled in fighting, though she is a graceful and competent flyer
and can breathe either a ray of freezing cold or a cloud of purple paralyzation
gas at her enemies. She is also able to walk and climb on clouds or fog
while in dragon from as though it were solid ground. Overall, Nikki can
easily overwhelm most human opponents in dragon form, and knows it, but
against another dragon she is all too easily defeated (she knows this too).
In either form she is much physically stronger and faster than an ordinary
being her size and enjoys natural X-ray vision as well as an ability to
see any magically disguised being in their true form if she so wills (she
does know about and sympathize with, but so far has not encountered, those
of the Third Race).
Appearances:
“Inheritance” -- First appearance, where she is introduced simply as
a reporter interviewing Richard Fisk and little more than that. No hints
of her true identity or the importance her character would acquire later
were given out.
“Captives" & "The Blackout” -- Her personality and response to
her job were more fleshed out in these stories, as were the various influences
on her life. First Nikki visited the Eyrie Building and got Gary Parker
(who had tried to sneak in and spy on the clan) out of trouble, expressing
her frustration with him for the first time. Then as she and her friends
were traveling back home they were caught in the middle of a heavy fog
simultaneous with a citywide power outage. Sensing that people could be
in trouble and that she should go help them, Nikki was compelled by her
sense of honor to change into her true form and leave the others behind.
She managed to assist many people, but in the process incurred the wrath
of the evil dragon Jadriel, who defeated her in a climactic aerial battle
above Hudson Bay. She barely escaped from the battle alive and limped back
to her friends to recuperate at home.
“The Hostage" and "Dragon's Game” -- Nikki's first major appearance,
in which her true nature and past gets more detail than the minor synopsis
it received in "The Blackout" as she reflects on it while undergoing several
episodes in her life that bring back the memories. She also covers Halcyon
Reynard's funeral in this story, is affected emotionally by the eulogies
describing who he was, and while there meets Matt Bluestone for the first
time, beginning their attraction and friendship. It undergoes further development
when Nikki inadvertently sets off the bomb gang leader Daniel Jade is planning
to use to blow up the bowling alley section of Doc's Funplex and Matt takes
her statement after he responds to the call for police help.
“Innocence” -- Nikki is seen once again in her role as a reporter,
this time covering a hostage situation at a day care center that the gargoyles
avert. She interviews Matt, the victims, and the clan, for the first time
meeting the latter face to face (though nothing immediately comes of it).
"Law Enforcement" -- Seen again in her reporter capacity, covering
the activities of Jade's super-thugs on their Philadelphia training mission.
Nikki's relationship with Matt is also explored further in this story,
as it's revealed that he is choosing her over all other reporters to cover
his cases and in fact has been leaking information about cases he isn't
supposed to let the press know about to Nikki as well. This of course is
frustrating Elisa and Captain Chavez, who both reprimand Matt for doing
so. Lieutenant Slovak distrusts Matt as well because of it, though he still
reluctantly gives him and Elisa the assignment to find a spy in the Rose
Task Force. Matt ignores their advice and leaks the case to Nikki, though
she does not act on the information until after the case is closed because
she's been informed of the consequences of doing otherwise. Both of them
reach an understanding and remain friends.
“Inner Demons” -- minor appearances, she is seen reporting on the murder
of William Lord and the riots that follow. She also allows Diane Maza to
go on the air with the speech that puts an end to those riots, gaining
much hope for the eventual acceptance of her race by humanity after she's
listened to the speech and viewed its effects.
"The Test" -- another minor appearance. Nikki receives flowers from
Matt Bluestone as well an anonymous invitation to a dinner date. She goes,
but unfortunately a large amount of paperwork prevents him from meeting
her and (as will be revealed later) he is too embarrassed to call her and
apologize, thus revealing that he sent the flowers. Nikki leaves the restaurant
frustrated by the event.
Upcoming:
"Elysium" -- minor appearance planned that will explore her reaction
to being stood up in "The Test," and Matt's feelings of guilt over it.
She will also report on the spread of the dangerous behavior-modifying
drug Elysium among the people of New York.
“Night of the Symbiotes” -- A powerful megalomaniacal demon at the
head of an army of robots and insane symbiotic aliens appears out of nowhere
and starts doing his best to conquer Manhattan. As a citizen of the island
who wants to help save it and yet has a need to remain hidden, Nikki must
debate whether to assist the gargoyles in defeating the demon or not, and
if she does so how much of her true nature she should reveal.
"Immigrants" -- Nikki will probably get another minor appearance herein,
reporting on Bruce Wayne, Austin D. Powers*, and the Joker's visits to
Manhattan as well as the events that result and the gargoyles' involvement
in them. She may also be held hostage by the Joker in this story and learn
of the existence of Quicklings, but I'm still debating it.
"Blind Date" -- Matt and Nikki are finally going out together. The
problem is, city gang leader Daniel Jade wants Matt dead and sends a hit
squad after him on the same night. To save herself from the assassins,
Nikki must reveal to Matt her dragon form, giving him the greatest shock
of his life. Relationships are never simple in the Gargoyles Universe.
:)
"Sword of Prejudice" -- Dragons are about in the world, hiding among
the human race and trying to live lives disguised as ordinary people. Gargoyles
and mutants are trying to do the same, though not in disguise. Most of
humanity has so far met this with grudging acceptance, but there are of
course those who do not like it. And one of the more politically and financially
resourceful of them is about to decide that he won't take the misguided
fear and confusion brought on in his mind by the mere existence of supernaturals
in the world anymore. Before his plans are put to rest, not only the Manhattan
Clan but Nikki, Elisa, and many other friends of theirs are going to have
to endure a lot of physical and emotional pain.
*= No, this is not who you think. I hate the character Austin Powers,
and would never make him a character in my fanfic in a million years. However,
corrupt evil businessmen with sons who will become radioactive skeletal
Bat-villains in the future should not be spared the agonies and embarrassments
associated with sharing the idiot's name. <grin>
Author’s Notes: Nikki has always been a fun and interesting character
for me to write, even though she's developed more by herself than through
what I think should be done with her. Most writers who are as involved
in their work as I am should be all too familiar with the tendency of some
characters to do this, Nikki's not the only one with whom it's happened
in my work (I also didn't intend in the beginning for Zack and Kara to
get together, for Demona to become an accountant, or for Seth to have the
Gadgeteer advantage, but it all turned out that way and seemed right).
She is the one on whom her own character's had the most influence rather
than my conception of her, though. Originally she was just a name in my
mind and no more, then I started fleshing out details as I brainstormed
with my friends and slowly but surely the rest of Nikki appeared. Many
things have had an influence on the process of conceiving and developing
her, especially the various stories I've read of aliens hiding amongst
humans and studying us out of curiousity or some other emotion. So have
the tales of good and noble dragons I've been exposed to through AD&D,
in which dragons are almost invariably great and powerful and willing to
flaunt it (Nikki has the exact opposite of this attitude of course, since
I found the idea of a dragon character like that fascinating once my friend
Lisa thought it up). The popular fantasy stories of silver dragons falling
in love with mortal men have been a particular influence, especially on
writing Nikki's relationship with Matt (that happened on its own too, of
course, and will definitely undergo more development in the future. Originally
I'd concieved for Matt to get involved with a normal person, a Sara Jasper
type, but having him end up with someone stranger, someone different and
more magical, ended up feeling more right), even though I intend for their
relationship to be widely different than the ones in all those stories
have been (mostly because of the characters involved). Other writers' characters
have influenced her personality as well- the various Ninas from the Breath
of Fire games and Mieu Sedai's BOF fanfiction, Aerith from Final Fantasy
7, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz (who Nikki is a lot like being a stranger
in a strange land), Nelle Porter from Ally McBeal, Willow from Buffy, Lauren
from the UPN show Deadly Games (Bob Page and Gary Parker are also much
like that show's other two main characters), and of course Christine Morgan's
character Aiden Ferguson (whose relationship with Birdie has greatly influenced
Nikki's with Liz). Various fictional reporter characters have also played
a role- Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane, April O'Neil from Ninja Turtles (whose
annoying partner became Nikki's anchorman :), Maya of Just Shoot Me, and
Mary Tyler Moore's character from her old show. There's also a lot of my
younger sister and two of my cousins in her, as well as a girl of similar
personality who I was good friends with in high school. <shrugs> I guess
all these influences combined into one in my imagination, and Nikki, a
dragon character with a very human personality, was the result. So far
I continue to enjoy telling her stories and this will probably keep being
so as long as my readers also like them. Nikki's not a Mary Sue or a self-insertion
character by any means (Rachel, Seth, and Zack are the ones I think of
more when the question of who's such a character in my ficverse arises),
but she does represent a part of all of us, I think. And as such, she will
continue to be developed, for however long I can keep readers interested.
:) And as most any writer of ability can tell from looking at a character
with such infinite curiousity and ability to respond to new situations,
much potential for further stories and development with Nikki definitely
exists.