FINDING SACHIKO AKIYAMA, SPEAKER FOR THE EMPRESS - PART ONE

Sister to the Empress of the Peak Empire, Sachiko Akiyama and her family are the 1% in the world of DELUGE. While their seat of power is the top of Old Mount Everest, the only remaining  dry land, the Peak Empire’s influence is felt across the World Sea. Because the Empress never leaves Peak, Sachiko acts as her sister’s emissary across the waves. Wherever she goes, Sachiko speaks with the voice of the Empress. When Empress Hikari hears rumors about the discovery of a new artifact from the Drowned World, she sends her loyal sister to acquire it. For her entire life, Sachiko has taken full advantage of all that being the sister of the Empress could bring: unimaginable wealth, an endless private supply of freshwater and enough food to never know the pains of hunger. Meeting Bisanne Masoud in the first issue of DELUGE will throw Sachiko’s life into upheaval and it may very well change both women’s lives forever.

Here are Deborah's first sketches of Sachiko and they're fantastic!. I really like images B, D and F while leaning more towards B. These images feel like they could be variations on the same face. Sachiko is the Speaker for the Empress so she's meeting people all the time while doing the business of the Empire. Image B feels like we're seeing a bit of her sterner side while F feels like a little bit of her kinder and more gentle side. I think we see more of Sachiko's kind and generous side, but when the anger comes out it can be a scary thing because we know how much power Sachiko can wield. 

Deborah had the idea for Sachiko to have a shorter hairstyle, which is great! I think it's a wonderful way to differentiate between Bisanne and Sachiko in a simple and visual way. I think when it comes to Sachiko, everything about her should be a visual representation of how she's set apart from everyone. Sachiko is the second most powerful person on the World Sea. She and her sister, the Empress, are the 1% of this new Earth. 

I love the full-body pose as well! I love the coat draped over Sachiko's shoulders. That image and pose alone set her apart from everyone. And it's great! I think Sachiko is the kind of character in DELUGE who has a different outfit for every new day - sometimes even for every new scene, depending on what the scenes call for - while everyone else usually wears the same thing with slight variations. I think Sachiko is more into custom, Japanese inspired dresses. Her wardrobe is a tool she uses and she changes it up to suit the goal she's trying to achieve. For example, when we meet Sachiko in issue #1, I think she's in one of her custom dresses because she's meeting someone who's a little more refined. But then she wears something in issue #3 that's very close to what's in the image above. Love the shirt! Love the pants! Love the boots! Oh, and I really love those gloves! 

These are only the first sketches Deborah has done of Sachiko and there will be more refinement of her design as time goes on. I can't wait to show you more! That's it for now. Keep an eye here and on my Twitter and Instagram accounts for more updates on DELUGE. Also, make sure to follow Deborah Hauber on Twitter, Twitch and at her website! Also, also, Deborah streams on Twitch every Sunday at 7am PST. She's doing amazing work and everyone should follow her! Thanks for dropping by! Talk again soon!